Brushes
To choose which brush is best for you, the first question to ask is how well you plan to take care of it. If you want something to last, higher quality brushes like Corona withstand multiple cleanings and always give you gorgeous results. For a cheaper price point and brush that will be used less often while still yielding promising reviews, check out Nour’s brush line: Smooth, Brilliant, Signature and Perfect sash brushes come in multiple sizes and are great for a few uses!
Another consideration would be what your project entails as to what size and material of brush you should use. For narrow spaces, spindles, or oddly shaped pieces a 1”-1½” would be ideal whereas for cutting in and larger projects are better painted with a 2”-2½”. As for handles, most paint brushes are wooden handles, but if you’re painting for long periods of time or want to relieve some pressure from your hands, check out short handle brushes! A favourite is the Wooster 2” shortcut brush, with its rubber handle that curves perfectly into your palm.
Quality and cost also come down to material. Most brushes are a poly-nylon blend that works with all paints (combining the qualities of both materials), but some are pure polyester (bristles will maintain their shape when exposed to heat for a stiffer cut but don’t hold paint as much) or pure nylon (may soften with heat exposure but hold paint well giving a smoother finish). Another material, which is primarily recommended for oil based paints, is one with natural fibre - usually a white China bristle (soft and supple),a blend with ox hair (for a finer finish) or black China bristle (stiffer for high use). The reason for natural bristles for oil based paints is because they can withstand heavier components within oil based paint and their clean up solvents.
Best Sellers:
Brilliant 2” Sash Brush
Corona Cortez 2½”
Wooster Shortcut 2”
Bennet ¾” Angle Brush
Rollers
Similar to brushes, choosing a roller mostly comes down to material, size and purpose of use. For most large surfaces (walls, ceiling, floor, etc.) a 9.5” roller and cage is standard size and for smaller surfaces (trim, doors, cabinets, etc.) there’s 3”,4”,6” sizes. Rollers are often differentiated by whether they “lock” roller sleeves into place or not; this is key so you’re not constantly fussing with a sliding roller while painting.
As for sleeves, majorly for wall surfaces you will want to choose a microfibre blend so that it doesn’t shed lint and offers a smooth finish. When selecting a roller, there’s different nap sizes to choose from which are essentially how fluffy a roller is and how much paint it will hold. For regular size rollers, 5mm-10mm are short naps, 13mm medium and 15mm-18mm being the largest. As you go up in size, the more paint the roller will hold and less you’ll have to dip back into your tray; however the heavier it will get to carry, too. For smooth surfaces, like most drywall, can be applied with an even layer and a 10mm-15mm works best, 13mm being the fan favourite! For rougher surfaces, like stucco or brick and sometimes concrete, you want a higher nap size to ensure you’re getting into all the crevasses of the substrate. For heavily textured surfaces, check out a split foam roller! Lastly, for rolling a ceiling, keep in mind you want the least amount of splatter while painting so if it’s a flat surface, 5mm-10mm is ideal and for stucco/popcorn ceilings, 13mm is more suitable.
As for mini rollers, there are more choices of materials for those more special projects like cabinetry and furniture painting. A smooth, spray-like finish can be achieved with the right tools. Again, this is determined by the nap size and also material. A smaller roller pile means less paint being held on the roller, but easier to create a smooth finish because of how it drags the paint (multiple thin layers is easier to obtain than fewer thick coats, which is all dependent on how quickly it’s applied, temperature, and dry time). For most projects, microfibre and mohair are good choices. Foam is great for alkyd and not so great for latex because it tends to bubble from soaking up so much paint and drying out quickly as opposed to oil’s naturally longer dry time.
Best Sellers:
Nour Tradition 13mm Roller Sleeve 3pk
Wooster Cage Frame
4” Mini Microfibre 2pk
4” Mini Mohair 2pk
4” Pin Handle
Tape
You may come across green, blue, yellow and sometimes purple tape while shopping and besides the width, you may question what the difference is. Simply put, it’s the level of adhesion that’s created through the process of manufacturing the tape. The desired level of stickiness varies depending on what you need it for. For simple cutting in around edges, trim and ceiling the most standard is 3M green painters tape. If you require more particular line work, for example if you’re painting stripes or shapes, Frog Tape would be a good choice because of its precision. Yellow Frog Tape is designed to cover delicate surfaces, such as uncured paint or substrates that get sticky more easily, like glass. Then, there’s more variations like blue or purple which are all made for specific reasons like for tough to stick to surfaces, rough surfaces, etc.
Best Sellers:
1 ½” 3M Green Painters Tape
1 ½” 3M Green Painters Tape Multipack
1 ½” Green Frog Tape
Drop Cloths
Save the floor! Cover the couch! Whatever you do, don’t get paint where it’s not supposed to; use a drop cloth for prevention of a stressful outcome. We have disposable plastic that covers 9’x12’ in three weights, as well as boxes of plastic rolls for those bigger projects. Or, whether you’re environmentally conscious, looking for an investment or want quality protection, shop for reusable canvas drop cloths, in multiple sizes.
Best Sellers:
Plastic Medium Duty 9x12 Drop Cloth
Canvas 8’x12’ Drop Cloth
Extension Poles
Extension poles make painting at height much easier and safer. Sizes range from 2’-12’ and are primarily universal to most cage frames. The main component to consider when deciding on the right pole is whether it screws in (like most standard) or has a clip attachment. Poles are usually wood and extension poles are a plastic or metal material.
Best Sellers:
Dynamic 3’-6’ Pole
Trays and Liners
How big is your project and how much paint needs to be poured out? We’ve got trays and liners to fit lots or little! Trays are not generally made universally through companies, so take note of the size before shopping for more liners.
Best Sellers:
ZTR250 tray compatible with RTL250 liners
ZTR30 tray compatible with RTL30 liners
ZTR200 tray compatible with RTL200 liners
Prep/Repair Supplies (spackling, sanding, patches)
Prep tools are the foundation of a beautiful finished project. Let’s consider a few narratives.
Fixing Holes
For small nail holes, you’ll need spackling, sandpaper/blocks and a putty knife. Spackling compounds vary in quality based on their elasticity and how they harden when dry. For drywall, Drydex Spackling Compound is a great choice for small nail holes; especially with its feature of going on pink and drying white when it’s ready to be sanded. For certain substrates like plaster that tend to crack, Alex Plus Spackling or DynaPatch are solid choices because they provide a finish once sanded that doesn’t flash (highlight contrast of finishes) after it’s been painted over.
Best Sellers:
Drydex Spackling
DynaPatch Spackling
Putty Knife
Sanding Block
Straining & Storing
Overtime, paint can thicken, clump, harden, or create a skin. Most situations are salvageable and paint can last upwards to 10 years, if stored properly. The first thing to do is check the condition of the paint, if it’s frozen, rock hard, or too thick it is rendered unusable; but, if it just has a thin skin on top or a few bubbles or chunks or even rust, then remove the skin and strain the rest into a new can. Other times, the paint simply needs to be shaken well, so if you’re ever unsure bring it into your local store to be checked!
Best Sellers:
1g Strainer
Empty Gallon
Primer
Prepping a surface for paint is essential to be done well. Primer’s main focus is for adhesion and coverage. Certain substrates are very porous (like wood and concrete) and will soak up paint quickly, so instead of wasting high quality paint, use a coat of primer first, to seal the material and save time and money. For painting walls, the rule of thumb is anything “bare” needs to be sealed first, or like previously mentioned, it will soak up all the paint and need more coats. The other narrative is if you’re needing good coverage with certain colours - black to white, vibrant to neutral and vice versa. Although it is an extra step, primer generally saves you more time, money and energy in the long run.
Best Sellers:
Step One
Freshstart
STIX
Stripper/Remover
It is always interesting to see the removal of layers and layers of past projects, to try and get back down to the raw state of material. The best way to do this is using a chemical stripper, like Smart Strip, which is a biodegradable formula that’s safe for the environment and excellent at removing multiple layers of paint/stain. All you have to do is apply, let the liquid sit and do its thing and then scrape off; this may need multiple attempts depending on how many layers and how long you let the chemical sit for.
Best Sellers:
Smart Strip
Extras/Miscellaneous
With the essentials covered, the only thing left are the products to enhance the painting experience! Some things to always have on hand are paint can openers, Handy Paint Pails - useful for painting at heights, Carpet Shields or Trim Guards - to use with or instead of tape to protect flooring/ceiling/other walls. Glass scrapers can be helpful for scraping paint off hard surfaces.
Best Sellers:
Paint Can Opener
Handy Paint Pail
Handy Paint Liners
Mini Glass Scraper
