This is a review of the paint pad we have used recently when decorating our brand new Utility room. As the walls were freshly plastered, we decided to just go with a plain white emulsion to keep the room bright and working around the skirting boards, light switches and door frames can be a bit hard with a brush, that's where these pads come in handy.

Purchase
I had seen a tv advert showing the paint pad and was interested to have a go with one as it made it look very easy. We bought the Anza Solutions Edging Pad from B&Q for only £3.98. You can also buy the refill pads for £1.98 but we only needed the first kit for this room.

What is it?
The paint pad is a small square pad (a bit like a scouring sponge pad) - we had the 115ml sized one. The pad sits in a holder with a handle and you dip the pad into a paint tray and then smooth it over the wall to apply the paint. The pad separates from the holder for cleaning or disposal.

In use
Using the paint pad is so easy, it doesn't make the marks a roller or brush can make when it puts the paint on to the wall and the edges make it very easy to go around door frames and light switches. You can get the paint pads in larger sizes so I'd be tempted to try this for doing larger areas next time we paint a room.

My thoughts
It is impossible to over load the paint pad, but you do have to be careful when doing the top of the wall as it can smudge on to the ceiling. The bristles in the brush feel really spongy when you use it on the wall but they are actually tiny nylon threads a little like Velcro. You don't get any hairs loose from it like you can with a paint brush. I find it ideal to work around light switches and totally mess free. We used a roller for the rest of the walls and the ceiling although it is tempting to use the paint pad because it is so quick and easy to use.

After
We just kept the holder and threw away the actual paint pad when we had finished with it, rather than trying to clean it up although you could keep running water through it to clean it. As the refills are so cheap it's easier to buy a new one next time.