Essential Painting Supplies Every Contractor Needs

As most painting contractors know, you’re only as good as your last job. What’s more, your last job can only be as good as the tools you used to get it done. Painting can be tricky business; despite what some people think, it’s more than simply slapping on a coat of paint and calling it a day. There are a ton of things to consider, such as the material you’re painting on, how large the surface is, your design choices, and more that really add to the job’s complexity. Whether you’re brand new to the scene or you’ve been in it for years, we wanted to go over some of the essential painting supplies every contractor needs.

Pressure Washers

Before you can do anything in regard to actual painting, you need to prepare the surface you are putting the paint on. Without proper preparation, you risk the paint easily chipping off or not adhering to the substrate. A powerful and reliable pressure washer is a key component for making sure that the surface to be painted is clean of any foreign objects or stains that might make the paint not sit right. This is a step that you cannot overlook if you want a clean and smooth finish.

Scrapers and Sandpaper

Another important part of the surface preparation stage, sandpaper and scrapers are key components to making sure the substrate is ready to be painted on. You’ll want to have a range of different grits of sandpaper. Coarser grits will help you remove more material quicker. Finer grits will allow you to get a much smoother finish.

Ladders and Scaffolding

It is rare day when you will have a paint job that doesn’t require some amount of height to be completely finished. Especially if you are painting a commercial or industrial space, you’re going to be hitting a lot of surface area, above you as well as all around. Having a quality ladder is one thing you can do to ensure your own safety and the safety of anyone below you. Scaffolding performs a similar job and is quite safe but can be hard to move quickly and efficiently. You can also get a lift, which is more expensive but extremely convenient when it comes to getting up high.

Drop Cloths

Painting is a messy business, no matter how careful and meticulous you think you’re going to be. Whether you’re painting a single room or an entire office, you’re going to want something to protect your workspace. Unsightly dripping and leaking will not only cost you time trying to fix them, but money as well. Most professional painting contractors recommend drop cloths that are made of canvas over ones made of plastic or cloth, as these can be less reliable and cause more accidents.

Primer

Paint needs something to stick to; you can’t just throw it up on a bare piece of drywall or brick. That’s where primer comes into play. While you can often find 2-in-1 primer and paint mixtures, it’s a good idea to always apply some kind of primer before you really begin to paint. Forgetting to do this can lead to paint more easily chipping off and not lasting nearly as long as it would otherwise. Primer is also useful for covering over existing paint jobs, as it is specifically formulated to appear opaque over other colors in fewer coats.

The Right Kind of Paint

Of all of the painting contractor supplies on this list, this is obviously the one to pay very close attention to. The reason we don’t just say paint is because there are a lot of qualifiers that you need to figure out before you choose a paint brand. You need to consider:

• How much sun will this paint get?
• Does this paint need to be weatherproof?
• How scratch-resistant is this paint?
• Will this be for an exterior wall or an interior wall?
• Will this paint be exposed to harsh chemicals or solvents?

All of these considerations are important when choosing a paint brand. You can’t simply stick to one kind of paint for every single job. You’ll also need to consider what medium you want to work in; For example, latex paints cover very differently than acrylic-based paints.

Brushes and Rollers

You can’t go through a list of essential painting supplies every contractor needs without talking about your brushes and rollers. Having the right rollers will ensure that your coats go on smoothly and you get the job done in a timely manner. Given that the longer the job takes, the more money that needs to be spent on it, you should consider investing in large rollers to get big jobs done quickly. Brushes are for more detailed work and you don’t want to go cheap on these either. The makeup of the bristles is a crucial element to how much paint they can hold and how quickly they’ll lose their shape.

Paint Sprayers

On the other end of the spectrum from brushes is the paint sprayer. If your painting contracts take you to some truly large spaces that you need to finish quickly, you don’t have the time to roll or brush paint on. You’re going to need a paint sprayer if you want even coverage of paint over very large areas. There are a number of different types of sprayers, so make sure you research the kind of substrate and paint you’re working with to see which one will be the best option for you.

Painter’s Tape

Useful both for creating designs with your paint and for masking off areas you don’t want to spill onto, any good painting contractor is going to have a large supply of painter’s tape on hand. Use it to cover over windows, crown molding, baseboards, ceilings, and more to make sure you keep your lines clean and straight. Remember that how clean your paint jobs are will directly affect your ability to get more jobs in the future.

Bedrock Supplies has a wide selection of supplies for painting contractors and we’d love to help you find what you need. Your work is important to many different people, us included—so make sure you give us a call when you are in the market for quality painting supplies.