Painting Tools: The Basics
The house needs a little work and you’re turning it into a DIY painting project. Great! What will you need to do? What painting tools should you buy? DealNews can help you get the most for your money with our buying tips.
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How to Paint the Exterior of Your Home
Popular Stores for Painting Tools
Whether you’re looking online to buy painting tools, or shopping brick and mortar stores, there are plenty of places to look. Start with Amazon for online options, or Ace Hardware ’s site if you don’t have an Ace store nearby. If you want your painting tools now, try Lowe’s , Home Depot , or Walmart .
How to Shop for Painting Tools
What kind of painting are you doing? Interior walls? Exterior walls? Windowsills? Trim? Doors? Answering these questions will help you determine the best painting tools for your particular project. You can also consult a variety of online guides to get the best results, and get an idea of the tools you need. We suggest starting with these guides from Lowe’s and Wallauer Paint & Design .
Top 7 Must-Have Painting Tools
Paintbrush: Yep, you’ve gotta have one. A paintbrush is necessary for the smaller tasks. They get into the nooks and crannies of doors and windows, and are great for baseboards and other trim projects. Family Handyman has some suggestions on buying the right one.
Paint roller: A roller covers more territory per stroke than a brush, and is mainly for large areas that don’t need the detail that a brush offers. The paint pros at Glidden have more info in their guide.
Paint tray: You’ll need something to hold the paint when you want to use your roller. There are many options, such as metal pans with disposable plastic inserts or disposable pans themselves. Popular Mechanics discusses these as well as other must-have painting tools.
Drop cloths: Paint goes everywhere, so you’ll want to protect your floors and furniture, or plants and grass if you’re painting outside. Drop cloths come in canvas or plastic usually. And it’s always better to have too many than not enough. Check out Houselogic for more information.
Painter’s tape: There are many kinds of painter’s tape. It’s usually sticky enough to adhere to a surface, but pulls off easily without leaving residue. It can also go on windows or walls to protect the glass or other surfaces. Get the skinny from Good Housekeeping .
Extension wand for the paint roller: These can be plastic, metal, or wooden and screw into the handle of the paint roller to extend your reach. Home Depot has a list of some of the best ones.
Scraper: You’ll probably need to get the old paint off first, and one good way to do this is with a scraper. Found in brush form or as a flat blade, the one you buy will depend on the job you’re doing. The Spruce discusses scrapers in its guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve never painted anything before. Where do I start?
A quick check for guides online will help you get underway. Here’s a good one from Bob Vila .
Do homeowners still paint their own homes’ exteriors?
Sure they do. Like any other DIY project, exterior painting requires a budget and some elbow grease. Have a look at these suggestions from DIY Network . If you’re a more visual person, try this video from Lowe’s .
What about interior painting?
There’s more to interior painting than slapping some paint on a wall. Check out these tips from The Spruce , Sherwin-Williams , and Popular Mechanics .
I’m not painting my whole house — just a door.
A door, you say? Family Handyman has a guide. Painting windows? This Old House has a video for you. If you want your interior trim to look like a professional did it, check out this guide from DIY Painting Tips . These guides also include pointers on the tools you’ll need for specific jobs.
How do I find great deals on painting tools at DealNews?
You can shop the latest and best painting tools deals on DealNews in three ways:
Amy Pollick lives in Decatur, Alabama and is based in our Huntsville office. She worked over 23 years for a daily newspaper and has been at DealNews since April 2016. She's married and has three spoiled cats. A music nut, she can be found listening to the Beatles, the Eagles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and other quality bands/tunes.