The right tool
is half the finish.

The workhorse for water based paint. Synthetic filaments hold their spring in water, release paint evenly and wash out clean.

A slim, angled synthetic that steers around glazing bars, corners and the line where wall meets ceiling.

Hog bristle with split ends that carry oil paint beautifully and lay it off with a soft, glassy finish.

A wide, soft head of natural or mixed fibre that holds a lot of thin wash and lets you work it into a textured wall in every direction.

A stiff, dense brush with long filaments for forcing thick masonry paint into rough render, pebbledash and blockwork.

A tiny long handled brush for the places a sash brush is too big.

A small head on a long bent handle for reaching behind radiators and pipes without taking them off the wall.

A soft wide brush used dry, to clear sanding dust from mouldings and corners before paint goes anywhere near them.

The everyday sleeve for emulsion on plastered walls and ceilings. Holds plenty of paint and leaves a light, even texture.

A dense, low pile that holds less paint but leaves almost no texture. The sleeve for anything you will look at closely.

Deep, open fibres that carry a heavy load of thick paint down into the hollows of render and pebbledash.

A small sleeve on a short cage for doors, panels, reveals and behind radiators. Available in every pile.

Closed cell foam that gives a very smooth finish with oil based gloss on flat surfaces, but traps air in thicker water based paints.

A telescopic pole that threads into the roller handle. Ceilings from the floor, walls without a ladder, and far better leverage for an even coat.

Gypsum based powder you mix with water. Strong, sands to a feather edge and can be built up in layers for deeper holes.

A whipped, airy filler that dries in minutes with almost no shrinkage. Convenient for small dents and last minute touch ups.

A smooth, creamy filler with very fine grain for hairline cracks and shallow imperfections, applied thin with a wide blade.

A filler with enough give to stretch across cracks that open and close as the house heats, cools and dries.

A resin paste mixed with a small amount of hardener that sets rock hard in ten minutes, sands like timber and shrugs off weather.

A liquid consolidant that soaks into softened timber and hardens it, followed by a flexible epoxy paste that moves with the wood. The proper way to save a sash bottom rail.

A cement or polymer filler that cures hard and weatherproof, for chips and cracks in modern render, concrete and blockwork.

The original filler for old solid walls. Sets slowly by absorbing carbon dioxide, stays soft enough to breathe and to move with the building.

For repairs too deep or wide for filler. Bonding fills the depth in one go, finishing plaster gives the skim.

A water based acrylic filler in a cartridge. Skins in half an hour, takes paint, stays slightly flexible and wipes off with a damp cloth while wet.

A rubbery, permanently waterproof sealant that stretches with movement and resists mould. Cannot be painted and nothing sticks to it afterwards.

A modern sealant that combines the waterproofing of silicone with the paintability of caulk, sticks to almost any surface and stays flexible for decades.

A paintable exterior grade acrylic for the joint between frames and masonry. Cheaper than hybrid polymer, less durable, fine under a well kept paint film.

Whiting and linseed oil, kneaded to a dough. The traditional bedding and facing for glass in timber sashes. Slow, forgiving and repairable for a century.

A polyurethane foam that swells to fill large voids around pipes, frames and cable runs. It is a backing, never a finish.

A sealant that swells under heat to close gaps where pipes and cables pass through walls and ceilings between flats or from a garage.

A gentle adhesive that comes off fresh paint and wallpaper without lifting either.

The everyday tape for glass, hardware and well cured surfaces. Strong enough to hold, cheap enough to use freely.

A tape with adhesive that survives sun, damp and temperature swings for a week or more without baking on or falling off.

A roll of thin polythene with tape along one edge. Unrolls to cover a window, a kitchen unit or a whole wall in seconds.

Flexible steel blades for applying and smoothing filler. The 2 inch for holes, the 4 for cracks, the 6 for skim fills and feathering edges.

The gun pushes a steady bead; the profile tool shapes it. Buy a gun with a pressure release or every bead ends with a blob.

An alkaline cleaner that lifts grease, nicotine and handling marks so the new paint has something clean to grip.

Foam backed abrasive that follows mouldings and curves, alongside sheets for flat work. Grit choice is its own guide.

A sticky, resin impregnated cloth that picks up the last of the dust a brush leaves behind.

A kettle is a small pot you decant into, so the tin stays clean and you carry less weight. A scuttle is a deep tray for loading rollers from a pole.

Heavy cotton that stays put, absorbs drips and does not slide underfoot like polythene.

A stiff bladed scraper for lifting flaking paint and a shave hook with shaped edges for cleaning paint out of mouldings.

A comb clears dried paint from the heel of the bristles; a keeper stores brushes suspended in a little solvent or water so they never dry stiff.