Here are some of Manfredini's favorite must-have paint products for a flawless finish and a handful of appealing painter accessories that you can skip altogether. Keep in mind that you may not need some of these products if your walls are in good shape and don't need a lot of repairs. (Just make sure you purchase some highly-rated paint first because a quality tool won't work miracles on low-quality paint).
Paint Key
You don't need a special tool to open your paint cans; a standard flat-head screwdriver works just fine.
Plastic Tube for Paint Roller
If you're done painting for the day but want to pick it back up tomorrow, cover the roller in plastic wrap, then throw it into a plastic bag with an air-tight seal.
Paint Tray Liners
These aren't necessary if you get a quality hard plastic paint tray. Plus, it's less wasteful if you don't throw away a plastic liner each time you paint.
Paint Pads
Skip these, unless you're using them to paint behind hard-to-reach areas like a toilet tank or radiator.
Fillable Paint Products
"Any gadget that sucks paint up into its handle is a nightmare to use and to clean. In the time it takes to refill it, you could already be painting," says Manfredini. The exception here is the touch-up tool that Manfredini recommended specifically.
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About
Michael Turner is a seasoned Unix and Linux Systems Engineer with over 20 years of hands-on industry experience. He began his career in the early 2000s and has worked with global organizations such as Dell, IBM, Cisco, and Netflix. In addition to his corporate work, he has served as a freelance consultant, helping both startups and Fortune 500 companies build secure and scalable Linux-based infrastructures.
Michael has deep expertise with enterprise Linux distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and Ubuntu. He also enjoys experimenting with community-driven distributions like Arch Linux, Fedora, and Linux Mint in his personal time. His Unix background includes working with platforms like AIX, Solaris, and HP-UX in mission-critical environments.
Michael is passionate about simplifying complex technical concepts and empowering learners with real-world skills. His teaching focuses on practical knowledge that prepares students for modern IT roles. He is the author of well-received training resources including "Linux Essentials for Everyone" and "Mastering the Shell: Command Line Techniques for Modern Sysadmins."
Michael Turner has been part of the Softoup instructor community since February 2, 2021, where he continues to share his knowledge and mentor aspiring Linux professionals worldwide.