The
right way to paint: Part III
The whys, wherefores and how-tos of
painting
One day
this past week, when John wasn’t around, Mike said the smartest way
to paint is to start with the ceiling, then do the trim, and then the
walls. Then his voice dropped, he looked around, and, satisfied that
John wasn’t listening, said “of course, if you ask John, he’ll
tell you I’m all wet. We’ve been arguing about this for years.”
Mike was
right -- John does think he’s all wet on this subject. While Mike
was on vacation this week, John, standing in the back room, arms
folded, head shaking back and forth, smiled and knew right away where
this painting thing was going. John stood his ground and said
there’s one way to paint -- ceiling first, then the walls, then the
trim.
Each
believes he is right, and perhaps a mud wrestling match later this
spring in their parking lot would settle the issue. But in the
meantime, they do agree on when and how paint should be applied so
that you get the finish you envision; something you really like and
can be proud of, rather than something you have to settle for. So,
after you’ve prepped according to the instructions in our last
column (if you didn’t see it, check the archives)
-
Start
with the ceiling. Roll the ceiling -- nice, even strokes. John
says if you think you missed a spot, go back right then, while
it’s wet, and roll over it again. It will blend in that way.
Even a day’s wait could mean repainting the entire surface to
avoid having a repainted area stand out.
-
Say
a small prayer for Richard Adams. He invented the paint roller in
1940, because during World War II our country was experiencing a
shortage of brushes, which were being used to apply paint to parts
needed for the war. Adams died in 1988. Imagine painting an entire
room without a roller and you might want to put a little statue of
Adams on your dashboard.
-
Yes,
you can roll stucco. John does in his house. Just do it with
the right paint and roller. 1/2" nap roller. Simi-Gloss
paint.
-
How
long to wait between coats? Both John and Mike agree that
you’re going to use two coats of paint, even if you put on a
primer before that, so don’t fight it -- just accept the idea.
That said, John recommends no more than two coats applied in one
day -- primer and a first coat, or two coats if you primed the day
before. “Two is all you want in one day. Three, and you get
sloppy and it screws up the job.”
-
When
rolling walls, both agree vertical motion is the way to go.
Horizontal, even in a small area, means the paint runs off one end
of the roller and that’s how one gets uneven coverage.
-
Brushes
are for trim and cut-ins, or small areas you don’t want to roll.
Here’s how to keep the paint from drying with brush strokes
visible: Use a good brush with more bristles; that pretty much
guarantees a more uniform finish; forget about painting and
concentrate on flowing the paint on (a foam brush is great
for this, but foam brushes are really hard to use on intricate
cut-ins). Mike says too much brush work makes the paint dry too
quickly, another reason you end up with dried brush strokes. John
ran across an interesting idea when he was rolling a ceiling and
accidentally smacked a door with the roller as he was pulling it
down. He finished rolling the door and then went right over it
with a foam brush.
“Rolling
and then working with a foam brush gives you a finish that looks like
it’s baked on,” he says.
