Whether a room in your house needs a quick facelift or you're renovating an older home, picking a color for the walls is usually the easiest (and most fun!) part. The tough office is the prep piece of work. Where do y'all offset? Follow these five easy steps for removing pigment and ensure a smooth pigment job.

Determine if Removing Paint is a Must

Inspect the walls for chips, cracks or bubbles. Spot any of these and it'southward best to remove the paint. Otherwise, a new coat of paint on a few old-just-polish layers is okay.

Business firm built before 1978? There'south a chance some lead-based paint may remain underneath one of the many newer layers. Consider hiring a professional to remove any lead-based paint.

Prep the Area Before Removing Paint

Remove hangings, décor or furniture up against the wall, and dust. Lay drop cloths on the floor.

Try These Techniques When Removing Paint

Scrape
Effort taking the flaky, peeling pigment off the wall with a lonely scraper. Place a dust mask on your face before removing paint, and drag the bract with moderate to firm pressure level in every management under the paint until the wall is bare.

Strip
If the scraper didn't do the job or you'd similar to shave time off the process, use a liquid paint-softening stripper. Put on heavy-duty rubber gloves, and follow the directions.

Oestrus
Try a heating gun, torch, or atomic number 26 if you'd rather non use harsh chemicals. Vesture a respirator mask to prevent yourself from breathing in fumes when removing paint, and be sure to ventilate the rooms with exhaust fans. With one hand, apply heat to a section of the wall from a few inches abroad, waving the heater back and forth. Once information technology starts bubbling, use the other hand to remove pigment with the scraper.

Sand
Techniques similar scraping and stripping crave plenty of patience and a little bit of muscle. Let a power tool practice the work for you. Buy or rent an orbital power sander with twoscore-grit sandpaper. Drape a fabric or tarp over any nearby appliances or furniture and open a window for ventilation—the sander creates a lot of dust. Put on a facemask and goggles, and sand the wall department by section.

Launder the Walls After Removing Paint

Make full a bucket with absurd water and soak a sponge in it. Squeeze out any excess h2o, wipe downwards the wall, and permit dry.

Clean Paint Chips and Dust

Dispose the removing paint chips on the drop cloth, and vacuum the surrounding area.

Christine Petrozzo is a freelance writer living in San Francisco, Calif.

A version of this story originally appeared on iVillage.