Get Started With Painting Tools and Techniques
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Do You Struggle With Painting Tools and Techniques?
This is a four piece series on painting tools and techniques. Here in part 1 I will examine masking and protective gear. Later in part two I’ll examine ladders and scaffolding and in article three I’ll talk about brushes and rollers. Finally, in the last article we’ll look at sprayers, caulk guns, wire brushes, braces and knee pads, and swivel hooks.
The painting industry has made tremendous strides in the last decade. Today there's a tool for practically every situation. Even I'm impressed by the innovative devices arriving on the market, for example, dripless caulk guns, which have fixed a messy problem.
Before you get started on your project, take a minute to check your equipment. You'll probably need to fill up on a couple items. Make an entire list of the things you need. Look out for tools that save time and labor. The more costly equipment, such as sprayers and scaffolding, can be rented.
Top Rated Protective Gear
Some people don't believe it's essential to wear safety gear when they're painting. I assume they think it's wimpy. But I've performed around enough toxins to comprehend how dangerous they could be. Dust, painting mist, and vapors impact the lungs very quickly, and skin pores are an open target for solvents and dust borne debris. Avoid being foolish... protect yourself.
Respirators Demystified
A particle mask is better than nothing at all, but it doesn't form a tight 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 a person’s face gives better safety than particle masks that use lightweight rubber bands.
Double cartridge respirators will be the safest solution. They'll provide you with the protection you will need for most vapors, mist, and dirt. Respirators come in three sizes. Make sure that yours fits. If it doesn't fit well, it won't work well. Checking the fit of an respirator is similar to testing the seal of your diving mask. Breathe in then hold your hand over the side valves. The mask is acceptable if it presses against the face and remains there while you hold your breath. Good respirators cost from $25 on up and usually come with replacement filters. Double cartridge respirators have color coded filters for different contaminants; check that you have the right filtration for the work at hand. Be sure to read the instructions, and remember that you should change the cartridges if respiration becomes hard or if you begin detecting vapors.
Why You Need Protective Clothing
Respirators do a good job of protecting your lungs, but you need to safeguard the remainder of the body as well. Having been authorized in lead abatement, I know that your body can only eliminate a very small percentage of lead, even more than a 30 year course of time. Many painters make the mistake of thinking that a little contact with dirt or VOCs won't harm them, but everything adds up as time passes. I always dress for protection, keeping at least one good Tyvek painting suit on the work site. Tyvek breathes well, weighs little, and provides good protection. The extra layer is a lttle bit warm, but I would rather wear a paint suit than be covered with dust or overspray (on a hot day be sure to drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration). If you choose never to wear a painting suit, wear clothes that you won't mind turning into something resembling a painting palette.
I more often than not wear leather gloves, even when I'm brushing. They keep my hands clean and my grip dry. I bring 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 wash out brushes, sprayers, and rollers; to open up, mix, and strain paints; and also to handle toxins such as paint thinners.
Rounding out my paint anywhere wardrobe are safety eye glasses or goggles to keep chips, dust particles, and spray mist out of my eye, and, if I'm spraying, a hood. If you spray with out a hood, anticipate to spend tons of time cleaning paint out of your hair.
Masking Really Works
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're only painting one inside home window, masking the floor may be beneficial. Having an open can of paint makes me nervous if there isn't any drop cloth on the floor. I've learned the hard way. Masking becomes even more essential if you're staining, because stain spatters all over. A few simple items can save you a whole lot of touch up, cleaning up, and attempting to get paint out of the carpet before your spouse sees it. Before I finally gave up and admitted that my strategy wasn't perfectly right and dripless, I spent more time touching up than I should have. Touching up is a fact of painting life, but nowadays I do much less of it because I take time to mask.
First, you need a drop cloth. Heavy cloth is actually best, but drop cloths don't have to be costly, professional painter's cloths. You can sometimes find reasonably large drapes at thrift stores, for the price of one thin clear plastic drop cloth. Search for drapes with vinyl backing, for added waterproofing. I pull out the top stitching for an extra 3 inches of material.
The trouble with plastic drop cloths is that they weigh next to nothing and billow everywhere. Plastic material works best when you can find 3 foot wide paper (like the kind used for flooring insulation) to lie on top of the plastic material. If I'm painting a sizable new home and I have to mask the complete floor, the plastic/newspaper masking system is inexpensive and is effective.
An excellent masking system is crucial whether you're brushing, rolling, or spraying the paint. All you need is masking tape, newspaper for the outside edge of the floor and baseboard, and a thin layer of plastic for the windows and furniture. 3M makes a good masking system that includes special painter's tape and dispensers with pre-taped plastic. If you've ever before spent hours scraping tape adhesive off glass windows, you can appreciate advanced masking tapes. Commercial masking dispensers are available at professional painting shops and sometimes at local rental shops. In case 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 material to rougher textures like walls. Other tapes need to come off without leaving adhesive on home windows and smooth areas. Always wait at least four hours before removing tape to avoid tearing the paint. But don't leave tape on for much longer than 24 hours or it will be hard to remove.
Ways To Masking Floors
In addition to masking off the main areas to be painted, it is also good prevention to mask main traffic areas and wherever you plan to store and mix the paint. Distribute all the required drop cloths, then clean the areas you will be taping with vacuum cleaner, foxtail broom, or clean rag, to ensure a tight seal. While you mask, focus on obtaining a clean edge with the tape, and make sure the tape is securely attached.
Tape and paper dispensers are well suited for masking off the outer edge of an area. They ensure a clean edge along the floor and minimize clean-up. I take advantage of shorter strips 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 will have to be taped. Once the perimeter is set up, I take advantage of drop cloths for the rest of the floor. For greater protection, I usually significantly overlap the masked perimeter with the drop cloth. On corners I also double the cloth to the inside, for extra security and stability.
Obtaining a tight seal with a drop cloth is crucial if you are spraying a room, but guarding carpet or flooring with a sealed drop cloth is an excellent plan even if you're just brushing or rolling. A drop cloth will move if it isn't taped where it lies, and you'll wrap up on your knees cleaning paint off the floor.
Learn How To Mask Walls And Fixtures
No matter how you intend to apply the paint, you'll need to mask permanent fixtures including the ceiling lights, fans, and door knobs. Even though you have excellent hand control, cutting in (edging) the accessories that are not masked is time consuming, especially for multiple coats of paint. To mask fittings, pull off enough newspaper and tape to wrap the fixture, being careful to keep the tape just on the bottom of the fixture (newspaper also makes a good masking material for fittings). If possible, loosen the fixture covers and wall mounts to paint under them; this ensures a seamless border.
The quantity of masking that you should do will depend on the type of house painting you will be doing. The only time the wall surfaces have to be masked is when you intend to spray the ceiling and you will need to keep the walls dry, for example, if the ceiling is getting an alternative color or finish. If the trim is clear coated or you want to paint only the walls and ceiling, it makes sense to mask all over the trim, especially the windowsills.
Professional Window Masking
The one time I cover up windows is whenever I intend to spray. Taping house windows isn't very effective. It takes too long and paint still gets under the tape, and masking tape has a knack for really adhering to glass.
For interior or outdoor windows, I use the same system as for masking wall surfaces. Really the only difference is the fact masking house windows usually is faster than masking entire walls. Masking windows and wall space is usually done with plastic material, which lets light in to the room and it is handy for covering large areas (paper is most beneficial for masking floors and trim). To measure plastic, I roll it out along the window, cut as straight of a line as it can be, 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 is effective to protect windows, floor, and molding from paint spatters. To safeguard house windows, apply masking paper over the top of the window casing. The width of the paper is enough to block the majority of the roller spatter. This same strategy protects the floor and molding. If you are confident about your brushing and rolling abilities try using 1 ½ inch masking tape instead of masking paper.
Masking For Spraying
Spraying demands that anything not being sprayed should be completely masked. Because spraying requires such comprehensive masking, wait to mask until you're prepared 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 power lines. When masking for spray, remember to be comprehensive. Overspray is hard to regulate, 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 good seal with masking tape is critical because sprayed paint gets all over. Overspray is similar to the occasional drip from a brush every so often... one is certain to get from you, no matter how careful you are. But you can reduce overspray by double checking before you spray.
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