levon's bristles

I think it’s going to rain me out today.  I would love for it not to.  Yesterday I was painting an old Folk Victorian house in Historic Mechanicsville, running around on ladders with buckets of four colors that adorn the decorative woodwork.  It was 63 degrees in late January and I was glad to be outside, bringing the bones back to life.  Nothing is more thankful than an old house.

Today we will have a how-to blog, followed by a baby picture for those who want to scroll down and read no further.

The trick to painting, and this may seem over simple, is applying material.  One has to know what a brush will do, how much paint a brush will hold, and what something should look like when it’s time to move on.  I spend a lot of my time trying to improve my methods, and a lot of this I’m still working out.  Here are some things I’ve learned.

Ornate, repetitive woodwork that is often very high will leave you figuring out which way to work your ladders, which faces faces should be painted in what order, fixing bad wood or flaked paint that you missed during prep, and how to always be doing something with the brush you have in your hand.  When you’re running up and down, moving ladders and buckets around, cleaning, wiping drips, and scratching your head, you are not applying material.

Painting is two-fold: you’ve got to go the distances and got to get the details.  Mix it up for your sanity, and it isn’t a bad place to start by going with how you feel.   If I’m feeling patient, I’ll paint the rings on columns which need to be pencil tight.  If I’m restless and have had my coffee, I’ll throw the ladder against the side of the house and go.  It’s all gotta get done.  Always start top to bottom, meaning go high and work down as much as you can.  Remember your left hand/ right handedness as to which way you work.  Try to work above the end of your ladder, in other words don’t be reaching through it, behind it, etc.  Ladder placement depends on the terrain of the yard and features of the house so you’ll just have to cipher as you go depending on your job.  Use a step ladder when you can, it’s best to stay off the paint and also you can reach further from one spot.  Get a ladder hook for your paint bucket so you’re not having to hold it.  Use the brush holes in the ladder or the hollow spaces in the rung to hold your bristles sideways.  Now, lets talk about those bristles.

Ashley's bristles

I’m learning it’s okay to need a lot of brushes.  I’ll keep a six inch cigar roller with me, a three inch fencepost brush, and a two and half inch sash brush.  Or, a two inch flat brush instead, and I’ll explain.

You should always use as big a brush as you can get by with.  They hold the most material, and remember what I told you about the key to painting.  I like a three inch flat brush or “fencepost.”  They can trim straight lines and cover really well, but they’re a big brush if you don’t have a solid grip on painting.  They’re not good for corners, little trim pieces, or windows.  For that, I keep an angled (sash) brush.  Until recently I used only the angled brush for trim, but it doesn’t hold nearly the amount of paint.  Some people use only a two inch flat brush because they are the most versatile, meaning they hold more paint and can fit into corners.  I like the 3″ flat and 2 1/2″ sash combo for really tight corners and really fast wide open areas.  Of course, if there is anyway possible I’m going to try and roll the paint on first with my cigar roller and back brush it with the 3″.  Old houses often have alligatored siding and deep grooves so try and use a thick nap on the roller.  You’ll still never get it all, and you need the fencepost brush to jab and slash.  However, if you’re doing something smaller than cleaning two brushes makes sense for, just grab the 2″ flat brush.  So basically you need all three.  And a roller with different naps.  The thing with nap- the thicker you go, the slower and messier they get.  Make sure the roller has a tipped edge so you can paint a thin line with it, i.e. the grooves in textured soffits.  Always use an extension when you can and save yourself ladder height and ladder moves.

Another thing, keep a damp rag at all times.  A drip is a drip; wipe it with a rag and it’s gone.  But wipe it with your finger and you’ve smudged it all over something you didn’t want.  Also the rag is good for smacking cobwebs and brushing dust away.  Don’t get junk in your brush, get it on the rag.

Last thing, read your paint labels.  I was working for a guy this week and went under the house to find all the 5 gallon buckets together and I just judged the colors to match.  What I didn’t know was that the interior and exterior were the same color, but different paints.  Also, the deck was being painted gray but the primer for everything else was also gray.  I made unlucky grabs both times: I painted the 24 foot siding with interior paint and primed the deck instead of painted it.  Oops.  But the wall needed two coats anyway and the deck is extra durable.  I hope Scott isn’t reading my how-to post this morning, or at least that he’s laughing.

Maybe this will help anybody who wants to get a paint job started this spring.  Of course you can really cut your time down: call me and we’ll pull up the family travel camper.

Now for that baby picture.