It’s one of the first things that agents tell you when you ready your house for the market—empty the space of your family’s “personality.” That way, when prospective buyers enter the home, they can visualize their own lives upon an empty canvas.

Part of the process of taking “you” out of the home is getting rid of your personal paint choices. That means getting out the rollers and brushes, which can be an intimidating step for those who haven’t painted walls before. These tips for first-time painters will, hopefully, help take some of the stress out of the process.

Timing Is Key

When you complete your paint job is almost as important as how you do it. It’s far more difficult to paint at night because it isn’t as easy to see your colors or the places where your brush strokes aren’t smooth. It’s better to start your paint tasks earlier in the day to make the most of the daylight and give your paint more daylight hours to dry.

But the best timing doesn’t only apply to the time of day. Even when you’re adding paint to an interior room, there are times of the year that are better to paint than others. Temperature affects how paint dries. Hotter temperatures make paint dry more quickly, while colder temperatures can cause paint to thicken and dry more slowly, leading to an uneven, saggy-looking surface. If you’re planning to paint this fall, you may want to consider completing your project before temperatures drop too low.

Prepare Your Space

Paint tends to get everywhere. It drips off your brushes, it gets all over your hands, your hand slips, and it ends up on the trim or cabinets instead of the walls. To avoid this, preparing your space before you paint is especially important for first-time painters. Put tarps on the floors, walls, and nearby appliances. If the furniture in the room is movable, move it away from the walls until the paint dries.

Know Which Brush To Use

Even if you don’t have painting experience, you’re probably aware that there is more than one kind of paintbrush you can use on a wall. But those with limited painting experience may not be aware that paintbrush variety goes beyond using a brush vs. a roller.

Paintbrush bristles come in a wide variety of materials, from synthetic to animal hair, and how well the brush works depends on what kind of paint you use. If you use water-based paints, synthetic bristles are a better choice because natural bristles like animal hair tend to soak up too much of the water. Oil or latex-based paints, on the other hand, work better with natural bristles because it provides a smoother finish.