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With the plethora of products offered out there it is becoming more + more difficult to avoid the dreaded overwhelm that glazes over your otherwise lovely eyes while simultaneously hurting your head. This happens quickly when perusing hardware stores. The pressure, the questions - the lack of certainty can halt even the most experienced in their tracks. Through (many, many) trials + tribulations, projects, repairs + spontaneous home projects the products noted below have become tried & true favorites around here. It is our sincere hope that it helps you avoid the deer-in-the-headlights-omgosh-what-do-i-get syndrome.

Books:

• The Home Owner's Journal, Fifth Edition - this is a fantastic way to keep track of your home measurements, paint finishes, materials used - the works. It has become the bible for our home.
• Black & Decker The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair: with 350 Projects and 2000 Photos - always in our home, one of the first places i look for guidance.
• New Fix-It-Yourself Manual: How to Repair, Clean, and Maintain Anything and Everything In and Around Your Home - another invaluable guide we turn to often

Primer:

• We have grown to really love Kilz Clean Start. Extremely Low odor + Low VOC + fast drying time makes it a perfect match in our home.

Paints:

• For trim, cabinets and other highly used places - we won't use anything but Benjamin Moore's Advanced Paint - satin finish. Despite how frugal we are, this stuff is amazing and worth every. single. dime. Low odor, Low VOC, Self-Levelling and tough as nails.
• For walls, I am not necessarily brand loyal. It depends on the wall and frequency of use. However, there are some brands I have tried and were lousy - many of the cheapest brands require 3x the amount of paint and really aren't worth the savings.
  

Deglossers:

• My favorite is Next Deglosser - the low-odor, low voc formula makes me very happy and it works well to boot.
• My second choice is Krud Kutter's Gloss off.

Sanding Supplies:

• Black & Decker Mouse Detail Sander  -After borrowing it from our neighbor we promptly bought our own- easy to hold, gets in odd crevices and we can't live without it.
• 3M Small Area Sanding Sponge - Great for wet sanding in between coats of paint. Plus it's washable & reusable - more bang for the buck!

 Painting Supplies:

• Purdy Brushes - My Uncle was a painter and swore by them, I do too. The quality of your finish is often dictated by the quality of your brushes.
• Purdy Brush Comb - help keep your brushes at their best.
• Shur-Line 4-Inch Foam Mini Roller with 12-Inch Handle - we have several here. Great for a flat finish. 
• Shur-Line Case Foam Mini Roller Refills, Contractor Pack of 10 - i use them so often, we keep refills around at all times.
• Paint Mixer - Doesn't really matter what brand you get here, it comes in handy when paint needs a thorough mixing.

Tools:

• Dremel Variable-Speed Rotary Tool Kit - is there anything this can't do? I use it around the house, in my art and recommend it to all my lady friends who are scared of tools. It's a great starter set.
• Kreg Jr. Pocket Hole Jig System - no more unsightly holes when building.