The Hidden 20% of Every Painting Project#
A common mistake for Kenyan homeowners embarking on a home repaint or new build is calculating only the cost of the 20-litre tins of emulsion.
They arrive at the hardware store, buy three buckets of paint, and head home, only to discover their fundi cannot begin because there is no masking tape, no sandpaper, no filler to patch nail holes, and nothing to protect the newly installed ceramic floor tiles.
In professional painting practice, sundries, prep tools, and protective coverings typically represent 15% to 25% of the total materials budget. Spending appropriately on these items is what separates a clean, sharp finish from a messy job covered in splatters.
The Complete Essential Sundries Checklist#
Before opening the first tin of paint, ensure you have these items on site:
1. Protective Coverings. Heavy-gauge clear polythene drop sheets (at least 50 to 100 microns thick) to cover furniture, beds, and floors. Avoid lightweight plastic sheets that tear when walked upon, and avoid newspapers that allow paint seepage onto tiles.
2. Masking Tape. At least four to six rolls of 1-inch and 2-inch painter paper masking tape for skirting boards, electrical sockets, door frames, and window aluminium tracks. Remove tape within 24 hours of painting to prevent adhesive baking.
3. Crack Fillers and Skimming Paste. Exterior acrylic filler for outside cracks, and fine interior skimming plaster or ready-mixed gypsum filler for interior pinholes, screw indentations, and hairline shrinkage cracks.
4. Graded Sandpaper. Buy three distinct grits: 80-grit for aggressive scraping and shaping rough filler; 120-grit for general feathering; and 180-grit or 220-grit for fine sanding before final topcoats.
5. Application Tools. A 9-inch medium-pile microfiber roller for walls, a short-pile roller for doors, a 2-inch angled sash brush for clean cutting-in along ceilings and cornices, and sturdy plastic roller trays.
6. Extension Poles and Scraping Knives. A 2-metre or 3-metre telescoping aluminium roller pole, and two stiff steel putty scraping knives (50mm and 100mm width).
Why Cheap Brushes and Rollers Ruin Good Paint#
Homeowners sometimes spend 18,000 shillings on premium silicone paint, only to buy 150-shilling low-quality brushes from a roadside kiosk.
Cheap paintbrushes shed stiff animal bristles into the wet paint film, leaving unsightly embedded hairs. Cheap foam rollers disintegrate when used with solvent paints or leave irregular hollows and lint across smooth walls.
Investing in woven polyamid or microfiber rollers and synthetic filament brushes ensures clean release, uniform stipple texture, and clean crisp lines without bristle loss.