![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
PAINTING TECHNIQUEs hand tools |
||||
USING HAND TOOLS The tools include brushes, pad painters, rollers, putty knives, caulking guns, scrapers,etc. My favorite for brushes is the Purdy xldale 2&1/2" angle cut sash brush. It will cut a very clean line and hold enough paint for doing touch ups, window sashes,etc. I dont use the larger 4" brushes for painting walls as I use pad painters (they give a brushed appearance but are faster at applying paint), or rollers. When doing roller work the nap (thickness of "wool") determines the finish and ability to get into crevices. A smaller nap (3/8") will work on smoothwall (giving a fine finish) while wont fill a cinder block wall's holes. A 1&1/4" nap will easily fill cinderblock up but will create waves on smoothwall. On textured interior I like 3/4" nap and put it on as thick as I can. On exterior T111, I use a 1 &1/4" nap with as much paint as it will hold to force it in the deep channels (otherwise you have to brush in the channels). Pad painters work very well on smooth and slightly rough surfaces and can "draw an accurate edge for "cutting in" (pre painting room corners and edges prior to rolling) or doing trim (as long as it's surface is flat). BRUSH WORK Dip the brush 1/2 way to the ferrule (metal band holding brush hairs) and wipe it (both sides) against the can coming out. Apply the paint without too much pressure (causes drips and runs). Once the paint becomes hard to transfer get more! Trying to spread paint when there isn't enough is fruitless work. The right amount is just enough not to run and drip. Keep a wet edge as much as possible. ROLLER WORK Get a 5 Gal. bucket and a roller screen if doing more than a gallon of paint. The screen fits over the lip of the bucket. Fill the "5" with 2 gallons of paint and dip the roller completely immursing it and roll the excess off on the screen. Now apply to wall. When there is too much paint (the beginning roll) the roller slides untill enough comes off starting friction to roll. Soon after rolling it runs out of paint (too thin), then you go back to the slide area and spread it to the thin area. A good coat is as thick as you can get it without it running (actually just slightly less is best). Putting it on thin but covering wont be good as the paint will dry and you will see through the thin coat (no coverage) having to do it over. Often 2 coats are necessary but to hear people tell me they put 2 coats on and it needs more is unfortunate (most deep colors and reds need more). Start by cutting in the room then roll the center. Tape off mouldings and jambs that are not to be painted or are a different color or sheen. Learning to use an extention pole is good! They make short 2-4', up to 6-12' poles (for vaulted ceiling and exteriors). A roller pan works fine also but is not as quick. I like the PaintStick (a sort of power roller @$25) to speed things up. You dip the suction tube in the paint can and draw out the long "piston" and then remove the suction tube where the paint is now forced (as you push in the piston) out the perferated roller head. So you are always rolling at the sweet spot (just enough paint on the roller). The tube holds about a qt. of paint enough to do 8' section of wall, or all of your roof fascia trim board. Its a small investment that I feel works great. They are more time consuming to clean however and you have to use their perforated roller heads.. EXTERIORS Using the 5 and a screen to do 2nd storey work you get a wire hanger to attach the bucket to the ladder rail, that way you work the area without coming down for more paint. SCRAPING To use a scraper bear down on the knob above the blade and pull towards you with steady pressure. If the blade is sharp it should "plane" the damaged area down to the wood and smooth everything out. Pushing too hard at a tilted angle will carve a line from the sharp end points. Hard brittle petrified oil base is hard to scrape off and using the heat gun will soften it helps.. Remove the blade and file it sharp often. SANDING I use a large angle power sander with a 7" disc to sand down wide ship-lap siding after spackling (100g). I use an orbital sander to sand smooth trim and doors with 120g. I use 100g to 180G full sheets cut in 1/2 then folded in 1/3s to scuff surfaces by hand. Any glossy area needs sanding for the paint to stick. Patches with spackle or joint compound need sanding, you can't sand caulking (cut it with a razor blade). The lower the grit# the rougher the scratches. Scracthes will be most noticable on shiny smooth surfaces (like your front door) so the grit should be 180 by hand. An orbital scratch is less noticable than straight hand scratches so a lower grit can be used. CAULKING Cut the tip according to your work. I like to cut an angle with about 1/16"-1/8" hole showing, to do mouldings etc. You angle the gun in the direction you are moving and the angle in the tip turned to be almost flat against the surface. Move at a rate that applies a small bead that when wiped with your finger or a wet sponge will fill the gap but not give any excess. If a line forms on the wall, re-wipe into the gap so as not to leave a noticable line. This has to be done immediately as if you come back later it will be dry. Use paper towels to remove the excess from your finger as you go and a bucket of water to wash in. After perfecting the technique you will have very little excess. If not enough to fill the gap has been applied repeat the process till the gap is filled. Some gaps require letting the first bead dry to form a smaller gap then repeat. A larger tip cut (1/8") will fill larger gaps easier but is difficult to controll for most fine work. I like the guns that have an upper and lower metal rail holding the end togerher, they are stronger and last longer and having a rod that folds out to poke through the end of the tube after cutting the tip is a big plus (otherwise a long nail or coat hanger). HEAT GUN To strip paint I use a heat gun and 2" putty knife to scrape the paint away. I move slowly so as to bubble up the paint coating(s) and with the putty knife from behind the area just passed over scrape the heated coatings off. It's easy to catch things on fire so caulking cracks to keep the inner wall space from igniting is important, and keep the garden hose handy. TOOLBOX There are many tools necessary for taking down blinds, cover plates, towel racks, etc. I like a cordless drill with a phillips bit, and straight bit. Sheet rock knives, 2",4",6",8",10or 12" , razor knife, hammer and nail collection, broom, sponge mop, buckets (5 gal.), sponges, rags, vacuum cleaner, Orange cleaner, caulking gun (skeleton style), orbital sander, extention cords, fan, drop clothes, pry bar, staple gun,leaf blower, step ladders 5 or 6', 8' and materials (including assortment of roller heads, brushes, caulking tubes, TSP,spackle, roller frames,etc>). |