How Much to Spend

Good-quality equipment should last a lifetime if you look after it - but sometimes life seems too short to spend time cleaning it. Here are some tips on when you need to go for the best, and when cheap and cheerful will do the job.

Dust Sheets

Professional dust sheets are heavy and absorbent. Disposable polythene dust sheets are cheap, but because they're not absorbent, paint splashes remain on the surface and inevitably get trodden on and spread further. Newspaper or old sheets and bed covers placed on top of the polythene will absorb most of the splashes, while the polythene protects the flooring.

Paintbrushes

Paintbrushes range in quality and price, from professional animal-hair brushes, through mid-price natural and synthetic brushes, to cheap, disposable brushes. The mid-range brushes are adequate for most DIY tasks: they're durable enough to survive a fairly extensive painting project, but not too expensive to throw away if you forget to clean them, or the bristles become distorted. Disposable brushes are fine for one-off jobs, such as daubing on paint stripper, and for small painting tasks, but they won't stand up to prolonged use. The cheaper the brush, the more it will shed bristles.

Paint Rollers

Paint rollers and trays are often offered as sets at temptingly low prices. If you're only painting one room, they're good value for money. If, however, you're redecorating the whole house, it's worth buying a more expensive roller, which will have a more durable sleeve and a roller mechanism that operates more smoothly.

Scrapers and Other Tools

With hard-working tools such as scrapers and shavehooks, buy the best you can afford.