Professional painters are fast, efficient, and have mastered
techniques that produce top-notch results while making painting look easy. Each
painter has slightly different methods and preferences, but the pros all know
the trade secrets, and PM hung out with them and watched them work to gather
these 13 tips.
Sand Away Flaws
You have to start with a perfectly smooth surface to end up
with perfectly painted walls or woodwork. One pro tells PM that sander would be
a more fitting job title than painter since he spends so much time pushing
sandpaper. Sanding levels outs spackle or joint-compound patches and flattens
ridges around nail holes. Sanding also removes burrs and rough spots in your
trim.
Sand the walls from the baseboard to the ceiling with fine grit sanding paper
on a sanding pole. Then sand horizontally along the baseboard and ceiling.
Don't put a lot of pressure on the sanding pole or the head can flip over and
damage the wall. Sand woodwork with a sanding sponge to get into crevices.
Use Tinted Primer
Before the pros paint walls, they fill holes and patch
cracks with joint compound. But if you paint directly over it, the compound
will suck the moisture out of the paint, giving it a flat, dull look (a problem
called "flashing"). Those spots will look noticeably different than
the rest of the wall. To avoid that, pros prime the walls before painting.
Instead of using white primer, pros usually have it tinted gray or a color
that's similar to the finish paint. Tinted primer does a better job of covering
the existing paint color than plain primer, so your finish coat will be more
vibrant and may require fewer coats. This is especially true with colors like
red or orange, which could require three or more coats without a primer.
Press Tape With a Putty Knife
Nothing is more discouraging when you've finished painting
than to peel tape off the woodwork and discover the paint bled through. To
avoid the pain-in-the-neck chore of scraping off the paint, do a thorough job
of adhering the tape before you start. "Apply tape over the wood, then run
a putty knife over the top to press down the tape for a good seal," a
painter with more than 16 years of experience says. "That'll stop any
paint bleeds."
Use the blue painter's tape instead of masking tape. Masking tape can leave
behind a sticky residue that's hard to clean off. Plus, paint can cause the
tape to buckle or get wavy, which lets paint run underneath it. Painter's tape
can be left on for days (some up to two weeks) and still peel off cleanly. And
it stops paint bleed without buckling.
Eliminate Brush and Lap Marks With Paint Extender
The secret to a finish that's free of lap and brush marks is
mixing a paint extender (also called a paint conditioner), such as Floetrol,
into the paint. This does two things. First, it slows down the paint drying
time, giving you a longer window to overlap just-painted areas without getting
ugly lap marks that happen when you paint over dried paint and darken the color.
Second, paint extender levels out the paint so brush strokes are virtually
eliminated (or at least much less obvious). Pros use extenders when painting
drywall, woodwork, cabinets and doors. Manufacturer's directions tell you how
much extender to add per gallon of paint.
Scrape a Ridge in Textured Ceilings
The problem with painting along the edge of textured
ceilings is that it's almost impossible to get a straight line along the top of
the wall without getting paint on the ceiling bumps. Pros have a simple
solution. They run a screwdriver along the perimeter of the ceiling to scrape
off the texture. "This lets you cut in without getting paint on the
ceiling texture," one of our pros says. "The screwdriver creates a
tiny ridge in the ceiling, so the tips of your paint bristles naturally go into
it. And you'll never even notice the missing texture."
Use Canvas Drop Cloths
Pros don't use bed sheets as drop cloths, and neither should
you. Thin sheets won't stop splatters and spills from seeping through to your
flooring. And while plastic can contain spills, the paint stays wet for a long
time. That wet paint can (and usually does) find the bottom of your shoes and
get tracked through the house.
Use what the pros use
- canvas drop cloths. They're not slippery and they absorb
splatters (but still wipe up large spills or they can bleed through).
"Unless you're painting a ceiling, you don't need a jumbo-size cloth that
fills the entire room," a pro says. "A canvas cloth that's just a few
feet wide and runs the length of the wall is ideal for protecting your floor,
and it's easy to move."
Finish One Wall Before Starting Another
It might seem easy to do all the corners and trim in a room,
then go back to roll the walls, but don't. Pros get a seamless look by cutting in
one wall, then immediately rolling it before starting the next. This allows the
brushed and the rolled paint to blend together better.
Cover your paint bucket, tray or container with a damp towel when switching
between brushing and rolling to keep your paint and tools from drying out when
not in use.
Scrape (Don't Tape) Windows
Don't bother taping windows when painting sashes
- it takes a
long time and paint usually ends up on the glass anyway. Go ahead and let paint
get on the glass. Once it's dry, simply scrape it off with a razor blade. The
paint peels off in seconds. "Just be careful to not break the paint bond
between the wood and the glass," a pro cautions. "Otherwise, moisture
can get on the wood and cause rot."
Box Paint for Consistent Color
The "same" color of paint can vary between cans.
"That difference can be glaringly obvious if you pop open a new gallon
halfway through a wall," a retired painter tells PM. To ensure color
consistency from start to finish, pros mix their cans of paint in a 5 gallon
bucket (a process called "boxing").
Some pros then paint directly out of the bucket. This eliminates the need to
pour paint into a roller tray, though the heavy bucket is harder to move.
Wash Roller Covers
Whether you buy cheap or expensive roller covers, washing
them before their first use gets rid of the fuzz that inevitably comes off once
you start painting. Wash them with water and a little bit of liquid soap, and
run your hands up and down the covers to pull off any loose fibers (a practice
called "preconditioning covers"). You can start using the roller
covers right away
- you don't need to let them dry.
Clean Dirty Walls With Degreaser
Paint won't bond to greasy or filthy surfaces, like kitchen
walls above a stove, mudrooms where kids kick off their muddy boots and scuff
the walls or the areas around light switches that get swatted at with dirty
hands. "I always use a degreaser to clean grimy or greasy surfaces,"
a pro tells PM. "It cuts through almost anything you have on walls for
better paint adhesion."
Be sure to read the label and follow directions—this stuff is potent. Rubber
gloves and eye protection are required.
Start With a Loaded Brush
Pros take a "load and go" approach to painting.
They load the bottom 1 1/2 inches of their brushes with paint, tap each side
against the inside of their container to knock off the heavy drips, and then
start painting. By contrast, homeowners often take a "load and dump"
approach of dragging the loaded brush along the sides of their container and
wiping off most of the paint. "It doesn't do you any good to dunk your
brush in paint, then immediately wipe it all off," a 16-year veteran
painter says.
Push Paint to Avoid Runs
When your brush is loaded with paint, it's easy to create
runs by applying too much paint in corners or along trim. To avoid that, start
brushing about 1/2 inch away from the cut-in area to apply the paint. As the
brush unloads, move over and slowly drag the brush along the trim or corner.
Let the bristles gently push the paint against the cut-in area where the walls
meet. You may have to do this a couple of times to get complete coverage, but
it'll avoid excess paint along woodwork and in corners.
Source : http://www.popularmechanics.com
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