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Edition 6, 2012
Preparing to paint...
• Before using a brush, remove any loose bristles by It’s worth spending a little to get the basic tools Preparation giving it a good tease with your fingers. It’s a good that will help you do the job properly. Preparation is essential to getting a lasting result that
Ladders • A good step ladder is a must. Aluminium ladders are lightest, but they are usually the most expensive. Steel and wooden ladders will do the job. • A flat top or clip tray will help hold tools and paint cans, giving you an extra hand to hold on with.
Drop Sheets • Light canvas or calico sheets are the easiest to work with and will last the longest. Light plastic sheets are inexpensive and should be used only for covering furniture as they are slippery and do not absorb paint.
you’ll be proud of. Paint doesn’t cover holes and cracks and a poorly prepared surface is a major cause of poor results. • Protect unpainted surfaces and furniture. •M ove all furniture out of the room, or to the middle of the room if you don’t have much space and cover with a cloth
• L ay down a drop sheet to protect your flooring, don’t use old sheets, they are too absorbent and the paint will soak through •M ask skirting boards and trims with suitable masking tap.
Rags
•M ask electrical switches instead of removing them, it’s safer and less work
• A good supply of rags will help you clean up as you go.
• If you are painting two adjacent walls with different colours, mask the corner, it’s easier when cutting in.
• For water based paints keep a damp rag handy, for oil based paints moisten your rag with turps.
Prepare the painted surface
Scrapers & Knives
• On previously painted surfaces remove all loose, flaking or powdery paint
A quick look around your local Bunnings Warehouse will show you a huge range of scrapers. Listed below is a basic selection.
• Wash dirty or greasy surfaces with Selley’s Sugar Soap, as any dust and dirt will prevent paint from sticking
• Putty Knife: You’ll need one to make filling cracks and small holes easier. • Stripping Knife: A wide bladed knife for stripping paintwork, wallpapers etc. It can also help with filling wider holes and depressions. • Shave Hook: A triangular scraper blade with a handle, available with either straight or curved blades. Good for curved moldings and energetic stripping. • If you’re doing exterior work you will also need a brass wire brush and/or a stiff bristle brush.
• Patch any cracks and holes with a suitable filler or sealant • Sand down to a smooth level surface and dust off • For bare surfaces apply a coat of Primer Undercoat. Remember to use either oil or acrylic depending on the surface you are painting. Additional information can be found on the product label.
Brushing With brushes, as with most tools, there is no substitute for quality. • Avoid cheap brushes with short, sparse bristles.
idea to moisten the brush with the same liquid that’s in your paint, i.e. water for water based paints, and turps for oil based paints.
• Acrylic Paints are best applied with a long bristled, full bodied brush. • Oil based paints, undercoats and primers require a medium bristle length, solidly packed for effective control. • Rough wood, brickwork and cement render may be more practically painted with a synthetic fibre brush. • Fill the brush by dipping in up to half the length of the bristles. If you are painting a larger area by brush, apply the paint in vertical or diagonal strips until the brush runs out of paint. Then brush horizontally until the area is evenly covered. Finally finish off with very light vertical strokes using the tip of the brush: This is called ‘laying off’. • If you are using a brush and a roller, the first step is to paint the edges of the area you are going to paint. This is known as ‘cutting in’. The aim is to paint a strip about 5cm wide around any flat areas on which you can use the roller. Don’t do too much of your cutting in at once.
Woodwork • Try to start at the top and work down, painting with light, even strokes and feathering the edge of the wet paint as the brush empties. Recharge the brush and work back into the wet edge. • Never try to paint over an area which has partially dried as the brush will leave marks in the surface. • The base of skirting boards can be a trap. Always use a shield; a bricklayer’s bolster or piece of metal or stiff cardboard works well. Hold the shield into the base of the skirting and paint down to it, moving it along as you go. Even if you have no carpet to protect, it will stop the brush picking up dust and grit from the floor.
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