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Paint Brushes
It is essential that you don't use a blunt edged cheap brush. Whether you are cutting edges to paint a wall or a ceiling or brushing out a door or window, it is important to purchase a quality feathered brush of the right width for the task. I highly recommend Purdy brand brushes, but there are several other quality brands on the market. The traditional thought is to use a synthetic blend bristle for latex paints and a natural bristle for oil paints, but I find you can use a quality synthetic bristle for both applications, as long as it is a quality product. Don't go cheap here or you will pay the price in the long run.
Roller Extension
If you plan to paint walls and ceilings you will need a pole extension to complete the task. I strongly suggest that you use a Wooster Sherlock extension pole that comes with matching locking roller frames. This set-up is far superior to the screw on handle and frame which constantly wiggles loose as you spread the paint. Very annoying!
Tools
Using the proper tools is one of the most important parts of any quality paint job. Using the wrong tools not only makes the task harder to complete, but guarantees that the end product will suffer. So here is a guide to some of the basic tools you should consider using before starting that home painting project:
Bucket and screen and empty 5-gallon Bucket
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If you are painting larger surface areas - like ceilings and walls - you need to abandon the traditional paint tray and use a 5-gallon bucket with a metal paint screen inserted. With this set-up you can work with as much as two gallons of paint in the bucket which will keep you painting without interruption for a long time and will allow you to keep an even quanity of paint on your roller cover throughout the process. The concept is to dip your paint roller fully into the paint and roll it off onto the screen to give you a full and even fill of the roller cover. It is very important that you don't try to squeeze the last drop of paint out of the roller cover before rewetting in the bucket. Squeezing out the last drop will lead to uneven film application as you essentially end up rolling a dry roller on the final pass. Keep it full and even. Keep the thickness of the paint even on every pass. Roll from top to bottom of a wall, full width from side to side on a ceiling. Keeping a wet edge as much as possible. With this equipment set-up you will be able to maintian a much more stable and efficient process than the old school traywhich doesn't allow you to keep an evenly supplied roller cover and simply is inconvenient to use. These items are easily found in most paint stores and box stores like Home Depot and Lowes.
Roller Covers
Whatever you do, don't use a cheap roller cover. And make sure to use the proper nap for the job. If you are painting textured walls, a 1/2" roller works in most cases. But anything from smooth wall or very lightly textured - especially in kitchens and baths - a 3/8th" and even 1/4" (very smooth walls) is recommended. What you are trying to do is use a nap that allows you to apply the paint efficiently and evenly without leaving unneccesarily heavy stipple.
Coming next month: How to attack a room
Masking Tape
Masking tape is a very important tool. And there are many choices out there. I suggest, however, that you choose a masking tape with the relatively new technology that is geard to react with the paint to seal the edge. The best of these products is Frogtape. It is relatively expensive but well worth the price if you want to maintain clean paint edges. 3M also produces a few tapes in this category and they work well.
Paint Masker
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If you are going to be doing a lot of painting a paint masker is a good investment. It dispenses protective paper and tape in a single motion and is very helpful, in particular, to protect baseboards when you are painting walls and floor edges when you are painting baseboards. It probably is the most important tool I have in my work van.
Spackling Paste
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Filling small nail holes and other minor surface blemishes is an essential part of any quality paint job. While there are many spackling products out there, Crawford's is by far the best. It applies easily and sands much, much easier than any other product. Highly recommend!
Roller Frames
It is important not to by a cheap, flimsy roller handle. You will only be saving a few dollars and really making your job a lot harder. Again, I strongly suggest you use the Wooster Sherlock roller frame and extension system because it locks in place and won't wiggle free as you paint. But whatever roller frame you choose, make sure it is built substantially