Here’s How to Find the Right Paintbrush or Roller for Every Paint Job

Paint is a home decorator’s best friend.

A new shade can revitalize a room, make over cabinetry or add new life to tired furniture. Optimize your paint projects with these trusty sidekicks: paintbrushes, paint rollers and paint sprayers. Here’s what you need to know.

Common Paint Tools Buying Considerations Painting Accessories

Common Paint Tools

High quality paintbrushes and paint rollers promote faster, smoother coverage; fewer drips and spatter; and easier clean-up. With the proper care, the following tools can last for years.

Buying Considerations

Choosing the right paintbrush or roller cover will help you get the results you want. Here’s how to choose between brush widths and roller covers.

	1” to 1 1⁄2” angle or flat brush	This narrow brush is fine enough to cut in tight corners, as well as paint window mullions and other detailed areas. It is also great for craft projects.
	2” to 2 1⁄2” angle sash brush	This brush, with its angled design, delivers precise results for cutting in walls and ceilings, and painting window frames, casings, and door mouldings.
	2” to 2 1⁄2 flat brush	This medium-width brush provides even coverage for baseboards, cabinetry, moulding, furniture, stairs, railings, shutters and gutters.
	3” to 4” flat brush	This wide brush — with its flat, straight bristles — is ideal for painting or staining exterior siding, decks, masonry, walls, ceilings and doors.
	5 – 10 mm pile roller cover	This roller cover, with its relatively shallow pile, is suited to smooth surfaces like untextured plaster, drywall, wallboard and metal.
	10 – 15 mm pile roller cover	This medium-pile roller refill can be used when painting lightly textured walls, ceilings, panel- ling and acoustical tile.
	20 – 30 mm pile roller cover	This roller cover has a deep, plush pile, which ensures even coverage on brick, block, stucco or heavily textured plaster.

Painting Accessories

Eye Protection

Wear safety glasses or goggles to protect your eyes from dust and paint splashes.

Paint Scraper

Use a scraper for tough wallpaper or paint removal tasks. Scrapers come in different sizes to tackle specific jobs, from flat surfaces to tight crevices.

Extension Pole

A paint roller extension pole helps you reach high locations with more ease and accuracy.

Putty Knife

Use a putty knife to apply joint compound to fill in small holes, cracks and surface imperfections before painting.

Painter’s Tape

This easy-to-remove, no-residue tape can be used to mask off mouldings, windows, doors and ceilings from unwanted paint.

Drop Cloth

Reusable canvas drop cloths will protect floors and furniture through countless home improvement projects.

Sandpaper

Available as sheets, blocks, sponges – and discs or belts for use on power sanders – sandpaper is used to rough up surfaces for better paint adhesion.

Paint Tray

To load a roller with the right amount of paint on it, try getting a paint tray. You can find one in a reusable or disposable format.

Paint Can Opener

Even the snuggest-fitting quart and gallon lids are no match for this inexpensive tool. Use this, rather than your more-expensive-to-replace screwdriver.

Good to Know

After applying two coats, let the paint cure (harden) for about one week before reinstalling cabinet hardware and remounting the cabinet doors.
BeautiTone Cabinet & Furniture Paint is 100% acrylic enamel for a durable, scrubbable pearl finish and an easy soap-and-water cleanup.
For superior results, use BeautiTone Stick-It Primer Sealer and let dry before painting.

Shop All Paint & Tools

FAQs

What is a flat brush used for in painting?

Flat paint brush bristle ends are in a straight line, making it well suited to cover large flat surfaces such as walls, paneling, and smooth doors. They are generally available in 3-, 4-, and 6-inch widths. The bristles on an angled sash brush are slanted which makes it easier to paint inside grooves, corners, and other tight spaces.

What paint brush gives the smoothest finish?

A finishing brush will give you a super-smooth finish. Usually made ox hair or China bristle, a finishing brush ideal for use in places that will receive a lot of close-up attention, like kitchen cabinets.

What’s the easiest way to open a can of paint?

Knowing how to open a paint can properly can help preserve your leftover paint longer. A flathead screwdriver will work, but it can result in bent edges that prevent the lid from sealing. A paint can opener is a better option, as it has a curved end that will not crimp or damage the paint can or lid.

Should I use painter’s tape?

Yes, painter’s tape will help ensure crisp, straight lines as well as protect ceilings and trim from overpaint. It’s easy to apply, but you also need to know when to remove painter’s tape. Peeling it off too soon can result in cracks along the paint line or even worse, your paint lifting off the surface. Check the paint can for the manufacturer's dry times, and be sure the paint is dry to the touch before removing the tape.

What is paint roller nap?

The nap on a paint roller cover refers to depth or “pile” of the bristles. A shallow-pile roller cover (5 to 10 mm) is best for smooth surfaces like drywall, wallboard or untextured plaster. A medium-pile roller cover (10 to 15 mm) is ideal for painting lightly textured walls or panelling. You’ll want a deep-pile roller cover (20 to 30 mm) for painting brickwork, stucco or heavily textured plaster.