Here’s a list of eight basic supplies—including a couple of surprising ones—to make your next interior house painting job look like an expert one. A canvas drop cloth is more of an investment for future painting projects; prepare to spend at least $20 for quality canvas drop. They come in various weights and are represented in ounces per square yard. The heavier the weight, the better, but more costly the product. Some canvas cloths have a rubberized backing for extra sturdiness and durability. Since they’re woven, a canvas drop cloth won’t easily tear. You’ll also need a place to safely store the drop cloth for future use. A plastic drop cloth is inexpensive and is typically disposable after one use. They are lightweight and easier to throw on top of furniture. The least expensive plastic drop cloth, for example, will have roughly the thickness of an economy garbage bag. Thicker plastic drop cloths won’t tear easily and can be reused if it hasn’t been trampled on throughout the project. However, they can pose a slip hazard when wet, and even when dry, they present a safety risk. To minimize slipping, it’s best to tape down the edges if using plastic on the floor. Blue painter’s tape is rated by how many days you can leave it in place before its adhesive begins to harden and becomes difficult to remove. Some sprayers are fairly anemic while others are more powerful, and it depends on your comfort level. Some units are designed as a sprayer-roller that draws paint straight from the can which means you don’t have to continually pour your paint. Just keep a damp cloth handy to wipe the nozzle tip as paint begins to accumulate as you spray. A sash brush, also called a tapered brush, is a small tool designed for the highly exacting process of painting windows. The tapered end of the sash brush allows you to get into tight and narrow corners to make the process of painting your windows cleaner and smoother. Cleaning a paintbrush well extends the life of the brush. A poorly cleaned brush will gunk up with paint after just a few uses, sending your brushes straight into the trash. A paintbrush comb helps you open up the bristles as you run water or solvent over them, further loosening and removing paint.
