Serious painting jobs are best left to the professionals, for a variety of reasons. Professional painters are more experienced, staffed with multiple workers, and have the equipment necessary for each job. Of course, some of us enjoy taking on DIY painting projects here and there. If you’re one of them, you probably have the basic stuff: brushes, rollers, rolling trays, and, of course, paint. Pro painters, on the other hand, come equipped with a much larger arsenal of useful tools that make the job easier, safer, and more cost-effective. Here are some of the tools used by the pros that you might not have.

Multi-Tool (Scraping, Opening, Screwdriver, etc.)

If you’re painting often, you’ll come across certain tasks over and over again, such as opening paint cans and scraping away old paint. Rather than sort through several separate tools for these operations, use a multi-purpose tool. These come in many variations. Some feature paint can openers, screwdrivers, roller cleaners, and even bottle openers! Having a tool like this on hand will make those repetitive tasks much easier to handle.

Caulking Gun

Caulk is important for sealing cracks before painting begins. A caulking gun is a useful tool for squeezing out an even distribution of caulk where it’s needed. These guns can cost anywhere from two dollars to one hundred, depending on their material, features, and durability. Most people only need a simple, cheap one. To use it, you simply pull back the plunger, insert the caulk tube into the cradle, and then press on the lever to squeeze the caulk out.

Extension Pole

You won’t find a professional painting company without an extension pole. Like an extension of your arm, an extension pole allows painters to reach high-up surfaces, like ceilings or tall walls. These poles come in a wide range of lengths and can be used to extend rollers, brushes, dust cloths, and more.

Hand-Masker

A hand-masker is an essential time-saving tool for painting companies. It’s a single device that you load with masking tape and paper, plastic, or another covering material. When loaded properly, hand-maskers make quick work of covering windows, doors, and other surfaces that you want to protect from paint splatters. They come in different shapes and sizes, too, so you can mask smaller or larger areas with ease.

Roller Keeper

While hand-maskers save you time, roller keepers save you money (time, too). Anyone who has painted anything before knows how difficult clean-up can be. Cleaning brushes takes time and considerable effort. Rollers are even worse. The spongy material holds a lot of paint and when you’re done for the day you have to clean your roller heads immediately so that you don’t waste them by letting the paint dry. Fortunately, there’s another way. Roller keepers are conveniently sealed tubes that allow you to store a wet roller so that you can use it again the next day. For paint jobs that take several days, this is a cheap, handy device that saves you time on cleaning and money on paint.

Painting services use all these tools and more for jobs big and small. If you enjoy tackling projects on your own, it’s not a bad idea to have some of these items available. For more complex jobs, however, leave it to the professionals. All American Painting Plus has been serving residences and businesses for over 25 years. We have the experience and the equipment to do the job efficiently. Call us today at 703-620-5563 or email us at info@aapplus.com for more information and a free estimate!