29 Sep Five Important Tools for Painting Your House

The time has come! The weekend is free, the weather is perfect, the paint has been bought and the alarm set for an early Saturday morning start. You’re ready to paint. But, before you crack open that tin, make sure you have these 5 essential tools at the ready, otherwise your chore could quickly turn into a frustrating bore. 

Important Tool 1: Drop Cloths

Painting is a messy business, there’s no getting around it. Therefore a good drop cloth is essential for protecting your floors and furniture. When you’re at the hardware store, don’t be tempted to buy a cheap plastic drop cloth – they’re unwieldy and rip easily. You’d be much better off investing in a canvas sheet. These last a long time and can be manoeuvred easily around corners and doorways.    

Important Tool 2: Old Clothing

Dig into the back of your cupboard for work wear that you don’t mind messing up. Long sleeves and pants are also recommended to avoid paint getting onto your skin. If you can cover yourself up even further with a long-sleeved overall then you’re really winning! Whatever you choose, make sure you’re comfy and that your movements aren’t constricted, especially if you’re going to be clambering up ladders. Finally, if you’re painting your ceilings, consider a hat or cap and some safety goggles.

Important Tool 3: Ladder

This is an obvious tool if you’re working on your exterior walls or roof, but even if you’re simply doing some interior work, we recommend a folding ladder or a step ladder to ease the burden on your arms and shoulders and help you apply even layers in hard-to-reach places.

Important Tool 4: Masking Tape

Before you even go near your paint, start taping around your trims, light switches, door handles, ceiling, skirting… wherever you don’t want the paint to reach. This, we admit, is time consuming but it saves a ton of time in the long run from trying to scratch off pesky paint drips or having to remove light switch covers because a drop of paint has gummed up the works.

Important Tool 5: Paint Brush or Roller

An obvious tool, yes, but worth a look. Because if you’re relying on a set of brushes that have been languishing in the garage for 3 years, chances are they’ll will be too hard to use, or will leave bristles behind in your paint work. Rather spend money buying a good quality set, ensuring you have a broad brush for the open areas and a set of smaller brushes for touch-ups. A roller can really speed things up if you’re tackling a big painting job that requires coverage as well as height.

Important Bonus Tool: Pelham Painters

These tools may seem self-evident, but if you only paint once in a blue moon, you’d be surprised what you might forget or will have to buy. If your weekend plans change or life gets in the way of your next paint job, just give Pelham Painters a shout. We’ve got the tools. We’ve got the expertise. And we’d be glad to help.