Proper sequencing when painting a room is from top to bottom; begin with the ceiling, then work your way to the walls and windows, finishing with doors and baseboards. What are you painting?

Ceilings

Walls

Doors

Windows

-Double hung windows

-Casement windows

Decks

Ceilings

First 'cut in' a 2 inch wide strip with a brush around the edges of the ceiling. Then, switch to a roller with an extension pole. Staring at a corner, paint a section about 3 feet square. Use a zigzag pattern, paint a W" pattern on the ceiling, which will disperse the paint on the roller evenly. Fill in this 3 ft section without reloading the roller until you have complete coverage of this section. Continue to cover the ceiling, working across its shortest dimension in 3 foot square sections, overlapping while paint is wet to minimize lap marks.

Walls

Starting at the ceiling, 'cut in' 2 inch strip with a brush. Continue with the brush to cut in 2 inch strips in corners, around windows, doors, cabinets and baseboards. Note - there are tools available at your paint retail outlets that help make this "edging" job easier. Other "tricks" include sliding the roller cover off the holder slightly so the rollers edge gets closer to ceiling, window or door.

Switch to a roller and paint in a vertical direction using a zigzag pattern. Push the roller upward on the first stroke, and then form an "M" pattern to evenly distribute the paint on the roller. Fill in the "M" pattern without reloading the roller until you have complete coverage of the area. Continue with this approach until the wall is finished. Touching up spots you missed when the paint is wet will help minimize potential sheen differences.

We recommend that when you finish one wall, make sure you have enough paint to complete the next entire wall. Starting with another can of paint in the middle of a wall can result in slightly different colors, which will be perceptible side by side, but not wall to wall.

Doors

Open door wide enough to reach all parts to be painted. Protect hinges and other metal with masking tape. Always start at the top. If the door is paneled, paint the panels first, the horizontal sections next and finally the vertical sections. If the door opens into the room you are painting, use the same color on the latch edge that you have used for the rest of the door. If it opens into the next room, do not paint the hinged edge. It should be the same color as the other room 
 

Windows

Of all woodwork in the home, windows suffer the most stress. Constant exposure to temperature changes and condensation means that windows often need to be painted more frequently than doors, moldings and trim.

Start by removing locks, curtain hooks and other hardware from windows, this will speed your work and produce a better-looking paint job.

Double-hung windows
1. Raise the bottom sash and lower the top sash most of the way, so that there is a 6" overlap. Paint the bottom horizontal section of the top sash, then the accessible vertical members. Use care to keep paint from getting in between sash and frame which can "glue" the window in place.

2. Nearly close the upper and lower sashes and finish painting the rest of the top sash.

3. Paint the entire bottom sash.

4. After allowing the sashes to dry, paint window frame.

5. Close the windows and paint exposed parts of the runners. If your windows have sash cords, avoid getting paint on them.

6. Paint the window sill and apron.

Casement windows

If your home has any casement windows (windows that open out or in, rather than up or down), use a different technique:

1. Open the windows and paint the top, side and bottom edges.

2. Paint the crossbars and frame casings.

3. Complete the job by painting the sill and apron.

Regardless of the type of windows you are painting, to keep paint on the frame and off the glass but don’t rely on having a steady hand, either hold up a paint shield as you work or apply masking tape to the glass. If a few stray specks of paint still get onto the glass, simply remove them with a razor blade. Finally, paint windows early in the day so they have enough time to dry before you close them in the evening.

Decks