From DIYinfo.org
[edit] Brushes
You really do get what you pay for with a brush. Good quality brushes improve with use, as the tips become rounded and any loose bristles come out. Wear in brushes on undercoats and save your best matured brushes for topcoats.
Cheap brushes usually contain far less bristle for a given width, and they are often badly anchored so that the bristles tend to fall out. Keep cheap brushes for less important work, like applying wood preservatives to rough timber. Cheap brushes are also useful for removing dust after sanding down.
Avoid synthetic fibre brushes for painting. Nothing has yet matched the quality of Chinese hog bristle, which splits naturally to give good paint holding.
For normal jobs, you can manage with 2in, 1in and ½ in (50mm, 25mm and 13mm) brushes, with a 4in or 6in (100mm or 150mm) brush for walls and ceilings. An angled ¾ in (19mm) cutting in brush will prove useful for window frames. The angled tip helps to get close to the glass without getting paint on it.
A crevice or radiator brush, with bristles at right angles to the handle, is good for painting awkward places, such as behind metal fire places and pipes.
A wide brush on a cranked handle (bent at right angles in the middle) is easier on the wrist for work on walls and ceilings, which can be tiring.
[edit] Rollers
An easy way to spread paint quickly over large areas is with a paint roller, generally used with a roller tray for holding the paint.
Three main types of roller are available. They are all best with water based paint, which is easier to clean off than oil based paint. Where possible, choose a model with a decorating sleeve that can be removed from the core of the roller. This also makes cleaning easier.
[edit] Foam Roller
A good general purpose roller if a high finish is not important. It can only be used on smooth and lightly textured surfaces. The foam deteriorates with age, so replace it as soon as there are signs of crumbling.
[edit] Mohair Roller
A very fine short pile on a firm backing gives a high finish, making it ideal for large smooth surfaces, such as doors and walls. It is no good on textured surfaces. The pile must always be cleaned thoroughly after use.
[edit] Shaggy Pile Roller
Lamb's wool (or imitation) rollers and nylon rollers vary according to their depth of pile. They are well suited to textured and high relief surfaces because the shaggy pile goes in the crevices. If you are decorating outside walls coated in rough cast or stucco choose a tough exterior grade nylon pile roller.
A small roller on a longer handle is useful for painting areas difficult to reach, such as behind a toilet. Some rollers have a hollow handle to take an extension handle. This means you can reach high areas from ground level. There is also a range of patterned foam rollers for use with textured coatings, only raised areas on the roller pick up paint. It takes a long time to master the technique of matching the pattern to produce professional results.
[edit] Paint Pads
A pad consists of a fine layer of mohair bonded to a foam strip, which is mounted on a handle. Pads vary in size from about 1in (25mm) square up to a width of 7in (180mm). You need a tray for the paint, though a baking tin or something similar will do.
Pads are best suited to water based paints, because most solvents used for cleaning off oil based paints attack the adhesive between the mohair and the foam. You may think that very small pads are cheap enough to throw away after use, but clean large pads thoroughly, they will last for years. As with rollers, some pads have hollow handles for extension poles.
[edit] Aerosols
An aerosol is a pressurised container which forces paint out in a fine spray jet. It is useful for highly textured surfaces, such as basket weave furniture, and items like wrought iron gates.
[edit] Spray Gun
A spray gun has limited uses around the home so it pays to hire spray equipment, rather than buy your own. Cheaper guns (including the type sometimes offered with vacuum cleaners) are best kept for applying wood preservatives. An airless spray gun (operated by a pressure pump) gives the most satisfactory results.
[edit] Paint Kettle (Tin)
Pour paint into a paint kettle as required. The kettle usually has a handle, unlike most small paint tins. If you are using more than one colour, line the kettle with foil or plastic wrap. This can be removed and thrown away (leaving the kettle clean) when you want to change colour. Another reason for using a kettle is that should paint become contaminated, perhaps when painting woodwork close to soft mortar or rendering, you have not contaminated all the paint, only what is in the kettle.
[edit] Paint Shield
Use a plastic or metal shield to keep paint off glass when painting window frames. You can also use one to prevent your paintbrush from picking up dirt from a floor when painting a skirting board.
