Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Thoroughly clean the roller after use. Stand the roller on its end to dry, then store in its plastic bag so the fibres don't distort or flatten.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting
Organization: You'll enjoy the job more if you get everything together at the start. Organize a tool station in the middle of the area you'll be working in. Gather together your paint, brushes, rollers, hammers, screwdrivers, plastic bags, plastic wrap, rags, paint can opener, and drop cloths.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting
Plan a day for prep: Don't try to get everything done in one day. Use the day before painting day to gather furniture in the center of the room, patch cracks and holes, put blue painter's tape around doors and windows, and cover wall and ceiling light fixtures (light bulbs removed, of course!) with large plastic bags.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting
Clear out all the furniture and accessories. Take everything you can off the walls. If you can't move everything out, place the furniture and lamps in the middle of the room and cover them with a good drop cloth. Be sure that you tape the cloth around the furniture. Then put a second cover of plastic or old sheet over everything.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting
Remove hardware: It may seem easier to paint around door knobs or cabinet hinges, but unless you're a professional, very experienced painter, you're bound to get drips around. So carry around some zip top bags and remove all cabinet knobs and hinges, door knobs, light switch plates and outlet covers, and light fixtures. Place the pieces together in separate bags and clearly mark the contents and location (top left cabinet, bathroom door, etc) you took them from. This is a great time to clean the hardware! Put them back when you're done painting.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting
Don't paint over problems: If your walls have holes or cracks, fix them before you start with the paint. Any home center or paint store has knowledgeable personnel to guide you to the best products for the job. Wide cracks and large holes can be "bridged" with fiberglass tape, spackle will fill small holes and cracks, and texturizing products are available to match your existing wall finish.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting
As a general rule of thumb, anything with a shiny surface needs to be dulled before painting.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting
Repaired, patched, stained and new surfaces require a coat of primer before painting. If the surface has been painted before, you only need to paint the patched or repaired areas.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Quality is important, so look for a roller in the mid to upper price range.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Start with diagonal or zigzag strokes to transfer the paint onto the wall or surface.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
When the roller is almost dry and the paint is distributed, go back over the area with long, vertical strokes for an even finish. This is called "laying off".
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
For solvent based paints, lay off from floor to ceiling. For water based paints lay off from ceiling to floor. If painting the ceiling, lay off towards the light source.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
To avoid lap lines, paint the surface in overlapping blocks (approx. one metre square). If you work quickly, this will blend the edges together. For glossy paints, paint in smaller blocks as lap lines are more noticeable.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Choose a roller that will cover a large area as quickly as possible. Tradespeople recommend a 270mm roller.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Generally, the smoother the surface, the shorter the nap (length of the pile).
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
A long nap is best used for semi smooth to rough surfaces and painting large areas.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Most solvent paints are used on smooth surfaces so a 5-6mm nap is recommended.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Water based paints on smoother surfaces are best applied with a 5-10mm nap.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Lambskin covers work best on smooth surfaces and with solvent based paints.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Mohair sleeves are best for undercoats and gloss and enamels on smooth surfaces.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Foam rubber covers are best for gloss and semi-gloss enamels and clear finishes.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Pre-wet the roller with appropriate solvent or water, spinning out the excess.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
If right handed, paint left to right. Of course, the opposite applies if you're left handed.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
An extension pole makes the job much easier, especially when painting ceilings.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Brushes
There are two types of brush on the market -- filament and hog's bristle. The new filament brush is said to make painting easier as it doesn't lose bristles and leaves less brush marks.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Brushes
A good brush is worth buying so look for one in the mid to upper price range.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Brushes
If you're painting a large surface like a wall, it makes sense to use a large brush. Choose a brush you are comfortable handling for a long period of time. Tradespeople recommend a 100mm brush.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Brushes
Brushing tips:
- Mark off adjacent areas that you do not want to paint, eg. Skirting boards, switches.
- Do the edges first. With a little practice, you can "cut in" your paint so that you don't have to mask. Cutting in refers to painting the edges of the area you are covering.
- For best results when cutting in, use a long handled cutting in brush, with a round handle for curved work and a square handle for general painting.
- To cut in, load the brush normally, leaving plenty of paint at the tip. Hold the brush like a pen with the narrow edge facing the line you are cutting in. Guide the brush along the area you are painting. Apply slight pressure to bend the bristles towards the cutting in line and allow a few bristles to overlap the adjacent surface.
- Paint with the grain of the wood for an even line.
- Use short strokes to distribute the paint, then go over the area with longer strokes for an even finish.
- When using water based paints, load the brush well, but don't use all the paint in the brush. It is best to lay off while the brush is still quarter full.
- Always paint into corners while your brush is fully loaded.
- Gloss paints look best when applied with a brush, rather than a roller.
- Clean you brush with an appropriate solvent, then wash in warm soapy water and rinse. Wipe the bristles with kerosene and store wrapped in newspaper.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting
Window Painting: Newspaper strips when wetted can be used around windows when painting, in place of masking tape. Remove strips before they dry out.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Electrical
Safety: Always shut off power at the main disconnect before doing electrical work. Always tape over the main switch, empty fuse socket, or circuit breaker, empty fuse socket or circuit breaker when you're working. Leave a note there so no one will accidentally turn on the electricity. Keep any fuses you've removed in your pocket.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Electrical
Don't trust someone else to turn off the main power switch for you. Do it yourself.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Electrical
Always check that the circuit is actually dead before you begin working on it. Use a circuit tested or voltammeter.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Electrical
Always unplug any appliance or lamp before repairing it.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Furniture
General care:- Keep furniture out of direct sunlight.
- Place furniture away from heating and air conditioning vents.
- Blot up spills immediately.
- Use coasters, placemats and tablecloths to protect furniture during use.
- Rotate accessories on your furniture periodically.
- Dust your furniture regularly and polish every 4-6 months.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Furniture
Color rings left on tables by cups and glasses can sometimes be removed by roughing slightly with an abrasive pad or paper and then rubbing with cigarette ashes mixed with cooking oil.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Furniture
Make furniture polish by mixing lemon oil with 3 parts olive oil.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Glass
Glass cutting: Use a wheel-cutter to score the glass. New glass should break cleanly along your line, simply by bending it, as it follows the stress lines in the glass that you have created with the "cutter" link . But you may have trouble with old, used glass, because the used glass will probably have lots of stress lines already in the glass, which may override the new stress line you apply with your glass cutter. In the case of old glass, gently strike the glass on the other side to score mark with the ball-end of a "pein" hammer, gradually working your way along the mark as it breaks - and hope for the best.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Glass
Cutting glass with scissors: It's possible to cut small pieces of glass with scissors, provided you hold the piece of glass underwater, so that the vibrations are dampened. link and WARNING link (wear gloves, and only cut flat glass!).
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Drinking water
If reliant on rainwater, inspect and clean gutters every 3-4 months.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Drinking water
Install a "first-flush" downpipe with a valve, that empties into a 10-20L bucket, to wash away roof-accumulated dirt and keep tank water clean.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Electrical > Solar power
Inspect and clean solar panels every 3-4 months. Even a very thin film of pollen, and a scattering of bird droppings, can reduce electricity generated.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Brushes
Miscellaneous tips:- Load the brush by dabbing the tip into a shallow dish of paint a couple of centimetres deep, several times. This forces paint onto many of the bristles, instead of the only outside bristles as occurs when dunking the brush into paint once.
- Apply paint diagonally to the left, then spread it more evenly across the surface by painting diagonally to the right, then lay off with long vertical strokes. The beginning and ending of each stroke must be gentle and along the same trajectory like a very shallow parabola, to avoid puddles and scuffles of paint. Work quickly so that strokes start in wet paint of the previous section and melt in.
- Always lay off in the same direction, i.e. always top-to-bottom, not in alternating directions. Otherwise there will be stripes.
- Avoid painting when there are lots of small insects about, such as in Spring. Also avoid windy days, to reduce the amount of dust collecting on wet surfaces.
- Switch to a new brush when the brush starts to feel gummed-up and stiffer. Continue with a new brush, leaving the previous brush in water.
- A good quality paintbrush should last a couple of years by being used carefully, washed out well after each use, and stored in its original packaging to retain shape.
kellyjones00 (593)
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