10 Tools You Need to Paint Your Home's Exterior

It's nice when you find a tool that can do the job of two. But what about five? A multipurpose painter's tool, sometimes known as a 5-in-1 tool, is essential for the rounds of prep work that must take place before painting a home's exterior. And it fits easily into a pocket. Among its many features [source: Hazelton]:

Usually a 5-in-1 tool is enough for the job, but you can buy versions with more features, such as a 7-in-1 or even a 17-in-1 tool.

If you'd like your new paint job to reach higher than the 6-foot (1.8-meter) mark, you're going to need a ladder.

There are several different types, but stepladders, extension ladders and straight ladders are the most useful for exterior painting. Stepladders range up to 20 feet (6 meters) in height and are nonadjustable. They have a hinged design that opens two self-supporting sides, one of which has flat steps for climbing. Most stepladders come with a horizontal platform near the top, which can accommodate a paint can or tools.

Straight ladders can reach up to 30 feet (9 meters) and should be propped at a 75-degree angle against a stable structure. If you're trying to paint the roof eaves, you'll want the ladder to extend 1 to 3 feet (30 to 90 centimeters) above the roof. Extension ladders are similar to straight ladders except they consist of two sections that can be extended, reaching up to 60 feet (18 meters) in height. (A three-section ladder can go up to 72 feet, or 21 meters.) A paint shelf can be purchased or made as an accessory [source: American Ladder Institute].

It's quite possible that as your home gets prepared for a shiny new coat of paint, your landscaping ends up in a dull, lifeless state, thanks to the chemicals coming off the walls. You can avoid this by protecting your greenery.

Before scraping excess paint or using a pressure washer, cover trees, plants, grass and shrubs with plastic sheeting or drop cloths. Either will work, but some professional painters recommend drop cloths because they let water run through while still catching paint chips. They're also less likely to rip. It's a good idea to use only water during a high-pressure wash because chemicals can kill plants and grass. Avoid hitting trees, plants or shrubs with the high-pressure stream because the water blast can damage them.

Use landscaping staples or 2x4 boards to hold the plastic sheeting or drop cloths in place. Keep them there until the painting job is complete because they can catch paint drips, something that's especially prone to happen when using a paint roller [source: Johnson].

That old saying about preparing the canvas? It applies to your home's exterior, too. So if you want to create a work of art, gather tools to properly prep the surface.

First, clean the surface of exterior walls. You can do this using a power sprayer to aim a jet of water that will blow debris off siding. Keep in mind, a pressure washer isn't the best option for wood, as it can mar the surface. (In those cases, a garden hose is better.) For other materials, like painted siding or masonry, the washer can work just fine -- even helping to remove old peeling paint.

Once the surface is dry, use a stiff wire brush or a putty knife to remove loose paint. For wood surfaces, a handheld sander can help strip paint quickly [source: House Painting Guide].

About 75 percent of the homes built before 1978 were painted with lead-based paint. Even if your older home has been repainted several times since then, one of those early layers is still likely to be lead-based. If this is the case, you may want to call in the professionals. If you forge ahead, do so with care. Wear a commercial-grade respirator mask and eye protection, and seal all windows and window air conditioning units, as well as dryer exhaust vents, to block lead particles from entering your home [source: Minnesota Department of Health].

Caulking up holes in your exterior walls is an important step in the pre-painting process. And so is choosing the right caulk gun. There are three main types: manual, battery-powered and pneumatic.

Manual caulking guns require you to push a plunger and pull a trigger. They may be cheap, but they can be messy, releasing caulk in an oozing, uneven stream that doesn't end as quickly as you'd like it to. Your best bet is to find a manual gun that has a smooth rod, which offers more control than its ratcheted counterpart, and comes with a built-in cutter to smoothly open the tip of the caulking tube.

Battery-powered caulking guns range from $35 to hundreds of dollars. For your purposes, a low-end battery-powered model should suffice. A gun that holds 10 ounces (283 grams) of caulk, for example, will be relatively inexpensive and less tiring to use than the manual version.

Pneumatic caulking guns are the most expensive. As the name suggests, this tool connects to an air compressor and is easier to control and activate that the other models. However, unless you're a professional contractor you probably don't need one [source: House Painting Info].

Whichever type of caulk gun you choose, it takes a little practice to squeeze a consistent amount of caulk. Ideally, you'll want a thin bead of caulk around windows, doors and chimneys before surfaces are covered with primer or paint.

You've probably seen some version of the comedy routine in which a full can of paint falls from a ladder onto a hapless homeowner. This is not a scenario you want to repeat in real life!

So, instead of lugging around a full paint can (and courting disaster), try a more moderate approach. Pour a small amount of paint into a clean, empty can or bucket and carry it to your painting spot. This will be easier to handle when you need to climb a ladder, will keep you from wasting paint and, if something does go terribly wrong, the spill won't be as ruinous.

When you're done using the can for the day, cover it with plastic wrap and replace the lid. This will keep it fresh overnight [source: The Family Handyman].

A roller screen is essentially a metal grate that fits vertically into your paint bucket and is a handy way to get rid of excess paint on your roller. After you dip the roller into paint, run it across the surface of the screen until the paint evenly covers the roller [source: The Family Handyman].

Another useful device is a roller tray, especially if you're working on a stepladder. This sloped and ribbed tray is used to load paint onto a roller. It has a shallow well at one end for holding paint – you should have about a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) of paint there. The tray can be placed on the stepladder to prevent your climbing down every time you need more paint [source: McMillan].

After so much work to gather supplies and prep walls, actually applying paint to your home's exterior will be an exciting metamorphosis. But first you need the right paintbrush.

There are two main types: natural bristle and synthetic bristle. Natural bristle brushes often are made of animal hair, including black or white hog hair, and have a soft texture for fine finishes. Natural bristles can hold a lot of oil-based paint without absorbing it.

While a natural bristle brush is good for applying a coat of primer or an oil-based paint, it isn't the best choice if your paint is latex (water-based) because it will absorb up to 40 percent of its own weight in water, making the brush too soft to paint properly [source: Wooster Brush].

For latex paint, you'll want to use a synthetic brush, made of nylon and polyester. These bristles don't wear out easily or absorb water from the paint. Look for a 4-inch (10-centimeter) straight-bristled brush and a 1.5-inch (4 centimeter) angled brush. The former will be used to cover large areas, while the latter will work well in small spaces, such as corners and near the trim [source: The Family Handyman].

In addition to the right paint brush, you need the right paint roller. Rollers allow you to work faster than with brushes alone. For large areas of shingles, stucco or brick, opt for a 9-inch (23-centimeter) roller with a half-inch nap. For narrow spaces, or for applying to large areas of siding, a 7-inch (18-centimeter) roller will be a better fit [source: The Family Handyman].

Dampen the roller before dipping it into the paint. This will cause it to absorb less, limiting wastage. If you're working with latex paint, wet the roller with water. For oil-based paint, skim the roller through paint thinner and use a 5-in-1 tool to remove the excess [source: McMillan].

To keep rollers from drying out between coats, cover them in plastic wrap or place them in a plastic bag. If you're storing them overnight, put them in the refrigerator. Not only will you save time by not cleaning them, but when it's time to use them, they'll be ready to go. The same technique works well for paintbrushes, too [source: Fontana].

Most high-volume paint pros use sprayers to apply exterior paint. The method is up to 10 times faster than brushing and four times faster than rolling. Plus, paint sprayers can offer a consistent finish, even in tight areas.

Before you zip out and rent a paint sprayer, there are few things to consider. First, make sure you're renting one for exterior use. Sprayers that will be using thick exterior paint will need a large sprayer tip. The sprayers should also be rated for exterior use, which means they'll have more pounds per square inch of pressure and more horsepower.

Second, spraying paint takes practice. Before you aim the sprayer at your home, fill it with water and pretend to paint a spare board, spraying side to side and overlapping each pass. When you're actually applying paint, you'll probably need two coats to finish the job. Paint sprayers tend to use a lot more paint than brushes and rollers, so plan accordingly.

Most sprayers rent for $70 to $100 a day (it can cost upward of $400 to buy one). Some can be quite loud, so have ear protection handy. You'll also want to use a respirator mask and eye protection [source: Flietner].