the painted surface

The Painter's Toolbox

The Paint Pot, Bucket and Screen

The paint pot, bucket and screen are not just for professionals, the do-it-yourselfer can also take advantage of their benefits. Working out of the gallon can your paint came in is, well, a pain. Paint fills the rim, making it impossible to reseal. Some of the paint has to be poured out before you can begin to paint. The handle is awkward to hold and the mouth is too narrow to get the brush in and out cleanly. The paint pot is made to solve these problems. It has a wide mouth, no rim to hold paint, a more comfortable handle and can be lined to make clean-up a snap. Both pot and liners are very inexpensive and are worth more than their cost in ease of use and convenience. Using a paint pot will definitely make brush work easier and faster. A bucket and screen will ease the rolling. Try a 5 gallon bucket in which a metal screen is hung. The roller is not completely immersed into the paint, but just far enough for the nap to touch the paint and then it is rolled down the screen to remove the excess paint. The roller pan is commonly used but it requires constant refilling and the cat has been known to step in it a time or two. It is good for jobs when only a small amount of paint is needed.

Recommendations

A 5 quart metal paint pot for each person and some extra liners to switch paints if needed. Swapping out the liners saves from having to buy several of the metal pots.

A 5 gallon bucket with a metal screen. You can opt for the square container and screen. Plastic screens are available, but the metal is stiffer and more durable.

The Patching Knives

Most every project will need a hole filled, crack repaired or a rough spot smoothed. One of the most useful tools to the painter is the small putty knife. You might find one of two types of blades, flexible or stiff. The flexible type is more versatile. At approximately 2 inches wide, this flexible metal blade can scrape off a rough spot or loose paint and can be used to apply spackle or patching compound. The putty knife is a tool that gets better with use, but be careful, the edge can become very sharp. For larger needs, patching knives come in 4, 6, 8,10 or 12 inch widths. A 4 or 6 inch size can be very useful. They can be used to apply drywall mud to smooth over rough areas on walls or over drywall tape when repairing cracks or seams.

Recommendations

A 2 inch flexible putty knife is a must, the tool can truly last a lifetime. Purchase a quality one, you will not be disappointed.

A 4 or 6 inch drywall knife will prove helpful repairing larger areas. A stainless steel blade is best, they do not rust and usually are easy to clean.

The Caulking Gun

The caulking gun is an essential tool. Cracks between mouldings and walls or ceilings are quite common. Filling these cracks will greatly improve the finished look. All caulking guns, except for the very cheapest, perform about the same. The more expensive ones will include extras such as tube cutters, hooks and a rod to open a tube of caulk. There are two types of mechanisms; one smooth and one that ratchets along shallow teeth. They push and release slightly different, you may prefer one over the other. Try a couple of different ones and pick the one with a comfortable feel.

Drop Cloths

You do not need enough to cover the entire house, but two or three come in very handy. Yes, you could use plastic, newspapers, an old rug or a tattered sheet. All of these could be of some use, but to cover the floor there is nothing better than a good drop cloth. They are heavy enough to catch paint spills and to lay down fairly smoothly to walk across. If the canvas type is used make sure the weave is tight enough to prevent paint from bleeding through to the finished floor. The coated type is much better at preventing paint from soaking through and usually they lay down smoother, making it easier to walk across. Runner sizes are usually 3 or 4 feet wide with lengths up to 15 feet. These sizes are convenient to have when the furniture has been pushed to the middle of the room. The runners can then be placed around the space at the base of the walls. Plastic can be used to cover the furniture and old sheets might be used to lay over banisters, railings, chandeliers or hung over windows or doors to protect them from overhead painting.

Recommendations

2 butyl coated 4x15 foot drop cloths. This is enough to cover most stairway flights or half of a room. One half of a room can be painted, the drops moved, and then the other half can be completed.

Lightweight plastic sheeting to cover the furniture.

Old sheets to lay over banisters, stair railings, chandeliers and other objects that should be lightly covered.