Owens Corning
Painting Rigs and Gadgets That Really Work
1. Here's how to set up rigs for both big and small painting jobs that allow continuous painting since you don't have to stop and refill or clean out a roller pan.

Big Job Rigs: For painting large areas the same color, pour a couple gallons of paint into a 5 gal. pail with an expanded metal screen and use a 9-in. roller equipped with extension pole. Small job rigs: To paint right out of the can, use a small roller and a plastic grid that fits into a gallon can. One type is a Beats a Brush (Padco) roller with nylon nap covering the end of the roller so it can paint into a corner. It works like a champ, and even though the roller is small, it hold, a lot of paint and can be used to roll out small areas. This tool comes with several different length handles, so it is good for painting hard to reach areas like the inside of cabinets.

2. Pad painters (EZ Paintr) have wheels that allow the pad to paint right up to the trim. All these type trim pads, with or without wheels, work great if the molding is smooth. However, they mirror any defects in the molding on the wall. It's still better and faster to cut around old molding with many coats of rough paint using a standard brush.

3. Using Glass Mask (Wagner) is one approach to painting window trim, and not the glass pane. Apply the wax to glass, allow it to cloud over and then paint the window. Any paint from your brush that would get on the glass is deposited on the wax instead so cleanup is easier. Let the paint dry, at least until it skins over, then use the sharp point of a utility knife to score the paint at the joint between the mullions and glass and scrape off the wax with the razor scraper in the top of the Glass Mask dispenser. (If you don't score the paint, you can lift some of it off the mullions when you scrape the wax.) Latex paints tend to stay rubbery longer than oil and will lift easier if not scored.

4. A trim guard (Hyde Tools) protects glass from paint while cutting in mullions and rails. The trick to using one is to wipe it off as soon as paint gets on it. It's important to keep the backside of the shield, the part that rests against the glass, paint-free. A quick wipe with a rag is all that is needed.

5. Painting round objects like stair rail spindles, pipes, and railings is easy with a curved roller (Padco). It has a wire frame like a standard roller handle, but the shaft that holds the roller is curved. The 3-part roller bends around the shaft and lays on a smooth coat of paint. You do have to watch for drips, but if you don't overload the roller with paint it doesn't seem to be a big problem.

6. Brushes and rollers are easy to clean with a paint spinner (Hyde Tools.) First clean the brush or roller and then place the handle of the brush in the spinner clamp. Put the brush in an empty bucket and work the handle of the spinner up and down like a toy top. The brush spins and centrifical force removes the last bit of paint. Be careful. The brush must be fully inside the bucket or you will spray everything in sight ... like a wet shaggy dog shaking. Rollers slip over the end of the spinner clamp and are cleaned in the same way.

7. Leftover paint can be saved with the Gallon Saver (Sugrue Products). It is a plastic disk that is inserted into a gallon bucket and pushed down inside until it sits directly on the paint. The edges of the plastic disk are tapered to form an airtight seal against the sides of the can, preventing the paint from forming a skin on top and eventually hardening.


written by the editors at HouseNet

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