Probably a beginner paint question, but I'm a beginner.
I've been painting some interior rooms, using good quality Benjamin Moore (mostly darker colors on the bottom half of the 6-part chip sample) and I always seem to require at least 3 coats to make the brush marks diappear. Even over 2 solid coats of primer. What might I be doing wrong?
Thanks for any advice.
Janis
You do not mention what quality of brush you use. IIRR (memory aided by a look at my own brushes) my professional painter friend buys for this reason only Beauti-Tone, fairly expensive.
Some stuff called Flo-trol (?), or Flo-something that is available at Home Depot and hardware stores. It is a liquid and mixes with the paint, and really makes it flow nicely. Brush marks are a combination of substrate (what you are painting), the type and quality of brush, the thickness of paint, the temperature, the temperature of the substrate, lots of things.
But the Flo-trol (sp?) sure helps.
Steve
In alt.home.repair on 28 Jul 2005 16:25:14 -0700 snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com posted:
Latex?
Not now, Ma'am. Maybe later.
Meirman
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That's easy, DON'T USE A BRUSH !!! Get a paint sprayer or use a roller instead.
First I'd make sure to use a good quality brush that is has the bristles tapered instead of one where all the bristles are cut to the same length. Next when brushing make sure your finish strokes go from the area to be painted next into the area just painted. In other words, if you are painting a vertical board and starting at the top, put on the paint and get it smoothed out downward, then make very light finish strokes starting on the unpainted part and going upward across the part just painted.
Steve.
I use a roller in order to get completely even coverage. This leaves a dimpled finish. Immediately after the whole door, or whatever, is evenly covered, I slide a very fine brush over the dimples to eliminate them. Merely the weight of the brush on the tip of the brush is sufficient. Use long "slides" from one end of the piece to the other. Works great with oil and latex, flat and gloss.
Brushes seem like the only option around edges though, right? Those foam pads were sloppy.
A sprayer sounds great for the walls, but is it overkill for just a couple of interior rooms? Does it involve a lot more prep/masking? Sounds like a dream, but would it be a mess? Can I rent one?
Can't wait to try the Flotrol too.
Thanks!
Worked with an old painter as a kid. His advice to me was to lay on the paint and stroke toward the previously painted edge as recommended by others. Then, tip the brush lightly with paint about 1/4" up. Start close to the edge but not *at* the edge (that would peel the paint off and have it running down the edge). Take a loooong, liiiiight stroke, slowly lifting the brush as you go. The advice and technique has served me well for years and I'm usually disappointed when I have to resort to hiring someone to paint what I am no longer able to do.
The problem is that everyone (well lots, anyway) wants a paint to dry instantly and for white to cover black in one coat. Naturally the paint mfgrs adjust their formulation to try to satisfy these demands but in doing so they sacrifice the self-leveling characteristic. The instant-gratification crowd probably don't care since they use rollers which spread out the paint enough to cover and they've already accepted the inferior dimple finish.
Surprisingly the cheaper the paint the better the self-leveling or so it seems to me. Floetrol might be worth a shot, too.
WonderfulFel.. is right -- often colors don't cover and multiple coats are necessary. The darker the color, the more coats needed typically.
Floetrol won't help much with coverage - it's used to slow dry time when doing trim/doors/windows. It also allows the brush marks to level out, letting latex act more like oil.
Oh, and no, a sprayer is not reasonable for a room or 2.
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