My Go To Home Painting Tools
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I have been painting interior homes and office buildings since I was 12 years old. I constantly have paint on me somehow, and I swear I paint something every month. It’s clearly become a regular thing for me. Over the years, I’ve picked up a few tried and true painting tools I’d like to share with you all!! With these tools in your box, the next time you paint should be a breeze!
Paint Brush
I love a fresh paintbrush for every new project. I know this sounds really extra, but I don’t typically use painter’s tape so it is CRITICAL to have a clean brush with nice bristles that don’t have leftover paint stuck on, or bristles all out of whack. For a brand, I prefer Purdy’s. They are sold at your local Lowes or Home Depot typically and you can find my preferred one here. I just think they are very high quality, and IF cleaned properly, they can last a while. If you’re not like me who wants a new brush every time (: I typically go with a 2.5 inch angled brush because I am using it primarily for cutting in and some trim.
Painter’s Tape
As I mentioned, I don’t actually use painter’s tape for most of my projects anymore. I find it takes more time than it’s worth for me, and I can usually get a straight line on the edges by going slow and holding my breath while I get the line! That being said, if you are a total beginner or novice, I think the tape is the way to go. It will give you some peace of mind. However, HOW you tape will directly impact the quality of the line you are trying to achieve. You have to make sure your tape is all lined up with each other. This is the part that takes serious time. Brand preference is the 3M Scotch Painter’s Tape (it’s blue). Don’t get anything too terribly cheap or it will be difficult to peel off without ripping.
Paint Roller Pads, Rollers, Tray, and Disposable Trays
My paint set up usually consists of ½ nap roller pads, a roller itself, a metal tray, and disposable trays that fit into the metal tray. The ½ nap roller pads are really valuable to me because they hold so much more paint than a typical ⅜ nap roller pad. Since it holds more paint, you will need to go slow when rolling on the wall, because it can easily spray off the roller or not cover the wall. Going slowly while rolling is always a good idea, but especially necessary with a thicker nap. Disposable trays are my preference, but just make clean up so much easier.
Screwdriver & Hammer
A flat head and Phillip’s head screwdriver. You would use to take off the light switch plate covers, and outlet covers (learn about my favorite, totally necessary outlet covers in this blog post). And any other weird plates or things in your walls! The hammer is to take out any nails in your walls. You want to make sure you get everything out of the walls, and then patch and sand everything so you’re starting with a clean slate.
Spackle & Spackle Tool
As mentioned above, starting with a clean slate is so crucial to getting a great end result and really feeling fresh and new with your new coat of paint. You will need a tool to even out the spackle into any nail holes you find. Most holes can be covered and filled with normal spackle, but if you have large gaps, you may need a small piece of sheetrock to correctly fix it. Dap DryDex spackle is great and goes on easy. Pretty much any spackling tool will work – just ask someone at your paint shop to help you if you can’t locate it! Make sure you get the spackle as flat and even as possible – this will cut down on your sanding you have to do after it dries.
Sandpaper
Honestly, I’ve found that any kind of sandpaper pretty much does the job when sanding over dry spackling. But there are some people out there that will tell you otherwise. I say get a fine or medium grit sanding block, and lightly sand all the spackling you did once it is completely dry. It turns white when it’s dry so you should be able to tell. You just need to get the surface flat and smooth. I always run my hand over it to make sure it doesn’t feel like it’s uneven or bumpy still.
Paint
The actual paint is possibly one of the most important “tools” that you need when painting in your home. I always go for the highest quality paint they sell, and YES it matters. I’ve found that Sherwin Williams Infinity (found at Lowe’s) and Behr Marquee (found at Home Depot) are absolutely the best way to go. I’ve tried the cheaper ones before and it always takes longer and more coats to get the coverage you’re looking for. I recently painted our master bedroom, and it literally took one coat of Sherwin Williams’ Infinity paint. For reference, I was painting over a medium brown color on most walls. It just requires so much less time to use the high quality paint!
Now that you’re ready to go, get out there and paint your home girl! I truly believe paint is the easiest and most cost-effective way to make a HUGE difference in your home.
