I’ve just Googled How to Paint a House and it’s amazing the results that showed up – a load of rubbish obviously written by graduates from The School of No-Idea. I think a lot of these sites are just Adsense traps and some of the advice is just plain wrong.

So what would I know? I’m a professional painter – I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome to prove it. I’ve painted plenty of houses. I’ve also painted boats, factories, offices and my last gig in Australia before coming to live in Paris was running a High-Rise Swinging Stage concrete-cancer repair and painting team. So listen up and I’ll make it easier for you to paint your flipping fixer-upper and literally save thousands.

Probably the most important thing about painting a house, or painting anything for that matter, is to have the right equipment. Good painting gear is expensive but it’ll save you time and money and the job will look a lot better. If you don’t want to buy all the gear you can hire an awful lot of it. But at least invest in good-quality brushes and rollers. Don’t be tempted to buy those shitty little plastic trays and Chinese brushes that are always on special at the hardware store. Buy the good stuff. Believe me – you’ll be using them again and properly looked after you’ll get many a job out of them.

For interior work get yourself a decent metal paint tray, a top-quality roller handle (Pros call it a frame), an expandable aluminium pole to fit and good quality sleeves. I can’t emphasize that enough – cheap sleeves (or “covers”) will leave lines and you’ll go mad trying to eliminate them. Get yourself lambswool covers or good-quality synthetic. Before use wash them and roll them out to get any fluff or fibers off. Cheap covers not only leave lines but also bits of fibers. In fact don’t buy this stuff from the hardware store if you can avoid it – go to a specialist paint supply house or tradesmans store. You might spend hundreds on this gear but it’s going to be worth it.

While you’re in the specialist paint store buy yourself a “spinner” – this is a gadget you put the paint sleeves or covers on to spin the last of the paint out whilst holding it under running water (for acrylic). You can also use it for cleaning enamel from roller-sleeves and brushes. I wouldn’t do a job without a spinner. They’re expensive but will last a lifetime. Every professional painter has one in his kit.

Also pick up some professional canvas drop-sheets. Avoid those plastic numbers they sell in the hardware store. Avoid them like the plague. And don’t think you can make-do with newspaper or old sheets – more trouble than they’re worth. The paint just lies on plastic and you end up traisping it through the house. And with old sheets the paint just goes straight through.

This basic gear is going to cost several hundred dollars at least. But don’t worry – it’ll pay for itself after a couple of jobs.

Before using any of your fancy new brushes wash them in soapy hot water. Rinse in clean hot water then flick or spin them dry. Don’t store them bristles down or they’ll be ruined. Either store them flat (I sometimes wrap them in newspaper) or on their handles with the bristles up. If I’m using my hog-bristle enamel brushes a lot I store them in Mineral Turpentine (“Turps” or “White Spirit”) by drilling a hole through the ferrule (the metal part that holds the bristles) inserting a length of coat-hanger wire and suspending them over a pot of Turps so that the bristles are covered. Some brushes I store in linseed oil if I’m not going to be using them for awhile. And it goes without saying that you should have every skerrick of paint out of them before doing this. Use a liquid brush restorer first if you have to.

While you’re at the paint store pick up a box of Paintable Caulking Compound (we call it No More Gaps in Australia). Don’t be a skinflint – you’re gonna use heaps of this stuff – it makes the difference between a professional-looking job and a happy-home-handyman job. The first thing I notice with a paint job is have the gaps been filled? I’m talking about the gaps around doors, windows, cornices (where the ceiling meets the walls) and mouldings.

Here’s a good Starter Kit

* Paint Roller (sleeve or cover)

* roller frame (handle)

* metal paint tray

* 3 metre aluminium extension pole

* Synthetic Paint Brush 60mm

* Synthetic Paint Edger 38mm

* Canvas Drop Sheets (the more the merrier but buy at least two large)

* Masking Tape

* Paint Mixer (either to put on a drill or the plunger type with holes in it)

* Correct surface preparation filler

* Filling knife (“putty” knife)

* Sanding block (metal or cork) and or pole sander

* paint spinner

Buying the Right Brushes
For water-based (acrylic) or oil based (enamel) paint, a good quality synthetic brush is the go.

Look for Dupont Tynex and Orel filaments – they’re pretty good. Generally the more expensive the brush the better it is.

For fine gloss enamel you might consider buying a hog bristle brush. Don’t use it for acrylic water-based paints as it absorbs the water in the paint and ruins it.

What size brushes? Again, the more the merrier but a good quiver might include 38mm, 50mm, 60mm and 75mm brushes. Generally the bigger brushes, although holding more paint, are heavier to wield and harder on the wrists if you’re not used to them (that’s why I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome).

What’s a Good Brush?

Pass your hand over the filaments. In a good brush, the filaments are different lengths. This way paint is carried in the middle of the brush as well as at the tip.

A top-notch brush has tapered filaments – thick at the butt end and thinner at the tip. A brush with tapered filaments releases paint gradually, evenly, smoothly.

The Rolls Royce of brushes, in addition to being tapered, has filament ends properly “tipped” and “flagged.” These give the brush a soft, smooth painting edge, which leaves brush marks almost too small to see. But these are expensive and probably not the choice for a fixer-upper project.

Choosing a Roller Frame

Rollers and frames come in three basic sizes, 180mm, 230mm and 270mm. The 180mm to 230mm sizes cover less surface area but are lighter and easier to work with.
Choose a strong roller frame that is not easily bent and the cage assembly is tight and spins freely. Ensure the handle has a comfortable grip and that it is aligned with the centre of the cage for improved stability and even application pressure.
The roller frame should have a cap at each end to prevent paint from collecting inside the cover and to allow it to roll smoothly.
The frame grip should be comfortable and have a hollow threaded end to fit an extension pole. Again steer clear of cheap and cheerful roller frames and covers. They just make the job harder.

Choosing the Correct Roller Covers

The Pros say a high-quality roller cover should have a phenolic core that will not soften in water and will with stand every paint solvent.
Roller covers are made in varying thicknesses, each one designed for a specific surface texture – smooth, uneven or rough. A thickness or nap of 6mm is for very smooth surfaces, 12mm for slightly uneven surfaces and 20mm for rough surfaces.
Rollers can be made from foam, synthetic fibres and lambswool.

Foam rollers

Are all right for some jobs. They are seamless and lay down a smooth, lint-free coat of paint.
They’re good for reaching into corners and tricky edges. They clean up easily with water if you are using acrylic paint or with solvent if you are using enamel. With the cheaper ones you can just throw them away after use.

Synthetic or synthetic/lambswool blend rollers.

This is what you want. They are very durable and able to cope with hard use.
The denser fabric holds more paint when loading.

Lambswool and Mohair

Being natural animal fibres they are also durable and hard-wearing. Probably not what you want for your Flip job though. Although they are easier to clean than regular synthetic fibres, they are more expensive.

The fine wool mohair rollers are good for all gloss paints as well as varnishes, epoxies, enamels and polyurethane clear coatings. They give a mirror finish.

The Roller ‘nap’ refers to the thickness of the rollers surface. A 6mm nap is recommended for flat wall and ceilings. 12mm nap for surfaces with small imperfections and 20mm nap for textured surfaces.

OK. That’s enough to get you started. More later. I got to finish painting a room.

Malcolm Lambe is an Australian professional painter based in Paris. His main site is http://www.welcometowallyworld.com

Author: Malcolm Lambe
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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