The DIY Guide to Painting Supplies
When you undertake a DIY reno or home makeover, the staggering range of products and tools can leave you wandering the aisles of B&Q in dead-eyed overload. To help you navigate the world of painting supplies and what you need to do with them, we have written this guide! From paint brushes to masking tape, we cover the most important products for your project – except for the paint.
All the painting tools and how to use them
Below is our guide to painting supplies, in the general order in which you should use them! We have included a recommended product for each one, and a little description of the purpose and use of each. Everything you need to get started! Of course you also need dropcloths, newspapers, and the odd wiping cloth, but these are the bare basics.
3M SandBlaster Sandpaper Roll
Preparation, preparation, preparation
Any painting project is only as good as its preparation. As tedious as it is, ensuring your surface is clean of grease, dust, and dirt will allow the paint to adhere better and give a better finish. If the wall or surface you are painting is damaged, use a filler specific to the surface to flatten out the damage.
Sanding gives the paint something to hold on to and levels out the places you have used filler on. For walls, you only need to use a fine 120 grit sandpaper. For gloss paint, a sand down between layers with fine sandpaper will give you an even smoother finish.
Frogtape Painter’s Masking Tape
Mask and protect – Be Batman
Masking and protection is not just for superheroes. Masking off edges is a sure way to prevent accidents with an over-enthusiastic brush. If you don’t feel confident with ‘cutting in’ the paint (free handing the edges with the brush), then masking tape is for you.
Masking tape or painter’s tape is sticky enough to hold but not so sticky it will pull the paint off the walls when you remove it.
Tip: Get the masking tape right into the edges by pushing a putty knife along the tape.
Coral Zero-Loss Paint Brushes
No, not Basil – Choose the right Brush
Though you might think that brushes are all the same, there is actually a right brush for the job. If you are painting and cutting in a wall or ceiling, a flat brush is the one for you but make sure you get a brush intended for the paint you are using. Water-based and solvent-based paints works best with brushes designed for that formulation.
Brushes are also designed to be drop-less and drip-less; that is, they will neither drop bristles (which are annoying to pick from the paint) nor will they drip (within reason, obviously).
Hamilton Paint Brush (Sash)
The Round Brush – For cutting in, trim, and gloss
If you haven’t painted gloss surfaces before, you may not have come across the round brush or sash brush. The head shape is ideal for working on trim, windows, and other surfaces that are not flat to the wall. It is also good as a cutting in brush.
Tip: Before you use a paintbrush, give it a bit of a brush against your hand to dislodge any loose bristles and loosen things up for painting. And start your painting fully loaded – get the brush in the paint at least a third of the way up and dive on in.
Harris Taskmasters Medium Pile Roller Set
Get the coverage you need with Rollers
When covering vast expanses of wall and ceiling, the roller is a godsend. If you are coating the ceiling, buy an extender – you don’t want to be going up and down a ladder cricking your back when you could have stayed on the floor. The length of the roller increases with the size of the surface are you are painting, to cover the space faster.
Rollers also come in different nap levels or thicknesses. The greater the nap, the better the roller will paint rough surfaces and be able to really cover uneven or textured walls.
Tip: Wash the roller before you paint with it to make sure that there is no stray fluff to ruin your finish.
Coatings – Ireland
