Body Reactions

• 1). Wear gloves and a painter's smock to protect your skin. Unless you have severe skin allergies, most paints will not harm your skin, but they are difficult to wash off.
  
  
• 2). Wear a painter's mask to protect yourself from paint fumes.
  
  
• 3). Open windows and use fans to provide ventilation for your workspace.
  
  

Painted-Surface Reactions

• 1). Clean surfaces with trisodium phosphate, unscented dish detergent or other mild cleanser. Dirty surfaces can cause paint discoloration. Many chemical cleansers leave a residue that can react with paint, but TSP or dish soap are safe choices.
  
  
• 2). Prepare your surface with an appropriate primer. General-purpose primers are useful for drywall and treated wood, but you'll need a specialized primer for other items. There are literally dozens of kinds of primer, so ask a sales person at a home-improvement store about primers for your specific piece. Primers provide a protective base coat, preventing your paint from reacting with the surface of the piece you're redoing.
  
  
• 3). Apply an oil-base paint. Oil-base paints take longer to dry than latex paints, but they are more durable and do not discolor as easily as latex paint.