If you are embarking on your first faux painting project, then it’s worth ensuring that you’ve mastered the essentials. Beginners may make some errors that prevent them attaining the effect that they’re looking for.

1. Your end result is only going to be as good as your materials. That applies to paint and brush quality but above all to your surface. Think of it as your canvas. You’re about as likely to achieve your aims on a surface coated with flat paint as you would be painting on tissue paper.

Low gloss paints will give you a brighter finish than flat paint, which has a dulling effect on subsequent layers. The best base coat is satin or eggshell paint that dries slowly, giving you time to attend to any problems.

2. A few cents of commonsense is worth dollars of equipment. Don’t bother with unnecessary gimmicks. Spend your money on quality paints and brushes instead. You don’t need a special sponge applicator – almost any soft sponge will do. You don’t need an artist’s palette. Ice cube trays are cheap and actually hold more paint.

A money saving tip is to put any leftover paint in your freezer, to thaw and use later, rather than letting it dry and go to waste. Another economy measure is to use dishwashing liquid for cleaning brushes, instead of buying expensive professional products. It will even work on some partly oil-based paints.

3. Your results depend on the surface you start with. You must fill cracks and cavities before you start, but it doesn’t end there. You then need to sand it and seal it with a water-based sealant. To ensure sure that the patch job blends in with the surroundings you need to make sure it is the same colour. Use the original paint if you have it or, alternatively, you can tint the sealant using some acrylic paint of the appropriate color. Don’t cut corners on surface preparation – flaws will show through.

4. You know the saying: oil and water don’t mix. Remember that when painting or suffer the consequences. The resulting curdled slush is not pretty. In short, know your paints and read your labels. Latex paint may sound like it’s oil-based but it’s part-water.

5. Clean conditions help create a neat finish. This applies especially to your brushes, which need to be thoroughly cleaned. If you don’t clean them properly you may end up with streaky paint and strange colors. You don’t need specialist cleaners but just running brushes under the tap is not enough. Cleaning pads for children’s art brushes are available for much less than the professional version.

You need to maintain a clean working environment, especially when working for others. Small splashes on carpets can be handled without chemicals. Try nail scissors. Wait until the paint is dry. Adding water just spreads it. Then snip the soiled ends, strand by strand. This won’t work on larger patches, so make sure you use drop cloths as a preventative measure. For disasters that can’t be trimmed out, try product called Goof Off.

7. Timing is all-important, especially when using glazes. The faster you can work the better, especially if the weather is hot. Defined areas of wall (or other surface) need to be painted in one go so that you don’t end up with wet and dry edges that affect the way the paint spreads. Eliminate tea and toilet breaks until the job is done to avoid problems.

7. What’s your painting style? Style is a product of the way a person habitually applies paint and painting a wall or floor is no exception. If two people paint adjacent areas of the same wall, the difference is likely to be quite obvious. The same applies to a single person’s work at different stages of the process. If your faux painting project is a collaborative effort, assign different people to different walls, or at least alternate layers. Plan to complete sections that need to look uniform in one go.