6 essential tools for painters and decorators

The answer to this question may seem fairly obvious: paint brushes, buckets, mixers, sheets and other painting equipment that help you do your day to day jobs, but what other tools can you use to drive efficiencies in your day to day activities?

In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the extras you may need that will help you to run your business.

Commercial paint sprayers

Brushes and rollers have been the traditional tool for painters and decorators for years, but with advancements in technology, you can now use a paint spray indoors to cut down the time it takes to complete jobs.

Commercial spray guns can be expensive and require preparations and regular maintenance, but they will help you carry out any painting much quicker than using a brush and roller and, in most cases, can offer a better overall finish.

There are 4 main different types of paint sprayers:

• Airless paint sprayers
• Conventional compressor sprayers
• Handheld paint sprayers
• HVLP paint sprayers

All have their advantages and disadvantages for different jobs and applications, so it’s important to do your research when investing in new paint spraying technology.

Spray shield

If you are going to be spraying, you should consider buying some spray shields, which you can use to stop overspray.

If you were to use a brush or a roller, you would probably use tape to stop paint from getting onto the areas you don’t want to be painted, but a spray gun will often have a much wider spray zone, so a shield will be much more effective than tape.

Paint spouts

A simple tool, but it’ll make a big difference if you regularly need to pour paints. A task that can often be tricky as there is nothing to help direct the paint where you need it to go, so could potentially lead to spilt paint.

You can buy a small device called a paint spout that attaches onto the rim of your paint tin, which makes the paint pour out in one direction. It also stops paint from running down the side of the tin, so you won’t leave any pools of paint when you put the tin down.

Some paint manufacturers have even innovated the design of paint containers to include an integrated, re-sealable opening and spout to enable pouring and provide a way to keep paint fresh for longer periods of time.

Not every tool you use has to be something specific to the painting jobs you are carrying out...

Commercial vehicle

To help you get around you need a commercial vehicle that is fit for your purpose. Commercial vehicles come in all shapes and sizes, so you should find the one that suits your business.

Vehicles like the Ford Transit have been the choice of contractors for years, but would something smaller suit your business better?

You could also consider an electric vehicle that would help your business become more environmentally friendly.

Card reader

In a previous article, we looked at how cash usage has changed in the UK following the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic, cash usage was falling in the UK, but COVID-19 has accelerated the trend.

To help customers pay more easily, you could consider purchasing a card-reading machine so that customers can use their credit or debit card to make their payments.

Take a look at some of these options you can consider for your payment methods.

Rugged smartphone

You might have a smartphone that you use in your personal life, but you could consider getting a business smartphone that is more fit for purpose.

Did you know that there are smartphones specifically designed with contractors in mind? These phones have the functionality of a regular smartphone, but are designed to be more rugged to withstand damage, be shock, dust and waterproof, have longer battery life and have better connectivity.