10 Must Have Painting Tools

A few weeks ago I shared a bunch of painting tips and tricks over at Homes.com, and if you haven't had a chance to head on over and check them out, you totally should :) But I also wanted to share 10 of our must have painting tools here as well, so that you could have them to easily reference! These handy tools will definitely be able to help you out when attempting your next painting project.

1. Sureline Paint Edger
Perfect for cutting along the edges of walls, ceilings and other trim. You simply load up the absorbent white pad with paint, and then place the rollers along the edge of your wall or trim, and push the paint out into a smooth clean line. No paint brush needed!... or tape really!

I got about 20 emails from readers after posting this picture of Cason painting my office with the question: "Do you not use tape when you paint?" The answer... Nope :)

I know... we're rebels. ha! And we DO use lots of that awesome ScotchBlue when doing detailed painting projects...but taping off an entire room is SO much work, and after all the painting we've done, we have finally gotten to the point where we just don't even need to tape off anymore, thanks to this awesome Shur-Line tool!

2. Sturdy, Foldable Bench
The best way to reach those hard to paint places (especially if you're 5'3). You can purchase aluminum benches for as low as $30.00 at your local hardware store, and the folding capability is perfect for storing your bench after you're done using it.

3. Rotating Protective Eyewear
If you've ever had to paint a ceiling, then you know that splatters and drips happen frequently. These protective goggles from Advanz will eliminate any of that from getting into your eyes, and also keep you from having to waste time cleaning or clearing off your glasses. Once your goggles need a cleaning, simply just turn the little red knob and a new clear film is exposed!
They sell these goggles at Sherwin Williams.

Advanz

4. Angled Paint Brush
A good quality angled paint brush can make all the difference when cutting into corners or painting detailed molding. It may seem like a bit of a reach to pay more then $10 for one little paintbrush, but if you take good care of it and store it properly, it will last for a very long time.
You can read about the techniques that we like to use when paint trim and molding in this post here.

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5. Mess Free Paint Pour Attachment
When clipped onto the top of any standard 1 gallon paint can, this simple, inexpensive plastic pouring attachment makes for mess free paint tray refills and SUPER easy clean up. You can snag one of these for about $2.00!

6. Handy Paint Pail
Having to stop and refill a brush is sometimes what takes the most time during a painting project. If you have a handy paint bucket or pail at your disposal, with the color in it that you need, then you can can cut your time running up and down off of your step stool in half!

7. Painting Stick
Extend your reach with an adjustable painting stick. You can find lots of different brands and styles. Even most regular roller brush handles are equipped with a threaded bottom, so that you can attach a painting extender to the end.

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8. Door Hinge Covers
Talk about saving time! These quick stick door hinge covers are a painters best friend when you aren't feeling up to removing a bulky door from it's hinges. I'm not gonna lie, we haven't used this brand before, and in the past have just had to tape off the hinge (which is time consuming), but I think these are super innovative and cool :) Especially if you're just touching up a scuffed door with some fresh white paint!

Quickey Stickey

9. Paint Guard
One of the best tools for small touch-up projects, when you don't want to pull the tape out. Just press the metal or plastic narrow edge up against the adjacent wall or flooring that you want to protect, and paint on the opposite, exposed side.
I have a big 22 inch metal paint guard that I use when painting baseboard. IT'S A LIFE SAVER! I just run some tape along the carpet that's next to the baseboard (to keep the fibers down) and then use the guard above the baseboard on the wall, to protect the wall while I paint along the baseboard. It saves me tons of time, because I don't have to tape off twice... just once on the carpet.
If using a latex based paint, clean up is easy too, with just warm water and a bit of hand soap, the paint comes right off.

10. Flotrol
This paint conditioner works like a dream, especially when added to trim and door paint, eliminating any brush or roller marks, caused by quick drying paint. When using Floetrol count on a longer drying time, because your paint will remain tacky and dry slower, to allow for the smoothing process to work properly.

Hopefully if you didn't know about some of these tools, you do now! :)

Since we paint so often, we're ALL about trying to make our painting process a TON easier and a whole lot quicker. These are just some of OUR favorite tools that help us accomplish that.

Do you have a favorite painting tool!? We'd love to hear about it!