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Start with the basics that do the heavy lifting

Most beginner decorating projects don't need a van full of equipment. A quality brush, a roller, a tray and a sanding block will carry you through painting a bedroom, refreshing a hallway or giving the woodwork a new lease of life. Add a roll of masking tape and you can produce edges that look as though they were done by someone with years of practice behind them.

Where beginners tend to go wrong is buying lots of cheap kit instead of a few good things. A £3 brush will shed bristles into your fresh paint, and a flimsy roller will leave a stippled mess you then have to sand back. Spend your budget on the tools you hold in your hand and keep the rest simple.

Brushes and rollers: where to spend your money

Two brushes and two rollers cover almost everything in a typical home.

• A 50mm (2 inch) angled sash brush for cutting in along ceilings, skirting boards and window frames. The angled tip gives you far more control than a straight brush.
• A 75mm (3 inch) brush for flat woodwork such as doors, door frames and skirting, where you want to lay paint off quickly.
• A 230mm (9 inch) roller for walls and ceilings. This is the workhorse of any room refresh.
• A 100mm (4 inch) mini roller for doors, panels, cupboards and awkward corners the big roller can't reach.

Match the bristles to the paint. Synthetic bristles are made for water-based emulsion and eggshell, and they hold their shape well. Natural bristles suit solvent-based gloss and satin, though most modern homeowners now use water-based products throughout. For roller sleeves, a short pile of around 4–6mm is ideal on smooth plaster, while a medium pile handles slightly textured walls. Microfibre sleeves are excellent with emulsion and leave very little lint behind.

Trays, sanding and the prep most people skip

Buy a tray with a decent well and a proper slope for rolling off excess paint. Cheap trays crack and tip. Tray liners are worth the small outlay if you'd rather not spend twenty minutes scrubbing up at the end of the day.

Preparation is where a professional-looking finish is won, and it costs you very little. A sanding block with a couple of grades of abrasive paper — around 120 grit for keying and 180 to 240 for a finer finish between coats — will smooth filled patches and dull glossy surfaces so paint can grip. Add a filling knife and some lightweight filler for cracks and holes, and a tube of decorator's caulk for the gap where skirting meets wall or where a door frame has shifted.

Before you paint anything, wash walls and woodwork with a sugar soap solution to remove grease and grime, then rinse. Paint applied over kitchen or hand-traffic residue will fail, no matter how good your brush is. A dust sheet, a soft brush for cobwebs and a vacuum will keep grit out of your finish.

Masking tape and crisp edges

Masking tape is the beginner's secret weapon. It protects skirting, architraves, window glass, sockets and the edge of the carpet while you work, and it gives you a straight line without a steady hand.

Choose low-tack tape if you're masking over fresh paint or wallpaper, and standard tape for bare wood and trim. Press the edge down firmly with a thumbnail or a plastic scraper so paint can't creep underneath. Peel tape away while the paint is still slightly tacky, pulling slowly back on itself at a low angle — if you leave it until the paint is fully cured, you risk pulling a ragged edge or lifting the coat beneath. Don't leave tape on for weeks, either; it can leave a sticky residue that's a nuisance to remove.

For light switches and sockets, it's often quicker and neater to remove the faceplate with a screwdriver, paint, then refit once dry.

Small extras that earn their keep

• A paint kettle or small pot with a handle — far easier to carry up a ladder than a full tin.
• Stirrers, and a spare for each colour so you aren't cross-contaminating.
• A screwdriver for switch plates, door handles and vent covers.
• Decorator's wipes or a damp cloth for catching drips before they set.
• Rubber gloves if you're using solvent-based products.
• A step stool or small ladder, plus a decent work light so you can spot imperfections while there's still time to fix them.

Looking after your tools so they last

Clean brushes and rollers as soon as you finish, while the paint is still wet. Water-based products rinse out in warm soapy water; solvent-based ones need white spirit. Work the bristles from the ferrule down to the tip, then reshape and dry them flat or hanging, never standing on their heads in a jar of water.

If you're stopping for lunch or overnight mid-job, wrap brushes and rollers tightly in cling film and they'll be ready to go again the next morning. Looked after properly, a good brush will last years and improve with use — which is more than can be said for the pile of cheap ones it replaced.