7 Products for Faster Painting
1. With Mini Scaffolding, Who Needs a Stepladder?
I love this thing. It’s stable and light, just the right height, and it folds up for easy storage. Plus, it’s cheap! The Gorilla Ladder Work Platform ($35) sets up in seconds and is just under 2 ft. tall, so it’s great for working near ceilings when you’re wallpapering or painting. The deep platform is comfortable enough to stand on for hours, and it’s wide, so you can work without constantly moving it like you have to do with a stepladder. A little step at both ends makes it easy to climb aboard. Best of all, it’s the perfect height to use for a bench during those lunch breaks. And when you don’t need it for work, what could be a more elegant garden bench for the back yard? Buy yours at Home Depot or Menards stores.
Wagner’s Glass Mask ($5) combines Theories 1 and 2. Smear the waxy compound on the glass right next to the surrounding trim (it takes the place of the masking tape), let it dry for five or ten minutes, and paint the wood without cutting in. Scrape paint off the glass along with the underlying Glass Mask using the built-in razor scraper. OK, using Glass Mask is pretty much like Theory 1. But it is easier than scraping paint off untreated glass, especially if you’re working with oil-based paints. Two warnings: Don’t get Glass Mask on the wood you’re painting or the paint won’t stick, and scrape it off within 24 hours or you’ll have tough scraping.
I love this thing. It’s stable and light, just the right height, and it folds up for easy storage. Plus, it’s cheap! The Gorilla Ladder Work Platform ($35) sets up in seconds and is just under 2 ft. tall, so it’s great for working near ceilings when you’re wallpapering or painting. The deep platform is comfortable enough to stand on for hours, and it’s wide, so you can work without constantly moving it like you have to do with a stepladder. A little step at both ends makes it easy to climb aboard. Best of all, it’s the perfect height to use for a bench during those lunch breaks. And when you don’t need it for work, what could be a more elegant garden bench for the back yard? Buy yours at Home Depot or Menards stores.
2. Easy Window Painting
Everyone’s got a theory on the best way to paint around glass. Theory 1: Slop paint on the glass, let it dry and then scrape it off later with a razor knife. Theory 2: Painstakingly mask off the glass with tape. Theory 3: Use a steady hand to cut in paint next to the glass. Wagner’s Glass Mask ($5) combines Theories 1 and 2. Smear the waxy compound on the glass right next to the surrounding trim (it takes the place of the masking tape), let it dry for five or ten minutes, and paint the wood without cutting in. Scrape paint off the glass along with the underlying Glass Mask using the built-in razor scraper. OK, using Glass Mask is pretty much like Theory 1. But it is easier than scraping paint off untreated glass, especially if you’re working with oil-based paints. Two warnings: Don’t get Glass Mask on the wood you’re painting or the paint won’t stick, and scrape it off within 24 hours or you’ll have tough scraping.
3. King-Size Masking
The Quick Mask system from Homeright is a dispenser, cutter, and masking paper and tape all rolled into one. After you roll out the masking, you just tear it off with the cutting teeth at the top of the dispenser. Unfold the paper to its full 7-in. width and even the widest trim will be well protected from paint drips. Each roll contains 70 ft. of masking and costs 5 to 7 bucks. Contact the manufacturer if you need to find a store near you, or order directly online (No. C800132).
The Quick Mask system from Homeright is a dispenser, cutter, and masking paper and tape all rolled into one. After you roll out the masking, you just tear it off with the cutting teeth at the top of the dispenser. Unfold the paper to its full 7-in. width and even the widest trim will be well protected from paint drips. Each roll contains 70 ft. of masking and costs 5 to 7 bucks. Contact the manufacturer if you need to find a store near you, or order directly online (No. C800132).
4. Sure-Grip Ladder Tray
An accessory for ladders that have built-in trays is the Shurtray from Shur-Line. It’s a roller tray that hooks over the ladder-side edge of the tray so you can work off the stepladder to roll paint on high areas. Since it’ll also sit flat on the floor for lower rolling work and it’s only $4, why not? Available at Home Depot, Lowe’s and Ace Hardware.
An accessory for ladders that have built-in trays is the Shurtray from Shur-Line. It’s a roller tray that hooks over the ladder-side edge of the tray so you can work off the stepladder to roll paint on high areas. Since it’ll also sit flat on the floor for lower rolling work and it’s only $4, why not? Available at Home Depot, Lowe’s and Ace Hardware.
5. Retrofit Paint Tray
It’s funny, but the more you spend on a stepladder, the less chance it’ll include a paint tray. (It’s a bit like hotels. At cheaper ones, you get free phone and cable. You only pay for those services in expensive rooms. Go figure.) Werner’s Auto Closing Pail Shelf (No. PK76-3; $10 at home centers) is designed to retrofit a paint tray to Werner fiberglass and aluminum stepladders. It’s sturdy, folds up for storage and installs in a couple of minutes. We successfully mounted it on another brand of fiberglass stepladder. If you want to give it a shot, keep the receipt in case it doesn’t work out. Find this paint tray at any Home Depot store.
It’s funny, but the more you spend on a stepladder, the less chance it’ll include a paint tray. (It’s a bit like hotels. At cheaper ones, you get free phone and cable. You only pay for those services in expensive rooms. Go figure.) Werner’s Auto Closing Pail Shelf (No. PK76-3; $10 at home centers) is designed to retrofit a paint tray to Werner fiberglass and aluminum stepladders. It’s sturdy, folds up for storage and installs in a couple of minutes. We successfully mounted it on another brand of fiberglass stepladder. If you want to give it a shot, keep the receipt in case it doesn’t work out. Find this paint tray at any Home Depot store.
6. Quick-Adjust Roller Handle
Long extension poles that you screw onto roller frames have been around for years. But the long handles are sometimes too long for tight areas and too hard to control around doors, windows, baseboards and ceiling edges. The Shur-Line Twist N Reach is simply a well-designed, shorter version of typical extension poles. The roller frame is an integral part of the handle, which extends up to 34 in.—long enough for most people to roll out walls near ceilings without a ladder. And the roller cage grips the roller sleeve, so it doesn’t slip off the end like it does with most other frames. Nice, high-quality, easy-to-use tool! Expect to pay about $10 at most home centers.
Long extension poles that you screw onto roller frames have been around for years. But the long handles are sometimes too long for tight areas and too hard to control around doors, windows, baseboards and ceiling edges. The Shur-Line Twist N Reach is simply a well-designed, shorter version of typical extension poles. The roller frame is an integral part of the handle, which extends up to 34 in.—long enough for most people to roll out walls near ceilings without a ladder. And the roller cage grips the roller sleeve, so it doesn’t slip off the end like it does with most other frames. Nice, high-quality, easy-to-use tool! Expect to pay about $10 at most home centers.
7. Short-Handled Brush for Tight Spots
Yeah, you can just saw off a brush handle to get into tight places. But for about $5, you can have your very own Wooster Shortcut Brush and look more official. Plus, you don’t have to wreck a brush to do it, and the flat, contoured, flexible handle is more comfortable. Get the purple-handled brush for water-based paints and stains, or the yellow-handled one for oil-based finishes. Sold at home centers and hardware stores everywhere.
Yeah, you can just saw off a brush handle to get into tight places. But for about $5, you can have your very own Wooster Shortcut Brush and look more official. Plus, you don’t have to wreck a brush to do it, and the flat, contoured, flexible handle is more comfortable. Get the purple-handled brush for water-based paints and stains, or the yellow-handled one for oil-based finishes. Sold at home centers and hardware stores everywhere.
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