Buy painter’s tape, a 9-inch roller cover with about a 1/2-inch nap, and a canvas drop cloth before you open the can. Wait on specialty sprays, sprayers, and a nap long enough for stucco unless the wall is actually that rough.
Walls you are about to patch may have started as a hanging job: studs and anchors. The rest of the category is at home improvement.
Paint-day supplies
| Supply | Buy | Skip | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tape | Multi-surface painter’s tape, ~1.88 in | Tan masking tape on fresh paint | View Tape (affiliate) |
| Roller cover | 9-inch, ~1/2-inch nap for most rooms | A 1-1/4-inch nap on a smooth wall | View Roller cover (affiliate) |
| Floor cover | Canvas drop cloth you can reuse | A slick plastic sheet as the only cover | View Floor cover (affiliate) |
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The supplies that show up in the finish
Paint quality matters. So does the edge. Tape that is burnished down, left to set, and pulled on time beats a steady hand on glass and stained trim. A cheap cover sheds fiber into the wall; the nap length decides whether the paint looks like a wall or a popcorn ceiling.
Drop cloths are the unglamorous line item. Canvas costs more than a plastic roll and gets used on the next room. Plastic belongs over furniture you cannot move, not under your shoes.
Tape, cover, cloth
The cover needs a 9-inch frame. That buy is in the roller frame guide. The line where the wall meets the trim is a sash brush, not a roller. Ceilings are a pole problem before they are a taller ladder.
After the walls dry
Sanding dust from the prep belongs in a shop vac. A household vacuum filter is a poor place for drywall fines.