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Choose Paint Brush

Two groups of tools are needed for painting, one for preparing the surfaceand one for actually applying the paint. For a masonry wall, the minimumpreparation is to wash down anypreviously painted surfiice. This calls for a bucker, sponges and cloths, stronghousehold detergent or sugar soap (all-purpose cleaner), and rubber gloves to
zprotect the hands.

If the washed-down surface has ahigh-gloss finish, or feels rough to the touch, use fine-grade sandpaper and asanding block to smooth it down. Wet and dry (silicon carbide) paper, used wet, is best for sanding down existingpaintwork; remember to thoroughlyrinse off the resulting fine slurry ofpaint with water afterwards. Useordinary sandpaper for bare wood.

Defects in the surface need filling.Use a traditional cellulose filler(spackle) for small cracks, chips andother surface blemishes, and anexpanding filler foam which can beshaped and sanded when hard for largerdefects. To apply filler paste use a fillingknife (putty knife).

To strip existing paintwork, useeither a beat gun -- easier to controland much safer to use than a blowtorch-- or a chemical paint remover, plusscrapers of various shapes to removethe sofiened paint. For removing wallcoverings in order to apply a paintedwall or ceiling finish, a steam wallpaperstripper will be worth the investment.The small all-in-one strippers whichresemble a large steam iron are theeasiest type to use.

Painting tools

The paintbrush is still the favouritetool for applying paint to walls,ceilings, woodwork and metalworkaround the house. Most are made withnatural bristle, held in a metal ferrulewhich is attached to a wooden orplastic handle, but there are alsobrushes with synthetic fibre bristleswhich arc sometimes recommended forapplying water-based (latex) paints.

Brushes come in widths from 12 mm/1/2. in up to 15 cm/6 in. Thesmallest sizes are used for fiddly jobssuch as painting glazing bars (mulleins),while the widest are ideal for flatuninterrupted wall and ceiling surfaces.I lowever, a wide brush can be tiring touse, especially with solvent-based (oil)paints. There are also long-handled brushes with angled heads for paintingbehind radiators, and narrow brushescalled cutting-in (sash) brushes, whichhave the bristle tips cur off at an anglefor painting into internal angles. Forthe best results, buy good-qualitybrushes and look after them, ratherthan buy cheap ones and throw themaway after finishing each job.

Paint rollers are used mainly forpainting walls and ceilings with water-based paints, although they can be usedwith solvent-based types too. Theyconsist of a metal roller cage mountedon a handle, plus a hollow sleeve thatfits onto the cage and actually appliesthe paint. Some can be lined with anextension pole, which is useful if thereare high ceilings or stairwells to paint.Most rollers are 18 cm/7 in wide; larger sizes are available, but can be harder to`drive'. There arc also shin mini-rollersfor painting awkward-to-reach areassuch as walls behind radiators. For anytype, a roller tray is used to load painton to the sleeve. Solid water-basedpaint is sold in its own tray.

The sleeves are waterproof tubeswith a layer of foam plastic or clothstuck to the outside - another type maybe made from natural or synthetic fibre,and have a short, medium or long pile,to suit- different types of su6ce.

Choose the pile length to match thesurface being painted: short for flatsurfaces, medium for those with a slighttexture and long for embossed surfaces.

Paint pads are squares or rectanglesof short-pile cloth stuck to a foambacking and mounted on a plastic or metal handle. The pad is dipped in ashallow container, or loaded front aspecial paint container with a rollerfeed, and then drawn across thesurface. Pads come in a range of sizes.

Paint and varnish are also sold inaerosol form. This is ideal for smallareas or fiddly materials such aswickerwork, but too expensive to useon large areas.

Lastly, do not forger the decoratingsundries. A paint kettle is needed fordecanting the paint and straining outany foreign bodies. I land-held paintmasks or masking tape are invaluableaids to getting straight edges andkeeping paint off adjacent surfaces. all, remember to provide dustsheets (drop cloths), which performbetter than plastic sheets.

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