Painting Tools and Techniques

This is a 4 article series on painting tools and techniques. Here in part one I will examine protective gear and masking. Later in part 2 I’ll examine ladders and scaffolding and in part 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 within the last decade. Today there's an instrument for nearly every situation. Even I'm impressed by the ground breaking devices coming on the market, for example, dripless caulk guns, which have solved a messy problem.

Before you start your project, have a minute to check your equipment. You will most probably need to fill up on several items. Make an entire list of the things you need. Keep an eye out for tools that save time and labor. The more expensive equipment, such as sprayers and scaffolding, can be rented.

Getting Started With Protective Gear

Some people don't believe it's necessary to wear protection gear when they're painting. I assume they think it's wimpy. But I've performed around enough toxic substances to comprehend how dangerous they could be. Dust, painting mist, and vapors have an impact on the lungs rapidly, and skin pores are an available target for solvents and dust borne contaminants. Avoid being foolish... protect yourself.

Respirators Risk

A particle mask is preferable to almost nothing, but it generally does not form a good seal and it will not filter out all the dust. In the event that you do use a particle mask, get one with dual elastic bands. A damp handkerchief tied around a person’s face gives better security 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 most vapors, mist, and dirt. Respirators come in three sizes. Make sure that yours fits. If it generally does not fit well, it won't work very well. Checking the fit of an respirator is like screening the seal of any 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 contaminants; check that you have the right filter for the job. Be sure to read the instructions, and note that you should change the cartridges if respiration becomes hard or if you begin detecting vapors.

Protective Clothing Risk

Respirators do a good job of protecting your lungs, nevertheless, you need to protect the remainder of the body as well. Having been accredited in lead abatement, I understand that the body can only just eliminate a very small ratio of lead, even more than a 30 year course of time. Many painters make the mistake of thinking that a little exposure to dust particles or VOCs won't injure them, but it all adds up over time. I always dress for protection, keeping at least one good Tyvek painting suit on the work site. Tyvek breathes well, weighs little, and offers good protection. The extra layer is somewhat warm, but I would prefer to wear a paint suit than be covered with dust or overspray (during a hot day make sure you drink lots of water to avoid dehydration). In the event that you choose not to wear a painting suit, wear clothes that you will not mind turning into something resembling a painting palette.

I almost always wear leather gloves, even though 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 that 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, mix, and strain paints; and handle toxins such as paint thinners.

Rounding out my paint anywhere clothing are safety eye 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 a lot of time cleansing paint out of your hair.

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 home window, masking the floor may be beneficial. Having an open can of paint makes me stressed if there isn't any drop cloth on the floor. I've discovered the hard way. Masking becomes even more crucial if you are staining, because stain spatters almost everywhere. A few simple items can help you save a whole lot of touch 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 strategy wasn't perfectly right and dripless, I spent more time touching up than I could have. Touch up is a fact of painting life, but nowadays I do much less of it because I take the time to mask.

First, you need a drop cloth. Heavy fabric is usually best, but drop cloths need not be expensive, professional painter's cloths. You will often find pretty large drapes at thrift stores, for the price of one thin plastic material drop cloth. Search for drapes with vinyl fabric backing, for added waterproofing. I pull out the top stitching for an extra 3 inches of fabric.

The difficulty 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 together with the clear plastic. If I'm painting a large new home and I need to mask the complete floor, the plastic/paper masking system is inexpensive and works well.

A good masking system is crucial whether you're brushing, rolling, or spraying the paint. All you need is masking tape, paper for the outer edge of the floor and baseboard, and a thin layer of clear plastic for the windows and furniture. 3M makes a good masking system which includes special painter's tape and dispensers with pre-taped plastic. If you've ever before spent hours scraping tape adhesive off windows, you can appreciate advanced masking tapes. Commercial masking dispensers are available at professional painting shops and sometimes at rental shops. In case a commercial dispenser is hard 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 clear plastic to rougher textures like walls. Other tapes need to come off without leaving adhesive on 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 a day or it'll be hard to pull off.

Secrets To Masking Floors

In addition to masking off the main areas to be painted, it's also good prevention to mask main traffic areas and wherever you intend to store and mix the paint. Distribute all the required drop cloths, then clean the areas you will be taping with a vacuum, foxtail broom, or clean rag, to ensure a tight seal. As you mask, focus on obtaining a clean edge with the tape, and make sure the tape is solidly attached.

Tape and paper dispensers are perfect 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 strip of tape, which reduces the amount of seams that should be taped. After the perimeter is in place, I take advantage of drop cloths for the remainder of the floor. For increased protection, I usually substantially overlap the masked perimeter with the drop cloth. On corners I also double the cloth over to the inside, for extra protection and stability.

Getting a tight seal with a drop cloth is critical if you are spraying a room, but protecting carpet or flooring with a sealed drop cloth is a good plan even if you are just brushing or rolling. A drop cloth will move if it is not taped where it lies, and you'll wrap up on your knees cleaning paint off the floor.

Masking Walls And Fixtures Strategies

Regardless of how you plan to use the paint, you'll need to mask permanent fixtures such as the ceiling lighting, fans, and door knobs. Even though you have excellent hand control, cutting in (edging) the fittings that aren't masked is time consuming, specifically for multiple coats of paint. To mask accessories, pull off enough newspaper and tape to wrap the fixture, being careful to keep the tape just on the bottom of the fixture (newspapers also makes a good masking material for fittings). When possible, loosen the fixture covers and wall mounts to paint under them; this ensures a smooth border.

The amount of masking that you must do depends upon what kind of house painting you'll be doing. Really the only time the walls have to be masked is when you plan to spray the ceiling and you will need to keep the walls dry, for instance, if the ceiling is getting a different color or finish. If the trim is clear coated or you want to paint only the walls and ceiling, it's wise to mask all over the trim, especially the windowsills.

Masking Windows Secrets

The only time I cover up windows is after I intend to spray. Taping house windows isn't quite effective. It takes too much time and paint still gets under the tape, and masking tape has a knack for really sticking to glass.

For interior or exterior windows, I take advantage of the same system as for masking walls. The sole difference is the fact that masking windows usually is faster than masking entire walls. Masking windows and walls is usually done with plastic, which lets light in to the room and is useful for covering large areas (paper is most beneficial for masking flooring surfaces and trim). To measure plastic, I roll it out across the windowpane, cut as straight of a line as it can be, and tape the perimeter of the window. Then it's simply 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 protect windows, apply masking paper over the top of the home window casing. The width of the paper will do to block the majority of the roller spatter. This same strategy protects the floor and molding. If you're assured about your brushing and rolling abilities use 1 ½ inch masking tape rather than masking paper.

Secrets To Masking For Spraying

Spraying requires that anything not being sprayed should be completely masked. Because spraying requires such intensive masking, wait to mask until you're ready to spray. Outside surface spraying might require extensive masking, with respect to the number of colors and whether there are adjoining structures such as fences and power lines. When masking for spray, remember to be detailed. Overspray is hard to regulate, especially under windy conditions. The greater you've prepared for overspray, the better. The time spent masking is much less than the time you'll have spent touching up afterward. A good seal with masking tape is critical because sprayed paint gets just about everywhere. Overspray is similar to the casual drip from a brush every so often... one is certain to get away from you, no matter how careful you are. But you can lessen overspray by double checking before you spray.

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Lake Stevens WA 98258

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