Painting - How to plan the painting of the house?

I am a new member to this forum, and also a first time home owner.

SInce I want to paint the house, I would like to know how should I plan the painting of the house? Currently, I have one color through out the house, which I would like to change.

What all I should do, to paint my house and what tools I should buy.?

Any tips and tricks for painting the house and what type of paint I should use.

I also want to paint my son's room who is 4 yrs, what paint I should do in his room. Any decoration.... ideas please....

I am novice in this field, folks I would like some guidance.

Thanks

What all I should do, to paint my house Any surface to be painted must be mechanically sound and clean. No flaking, peeling, blistered, alligatored, or checked paint. Most walls are clean enough to paint. Woodwork does better if washed with spic and span for wood to clean it. Some paint the ceiling, then the walls, then the trim. Some paint the trim before the walls. Uneven places on the walls and trim from paint glops and runs from past work can be sanded smooth with 100 grit sandpaper to even the surface.

If you intend to change color dramatically, a tinted primer can help with the transition.

what tools I should buy.?

Buy top quality tools and materials. Anything less wastes your time and money. Cloth dropcloths are a good investment. Plastic tears easily, is a fall hazard, and enables you to track spilt paint. A six foot step ladder is handy if you need one to reach the ceiling and tops of walls. A good roller frame and pads, sash brush, and roller tray would round out the list. Optionally, paint shields for painting against carpeting and a good caulking gun for caulking painted trim to the walls, a 5-in-1 tool for removing old caulk, some shop towels for wiping help with painting. A roller cleaner attachment for a garden hose makes cleaning a roller simpler and more effective.

Top quality latex paint is a good choice throughout the house. I prefer to prime all woodwork before painting. Zinsser 123 is my choice of a primer.

If you choose to paint the kitchen, washing the walls would be a good idea to remove all grease and grime. The walls may look clean and actually be dirty. Paint will not stick to dirt and grease.

Ordinarily, one uses semi-gloss paint on woodwork and kitchen and bath walls, flat paint on other walls and ceilings.

For Decorating ideas, you might post in the Decortion and Design topic for some ideas.

Hope this helps.

I prefer satin or eggshell instead of flat paint for my walls. Flat paint is hard to clean, satin a bit easier to keep clean. Flat is an excellent choice for ceilings.

My personal preference for kitchens and baths is a semi-gloss, though the sheen is too much for some.

If you paint the trim, a latex enamel is a good choice. Its a little harder finish than semi-gloss.

If you have a lot of moisture in the air after a bath/shower, use a paint that has a mildewcide (such as a ktichen and bath paint) in it for the bathrooms.

High quality tools, though expensive initially, are actually cheaper in the long run. Wash them out after each use and they will last for a long time. Cheap brushes wear out quickly. Cheap brushes also leave lots of bristles behind, so you are constantly picking bristles off the wall. Quality tools hold more paint, making the job go faster.

Get your paint from a paint store. Saving a few bucks a gallon at a discount store just isn't worth it.

If you plan on painting the ceilings, do them first.
Paint the walls next.
Paint the trim last.