Having the right tools
Always use the best tools you can afford. Having the right tools for the right job saves time and effort. Here is a checklist to consider before starting to paint, but it may not be necessary to use everything.
- Scrapers – of different widths for corners, ledges and walls.
- Shavehooks – for scraping mouldings.
- Sandpapers – of varying grades. Use a wooden block to hold the paper firmly.
- Bucket and sponge – to wash down walls.
- Brush – for removing dust. Wire bristles are good for metal.
- Step ladder – safe and sturdy.
- Hot air stripper, blow torch or liquid paint stripper – whichever you prefer to work with.
- Dust sheets – plastic sheets are better than newspapers as any spillage will not soak through.
- Filler and filling knives – an all purpose filler for larger cracks and fine filler for smaller cracks with various sizes of filling knives depending on the work to be done.
- Masking tape – to protect areas and edges not to be painted. This is easy to apply and peel off.
- Sugar soap – to clean dirty and greasy surfaces.
- Paint pad or paint roller – good for applying paint to larger areas; a deep pile roller is recommended for rough textured surfaces, medium pile for smoother, lightly textured surfaces.
- Paint tray – to hold paint for roller and paint pad application.
- Brushes – available in different widths, narrow brushes 2-5cm wide are good for finishing off around edges and for applying gloss, wider brushes of up to 15cm are needed for applying emulsion to large surfaces.
