Painting novice - all your secret tips please

[SoTiredNeedHoliday]

I'm going to tackle painting our front room. With no experience under my belt, I am looking for any tips that might make things easier and give a better result.
What brushes to use? Anything that might be helpful greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

In no particular order, after painting you will need cling film around the brushes until you need to use them the next day.
Good quality brushes/rollers.
Lip/eye make up brush for cutting in.
Damp cloth.
Old newspaper to rest stuff on (ie paint lids etc)
Old clothes on that you dont care about getting messy.
Cover everything especially if using roller, tiny splashes are tedious to remove later.
Slowly when cutting in, can speed up a bit when rollering a big bit of the wall.
Dont keep stepping back to check progress, crack on.
Good radio station or playlist on in the background.
Access to kettle/tea bags/wine
Steady and slow with the gloss.
shout at remind everyone when they walk through the doors that the paint is wet (maybe a little sign somewhere too)

Practise! Start on the least visible wall.
Watch some youtube videos about cutting in. Get an angled brush like this www.amazon.co.uk/Axus-D%C3%A9cor-1-inch-Precision-Angled/dp/B00CBMEXYO/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&s=kitchen&keywords=angled+paint+brush&srpt=PAINT_BRUSH&qsid=258-5541225-3573908&sres=B00CST3W5G%2CB00CST3XT6%2CB06XXGT1K1%2CB01NGT68SP%2CB00CST40JI%2CB01ETA4OA8%2CB00CBMEXYO%2CB00CST3XSM%2CB00CST3LZ2%2CB00CBMFSVQ%2CB00CST3U5I%2CB01MD1NPJE%2CB00FDPOI4G%2CB007BNFC7K%2CB07V22WJN5%2CB00CST3XS2%2CB000LFRUSY%2CB00FDPOM9M%2CB00CYLX9PQ%2CB085RNGNDD&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1634328989&sr=1-10. Once you get the hang of it its really satisfying and much quicker than using masking tape which is also fiddly.

Microfibre rollers.
Washable matt paint - trade paint sounds cheap and cheerful but it is actually better quality. I like Johnstones for budget. Craig and Rose paint is lovely too, high pigment so definitely one or two coats, depending what colour you're going over etc. (It can be tempting for novices to overspread paint and end up having to do 3 coats...)
If you're doing the ceiling be prepared to give up the will for life several times!
Bets of luck, it can be done.

I’d add to almost everything here:

Use the best quality brushes that you can afford. There’s no point forking out for quality paint if you’re going to ruin it with brush hairs stuck all over it!
Don’t bother with masking tape. In my experience, it bleeds if you don’t press it down firmly, and then if you do, it’s likely to take off the existing paint finish you’re painting up to. It’s better to cut in properly. I have an angled cutting in brush, it does corners perfectly and is easy to pull along in a straight line.
When cutting in, use the edge of the bristles I.e. directly opposite the handle, not the sides of the brush. Even with good quality brushes, there’s bound to be a rogue bristle or two sticking out. Don’t put too much on the brush, hold it at right angles to the line and pull it across, overlapping with the bit you have just done (if you see what I mean!)
Look after your brushes. I leave mine overnight in a carrier bag but clean them thoroughly at the end of the job and smooth the bristles straight before drying and putting away. You can also put a rubber band over the bristles so that they keep straight.

Good luck!

Shower cap on when painting ceilings…

Great thread this!

Disposable latex gloves, then if you get paint on them you just peel them off and use another pair.

None of the professional decorators I know will use F&B paint, they say it goes on badly.

Everyone says rollers but I find a paint pad much easier to use.

If you are painting over a dark colour in the bathroom or kitchen, start with a coat of ordinary white emulsion. Bathroom paint is slightly translucent and the colour will show through six coats of bathroom paint as I know to my cost.

Good tips here.

Do you have to wait for the ceiling to be dry and have 2 coats before starting on the walls.