"Norminn" wrote in message
...
On 9/20/2012 5:13 PM, Todd wrote:
Hi All,

Some beginner's painting questions:

1) for 8 sq ft do a really need a roller? Or can I stick with a brush?

2) if using a brush, can I dip directly into the can? Or, will
the second time I dip it into the can contaminate the can?

3) do I caulk before or after I paint?

4) water cleanup. Does this mean the hose outside or can
I use the sink inside? (Will it mess up the sink?)

Many thanks,
-T

You've gotten quite a few good tips here. In general, I would advise not
to buy the cheapest of anything...paint, brushes, rollers. In choosing a
roller, be sure to check the nap length and label....short nap for smooth
surfaces. Be sure to mix you paint with a stir stick immediately prior to
use, even though they put it on the shaker at the store. I strongly
advise using alkyd (oil) semi paint for trim, kitchens and baths because
it wears and cleans better. On trim, latex is impossible to sand smooth
when you want to repaint. Alkyd is a tad more trouble to clean up, using
mineral spirits to clean brush. So what. Using latex, yes you can clean
brushes in the kitchen sink, but get rid of as much paint as you can first
by squishing brushes in newspaper to get out excess. When finished
cleaning either kind of paint from brushes, soak them a while in Dawn dish
detergent, work it into base of bristles and then rinse thoroughly.

I would buy paint only at a paint store...Ben Moore, Sher Williams, etc.
All in all, meticulous prep is more important than the brand of paint
because bad prep will make any paint job look like crap. Make sure
surfaces are CLEAN, free of dust, moisture (dry the wall in the bath),
mildew, soap scum. If you patch holes, prime the area x2 before painting.

Read labels and follow instructions for use, thinning, recoating, etc.

If you stop and start, wrap roller/brush in foil or plastic and stick it
in the freezer.

Very nice summary -- good commonsense stuff that works. I found out the way
to clean brushes by accident and, yes, working detergent into the bristles
before water rinsing helps the cleaning process. I also keep a wire brush
handy to comb the bristles clean of hardened paint and am careful to use
synthetic bristles rather than animal bristles for latex paint. If there's
any hint of dirt, especially grease, on the previously-painted surface,
clean it. I use Windex.

Tomsic