The edge tools don't do a very good job. Get a good brush. When I say good, I don't mean the one at home depot labeled'good'. I am talking one of ones you look at and say 'dang, $XX for a brush?!?' Make sure it isn't an oil brush.
When you clean your expensive brush, don't turn it bristles up into the running water. Instead, run the water down into the sink and kind of heavy pressure paint the bottom of the sink under the flowing water. This will protect your bristles.
Plastic rolling pan liners are very nice.
The little roller is a great tool. Use it too.
Don't drink too much beer while painting.
Disregard that tip.
Buy the wide blue painters tape. The narrow stuff is no good. And painters tape is way overpriced, but you gotta have it.
Don't try to do a 4' section of tape in one piece. A series of smaller pieces will be much easier and better.
Look closely, but there is no perfect. You will make yourself go crazy if you try to get every last dot covered. There is a good enough point. Learn it.

In addition to good brushes making a difference, good paint also makes a difference.

I like Sherwin Williams Super Paint for walls, Eminence for ceilings, and Pro Classic water based acrylic for trim.

Depending on what you're doing, a good brush and steady hand (practice) will give you a better finished product than going through 15 rolls of blue tape. Unless you have a perfectly smooth surface, paint will get under the edge of the painters tape and you won't get a clean, crisp line unless you put the tape down, paint over it with the color you're trying to cover up (to seal the tape edge), and then use your new color.

Also, all blue tape is not created equal, even within the name brand(s). Some versions of blue tape will take the top layer of finish off of wood floors, even if it's only down for 1-2 days, so be careful if using in that type of scenario. Search online for which versions are safe to use on wood/finished floors.

Plan to do a second coat. Even with the existing white base coat, your first coat will likely leave roller lines and light/dark areas. The second coat will eliminate all of these and give you a much better finished product.

Take 15 min. and remove all the switch plates and outlet covers. Trying to paint around them looks like a ****ty landlord painting job.The same goes with fixture escutcheons/covers.

If you're going to do doors, take them off the hinges and remove all the hardware. Again, don't do the landlord special of just painting over all the hinges. Doors are the one thing I would recommend spraying if you have the ability. In my experience, it's hard to get doors to have a nice, even finish when painting with a brush. I was extremely careful with our front door and thought I had done a great job. As soon as I got it re-hung I found 2-3 places that I had small runs as well as visible brush strokes I couldn't see when it was sitting on the saw horses. The Pro Classic paint does a great job on smoothing itself out, but it still didn't get completely smooth on the door. I believe there's also an additive you can put into the paint if you're doing doors/cabinets/etc. that helps even more with the paint smoothing out, but I've never used it.

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck! It's an easy way to save money, but you do need to take your time and have some attention to detail to make it look top notch.

500,000ags said:

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I was really hoping to not remove the doors. I'm 100% not painting the hardware. I'll paint one in the furthest hallway with a roller (and brush), and see how it goes. If I have to get a basic paint sprayer for $150, not a huge deal, if that first door comes out poorly.

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The issue will be getting the trim all around the jamb without getting paint on the hinges. Trying to bend and finagle your hand and brush to all the weird angles isn't worth it (to me), especially when, despite your best efforts, you still end up with a drip or run on a hinge. Take 10 min. and take it off the hinges (and hinges off the jamb). The time you save not trying to work around all of it will offset the time it takes to remove everything, IMO.

As far as the door itself, I would use one of the small 4" foam rollers that you use for painting cabinets for the flat areas and treat it like you're just painting a huge cabinet door.

Didn't see it posted unless I missed it:

Clean walls before painting - light soap to water ratio and a sponge followed with a warm wet rag then let everything dry.

Clean roller before using - do the dump wrap in painters tape thing to get off most of the fuzzies and then wash under cool water before using.

If you're doing a large job, go the 5 gal bucket route and get a spare bucket so that you can paint directly from the bucket. Pour half of the bucket into your spare bucket (after mixing) and use a roller grid. Stopping to fill a roller tray always annoys me.

Enjoy! Painting sucks.