Medium to fine sandpaper – get good quality to avoid it shedding grit.
Screwdriver so you can remove handles, doors and so on – you may need both cross-head and flat options.
Pen or pencil to number drawers and doors – it really is worth numbering things even if you think they’re identical, as both drawers and doors fit back best in the place or slot they came from.
Small pot to keep together any screws, handles and such.
Tomato ketchup to clean grubby metal handles – yes, really! Coat the tarnished items in ketchup, leave for a few hours then clean off to reveal the shine!
Finishing Coat for porous surfaces or to block bleed through.
Possible extras
Filler suitable for the surface and environment – such as wood, interior or exterior.
A tool to apply your filler
Scraper
Masking tape – go for low tack and remove it before the paint dries!
Painting supplies
Dust sheets – or some kind of protection for the floor and surroundings. As tempting as it is not to bother, these are highly recommended!
Old clothes – people who regularly paint furniture have a lot of clothes with paint spots on them!
Something to open your tin – the perfect bit of kit is a custom tin-opener. However, you can use other implements, but be careful not to damage the tin rim and lid.
Something to stir you paint – it should be long enough to reach the bottom of the tin and wide enough to stir thoroughly. Use a specially made paint paddle if you want to avoid ruining the only ruler in the house!
Small rollers – some like sponge, some prefer fleece types. Either way, they’re great for larger surfaces.
Small paint tray – to use with rollers or in place of your paint container (see below).
Container for paint – something fairly shallow but rigid, like a plastic takeaway container. It is a good idea to tip out or decant paint to use as you go rather than painting directly from the tin. This is because:
Debris on your brush can contaminate the tin
It removes the temptation to use the tin rim to wipe off excess paint from the brush, which can dry and make the tin hard to reseal properly
You can reseal the tin while you paint, which reduces evaporation