13 Essential Tools for Painting a Room

The late Legendary American painter and television personality, Bob Ross, who hosted the popular PBS television show The Joy of Painting, once said, “All you need to paint is a few tools, a little instruction, and a vision in your mind.”

Yes, with the right vision for your painting project, you can transform the look of your house. The right tools will save you time and money, avoiding unnecessary complications.

Have you been worrying with thoughts of “what do I need to paint a room?”, or have you already started to search for “house painting near me”? This tool guide will show you what you need to make your home interior painting dreams come to life. Let’s dive in!

What Do You Need to Paint a Room?

Your painting activity consists of three phases, prepping, painting, and cleaning up. At every stage, you will need to arm yourself with specific tools.

1. Personal Protective Equipment

Personal Protective Equipment or PPE is an oft-overlooked item when preparing for painting activities, especially in DIY mode. Your safety, along with anyone else working with you, is of supreme importance. Equipment like painter’s goggles to protect your eyes and dust masks are critical. Other items include the decorator’s overalls, gloves, and shoe covers.

2. A 5-in-1 Painter’s Tool

At the prepping stage, you will need a few electrical tools to remove all the plates and fixtures of the light switches, thermostat covers, and other plastic accessories out of the way. DIY painters often miss out on removing these items. The result is switchboards and other things that are painted over and look bad. Some electrical items may be wired and hence not removable completely, but you should pull these out even half an inch or so, such that a brush can go in. Remember to scrape off old paint from the side of the covers with a scraper.

The ideal instrument for all the above is a 5 in 1 painter’s tool that combines a screwdriver, scraper, mini hammer, and more. The hammer can dent the wall wherever there are screws. After you’ve dented all spots, you can use a compound of choice to level up the holes before painting.

3. Sandpaper

Before you embark on painting walls, ceilings, and other places, you’ll have to remove surface imperfections with the sanding process. Sanding also helps roughen surfaces so that the paint or filling compounds can easily adhere. Silicon carbide sandpaper is a good bet for home surfaces. The coarser the sandpaper, the quicker it can work on rougher surfaces. Many times, finer sandpaper has to be used to eliminate traces of the coarser grades. Steel wool also finds use for sanding purposes. You can perform sanding using hands or with electric tools.

4. Painter’s Tape

You’ll have to apply painter’s tape to the edges of a surface like baseboards or the ceiling line so that you do not end up painting where it is not required. A quality painter’s tape is of great help in painting with clean lines.

Do not confuse masking tapes with painter’s tape because both are similar in look and feel. Remember, all painter’s tapes are masking tapes, but not all masking tapes are painter’s tapes.

The most significant difference of painter’s tape is that it removes easily after the job is over, leaving no marks or residue. Different painter tapes are for various surfaces, so choose the right one for your project.

5. Paint Mix Gallon

Once the prep stage is over, it is now time to start the actual painting. Here is what you would need.

Though paint manufacturers have sophisticated software and computers to mix paints accurately, slight variations may occur from can to can. Experienced house painters know that it is a good idea to put all the paint that you’ve purchased into a large container like a five-gallon bucket to ensure color consistency.

6. Paint Roller

A paint roller consists of a roller frame and a roller cover. While the roller cover absorbs the paint and helps you paint with it, the roller frame attaches to the roller cover. The surface that you’ve chosen to paint will determine the roller cover you’ll need.

The most crucial element here, along with the size, is the nap or the thickness of the woven cover of the roller. The wrong roller would surely waste your time and money. A thick 3/4″ nap roller is good for getting into small crevices. A 3/8″ nap works best for painting the ceiling and drywall. Microfiber rollers are best for lighter texture surfaces. The shorter the roller’s nap, the smoother the finish.

Natural rollers like fiber or wool are suitable for oil-based paints. In contrast, synthetic or polymerized rollers like nylon are suitable for latex. You can extend your reach during painting by connecting an extension pole to the roller frame.

7. Paintbrush

The paintbrush is one of your most essential tools for painting. While rollers are excellent for covering large wall spaces, brushes are ideal for smaller areas and edging. Polyester brushes are best for latex paints, while natural-bristle brushes are suitable for applying oil-based paints.

The size of house-painting brushes ranges from one to six inches. As some of the best painters around King of Prussia and the Philadelphia area, we know that the more detailing that you require, the smaller your brush should be. Trims and corners are best done with a one to two-inch brush, while a three-inch one works best for doors and cabinets. A four to six-inch brush can take care of larger flat areas, like walls and ceilings.

8. Edger

If you’ve ever painted a room with your own hands, you know the struggle of painting along baseboards and window molding. A Paint Edger is a marvelous tool. It allows you to paint directly alongside areas that should be left untouched. Paint edgers almost eliminate the need for painter’s tape. The task of achieving clean paint lines around home fittings can be a breeze with paint edgers.

9. Paint Tray and Liners

A paint tray is a requirement if you’re using a roller. Instead of dipping your roller into the paint can pour a small amount into a paint tray. If you want a tray that will be around for a while, choose one made of heavier gauge steel. A good size for a tray is approximately eleven inches.

Always use disposable form-fitting plastic liners for different paint colors so that you can clean up easier between paints.

10. Paint Sprayer

While a paint roller or brush can help you put down a nice, thick coat of paint quite easily, it is quite a chore to reload the roller with paint. Similarly, you have to keep dipping your brush into the container. An excellent way to get much painting done quickly on flat, large surfaces is by using a paint sprayer.

But there are a few problems that make sprayers a less than optimal solution. Much time can go into preparations, as each surface that does not require painting has to be covered well from the mist or overspray. Paint sprayers also require cleaning immediately after the job is over to avoid clogging from dry paint in the gun or tubing.

11. Drop Cloth

Drop cloths are essential to preserving floors and protecting furniture when applying paint. A drop cloth will help lessen your clean-up woes. No matter how careful you are, there will be drips. Professional local painters use somewhat costlier and more effective canvas drop cloths. Canvas lasts long and absorbs paint when it spills. Plastic drop cloths are lightweight and reusable, but they’ll pool, unlike canvas cloths if paint spills on them.

It is a good idea to get a canvas drop cloth with a rubberized backing that prevents the paint from seeping through to the floor.

12. Sturdy Extension Ladder

Depending on the size of your room, a stepladder may or may not be essential for your painting project. But more often than now, it can help you paint difficult-to-reach places.

If you decide to buy a ladder, look at a good quality 10-foot multi-purpose extension ladder for around the house, or even a 20 footer for painting high ceilings and stairwells.

13. Vinegar or Commercial Brush Cleaner

Once your painting project is over, you would not like to discard your paintbrushes. Here is a tip on removing dried paint.

Brushes with hardened paint can be clean after you soak them in some vinegar. If the paint is stuck too hard, you can even boil the vinegar with the brush head in it. If vinegar doesn’t work, a commercial brush cleaner should do the trick.

You can also reuse your rollers. After use, scrape the roller without letting it dry out. Then, wrap the roller with plastic or other material such that it remains moist and airtight.

Local Painters in Philadelphia

We know how home interior painting can get overwhelming at times, and that’s where we come in. If you find yourself searching for “house painters near me”, you can rest assured that the George Schneider Painting team will treat your home with respect. We will finish the surfaces with high attention to detail and a sense of ownership.

We owe the secret of our quality to a deep understanding of surfaces. The latest equipment that we use and the craftsmanship of our qualified team work wonders. We offer extra peace of mind with a two-year workmanship warranty.

Call Bob today or write to us about your painting job.

Our services include:

• Interior House Painting Contractors
• Exterior House Painting Contractors
• Commercial Painting
• Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing
• Deck Refinishing and Staining

Starting in 1967, we’ve been helping thousands of homeowners in Montgomery County and the greater Philadelphia area to make their homes look new. Our biggest achievements are the smiles we have brought on to thousands of homeowners’ faces in the last fifty years and more. We will spare no effort to ensure that we earn your smile too!