Practical tips

Tool and paint preparation

* Make sure you have all the necessary tools ready and within hand reach.

* Always protect yourself; paint is a chemical product wear eye protection, gloves. When sanding use dust mask.

* Make sure the paint tins are clean and remove dust to avoid dirt or small particles end up in the paint when you open the tin.

* Stir well, make sure the whole content of the tin is a homogenous liquid in colour and texture it is advised to use stirring extension on electric drill.

* Only dilute our paint with clean water, you can dilute the first coat of paint with 15% of water for better adhesion but diluted paint will have inferior coverage. For a high quality look a third coat will be advised.

* Pass new brushes over some sandpaper and roll between your hands to remove loos hairs. New roller? Make it wet and remove excess moisture by passing over a piece of cardboard.

* Paint in the right order.

***tip  If you are planning to paint ceilings and walls, always start with the ceiling. Finish the ceiling completely with base coat and final coats once fully finished continue with the walls. If you plan to do windows and doors start with those. You always end with the floor.

How to avoid streaks?

*Do not work with your back to the wall ,face the light so it is easier to see were you have already painted.

*Do not work to slow and do not interrupt work in the middle of an area.

*Allow the coats to flow into each other.

*If you have applied tape, remove the tape before the paint has dried avoiding damaging the paint..Remove tape slowly under an angle of 45°.If the paint has dried ,slowly cut free the edge with sharp cutter.

* Try to apply each coat in one go, if you are obliged to stop try to stop not in the middle but near an edge. To make the interruption as subtle as possible.

Cleaning your material

*Clean brushes, rolls and paint trays immediately after use.

* Try to clean your brushes outside or in a space where it does not matter to splash paint.

* Try to pore as much paint as possible back in the paint pot.

* For waterborne paint you can rinse your utensils in cold water and finish with warm soapy water.

*Solvent based paint rinse and clean with white spirit and finish with hot soapy water.

* Rinse out thoroughly and dry as good as possible.

* Always hang out brushes and rolls to dry to avoid damaging the bristle.

* After painting check out the space on splashes on plinths and doors remove splashes as soon as possible. Water based paint with hot water .solvent based paints with white spirit.

 Storing paint.

*Store paint in cool frost free storage room, water based paint can freeze and will go bad. Paint can be stored up to 2 years.

* Close paint tins properly to avoid air can get into the tin, so avoiding a skin drying on the paint. If you get a skin on the paint this should not be a problem as you can remove it and used the paint underneath. Refrain from mixing the dried paint skin into the paint as this will result in small particles in the paint. This will ruin the look of the paint.

*Poor small pint remains in a smaller tin to avoid excessive contact with air, remember to label properly which paint is in the tin.

***tip if you fail to remove the skin of dried paint properly, try to filter the paint by pouring the paint through nylon socks to remove small pieces of paint.

Bear in mind when you clean out rolls and brushes you soil about 1000l. of water. Sometimes it makes sense to simply replace old brushes and used paint rolls, think about the environment.