TOOL TUESDAY: Painting? Top Picks!

Hello to all again, since I had a mishap last week I will be posting 2 Tool Tuesday Reviews, a discussion of top painting tools and my favorite, cordless combo kits. Just about every homeowner I know wants something painted in their house. What is fun about painting is that it is a low budget change that can create a world of difference. What is not so fun about painting...it seems and looks easy but it actually requires a lot of patience and time. On my first home remodel I recruited my then wife-to-be to help me paint (the entire house). Needless to say by the time we got to that last bedroom we were covered in paint and it took a few cookies for us to be friends again. Also, if painting is not done correctly it can make your house look much worse and we all know someone who got it way wrong with the color...Why do so many people go crazy with peach? The tools I am going to highlight for you are those that over the years we have found the most helpful to get the job done right.


One of my biggest pet peeves is when a painter leaves their mark on the ceiling. Nothing spells out sloppy louder then when the wall color is not on the wall or the ceiling color is not on the ceiling! Keep those lines straight! and to help you do so I introduce the Shurline Edge Like A Pro Paint Edger

Now why don't I just use painters tape?  If you have good luck with tape go ahead but in my experience it bleeds through, paint peels, takes forever, and have you ever tried using it on a textured wall or ceiling? With the Shurline be careful to not put too much paint on it or you will have it dripping everywhere. Keep it clean, and make sure that you feather out your lines or you will have a strange looking streak around the top of your doors and trim. I found this edger (and refills) at Wal-Mart. There are other varieties available but I think this brand works the best as the wheels lift up when you refill your paint. No more fighting over who has to do the trim work! In my opinion this edger cuts trimming time in half!

Another favorite is the smooth roller. When painting furniture, trim, or anything that should be smooth and not textured or stippled, you should use a smooth roller. These little babies may be small but they can suck up paint. They will leave any surface that should be smooth, looking crisp and professional, not like it got a bunch of lint blown onto it (which is what it will look like if you use a regular roller).

You can find smooth rollers at just about any home improvement store, can also be found in the painting aisle at Wal-Mart. Have tried several brands and they all worked great! If you clean the roller heads well they are definitely reusable.


If you have wooden windows in your house that need to be painted you have to invest in a metal/glass scraper.

In our home we have lots of old painted wood windows with lots of grills. Instead of taping around every pane and going mad in the process...We just put the paint on thick and do not worry about it getting on the glass. When the paint is dry it is simple to come back through and scrape the paint off the glass, leaving a very crisp looking surface! Try it, this is one fun little bugger. Usually only costs a couple dollars at any home improvement store.

I hope that these tools help you with your next painting project. Another tip, when using regular roller heads, wash the roller head or wrap it in tape to remove excess fibers before you paint. If you do not do this you may get fibers all over your wall making it look like it has lint all over it. Also, don't cut corners when painting, most walls do require two coats of paint. Take your time, do it right, and you will be getting lots of oooohs instead of ewwwws.