Painting 101: Supplies You Need To Paint Any Room

I share all kinds of painting projects here on the blog; from interior walls to furniture pieces so I get a lot of questions about painting in general and what supplies we use to get the jobs done. Since I get so many of these questions, I thought I would write a post all about the supplies you need to paint the walls and ceilings in your home. Matt and I have done so much painting over the years.

While we were on our summer road trip a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about how far we have come in our painting adventures. In the beginning, it wasn’t pretty. I was learning how to pick colors and we were also learning how to paint in general. We have made every painting mistake you possibly could make over the years that now, we want to help anyone we can so they don’t have to make all the mistakes like we did before we got it right. Today, I am sharing all the supplies you need to paint any room. 

Supplies You Need To Paint Any Room

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Drop Cloths:

In the beginning, we would just use old sheets as drop cloths. We quickly found out that sheets don’t protect whatever is underneath them from the paint that soaks right through an old sheet. Listing supplies you need to paint starts with a good paint drop cloth. We put them on the floor and we also use them to cover furniture. I even use them underneath furniture projects I am painting. 

Putty Knives:

Prepping is the most important thing with the entire painting process. When you are painting walls in your home, wash the walls first (you can see the amazing product we discovered for cleaning the walls in our last flip project HERE or you can see how we cleaned the walls in our home to brighten the space without painting HERE). You would be amazed how dirty walls get. After you have washed the walls, you need to fill in any and all holes in the wall. A putty knife will get the job done.

Spackle:

Use a spackle to fill in the holes. We have used toothpaste to fill holes in our first house (yep, not kidding), but I would recommend spackle. 🙂

Sanding Screen:

Use this to sand the spackle when it is dry and any other rough areas on your walls.

Brushes:

When we started painting, we would buy the cheapest paint brushes we could find. They never held up, they would shed when we used them and they were junk after one use. We would spend more money and time going back to the store to buy more brushes every time. We finally got smart and invested in good brushes. Don’t make that mistake! The supplies you need to paint need to include Zibra paint brushes. Period.

These brushes have been a life saver for my painting work. They have so many different types of brushes that fit any job you are doing. I use them to paint walls and to paint smaller projects like furniture and signs. You MUST get these brushes. Find them HERE.

Rollers:

Like paint brushes, we used to get the cheapest rollers. They were horrible. We don’t do that anymore. There are rollers made for different painting projects. Get the right roller for the job you are doing and don’t buy the cheapest one. You will make lighter work of your project with a better roller. You can find out all about one of our favorite paint rollers in the blog post HERE.

Trays WITH PLASTIC LINERS:

You will need paint trays for the roller and make sure to pick up the plastic liners that fit inside for easy clean up. They cost next to nothing and it keeps your metal trays clean and the clean-up is a breeze. Just toss the liner away and you are done.

Paint Sprayers: 

Matt and I have used both a commercial paint sprayer and the smaller paint sprayers from HomeRight and we love them both. It depends on what job you are doing to choose the right sprayer for the job. I use the smaller sprayers for furniture projects (find those projects on this page HERE), but the commercial paint sprayer was amazing for our third flip house. You can see that project HERE.

Extension Rod:

You will need an extension rod for your roller to reach higher spots. We love the refillable roller from HomeRight.

Paint Key:

These don’t cost a lot of money, but they are important in the list of supplies you need to paint. They will open your can a lot better than a butter knife or screwdriver (yep, those are my tools of choice when I can’t find a paint key).

Rubber Mallet:

When you are closing a paint can, it is important that you get the lid on tight to preserve the paint. You can use a hammer but a rubber mallet works the best.

Painter’s Tape:

This is another tool that you need to spend more money on. Don’t buy the cheap painter’s tape! It doesn’t work. Spend a little more money so you stay sane and happy when you are taping things before you paint. Trust me on this one. There is nothing worse than tape that rips every time you pull it or won’t stick down when you put it on the trim.

Step Ladder/Ladder:

Depending on what you are painting, you will probably need a ladder to reach higher areas. Sometimes a step-ladder is enough and other times you need a bigger ladder.

I hope this list of supplies you need to paint any room in your home has been helpful. Painting can seem like a daunting task to anyone who hasn’t done it before, but the best part about it is that it is only paint. You can always paint over it if you don’t like it!

What painting projects have you been working on? 

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If you liked this Supplies You Need To Paint post, you will also love these tips:

How To Use The HomeRight EZ Twist PaintStick

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The Paint Sprayer That Will Paint A Room In 10 Minutes