Benefit From These Painting Tools and Techniques

This is a 4 article series on painting tools and techniques. Here in the first article I will examine masking and protective gear. Later in article 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 10 years. Today there's an instrument for practically every situation. Even I'm impressed by the impressive devices coming on the market, for example, dripless caulk guns, which have resolved a messy problem.

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

Finding Protective Gear

Some people don't believe it's necessary to wear safety gear when they're painting. I assume they think it's wimpy. But I've worked around enough toxic substances 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 allergens. Don't be foolish... protect yourself.

Proven Respirators

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. 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 lightweight 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. Make sure that yours fits. If it doesn't fit well, it won't work very well. Checking the fit of any respirator is similar to testing the seal of your diving mask. Breathe in then keep your hand over the side valves. The mask fits if it presses against the face and stays 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 pollutants; be sure you are using the right filtration for the job. Make sure to read the instructions, and remember that you should change the cartridges if respiration becomes hard or if you start detecting vapors.

Learn About Protective Clothing

Respirators do a good job of protecting your lungs, nevertheless, you need to protect the remainder of your body as well. Having been certified in lead abatement, I understand that your body can only just eliminate an extremely small ratio of lead, even more than a 30 year span. Many painters make the mistake of believing that a little exposure to particles or VOCs won't injure them, but everything adds up as time passes. I usually dress for safety, keeping at least one good Tyvek painting suit on the work site. Tyvek breathes well, weighs little, and provides good protection. The excess layer is somewhat warm, but I'd rather wear a paint suit than be covered with dirt or overspray (on a hot day be sure to drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration). In the event that you choose never to wear a painting suit, wear clothes that you will not mind turning into something resembling a painting palette.

I more often than not wear leather gloves, even though 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. Industrial 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 to handle toxins such as paint thinners.

Rounding out my paint anywhere wardrobe 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 without a hood, be prepared to spend plenty of time washing paint out of your hair.

Secrets To Masking

Usually the room you're painting will have a finished floor or carpet and the proverbial ounce of prevention can save your 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 a drop cloth on the floor. I've learned the hard way. Masking becomes even more essential if you are staining, because stain spatters everywhere. A few simple items can help you save a lot of touch up, cleaning up, and struggling to get paint out of the carpet before your spouse sees it. Before I finally quit and admitted that my technique 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 these days I do significantly less of it because I take the time to mask.

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

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 sizable new home and I need to mask the complete floor, the plastic material/newspaper masking system is inexpensive and is effective.

An excellent masking system is critical 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 skinny layer of clear plastic for the home 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 spent time scraping tape adhesive off windows, you can appreciate superior masking tapes. Commercial masking dispensers can be found at professional painting retailers 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 carry 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 glass windows and smooth surfaces. Always wait at least four hours before removing tape to avoid tearing the paint. But don't leave tape on for longer than 24 hours or it'll be hard to pull off.

Facts About 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 vacuum cleaner, foxtail broom, or clean rag, to ensure a good seal. While you mask, concentrate on obtaining a clean edge with the tape, and make sure the tape is firmly attached.

Tape and paper dispensers are suitable for masking off the outer edge of a room. They ensure a clean edge along the floor and minimize clean-up. I use shorter pieces of masking (1 ft. to 2 ft.) for corners and closets. On long, straight runs I prefer going corner to corner with one long strip of tape, which reduces the number of seams that should be taped. After the perimeter is in place, I take advantage of drop cloths for the rest of the floor. For greater protection, I always substantially overlap the masked perimeter with the drop cloth. On corners I also double the cloth to the inside, for extra safety and stability.

Obtaining a tight seal with a drop cloth is critical if you are spraying an area, but safeguarding carpet or flooring with a sealed drop cloth is an excellent 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 end up on your knees cleaning paint off the floor.

About Masking 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 if you have excellent hand control, cutting in (edging) the fixtures that aren't masked is frustrating, specifically for multiple coats of paint. To mask accessories, pull off enough paper and tape to cover the fixture, being careful to keep the tape just on the bottom of the fixture (newspaper also makes a good masking material for accessories). If possible, release the fixture covers and wall mounts to paint under them; this ensures a smooth border.

The amount of masking that you should do depends on the type of house painting you will be doing. The sole time the wall surfaces 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 some other color or finish. If the trim is clear coated or you intend to paint only the wall space and ceiling, it's wise to mask all over the trim, especially the windowsills.

Learn How To Mask Windows

Really the only time I mask windows is once I plan to spray. Taping glass 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 adhering to glass.

For interior or outdoor windows, I take advantage of the same system for masking surfaces. Really the only difference is the fact masking glass windows usually is faster than masking whole walls. Masking glass windows and wall surfaces is usually done with clear plastic, which lets light in to the room and it is useful for covering large areas (paper is most beneficial for masking floors and trim). To measure plastic, I roll it out across the home window, cut as straight of a line as possible, and tape the perimeter of the windowpane. Then it's simply a matter of sticking the clear 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're self-assured about your brushing and rolling abilities use 1 ½ inch masking tape instead of masking paper.

Guide To Masking For Spraying

Spraying needs that anything not being sprayed should be completely masked. Because spraying requires such extensive masking, wait to mask until you're prepared to spray. Outside surface spraying might require extensive masking, depending on amount of colors and whether there are surrounding structures such as fences and power lines. When masking for spray, be sure you be thorough. 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 would have spent touching up afterward. A good seal with masking tape is critical because sprayed paint gets all over the place. Overspray is similar to the occasional drip from a brush every so often... one is certain to get away from you, no matter how careful you are. But you can reduce overspray by double checking before you spray.

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