When you’re gearing up for a project, and you’re in need of some tools to buy, it can seem overwhelming to go into the paint store, or to buy items online, when you’re not sure what you need, what the best products for the job are, or it can just be downright confusing having to navigate the aisles or a website to find all of the 50 products you’re looking for. Well, of course, we’ve got the painters and contractors out there covered with our new professional kits that bundle premium tools together to save you time and money.

 

On our website, you can check out the variety of kits that we have to offer, including Brush Kits, kits for staining fences and decks, and airless sprayer starter kits too! Whatever you need, we’ve got it. And if we don’t, contact us for what you think would be a good kit of items to create to help out our fellow painters and contractors. In this blog post, we’re going to be going over the masking and caulking kits that we’ve created, to show you exactly what you’ll be getting, and why these are the tools that you’re going to need.

 

The Professional Masking Kit

 

The items in the masking kit are as follows:

• M3000 Hand Masker
  • Straight Cut Masking Blade
  • Film Masking Blade
• 2-Edge 5-in-1 Tool
• ToughGaff Tape Holder
• Cobber Tool
• Socket Blockers
• 72” Masking Film
• 9” Masking Paper
• 9x400 Plastic
• 4x 1.5” FrogTape Orange
• 2x 1” FrogTape Green

 

These items are available in the kit together for $198.00, or separately on our website - check each item for individual prices. Starting with the M3000 Hand Masker and blades, this is one of the must have tools for a painter. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, hand maskers apply masking tape to masking film or paper in one continuous application, simplifying the process of masking. This tool will save you time when preparing for painting, plus it’s compact and lightweight, even with tape and paper/plastic attached. The two blades included are a straight-cut blade and a film masking blade. Both of these are very sharp, so be careful! The straight-cut blade is especially designed to do exactly what it’s named for - cutting your paper or film in a straight line as needed, while the film blade is similar to that, and extremely sharp for cutting plastic and film.

 

Every painter has got a 5-in-1 tool, but 2-Edge makes the best one in my opinion. This is a utility blade that is easy to carry and keep in your pockets, plus the bright color means that it’s harder to lose on the jobsite - you’ll easily be able to see it compared to darker colored 5-in-1 tools - I’ve lost 100’s of black 5-in-1’s probably!

 

The Tough Gaff is a tool that you’ll see on my waist in pretty much every video. This is an amazing tool for both professionals and DIYer’s alike. Instead of carrying tape in your mouth, or trying to fit it around your wrist, this allows you to keep tape right at your hip. Quickly remove it and place it back in, simplifying the process of masking and keeping your hands free to work.

 

The Cobber tool is great for pressing down the edges of tape, saving your fingers when doing repetitive masking like on french doors. Use this when masking on delicate surfaces instead of a sharp putty knife or 5-in-1 tool! And when you’ve got outlets to cover, Socket Blockers are going to be your best friend. Peel, stick, paint - right to the outlet, plus they are reusable! This is a quicker solution compared to taping over the outlets, plus it’s easier to remove!

 

When it comes to masking film and paper, I like to only use one size of each to simplify the tools and materials that I’m constantly having to buy. Rather than stocking a variety of sizes, I’ve figured out how to use 72” masking film and 9” paper for all of the scenarios I encounter regularly. When I need to cover super large areas or furniture, I keep a box of 9x400 plastic which covers the rest of my bases on the job.

 

In this kit, we’re also throwing in a few rolls of my favorite masking tapes. FrogTape Orange is a high-adhesive production tape with a three-day clean release time that sticks to a variety of surfaces, and in most scenarios is my go-to tape. FrogTape Green is a multi-surface masking tape that contains FrogTape’s signature PaintBlock technology that contains a polymer on the outside edge of the tape that prevents paint from bleeding underneath the tape. The tape swells when it comes into contact with liquid and gets you crisp straight lines. Just with these two tapes, you’ll be ready to mask!

 

Paint Life Caulking Kit

 

The items in the caulking kit are as follows:

• ETS 2000 Caulking Gun
• 2 Gallon Bucket
• Caulking sponge
• Work gloves
• Big Stretch - Clear
• Tower Tech 2 - White
• Tower Tech 2 - Clear
• Premier 2.5” Brooklyn brush (Duster Brush)
• Pretty Boy Paint Cleaner & Conditioner

 

The caulking kit is available for $71.99 on our website, and this is what’s included! The ETS 2000 Caulking Gun from Dripless is a game changer when it comes to caulking guns - it’s 40% lighter than other models like it, and features an ergonomic hand trigger to reduce hand fatigue, plus a cutter to cut the tip of caulking tubes. The standard gun is a yellow color, but you can also purchase a pink gun on our website - made in the name of breast cancer awareness.

 

The kit also features a two gallon bucket to keep warm water in while you’re sponge caulking, which is also what the caulking sponge is for! Sponge caulking is a good method that I always use around windows and doorjambs - anywhere you want a super smooth bead, usually in areas that are super visible. Also included is a pair of work gloves, which some people might disagree with me on, but I think caulking with gloves on is a really good way to protect your hands and keep them clean!

 

The sealants in this caulking kit include one tube of clear Big Stretch, and a few tubes of Tower Tech 2. These sealants from SashCo and Tower Sealants are the ones I’m reaching for on almost any job. Big Stretch is a water-based elastomeric sealant with powerful adhesion and elasticity. You’ll never experience it cracking - only stretching! Tower Tech is an acrylic urethane elastomeric sealant that bonds to most materials, including concrete, wood, and masonry, and has up to 800% elongation. Once it’s cured, it’s mildew resistant as well.

 

The last two things included are a duster brush for cleaning off surfaces before caulking to ensure the best adhesion possible, and so you’re not trapping any dirt or debris in cracks and joints. The 2.5” Brooklyn from Premier is a perfect choice for this, but in any situation where you need a duster brush, you can always use whatever old brushes you’ve got on hand. And while Pretty Boy is marketed as a paint cleaner and conditioner, you can also pour a little bit of this in the water while you’re sponge caulking to help you get an even smoother bead of caulking. Plus you can use it to clean your tools at the end of the job.

 

Online Courses

 

While in this blog post, I’ve included a little bit of information on these kits and the products included in them, you can check out our social media content for videos demonstrating the best usage of these tools. Or, if you’re looking for more, you can check out our catalog of online courses available for purchase where there are dedicated in-depth videos about these tools.

 

The masking course walks through the best tools for the job, and how to mask a variety of scenarios both interior and exterior, plus a bunch of tips that you might not know, but we’ve got the experience to teach you to keep you from issues or failure while working. The caulking & sealing course will also walk through the best sealants on the market right now, and what to use for what job/scenario, plus the basics of caulking in the situations you’ll encounter most often.

 

By taking these courses and then purchasing the respective kits, you’ll be 100% ready to tackle the jobs of masking and caulking within a matter of days. Or, if you’re looking for more education, check out our other courses. At this time, we also have our Online Cabinet Course and the Exterior Painting Systems & Processes Course, which are more in-depth and cover details regarding the marketing and bidding process for company owners. And coming this summer, soon the Furniture Flipping Course will be available for purchase. Our library of courses will only continue to grow, so check back frequently to see if we’ve got something for you to check out next.