Article by Tauqeer Hassan
There are a number of things to cheek before starting to paint. Make sure you have:
- sufficient paint - painting all the walls in a room can easily consume over five litres of emulsion paint and much more if the walls are absorbent. If you have to use more than one can, do not empty the first one and then start the second they may be slightly different colours. Instead once the first can is half empty add half of the second can to it and stir thoroughly. Whenever possible start using the new mix of paint at a corner
- good light - good light is necessary to achieve a good finish. As far as possible, take the opportunity to paint indoors when the natural light is strong but avoid direct sunlight producing deep shadows in some areas of the room which are difficult for your eyes to adjust to. If artificial light has to be used, fit the highest wattage bulb available without a lampshade
- no dust - dust on the final coat of gloss paint will mar the finish. Clean the room, especially the floor, the day before painting, keep dust down during painting by reducing draughts (be careful about limiting ventilation though) and reducing movement within the room keep out visitors- good access - from a step-ladder you should be able to reach comfortably every nook and cranny you want to paint. If not, improve your access before you begin painting. Pay particular attention to the stairs where you may need to use a stairway platform with your ladder.
Before taking the lid off the paint can, wipe around it to remove dust, grease and so on. Most paints need to be stirred thoroughly before use unless the instructions on the can warn against this. This is done by lifting the bottom layers of the paint up through the top layers for at least three minutes while making sure that no paint solids are left stuck to the bottom of the can. If on opening a can of non-stir jelly-type paint there is a thick layer of liquid on the surface of the paint, it should be thoroughly stirred in and the paint left to re-gel. (The paint could be used in its liquid form.)
Oil-based paints (such as gloss paint) often form a thick skin during storage. This can be removed by carefully cutting around the outside of it with a sharp old knife, lifting it out of the can and throwing it away. The paint can then be stirred.
A can of paint left overnight may grow a very thin skin on the surface of the paint which is difficult to remove without breaking it. The best way to get rid of this is to turn it into a thick skin by leaving the lid off the can for a day or two and then cutting the thick skin away. Overnight skinning can be prevented by gently pouring a tablespoonful of thinners (or solvent) use while spirit or turpentine substitute for oil-based paints over the surface of the paint before the lid is put on. The thinners should not be stirred into the paint before it is stored but make sure it is stirred into the paint thoroughly before it is next used. If you are unfortunate enough to end up with bits in paint, try straining these out through a pair of nylon lights this is not always successful. Other strainers you could try include paper filters from winemaking shops, and kitchen sieves used for flour.
Many emulsion paints and other water-based paints do not form skins but will deteriorate if they are stored in an outside shed and allowed to freeze. The inside of the can may also rust, especially around the inside of the lid use a spoon to pick off every lump of rust before you use the paint.
Before starling to paint, make sure that everything within splashing distance is covered and that you have some clean rags and a bottle of brush cleaner close to hand.