Decorating & Plastering Tools

Find everything you need for your project with our wide range of decorating and plastering tools. We stock high-quality tools and accessories including paintbrushes, wall scrapers and roller sleeves to help you to get the job done.

We carefully select our products from well-known brands, like Harris®, Eco Ezee®, HG Rant®, Starchem®, and our own brands, Cotswold® and Kennedy-Pro®.

What are decorating and plastering tools?

Decorating and plastering tools are designed for the preparation and application of finishes like paint, tiles and plaster. They assist in the mixing, measuring, shaping and carrying of these finishes, and allow the decorator to achieve a professional finish.

Decorating and plastering tool types

There's a wide assortment of tools used to make painting and decorating easier and to help provide a professional finish. Below are some of the most common tools found in a decorator's toolkit.

• Buckets   -   Used to mix fillers and carry plaster, a bucket is a staple for any plasterer

• Decorators' accessories   -   These include seam rollers, wood scrapers and wallpaper smoothers to name but a few to ensure the best finish

• Dust sheets   -   Available as material or plastic sheeting, dustsheets are used to protect furniture and floors against splashes of paint, plaster, wallpaper paste, and, of course, dust

• Paint brushes   -   Available in a range of shapes and bristles to suit different types of painting applications, paintbrushes are a must-have for cutting in and painting into corners and stair spindles

• Painting sets   -   Ideal for at DIYer starting a new project, painting sets are supplied in a range of combinations, and include different sized brushes, roller frames and sleeves as well as a paint tray to get you off on the right foot

• Paint mixing equipment   -   These include paint strainers to remove dry lumps of paint and mixing cups to accurately measure paint colours before mixing

• Paint roller frames   -   Often available in a set, paint roller frames offer a range of sizes to suit different applications, including walls, floors and furniture

• Paint roller sleeves   -   After heavy use, paint roller sleeves often need to be replaced to prevent old fibres mixing with the paint. Available as foam pile for gloss paints and medium polyester pile for emulsion, roller sleeves are a quick solution to painting large surface areas

• Paint trays and kettles   -   Made from plastic for easy cleaning and reuse, paint trays and kettles are available in a wide range of sizes. Spare trays are ideal when swapping between paint colours, while kettles are a handy solution to carrying paint up ladders for easy access

• Paste tables   -   A must-have for wallpapering, paste tables are the go-to for evenly coating wallpaper in paste without ripping. Fold away for easy storage, they're an essential for professional decorators

• Scrapers and knives   -   These tools are used widely to prep surfaces, removing old wallpaper and debris from walls

• Tiling and glazing tools   -   These include tile cutters and nippers, contour gauges and adhesive spreaders. All these essentials for cutting and fitting tiles and windowpanes

• Trowels   -   Decorators' trowels are a fundamental tool when mixing and handling plasters and fillers to provide a smooth application and good finish

Considerations when choosing decorating and plastering tools

• Application - choosing the right tool for the job is of paramount importance.

• Material - when it comes to tools like paintbrushes and rollers, the bristles or pile are designed for specific types of paint. Choosing the compatible tool will provide the best finish.

FAQs

Which plastering tool is best?

There is no 'one tool beats all' when it comes to plastering. It's a process that requires a number of tools to do the best job. These include:

• A mixing bucket in which to prepare the plaster
• A mortar board/stand to complete the final mix and application of the plaster
• A bucket trowel for mixing and transferring the plaster onto the stand for use
• A number of different trowels, including corner and finishing trowels

How do painters get straight lines?

With lots of practice and a very still hand, professional painters can achieve an excellent finish. Their process is to use a straight brush and to not overload it with paint. They apply a light, thin line of paint first, and then go over it again to make it thicker. You'll often see a professional with a rag tucked into their waistband to clean up any mistakes as they go.

If you have a shaky hand, or just don't seem to be able to keep those lines straight, we recommend using a good quality painter's tape to achieve the best finish.