Gather Your Tools for Your Interior Painting Project

If you really want to change things up in your home, one of the most affordable things you can do is an interior paint job. A lick of paint can do wonders for transforming the look, feel, and mood of a home and there are now so many paints on the market that it’s easy enough to go and choose an entire color palette and get to work. However, it’s not quite as easy as just picking up a paint brush and a tub of paint. It’s a good idea to be prepared with the right tools and equipment on hand.

What Will You Need?

Painting one or more rooms in your home can be a fun experience but you’ll definitely need to do some preparation first to ensure that you do it right. Here are some tools and equipment you’ll need for the job even before you put paint on a brush:

• Old Sheets: When you’re painting, the last thing you want to do is spill paint or get paint drips and splatters on the floor or furniture. The best way to guard against this is to lay down some old sheets. These are called drop cloths and you can actually go out to the hardware store and buy some of your own if you don’t have any at home. Bed sheets make good drop cloths if they are thick enough, but you can also go out and get some plastic drop cloths to make sure that you don’t get paint on everything else. No matter how good a painter you might think that you are or how careful you’re planning to be, the truth is that drops of paint will splatter on other things so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
• Paint Trays: Unless you want to be dipping your brush into the tin all the time, the best way around this is to invest in a few paint trays. These are designed to safely store the paint in between brush strokes so you don’t have to be dipping into the paint tin all the time.
• Ladder: You’ll also need a ladder than can be used indoors. It needs to be big enough so that you can get into the corner spaces near the ceiling safely and securely. An A-frame type of ladder is usually the best investment here. If you don’t have access to a ladder, you might be able to use a sturdy milk crate.
• Brushes and Rollers: When you buy paint brushes, make sure that you also buy some smaller brushes too. This is so that you can get right into the corners and do some detail work if you have to. You’ll also need to invest in some paint rollers. Many painters do the corners first and then use a paint roller for the bulk of the wall to speed the process up.
• Painter’s Tape: Finally, you’ll need some masking or painter’s tape so that you can cover off areas where you don’t want the paint to go. It’s a good idea to mask off skirting boards and window frames when you’re painting so that you can protect them.

Transform Your Home

Painting the interior of your home is a great, low-cost way to make it fresh and new again. Just make sure that you invest in the right tools and prepare before picking up the brush.