Trade Secrets 2
Painting equipment
Here is an interesting link for everything about painting
So, we have been down to the store and bought our paint, the colour was chosen by the artist in the family (wife) and will probably be put on by her too. OK, there are exceptions. Back to the store and buy a roller sleeve and a roller cage. Don't cheap out on this, you will regret it. The cage is the thing that the sleeve fits on to. It is 9" wide, and the sleeve should have a pile of about 10 mm; 6 mm is too low for regular eggshell latex, 15 mm is a little too long and won't give you the finish you want. Avoid foam! Let me say it louder, avoid foam rollers, they are good for some applications but not this one. Why? They spray little dots of paint (overspray) and they don't apply the paint as well. An extension pole is a must because you will ruin your wrists without one. You also need a roller tray. Don't forget one last item.
A PAINT BRUSH, usually a 2 1/2" sash will do, no 'dollar store' brushes!!! When you buy a good brush you are more likely to do a good job.
Did I mention drop sheets? As I mention on the next page, avoid plastic sheets on the floor (they are slippery and tend to tread paint around). You should have two sheets, because you should put one under the place where you are opening the paint and one where you are painting. You also need an empty gallon paint can with a lid and a handle.
Here's your shopping list: Drop sheets, rollers(sleeve), tray, extention pole, brushes, sanding sponge,
filling knives, filler, rags, empty gallon can, ladder, and paint.
The painting
So you skipped the other stuff and now you are here. Lay out your first drop sheet away from doorways and the walls you are going to paint.
Open your can of paint with a paint can opener or screw driver, if you use your nice filling knife you might have to throw it away afterwards. With the paint brush ready, pour about 3 inches of paint into the empty paint can; this is now your cutting bucket. This can is what you are going to take up the step ladder and use to cut-in to the ceiling. You do have a step ladder don't you? If you think about standing on a chair, sit on it for a moment and feel the pain of the chair tipping over and you and your paint spralled on the floor. The actual cutting in process really needs to be shown, and I do have a youtube video for this, however, what you need to remember is the brush is kept perpendicular from the wall, and push the bristles on to the surface. This will help to keep the line straight. Also, dip the brush into the can and dab the brush onto the inside of the can, don't scrape all the paint off on the edge of the can.
If you keep one side of the top of this cutting bucket clean and only put the bristles of the brush on the top edge the same way every time, then you won't get paint onto the handle of the brush, and it won't get on your hands, etc etc. So now you've painted all the way around the ceiling without getting any on the ceiling, brushed in the corners of the walls (ceiling to floor) and around the baseboard. If you are going to paint the baseboard then don't spend a lot of time cutting it in, you can just brush onto it. If you are playing with a very dark colour this might not be the case.
Next, we are going to roll the walls. Pour the paint into the roller tray, about two inches of paint, then carefully carry the tray to within a foot of the wall you are going to paint. Your roller should already have a sleeve on it, but you will need an extension pole to reach up the wall. TV shows always show people painting a wall without a pole because it looks cute, DON'T.
Put your roller onto the tray and make short strokes into the paint (the roller should turn with the strokes), the intention is to get paint all around the sleeve without getting any on the axle. If the axle is submerged in paint it will drip everywhere - your first tip to avoid a messy nightmare. Then gently press the roller onto the sloped part of the tray, rolling it down the slope several times, to spread the paint evenly around the roller and get rid of the excess. With the full roller, start about half the roller's width from the corner; roll up and down the wall. Now, with the axle pointing away from the corner, roll in close to the corner. Try not to touch the other wall, but if you do brush out the paint that is left there. You do want a good job don't you?.
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