Here are tools that are mandi­tory for a painter, like brushes and rollers. But there are power tools that painters should always have on hand as well. These tools when available with a painter on-job site enables them to deliver quality work.

Belt Power

When it comes to preparation, a 4″X24″ power belt sander goes a long way to making a surface smooth with­out building huge arm muscles in the process. An electric sander, with or without a cord, makes an exterior job doable in days instead of weeks. Try scraping and sand­ing 1,000 square feet of clapboard, especially high up on a ladder, without an electric sander and you will learn to appreciate one.

Good vibration

A smaller 4″X8″ vibrat­ing finishing sander or even smaller 4″X4″ palm sander is ideal for finishing work and saves you from ach­ing muscles at the end of the day. A sander with remov­able attachments for edg­ing and sanding rounded objects is ideal for those stripping jobs that are detail- intensive, like paneled doors and spin­dles. A multi-sander tool like the Black and Decker Project Mate decorating tool is handy. Using the electric mate with the scraper blade attachment saves a lot of sweat.

Numero uno painter power tool

If there is only one must-have tool to have, a cordless drill is it when it comes to removing the host of switch plates and plug covers before the prepa­ration begins. It is far more convenient to use a cordless drill to take everything off walls and doors, which can be done in minutes (as opposed to struggling with screwdrivers by hand). For the light-duty preparation, a simple light-weight Makita 7.2V 3/8″ variable speed (model 6019DWE) is ideal. Add a grinding head or a wire brush attachment on a cordless with a little more power and you will be able to tackle heavy amounts of flaking paint or debris from your project. Change the multi-driver bit holder for a mixing want and the drill stirs paint that has been in a can too long or if paint with a lot of tint in it, which tends to separate before use. The mixing want makes preparing plaster a lot faster and neater than trying to mix it with a paint stick as well.

Not for hair

Not to be forgotten in the box of electric tools is the ubiquitous hair­dryer. It is far safer than a paint strip­per heat gun to dry paint samples or plaster patches. A hairdryer doesn’t blow as hot, and it takes longer to dry things, but it will not scorch the sample or blister the plaster.

Hot Gun

But the electric paint stripping gun is invaluable for removing paint from surfaces, especially if you are not a fan of chemical strippers. The heat gun will burn paint if you are not careful, but used right with a scraper, once-hard­ened paint becomes pliable enough to peel off with a bit of elbow grease.

The money-maker

And let’s not omit the small hand-held Wagner paint sprayer (model 220, for one). They may be noisy and vibrate a lot while spraying the one liter of paint in the cup, but for small jobs, these are ideal. There are situations where setting up a large airless spray machine just isn’t practical, like spraying one shutter or a handful of spindles. Taking advantage of the growing number of power tools on the market makes good business sense for today’s painter. After all, time is money, and if you can save time by using a power tool, then make good use of them. Just don’t forget to keep them safe and out of sight when not in use.