Painting Techniques and Tools
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Painting Tools and Techniques... Beneficial Lessons
This is a 4 piece series on painting tools and techniques. Here in part 1 I will examine masking and protective gear. Later in part 2 I’ll examine ladders and scaffolding and in part three I’ll talk about brushes and rollers. Finally, in part 4 we’ll look at sprayers, caulk guns, wire brushes, braces and knee pads, and swivel hooks.
The painting industry has made tremendous strides within the last 10 years. Today there's an instrument for nearly every situation. Even I'm impressed by the ground breaking devices arriving on the market, for example, dripless caulk guns, that have solved a messy problem.
Before you start your project, take a minute to check your equipment. You will most probably need to stock up on a few items. Make a complete list of the things you need. Keep an eye out for tools that save time and labor. The more costly equipment, such as sprayers and scaffolding, can be rented.
About Protective Gear
Some people don't think it's necessary to wear safety gear when they're painting. I assume they think it's wimpy. But I've worked around enough toxins to comprehend how dangerous they can be. Dust, painting mist, and vapors have an effect on the lungs very quickly, and skin pores are an open target for solvents and dust borne contaminants. Avoid being foolish... protect yourself.
Respirators Tutorial
A particle mask is better than almost nothing, but it generally does not form a good seal and it won't filter all the dust. If you do use a particle mask, get one with dual rubber bands. A damp handkerchief tied around your face gives better protection than particle masks that use light-weight rubber bands.
Double cartridge respirators will be the safest solution. They'll provide you with the protection you'll need for many vapors, mist, and dust. Respirators come in three sizes. Ensure that yours fits. If it doesn't fit well, it will not work very well. Checking the fit of a respirator is similar to examining the seal of a diving mask. Breathe in then keep your hand over the side valves. The mask will work if it presses against the face and remains there while you hold your breath. Good respirators cost from $25 on up and usually include replacement filters. Double cartridge respirators have color coded filters for different impurities; be sure you are using the right filtration for the work at hand. Be sure to read the instructions, and note that you should change the cartridges if breathing becomes hard or if you start detecting vapors.
Why You Need Protective Clothing
Respirators do a good job of protecting your lungs, but you need to safeguard the rest of the body as well. Having been authorized in lead abatement, I understand that your body can only just eliminate an extremely small ratio of lead, even more than a 30 year course of time. Many painters make the mistake of thinking that a little contact with particles or VOCs won't damage them, but it all adds up as time passes. I always dress for safety, keeping at least one good Tyvek painting suit on the job. Tyvek breathes well, weighs little, and offers good protection. The excess layer is a little warm, but I would prefer to wear a paint suit than be covered with dust or overspray (on a hot day make sure to drink lots of water to avoid dehydration). In the event that you choose never to invest in a painting suit, wear clothes that you won't mind turning into something resembling a painting palette.
I almost always wear leather gloves, even when I'm brushing. They keep my hands clean and my grip dry. I take two pairs of gloves if I'm painting more than one color, to ensure I don't contaminate the colors. Commercial strength rubber gloves are another must. I wear rubber gloves to stain, to clean out brushes, sprayers, and rollers; to open, mix, and strain paints; and handle toxic substances such as paint thinners.
Rounding out my paint anywhere clothing collection are safety glasses or goggles to keep chips, dust, and spray mist out of my eyes, and, if I'm spraying, a hood. In the event that you spray with out a hood, anticipate to spend lots of time cleaning paint out of your hair.
Succeed With Masking
Usually the area you're painting will have a finished floor or carpet and the proverbial ounce of prevention can save the day. Even if you are only painting one inside window, masking the floor is a good idea. Having an open can of paint makes me stressed if there isn't any drop cloth on the floor. I've learned the hard way. Masking becomes even more vital if you are staining, because stain spatters all over. A few simple items can help you save a lot of touching up, cleaning up, and attempting to get paint from the carpet before your spouse sees it. Before I finally gave up and admitted that my approach wasn't perfectly right and dripless, I spent more time touching up than I could have. Touching up is a fact of painting life, but nowadays I do much less of it because I take the time to mask.
First, you require a drop cloth. Heavy fabric is often best, but drop cloths don't have to be expensive, professional painter's cloths. You will often find quite large drapes at thrift stores, for the price of one thin clear plastic drop cloth. Look for drapes with vinyl backing, for added waterproofing. I cut out the top stitching for an additional 3 inches of cloth.
The trouble with plastic drop cloths is that they weigh next to nothing and billow everywhere. Plastic works best when you can find 3 foot wide paper (like the kind used for flooring insulation) to lie together with the plastic material. If I'm painting a big new home and I need to mask the complete floor, the plastic material/paper masking system is inexpensive and works well.
An excellent masking system is crucial whether you're brushing, rolling, or spraying the paint. All you need is masking tape, newspaper for the outer edge of the floor and baseboard, and a slim layer of clear plastic for the home windows and furniture. 3M makes a good masking system that includes special painter's tape and dispensers with pre-taped plastic material. If you've ever before spent hours scraping tape adhesive off glass windows, you can appreciate superior masking tapes. Commercial masking dispensers can be found at professional painting retailers and sometimes at rental shops. If a commercial dispenser is difficult to find, simply buy a roll of heavy paper and use your wrist to hold the masking tape roll.
Some tapes need more stickiness for fixing plastic to rougher textures like walls. Other tapes need to come off without leaving adhesive on home windows and smooth surfaces. Always wait at least four hours time before removing tape to avoid tearing the paint. But don't leave tape on for longer than 24 hours or it will be hard to remove.
Tools For Masking Floors
In addition to masking off the key areas to be painted, it's also good prevention to mask main traffic areas and wherever you plan to store and mix the paint. Distribute all the necessary drop cloths, then clean the areas you'll be taping with a vacuum, foxtail broom, or clean rag, to ensure a tight seal. When you mask, concentrate on getting a clean edge with the tape, and make sure the tape is securely attached.
Tape and paper dispensers are ideal for masking off the outer edge of an area. They ensure a clean edge along the floor and minimize clean-up. I use shorter lengths of masking (1 ft. to 2 ft.) for corners and closets. On long, straight runs I favor going corner to corner with one long piece of tape, which reduces the amount of seams that should be taped. After the perimeter is set up, I use drop cloths for the remainder of the floor. For better protection, I usually substantially overlap the masked perimeter with the drop cloth. On edges I also double the cloth over to the inside, for extra security and stability.
Obtaining a tight seal with a drop cloth is critical when you're spraying a room, but safeguarding carpet or flooring with a sealed drop cloth is a good plan even if you're just brushing or rolling. A drop cloth will move if it isn't taped in place, and you'll finish up on your knees cleaning paint off the floor.
Masking Walls And Fixtures Lessons
No matter how you plan to use the paint, you'll need to mask permanent fixtures like the ceiling lights, fans, and door knobs. Even if you have excellent hand control, cutting in (edging) the fittings that aren't masked is frustrating, specifically for multiple coats of paint. To mask fixtures, pull off enough newspaper and tape to wrap the fixture, being careful to keep the tape just on the base of the fixture (newspaper also makes a good masking material for accessories). If possible, loosen the fixture covers and wall mounts to paint under them; this ensures a seamless border.
The quantity of masking that you must do is dependent upon the type of house painting you'll be doing. The only real time the wall surfaces need to be masked is when you intend to spray the ceiling and you will need to keep the surfaces dry, for instance, if the ceiling is getting another color or finish. If the trim is clear coated or you want to paint only the wall space and ceiling, it makes sense to mask all around the trim, especially the windowsills.
Learn How To Mask Windows
The one time I mask windows is once I plan to spray. Taping home windows isn't very effective. It takes too much time and paint still gets under the tape, and masking tape has a knack for really adhering to glass.
For interior or outdoor windows, I take advantage of the same system for masking walls. The sole difference is that masking windows usually is faster than masking complete wall surfaces. Masking glass windows and walls is usually done with plastic material, which allows light in to the room and is also convenient for covering large areas (paper is most beneficial for masking floor surfaces and trim). To measure plastic, I roll it out over the windows, cut as straight of a line as you possibly can, and tape the perimeter of the windows. Then it's just a matter of sticking the plastic onto the exposed tape, working from the top down and being careful to keep it straight and level.
Masking paper also works well to safeguard windows, floor, and molding from paint spatters. To safeguard windows, apply masking paper over the top of the window’s casing. The width of the paper is enough to block most of the roller spatter. This same technique protects the floor and molding. If you're self-confident about your brushing and rolling abilities try using 1 ½ inch masking tape rather than masking paper.
Concerned About Masking For Spraying?
Spraying demands that anything not being sprayed should be completely masked. Because spraying requires such extensive masking, wait to mask until you're ready to spray. Exterior surface spraying might require extensive masking, depending on the variety of colors and whether there are surrounding buildings such as fences and electric power lines. When masking for spray, be sure you be thorough. Overspray is hard to control, especially under windy conditions. The greater you've prepared for overspray, the better. The time spent masking is a lot less than the time you'll have spent touching up afterward. A tight seal with masking tape is crucial because sprayed paint gets all over. Overspray is like the casual drip from a brush every so often... one is certain to get away from you, no matter how careful you are. Nevertheless, you can lessen overspray by double checking before you spray.
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