Decorating Tools

Decorating tools prepare surfaces and help apply finishes. This category covers scrapers, filling and stripping knives, hand and drill-mounted wire brushes, sealant guns, wallpaper stripping tools and solution, hot air tools and paint mixers.

Knives, scrapers and wire brushes

• Stripping knives: a rigid blade for lifting old paint, paper and hardened residue.
• Filling knives: the same shape with a flexible blade, for pressing filler into a repair and smoothing it off.
• Hand wire brushes: made with two to four rows of wire, some with a scraper on the end.
• Drill-mounted wire brushes: cup and flat wheel types. Each brush has a maximum safe speed marked on it; never run it faster than that. Wires break off in use and fly out with force, so wear safety goggles, or a face shield over safety glasses.

Sealant guns

Skeleton guns take standard cartridges of around 300ml to 400ml. Barrel guns can take foil packs, often called sausages, in sizes up to 600ml, and some also take cartridges. Heavy duty guns have a higher thrust ratio, which makes thick adhesives and sealants easier to squeeze out.

Wallpaper and old paint

Score the paper with a perforating tool, apply stripper solution as the label directs, then lift the paper with a scraper. On vinyl papers, peel off the top layer first. Paint on wood or metal from before the 1960s may contain lead. Do not dry sand it or burn it off with a blowlamp; rub it down wet or use a chemical stripper. A hot air gun can soften the paint for scraping, but it must not burn it. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and safety data for power tools and chemicals.

To apply paint, see rollers and trays and paint brushes.