Colour your world this Christmas
Whether you are a professional painter or a do-it-yourself enthusiast with plans for painting your home for the holiday season, you will agree that the first step in executing a good job is to prepare the surfaces properly.
According to Kenneth Richardson, customer service manager at Sherwin-Williams Ltd, before you can begin the work of painting the home, you must start by having a set of basic tools, equipment and materials to perform the job efficiently and professionally.
Richardson further stated that children could learn responsibility by being part of the painting process. "Let them help with preparations, by masking and covering items that need to be protected from paint splashes. Let them also help in choosing the colours they like," he said.
"It's a good idea for them to assist with the application of Sherwin-Williams emulsion paints, as all are non-toxic and safe for children. They can create their own pattern on the walls. Let your kids bring out the creativity they have inside. Who knows, you may just unearth the next Michelangelo," Richardson said.
MATERIAL LIST
- A lightweight step ladder - six to eight feet in height. If you are buying a new one, make sure it has a working platform or tray adequate enough to hold a roller tray or bucket.
- Drop cloth - This can be purchased at your local hardware store, or look around the house for old bed sheets, or use up newspaper sheets to cover floors and furniture and to do masking.
- Painter's masking tape
- Regular screwdriver
- A set of painter's putty knives - select a two-inch up to a four-inch-width set
- Paintbrush - Select good quality bristle or synthetic nylon brushes. Have a range of different-size brushes from a half-inch or one-inch up to six-inch width.
- Your paintbrushes for small areas range in size from one to three inches. Your broad brush, such as a six-inch, is used for the application of emulsion or water-based paints to paint large areas.
- Select a standard nine-inch roller kit. Make sure you select roller covers or sleeves for the painting of oil and low-sheen paint, these are usually 1/8-1/4 inch pile height. Use a 1/2-3/4-inch pile for emulsion (flat) finishes and for those textured or pebbledash rendered walls.
- Use liquid detergent for washing off dirty and contaminated surface areas.
PREPARATION FOR PAINTING
- Use your step ladder to reach high areas.
- Remove all soft fabric materials, such as drapes or curtains, from the windows.
- Remove plaques, photographs and decorative pieces from wall spaces.
- Remove rollaway carpet or pieces, rugs from floor area.
- Push furniture to the centre of room or place some pieces on the bed, sofa or on top of dinning table.
- Cover your floor or carpet with dustsheets or plastic covering.
- Cover furniture pieces. Tape down and wrap around exposed areas. Use painter's tape to hold covering in place.
- Unscrew switch plates from wall surface.
- Start working on the ceiling and walls by removing any flaking paint.
- Remove dust, stubborn dirt, grease, etc. from walls or ceiling with detergent solution and water (use grease remover to clean greasy areas).
- Rinse off surface thoroughly with clean water and cotton waste - allow surface to dry.
- 'Make good' using a putty knife on all surface cracks, defects with the plaster filler mixture and emulsion glue/adhesive.
- Use dusting brush to clean sanded areas.
PAINTING TIPS
1 Set up your step ladder for good lighting by working from the window area under the ceiling. Start working from the corner from left to right or from the best working angle in your situation.
2 Mix or 'box up' paint thoroughly after opening the can of Sherwin-Williams Kem Flat or Sherwin-Williams Special Emulsion or Kem Oil Gloss paints.
3 Pour into roller tray or bucket for brush application.
4 Use a six-inch paintbrush for emulsion work on large areas or for speed of application use the nine-inch roller set with the 1/2 or 3/4 inch roller nap for flat emulsions.
5 Use the low nap 1/8-1/4-inch roller for oil paints and low-sheen emulsion application.
- Use a four-inch brush for oil paint applications on large areas.
- Have available a two-inch brush for narrow areas and for cutting in work.
DID YOU KNOW?
Colours that are in this Christmas:
- Rustic and earth tones (greens, browns, oranges, yellows, reds and some lilacs)
- Delicious Melon SW6653
- Outgoing Orange SW6641
- Gleeful SW6709
- Totally Tan SW6115
- Inspired Lilac 6820
- Tatami Tan SW6116
- Cayenne SW6881