Scott Levin advises customers who are about to begin a remodeling project to pick their paint last.

"Start by picking design items that have the least amount of choices" and work your way up to the infinite amount of hues available in paint last, said Levin, who is the vice president of L&L Glass and Paint in Butler.

If there is a single item you most want to highlight in a room, Levin said, make it "pop" by selecting paint that has a depth of color opposite to the item.

For example, Levin said what is popular now among his customers is pairing darker colored paint with light furniture.

"Bold is beautiful," he said.

Most businesses that sell paint can create indoor paint to match just about any item.

For Karen Baier of Penn Township, a love of the bearded iris inspired a blue bedroom makeover this summer.

Baier, who has a watercolor depicting her favorite flower, took her painting to a Lowe's store and asked about paints that would best show it off.

After much help from a salesman, Baier picked a medium blue paint and "the palest of blues" glaze.

The two paints, when layered by technique, look like blue velvet.

"It's a long process," Baier said of selecting paint.

She picked two other iris-themed wall accessories that will be displayed in a wall frame and a white paint for the ceiling. She's almost finished.

"I know I'm going to enjoy it," she said. "My bedroom is my sanctuary."

Bernie Miller, who heads up the paint department at the Lowe's in Butler, said many of his customers this summer also picked pastel colors.

"Colors go through spells," he said.

When switching from a dark to a light paint or a light to a dark, experts recommend putting on a coat of primer.

Primer is also recommended for new drywall and in areas where repairs were made to old walls. And a bonding primer should be used on really shiny surfaces.

Miller said the amount of paint needed for any given project will depend on a number of factors, including the size and height of your walls, wether you plan to paint the ceiling the same color and how many coats will be needed.

It's best to ask a paint salesperson for help in determining how many gallons of paint to buy.

"If you have kids, we recommend a semigloss," Miller said noting the popular paint sheen is the most durable.

Flat paint, for the most part, cannot be washed. It's best for ceilings.

But eggshell will give a similar finish as flat and it's more washable.

All other finishes, from semigloss to high gloss, are easily washable.

The more sheen a paint has, the more transparent it will be. So higher sheens require more coats, and are less likely to hide imperfections.

For those who don't want to, or are physically unable to, do the painting themselves, businesses such as Clair Boring Painting and Services are willing to do the work.

Boring noted that prep work is one of the more important factors in how the finished product will turn out.

Wash any extra greasy surfaces, patch damaged walls and cover natural wood trims with masking tape.

"Use common sense," he said, noting many of his customers pick off-whites as a color and eggshell finishes.

Boring said in some cases his customers buy the paint themselves. Others ask his company to buy the paint in advance.

All of the experts seem to agree that there is a correlation between cost and quality when it comes to paint. Higher end products go on thicker, cover better and last longer."Buy the best product you can," Levin advises. "It will save you in the long run."Here are some other tips on indoor painting from the pros:• Oil based paint is a thing of the past in Pennsylvania stores. But if it's not a thing of the past on your walls, put a layer of primer on before latex paint. Can't tell what's on your walls? Levin said acetone-based nail polish remover will take away latex paint, but not oil paint.• Unless you are painting the wall white, get your primer tinted. But don't get it tinted to an exact match of your paint color because you'll have trouble knowing which parts you've done and which you haven't when you move on to the real paint.• Don't pick colors in the store. Bring color chips home and look at them on the area you plan to paint.• When it comes to picking a paint roller, Miller advises the more pattern or texture on your wall, the thicker the nap you should buy.• To paint over a "popcorn" ceiling, roll in one direction, then stop. Don't roll back and forth because the popcorn can peel.Freda Tarbell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection says there are easy ways to make your painting project more environmentally friendly.First, there are several brands of paint that produce little or no "off gassing" or VOC, volatile organic compound, fumes.Secondly, Tarbell recommends homeowners keep unused paint when their project is finished in case they need it later on.If you must dispose of paint and want to be responsible, check to see if your community offers a household hazardous waste collection. Butler County has hosted a number of these through the years.If waiting for a municipal collection is not an option, fill the unused paint can with clay kitty litter and allow to become a solid. This will limit the hazard when you put the can out with your normal trash.