Toolbox: Painting Mitts

If you need to paint an item that's difficult to cover, such as a chair, skip the brushes and try a better tool such as a sponge or painter's mitt.

A painter's mitt features a plastic liner so your hand doesn't get covered in paint. Just use a sponge to apply paint directly onto the mitt. Wrap the mitt around the item you're painting, such as a spindle on a chair, and just massage the paint onto the surface. Finish with the sponge and get into any recesses you might have missed and clean up any drips.

A sponge brush with its sharp, tapered tip is especially good for getting into tight crevices and recesses. A sponge doesn't leave brush marks or air bubbles and gives full, even coverage.