Painting is a necessary home maintenance project that few of us enjoy. However, if your home has exterior wood siding, Mother Nature dictates painting the exterior of the home every five to seven years. Between sun, moisture and dramatic temperature changes, exterior house paint begins to fade, crack and peel over time. The interior walls of the home can take a similar beating; however, instead of Mother Nature's wrath causing wear and tear, it tends to be that of children, pets and everyday life.

Listed below are my top 10 house painting tips for making your DIY project go a little smoother.

1) Prepare the painting area appropriately. This includes removing items and obstructions from the room or work area, such as curtains, furniture and mechanical hardware wherever possible. Also make sure the room is well ventilated, if you are working on an interior project. In addition, fill all holes or cracks with spackling and tape all items that you do not want to paint and cannot remove from the walls. Wiping down wall surface areas with a damp cloth prior to applying paint is advisable. You would be surprised how much dust clings to wall surfaces.

Finally, if you are tackling an interior paint project, remove all outlet and switch faceplate covers. You will waste more time cutting around them and will inevitably leave paint marks on some of them.

Make no mistake, no time is more wasted when painting than in shuffling articles around the room, removing outlet covers at the last minute and cycling between taping and painting. When the preparation work is complete, then pull out the paintbrush and rollers.

2) If the old paint on the exterior of the home is chipped and flaking, then scrape the exterior prior to applying new paint. However, before starting to scrape off old paint, make sure it has been tested to confirm that it is lead-free. There are strict federal and state procedures for removing lead-based paint products. Lead is a hazardous material to humans and should only be removed by a licensed professional.

Also, it is wise to power-wash the exterior of a home prior to painting. Mold and mildew, as well as dirt, rust and other foreign materials, can collect on the walls. If not removed, the paint adhesion could be compromised.

3) In the event you are using a paint sprayer for painting the exterior of your home, use newspaper and masking tape to cover windows and other large surfaces that do not need to be painted.

4) Use plenty of drop cloths and have a damp rag in your pocket at all times. Attempting to not drip is a time-consuming chore. Unless you want to have a contest while painting to see who drips the least paint, use copious amounts of drop cloths. Having the damp rag in your pocket will save time when you make that minor mistake with the cutting brush, too.

5) Have a sufficient number of ladders with the appropriate height requirements. Running up and down ladders and constantly readjusting them is time-consuming and tiring. Using the wrong ladder can also be dangerous to your personal well-being.

6) If the walls have never seen paint -- e.g., bare plasterboard -- prime them first. You will save money on high-priced paint absorption, and you will get a much better finish.

7) Cut first with a small angled paintbrush and then pull out your paint rollers. Cutting in means that you use a brush to paint areas that are too small for rollers. These areas are usually around baseboards, ceilings and corners. By rolling paint after you cut the corners and floor and ceiling transitions, you can hide the brush marks and achieve a nicer finish.

8) Make sure weather conditions are right for painting. Hold off painting the exterior of a home until you are sure the siding is completely dry. Also make sure the weather forecast is free of rain and fog, and the temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Even if you are tackling an interior home painting project, it is best to paint on a dry and low-humidity day for quick drying times.

9) If you are using latex paint, clean your brushes thoroughly after use. If you are using an oil-based paint, then use mineral spirits to clean your brushes. Nothing can be more frustrating to go out the second day on your paint project and find your brushes hard and unusable.

10) Finally, have a radio or iPod player nearby. Nothing helps to soothe the soul more than listening to your favorite music while you paint.

Happy house painting!