Painting Contractor Tip - Avoid Gimmick Painting Tools

It's frustrating to spend hard earned money on all in one painting tools that don't work well. I'm sure you have seen them displayed in stores and tabloids. Most of these paint applicators try to give the average person an substitute for for good ole experience with the brush and roller. Most painting contractors will tell you that gimmick type tools fail miserably in performance. For the most part, they are a waste of money and time.

Below are several examples of the products you should avoid.

1. Avoid foam painting pads. Foam painting pads with the edge guide leave about a 1/64 to a 1/32 of an inch gap of unpainted area beneath the guide. You will need to cut in this area with a brush anyway, so it is a waste of time. Since the foam pad spreads paint poorly, you get less coverage. You most likely will need 2 coasts of paint to properly cover. Plus, some of the foam applicators require you to purchase a special pan.

2. Avoid any products that have multiple parts and pieces. Fumbling around with all these loose parts will waste your time. Also, they increase your cleanup time.

Below I have listed some things you can do to decrease your painting time. These include equipment know by professionals to increase productivity.

1. When rolling your walls use a ¾ to 1 inch nap for your roller frame. Thicker naps hold more paint, providing more roll time per dip.

2. Andropolis sells a roller nap that holds 100 percent more paint and works with a standard size roller frame. This will significantly cut down on time to roll out paint on your walls.

3. Purchase a good quality brush. The benefits are many: a. Quality brushes pick up paint more easily. b. They hold more paint. c. Their quality bristles allow more accuracy while cutting in. d. They spread paint more evenly. e. They significantly save on brush time.

Our painters use Purdy brushes for all the above reasons. The Bottom line is they save us money because they cut down on labor cost. 4. Use blue tape to create straight lines. If you are not a professional painter, you can lose a lot of time trying to create straight lines. Blue tape works wonders for taping off trim or walls to create clean looking lines.

5. Cover up cost a lot less time than clean up. Be sure and use tarps to cover floor areas completely and protect furnishings. Sometimes a new product comes along that truly can save time.

It is best to ask a seasoned painting contractor what he thinks about the product. If he has used the product for very long he will be able to give you valuable feedback.

Remember packaging can be misleading. They are designed to sell. The above recommendations will give you the best results for the money.