The Essential Tools for Painting Exterior Walls Like a Pro

When getting ready to take on an exterior transformation, along with the right paint, using the right tools is the key to having a flawless finish. We’ve put together a tool guide with essential, trade quality items perfect for exterior painting and decorating so that you can work smarter, not harder.

Why the right tools matter

High-performance paint deserves high-performance tools. Here’s why:

• • Application speed – Quality tools load more paint, saving you time and effort
  • Finish quality – The quality of brushes and rollers show in the final finish you are able to achieve
  • Longevity – Well made tools last job after job, saving you money
  • Product efficiency – The right tools ensure paint is used correctly and in the right quantity, so less goes to waste

Prepping surfaces

Wire Brush

Preparing the surface you are painting is the first step to a beautiful home transformation. If your masonry surface has peeling paint or debris, to ensure a high-quality finish you need to scrape off as much as possible.

Using a wire brush, with steel bristles that get easily between nooks and crannies, and hot water is the best way to clean your wall efficiently.

Filling

Along with peeling paint, your wall might have cracks or holes in need of repair. Once your surface is properly cleaned, we recommend using Toupret Masonry Filler to fill these areas, which offers easy application and excellent durability.

The best thing about this filler is that you can fill any hole with no limit of depth, simply mix it and fill. To apply filler, use a filling knife which is designed to infill cracks and holes easily thanks to its flexible knife.

Dust Sheet

Painting outside doesn’t mean you should skip protecting your surfaces. Using a dust sheet helps avoid splashes on paths, patios, window sills and garden furniture so you don’t create more jobs for when you have finished.

We recommend using polythene backing as it prevents liquid soaking through and keeps whatever is underneath safe.

Masking Tape

Using masking tape when painting is the best way to ensure a crisp and professional finish on your exterior walls. It ensures that the bits you don’t want painted, stay clean and the edges you paint are neat and tidy. Tape’s adhesion can be affected by UV so make sure you’re getting one with lasting resistance, like the Masq Ultimate Painters Tape which has 120 day UV ray protection.

Paint Accessories

Paint Paddle

Before use, properly mixing your paint is essential. It ensures that the ingredients and colourant are evenly distributed throughout. Mixing by hand isn’t ideal, which is why using a paint paddle is a perfect solution. We recommend using the Axus Decor Quick Mix 25L Paint Mixer which can be attached to your drill to quickly and effectively mix your paint in seconds.

Scuttle

When it comes to interior decorating you will likely be familiar with a paint tray, but when it comes to exterior decorating a paint scuttle is much more effective.

A scuttle holds more paint (up to 15L) and has a ribbed interior that allows you to load your rollers quickly without causing a mess.

Scuttle Liner

Lining your scuttle means the bag can be tied and paint kept fresh, preventing some of the clean up after your first coat. Once you’re done, paint can be removed by simply lifting out the bag, saving you spending time cleaning the scuttle.

Paint Kettle

If you have some smaller bits of painting, using a paint 2L kettle could be a good idea. This enables you to hold smaller amounts of paint making it more manageable, particularly at heights.

Rollers

Exterior walls aren’t as easy to paint as interior walls, so your rollers need to be up to the task. Here’s a breakdown of some of the common types of rollers and when to use them.

Long-pile roller

If you’re planning on painting a smooth masonry surface like brick, concrete or smooth render, a long-pile roller like the 9” Heavy Duty Acrylic Roller is ideal. The long fibres allow it to hold more paint and disperse this paint evenly over larger areas compared to a typical roller that you would use on interior walls, which are generally medium-pile.

Extra Long-pile roller

If you’re painting a heavily textured, rough surface like roughcast or pebbledash, it’s essential to use the right roller. You need a roller with the longest possible fibres to apply the paint evenly throughout the nooks and crannies of the wall. In this scenario, use an extra long-pile roller like the 9” Rough Masonry Roller. If you don’t use an extra long-pile roller, you may not be able to apply the paint into all of the gaps, resulting in you having to apply more coats. Alternatively, it can lead you to over apply the paint, which can cause problems with cracking.

Textured rollers

A textured roller is a roller that is designed to create a specific texture. These rollers when used with a product like our Emperor Textured Basecoat can help create textured surfaces, from light to rough.

• 7” Light Textured Roller – this is a smooth roller that is designed to create a light, sanded finish
• 7” Medium Textured Roller – this roller gives the effect of honeycomb for a slightly more textured finish
• 7” Rough Textured Roller – this roller is a coarse roller with larger indentations than the previous,  perfect for giving a wall the look of roughcast render
• Rough+ Textured Roller – This is a slightly larger roller that is designed with a premium woven structure, which builds a rough textured finish, perfect for applying the basecoat quickly and effectively to larger areas

Brushes

4″ Masonry Brush

Built for masonry work, a 4″ masonry brush has thick bristles that are designed to hold more paint and make application on textured surfaces like brick, render or stone easier and more efficient. Particularly on roughcast and pebbledash, this is a much more effective option than a standard paint brush.

2″ Brush

A 2″ brush is ideal for cutting in around the edges of walls on smooth surfaces or on smaller projects that need extra precision.

Bundles

We know that it can seem daunting when starting a project, especially deciding what you need. That’s why we’ve carefully put together a range of bundles designed to take the guesswork out and give you everything required to get started with confidence

Final Thoughts

They say “don’t blame your tools” but when it comes to exterior decorating, the right tools really do make all the difference. The best exterior transformations don’t come from just using the best paint, they come from using the best tools to apply it properly.

Explore our full range of tools and accessories designed for painting exterior walls to help you get results you can be proud of for years to come.