Paint job cleanup items

Jan 15, 2005 5 Replies

I have an upcoming painting job for a customer. It's been a year since I did any painting. I have my materials but realized I didn't get any cleanup items.



Disposable rags etc. Could someone give me their input on what I'll need. Latex painting only and some baseboard replacement.



Can a recently used brush be wrapped in saran wrap and placed in a fridge for use the next day ?



Would it also work with a roller cover ?



Thanks.


There's no time to re-teach you to paint/clean before the job, but ... brushes and rollers can be put in the freezer (not the fridge). They thaw in about 2 minutes after you dip them in room-temp paint the next day.

-B

I never tried freezing them, I'll try that next time, but I do always wrap up rollers and brushes ( sometimes the whole tray too) and put them in the fridge overnight so they are ready for the next coat or rest of the job. Never had a problem even if I missed a day and they sat 2 days. Then when you wash that brush and roller cover, use warm water and a little shampoo, and rinse a few times, comb the brush with an old comb then let them dry with the nap or bristles not touching anything. I always keep lots of rags around when painting, a few wet and most dry, anything absorbent will do, though I prefer cut up old bath towels to anything I have ever found sold as disposable rags. The "box of rags"..really heavy duty paper towels actually, that they sell at Home Depot etc will work OK in a pinch though, the most important thing is to have plenty of them.

I clean my brushes every day and sometimes during the day. I buy good ones and take care of them. The paint tends to wick up the brush. A brush has built in air pockets. I have a hard time believing a wrapped brush is going to deliver a quality job the next time you use it.

I wrap my rollers very tightly in a standard kitchen trash bag (double layer this way) and leave them where ever. I have never put them in the Fridge and they have been fine to use at least a week later. Actually a pre-soaked roller works better than a new roller.

Colbyt

Freezing the tools is a good idea if you're using oil paint, since it's such a pain in the ass to clean off. For latex, why bother? You can thoroughly clean a brush in 3 minutes. Make sure you have one of those metal tools with teeth on one side (to separate the bristles as you run lots of water through). Those tools usually have a curved edge on the other side for cleaning rollers. For soap, use a very basic shampoo without any sort of conditioner in it, like baby shampoo, or VO5, both of which are cheap.

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required