Author Topic: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<  (Read 11034 times)

Offline bionic88

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 6
Hi my name is Ronny and I'm New to this Forum and business!
 ???   :-[
I have a few questions, I'm a Newbie Contractor & I would appreciate expert opinion
from different Contractors 



1) is it possible to cut in w/ no tape at all and get perfect results?

(tape is costly and time consuming)

2) is primer really necessary for all colored walls even if their light colors?
(a contractor told me he never uses primer anymore, he says he buys B. Moore's new primer paint).

3) what's your technique for protecting carpet when painting baseboards?

4) what brand/type or size  of brush do you use?

5) do you use/prefer a paint tray or bucket?

6) what roller cover do you use for most surfaces; 3/8th  3/4th? and do u reuse them?
(i throw out all my covers after every job cuz there no good after i wash them, what about lambskin or lambswool?)

7) Finally,  best paint you like to work with?
(the 2 main brands that i know or use is B. Moore and Behr)


Sorry :-[  for all the questions,  what ever you can is helpful!  Thank you in Advance!



 
« Last Edit: September 18, 2007, 01:23:13 AM by bionic88 »

Offline CarlThePainter

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 371
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2007, 12:16:40 AM »
Of course you can cut in a straight line with a brush and have perfect results, but there are other factors.  Taping so that you don't get paint bleeding under the tape takes practice and you need to do it correctly.  Tape is cheap really in the grand scheme of things....only use the blue tape for painted trim.  You can use yellow tape for stained trim and the 1" stuff can be bought for around $1 per roll.  Remember once you have done your taping, your cutting in goes very fast, much faster than if you were freehanding your cut work, so it all balances out.

Primer for walls is almost never necessary, but primer always will help the appearance and the performance of the topcoat.

I free hand cut in baseboard against the carpet.  I compress the brush on the wood so that the bristles sneak behind the carpet fibers.  You can tape off the carpet, but then when you pull the tape you have a ridge of paint below the carpet line which may look tacky.

Corona or Wooster brushes are the best IMO.

Most painters cut out of a single gallon cut pot and roll from buckets with a grid.

I use 1/2" nap Pro Dooz covers for eggshells and 3/4" Super Fab for flats...both made by Wooster.

Benjamin Moore and C2 are my most used paints.  I stay away from Behr mainly because the customer service you get from a real paint store is pretty much unbeatable for the contractor.

Offline lackamoola

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 144
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2007, 06:10:41 AM »
1. Yes
2. No... 2 coats if 1 don't cover
3. Skill, patience, and a few choice curse words
4. Wooster, Corona, Purdy, all sizes...I have 1" thur 6"
5. Bucket and grid...throw away the tray
6. I use all thickness nap, lambswool,
   Start cleaning those rollers they get better with age!
7. Benjamin Moore, XIM primers, Dap caulk
It ain't easy being cheesy

Offline DecorativeWalls

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 461
  • I'm a llama!
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2007, 07:28:51 AM »
Hi Ronny- Welcome  :)

I will offer suggestions or tried methods that work for me and as others have already mentioned theirs,  you may get some other great suggestions also.

1. yes, with practice you can paint trim without taping.  When I learned years ago, I had a practice wall set up and my mentor used to make me practice , practice, practice on wall/ceiling trim as well as window trims.    There are some post in the archives that talks about painting trim.  I find not loading your brush heavily also helps a great deal and I like using a 2 1/2 to 3" brush for wall/ceiling(angular)-, starting in the corner and fanning the bristles out as I go and the outermost edge of the bristles ride along the edge line of the ceiling/wall.  Also not to have a build up of paint on the bottom edge as this could lead to hatbanding,flashing when you begin your regular painting. I am also a decorative painter, so in my case - delicate blue painter's tape- 3m # 2080 is my "best" friend.  Found with an orange core/blue center or yellow/blue center.  Tape lines are clean as a whistle and NO paint seepage.

2. Primers ARE NOT necessary for every job.   You really need to examine each person's substrate thoroughly to determine if a primer is needed.  May need to ask homeowner some questions also (if they know).    There are lots of variables to determine if a primer is needed or not,  how long the wall has been before painting, what color is on there now, what finish is on the wall, oil/latex, as you mentioned, dark colors going to light,  painting reds or transparent colors, dirty walls grease, etc., mold/mildew, tinted primers close to the final color choice;       so you see , there are lots of things to determine whether primers are needed .    just do a thorough examination;      if there are any doubts,  yes IMO you should prime.  Primers are indeed a person's best friend, but they are not always needed , and oh  two coats a selected paint .

3. 3m makes a masking system you can use;    use a taping knife and press down and push against the carpet, clean the knife if paint gets on it,  also don't use a loaded brush, that would be your enemy.

4.  Corona brushes-  2, 2 1/2, 3" sizes,  champagne nylon vegas or vista,  chinex-excalibur.      www.coronabrushes.com

5. buckets/grids,   but I also use trays if I am doing only one room.

6.  3/8ths purdy dralon white dove most of the time (smooth walls)- also wooster's

7. Best paints - are to me a personal choice.  Some like other brands better while others like something else.     I use lots of different paint brands .   I do use a lot of Ben Moore, but there are lots of great paints out here;   ppg-manor hall,  p/l- accolade, SW- Valspar-signature series, etc.
Primers & their products- my ulimate choice is XIM all the way, but I do use a lot of BM-fresh start and SW- preprite, Zinsser's.  Oh, and I do interior repaints- not new builds. 

good luck :)
« Last Edit: September 18, 2007, 08:12:48 AM by DecorativeWalls »

Offline bionic88

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 6
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2007, 04:37:50 PM »
3. Skill, patience, and a few choice curse words
LOL that was really funny,
also i've been wasting too much money on throwing out my roller covers, i will definitely try your advice lackamoola.  any specific NAP+brand for most flat surface walls?

and carl, if your cutting in on ceiling corners with a different color on the ceiling all freehand, are you saying that it will be as perfect as taping.    but as i've seen the lines aren't as flush. a little bleeding into the ceilings once it dries.  maybe with a wide putty or taping  knife.

thank you everyone for your posts especially "decorativeWalls" for the lengthy post and in the future i do want to get into to decorative/faux so thanks for your advice i might need some more help in the future.

so basically everyone picked buckets and grids over trays , but man those grids must be a b@#$% to clean.

and about priming, i once repainted a light peach room over with white, and man I had to do like 4 or 5 coats and i cursed that i didn't prime. so i gather that if i repaint a darker color over a lighter color than priming may not be necessary.    what about if i'm repainting a flat onto a semi gloss or gloss does that matter?

also in witch situations would you use a sprayer (gun), what if you had to paint 20 or more units in a building and you only had a short time to paint w/ minimal helpers, is a sprayer faster. what are the pros and cons?  :-\
« Last Edit: September 18, 2007, 05:13:26 PM by bionic88 »

Offline lackamoola

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 144
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2007, 06:39:15 PM »
so basically everyone picked buckets and grids over trays , but man those grids must be a b@#$% to clean.

brush or rinse it down a little and hang it on a bucket to dry...
when the holes get too filled with paint to be effective toss 'em out
it's been money well spent ;D



also in witch situations would you use a sprayer (gun), what if you had to paint 20 or more units in a building and you only had a short time to paint w/ minimal helpers, is a sprayer faster. what are the pros and cons?  :-\

can't help you with that one, I don't spray anything.


It ain't easy being cheesy

Offline CarlThePainter

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 371
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2007, 06:49:04 PM »
I actually dislike using new grids....they take too much paint off when dipping.  I like a loaded roller.  After a new screen has been used a while and the holes are plugged up a little, they are perfect. 

I don't tape off the ceiling lines very often.  That all gets cut in by hand.  If you are taping off ceilings, I would suggest a little clear acrylic first to seal that tape edge so that paint won't bleed behind there or use the ceiling paint first before your wall color. 

Offline ProWallGuy

  • postingpro
  • PF God
  • *
  • Posts: 806
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2007, 08:35:34 PM »
1. Yes
2. No
3. A quality brush and a steady hand
4. 3" Wooster Super Pro Badger or 3" Corona Tacoma
5. Bucket & screen
6. 3/4" Wooster 50/50, reusable for several jobs
7. Benny Moore

Jared

  • Guest
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2007, 12:18:15 AM »
1.  Absolutely.  Tape will rarely be used at the ceiling line by pros - the most common exception to this would be when fauxing a wall where it meets a prepainted white ceiling...  but most of us hand-cut our ceilings on most jobs.  In fact, on jobs where the ceiling lines are not straight, tape can have the opposite effect and actually make the imperfections stand right out.

2.  Primer has its place.  There are jobs I won't touch without priming first, but then there are many situations where it is not necessary.  Just don't trust a "self-priming paint" to be able to successfully bond to any substrate - cause that won't happen.  ;)  Learn to assess each individual aspect of each job when it comes to deciding when priming is necessary.  And get to know XIM's product line, specifically their bonding primers & latex extender.  You'll be glad you did.  ;)

3.  Lots of effective ways to go here...  sometimes tape, sometimes those 3-4' plastic strips, sometimes even just wedge the edge of the canvas drop in between the baseboard & carpet (has been effective for me in the rare instances where the base is installed over the carpet). 

4.  Some Wooster, mostly Corona.  1.5" & 2.5" in Chinex & Nylon for water-based coatings, and in White China & Ox for oil-based coatings.

5.  I personally prefer the bucket & grid, but the lowly paint tray does have its place, and I do use them on occasion.

6.  I live in the land of textured walls, so I rarely use a nap size smaller than 1/2" for interior walls & ceilings.  I almost exclusively use sheepskin sleeves, I keep at least 2 or 3 in each nap size from 3/8" up to 1-1/4".  I also keep around some 3/16" synthetics and some 1/4" mohair sleeves for super-smooth surfaces, as well as a large assortment of nap sizes & types in mini-rollers and 18"ers.

7.  The best paint?  (Hmm, I bet most of y'all would win some money betting on this answer, hehe)  My vote (obviously) goes to BM, specifically BM's Aura - but that does not mean I'd use any paint from BM - you won't see me working with any of their pearl finishes, for example.  ;)  IMO there is no one brand that has never let me down, aside from XIM perhaps.  ;)

Offline bionic88

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 6
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #9 on: September 19, 2007, 01:56:09 AM »
so far all of your answers have helped me in changing a few things.

1) I will continue taping off baseboards and trim, but will try to freehand all ceiling lines.
 (i know... practice, practice, practice)

2) still not so clear on primer, my customers don't like it bcuz i charge them almost double when i do it.
so if i'm repainting a dark beige wall in "white", what do you say can it be done w/ just 2 coats of white paint?  and does it matter if i'm repainting over flat or semi gloss for instance?

3) for carpets i might buy a carpet blade, what do you think?

4) i will try wooster or corona brushes, i like 21/2"  and 3" (I also need angled for corners).
i currently use synthetic brush, (i really only paint w/ latex paint) should i use authentic?

5) seems like the consensus is pointing towards bucket and grid, i'll have to try that. ;D

6) someone told me i should use 1/2" lamb skin or lamb wool rollers.
Jared, you mentioned sheepskin and mohairs.
does anyone know the different types of roller sleeves and their benefits.
i just saw a "lamb skin" roller at home depot for $45+tax, now that is a lot of money for a roller cover/sleeve).

7) as for paint i will try some of the ones you guys recommended and see what i like best.

A few more quick ones
*What about painting pads for cutting in as opposed to brushes, does anyone have any experience w/ them?

*Roller handles are there any you recommend or does it not matter?

*Do you buy your supplies Online or your Local paint store and where?

ok so i think i'm pushing my luck w/ all these questions, i hope you guys don't hate me  >:( ..lol



Offline lackamoola

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 144
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #10 on: September 19, 2007, 05:56:44 AM »
Quick answers #2
#1 painting trim(except baseboards) before painting walls makes the job easier
#2 learn the purpose and function of primers
#3 they work good and worth the money
#4 ya don't need a angled brush for corners
     get a brush ya like and go with it
#5 yea you right!
#6 I said lambskin I meant sheepskin
#7 ...
#8 I've never used a paint pad so really don't know anything about them except they reek amateur
#9 Wooster, Purdy make good roller poles
#10 both
#11 the best advice i can give you
     go to work by the hour for someone that really knows the trade
     and learn the trade from the ground up before you venture to far into
     the business side of painting. learning at the expense of paying customers
     rarely works out well for either party.
     Good luck!
It ain't easy being cheesy

Offline CarlThePainter

  • postingpro
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 371
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2007, 07:31:16 AM »
Yeah I think that is one big common misconception people have concerning angled brushes....that they are needed for getting into corners.  You can get into corners easily with a straight brush with some practice.  I personally think that making a straight line freehand is much easier with a straight brush. 

Jared

  • Guest
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2007, 12:27:16 PM »
A clarification:  "sheepskin" and "lambskin" are the same thing, as far as roller sleeves go.  Now "Lambswool" can be different - often lambswool sleeves are actual lambswool but attached to a woven, man-made backer - real sheepskin (or lambskin) will actually use the animal skin as the backer.

I love sheepskin rollers for many reasons - but primarily, they are super-easy to clean, and a good one will last hundreds of uses.  Be aware that lots of manufacturers are making crappy ones nowadays, it can be hard to find a really great sheepskin sleeve.  IMO, I'd avoid the "QualiTech" ones from HD - they are the only ones I've ever used that actually shed as badly as synthetics.  A really good sheepskin will NEVER shed and rarely spatter, if ever.  ;)  The best brand I've ever encountered is the "DERMA ROLLER CORP" - their sheepskin sleeves somehow dramatically exceed the quality levels of everyone else, consistently.  Can be very hard to find though...

And $45 for a sleeve - any sleeve - has got to be a mistake.  The average sheepskin sleeve retails for $7-12.

Mohair sleeves will only come in very short nap sizes (1/4" or thereabouts) and are for achieving a superior finish on smooth, flat woodwork & doors.  You won't be using mohair for walls & ceilings.

I don't like using synthetic sleeves, for the most part - especially the cheap ones that spatter & shed badly.  When I have to use a synthetic, I stick to the white ones as they tend to shed & spatter less than the ultra-cheap orange ones.

Paint pads are a total waste of time for cut-in work, IMO.  Don't bother.

As for roller frames, I only use the nice Wooster ones.  They are definately worth a few bucks more.

As to your primer question, allow me to ask you this:
Let's say you do a job where you really should have used primer, but you didn't (in order to save the client $$).  Now, let's say that the paint job fails within a year, and you are forced to go back and correct the problem as a warranty issue...  now you are losing $$, and potentially damaging your reputation, and all because a corner was cut to try and save $$.  Cutting corners DOES NOT SAVE MONEY!  It only costs you more down the road.  Consistently.  So, get to know when you need primer and when you don't!  If you search this forum, you'll find a whole lot of threads that discuss primer usage in more detail.
« Last Edit: September 19, 2007, 01:58:30 PM by Jared »

Offline 98mustangguy

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 60
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #13 on: September 19, 2007, 02:29:55 PM »
Shurline also has nice roller frames, I use them and wooster but I prefer the grip on the shurlines though. I actually tried a paint pad and a corner paint pad once hahaha never again it looked terrible and it stuck out like a sore thumb on the wall. For synthetic rollers the best I found are teflon coated Shurline rollers but the natural sleeves are better. But back to the title Ill go for doggy technique and no special equipment required. :D  I actually prefer angled brushes for stuff like window trim moldings and straight for cutting a wall.

Offline rmichael

  • postingpro
  • PF Mega God
  • *
  • Posts: 2406
  • You gotta love it!
Re: What's your Technique & equipment you use??? >> Interior Painting <<
« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2007, 10:50:03 PM »

2) still not so clear on primer, my customers don't like it bcuz i charge them almost double when i do it.


With a distinct color change or a sheened finish paint charge only 30% - 50% more ( depending on the size of the job ) for the primer..... you will probably save a coat of finish and it will make the job twice as easy with better results..

rmichael
Pro Painter 30 years ~ Down East Coastal NC

"Hell Son, It's always been about the work."

 

anything