By this series of articles, Beverly Painting will take you through all DIY painting steps from preparation to paint a room including choosing the right paint. In this article we concentrate on paint preparation.
So, you have purchased your paint and you want to get stuck in to the residential painting or commercial painting job, but there are a few things you need to do first to ensure a successful painting job.
If the job you are working on requires two or three 4 litre cans of paint, mix, or ‘box’, the paint from all the cans together to get a consistent colour. To do this, find a clean container and open all of the paint cans (Make sure you are using right device to remove the lids). Pour half of the paint from the first can into the extra container. Then pour some paint from the second and third cans into the first can. Move to the extra container and pour in some more paint from the second and third cans. Then pour the contents of all four containers back and forth several times. When the paint is mixed, return it to the original containers and seal the lids tightly. A much quicker alternative is to mix all the paint together in a single 20 litre container, if you can find a suitable one.
Any electric drill mixing attachment is handy for water-based and oil-based paints. But don’t use the attachment to stir lacquer, epoxy paint, shellac, or any finish that includes ‘Do not shake can’ on its label. You won’t need to do battle with the bubbles that power-mixing stirs up. Instead, stir these paints and finishes by hand; they will stay fairly free of bubbles.
Here is another home-made way to minimise the mess created when stirring a full can of paint. Increase the height of the can by taping some folded sheets of newspaper around it. Any spills will fall onto the paper and not onto your workbench or floor.
Stirring full cans of paint with a drill-driven mixer can splatter paint everywhere. One way to contain the mess is with a large coffee tin lid (one that comes with the 500 g or 1 kg tins). Drill a hole in the centre of the lid and slip it onto the mixer shaft before inserting the mixer into the drill. Hold the lid tightly over the paint can while you are mixing.
Cut off the top of a clean 1 litre cardboard milk carton and use it as a container for mixing (or just holding) small amounts of paint or stain. The paint won’t stick to the wax coated interior, and the corner of the carton makes a good pouring spout.
Manual stirring
manual paint stirrer is more effective if it has several holes along its length. With each stroke the paint flows back and forth through the holes, allowing for faster, more thorough blending. You can buy a perforated metal stirrer or make your own wooden one. To make your own, find a long flat piece of scrap timber and use a drill to make a series of small holes. Rinse your stirrer thoroughly after use to prevent the holes from getting clogged with dried paint.