When it comes to the process of painting your home, choosing the right paint seems difficult, but if you’re painting the house yourself, it could be considered the easiest part of the process. In order to do the job correctly, efficiently and safely, you’ll need a few tools to help you complete the task. Here are 3 of the most critical tools you need to have before you begin painting.
1. Drop Sheets
Drop sheets are the most critical painting tool to have in order to preserve the house’s surroundings. The last thing you want to achieve during the paint job is stained carpets, stained furniture and stained surfaces. Additionally, if you’re painting the outside of your house, surrounding trees, flowers and shrubs may be affected too, as paint chemicals are extremely toxic to plants.
To avoid an unwanted mess, it is recommended drop sheets are laid over the surface area you are working in. If you’re working outside, you can cover plants with plastic sheeting or drop sheets.
2. Paint Brushes
Although this is one of the more obvious tools required to paint your home, it’s important that you choose the right brush for the right paint.
Natural bristles are made from organic hair fibers (eg. Hog hair). Because of this, these paintbrushes hold oil-based paint much more efficiently than other brushes. Additionally, natural bristles also don’t absorb the paint that they hold. Use this type of bristle with oil-based paint only.
Synthetic bristles are what you will use for water-based paint. These paintbrushes don’t absorb any water into the bristles, helping them last longer.
3. Paint Roller
While paint brushes will help you perfectly paint small areas, paint rollers will help enable you to paint a far bigger surface area in a fraction of the time it would take if you used only a paint brush. Paint rollers are messy though, so ensure you have drop sheets laid out everywhere. Remember that uf you’re working with water-based paint, you need to wet the paint roller before using it.
4. Ladder
Don’t fool yourself, you need one. Sure, chairs could work, but if you get paint on them, it’s game over for your unstained chair. Investing in a ladder will not only be useful for paint jobs, but whenever you need to get handy with your home, you will be grateful that you invested in one.
Choose a step ladder if you don’t need to reach higher than 6m. Remember that although these are quite stable, light and simple, they are nonadjustable.
Straight ladders will be a better choice if you need to go up to 9m. Remember to position the ladder at around 75 degrees to the floor, as this will give optimum support. Always get someone to support holding the ladder you use to give more security.
Extension ladders are the bigger version of the straight ladder, and some of them can reach up to 18m. Get this one if you need to do lots of roof work, or have a double story house.
Conclusion
Although these tools are the most critical when painting your house, it’s important to have a range of supporting tools too. You can check out which other tools you should have on our blog page.
