Painted Surfaces
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Paint is not only decorative--it's also a protective coating. But even though paint is made to stand up to considerable wear and tear, you must take care when cleaning it. Strong chemicals cleaners or too much scrubbing to remove greasy fingerprints can dull the paint's finish in spots or, worse, remove it altogether. Since touch-up painting, even with a color match, tends to look splotchy, a cleaning mistake could lead to a repainting. Ugh.
Dust painted surface regularly, when possible, to keep dirt and grime from staining the surface when smeared or moistened. For painted furniture, shelves, door and window trim, or knickknacks that are coated in a semigloss or glossy paint, use a clean dust cloth, either dry or slightly dampened with water. Dusting--especially wet dusting--entire walls is not feasible, since many walls are covered
with flat water-based paint, which wet dusting could actually remove.
To remove stubborn stains from semigloss or glossy paint, first by wiping gently with a cloth dampened with a sudsy solution of warm water and dishwashing liquid. If that doesn't work, try an all-purpose cleaner, but only after testing the cleaner on an inconspicuous corner of your painted surface. Clean from the bottom up so that your cleaning solution won't drip down, pick up grime, and leave dirty streaks.
Rinse with a clean, moist cloth or sponge. Dry well with clean towels to prevent water from damaging the paint or what's beneath it.
To remove marks from surfaces, such as walls, that are coated with flat paint, first try rubbing the area with a white vinyl eraser, the kind you'd find at an office supply store for erasing pencil marks. If that doesn't do the trick, try gently wiping the marks with a water-moistened cloth. Blot dry soon afterward with a clean towel. But be forewarned: Water can stain or even remove flat paint.
Painting Equipment
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The best painters will tell you that a good cleanup at the end of the day is essential. Not only does it keep their tools in tip-top shape, which means easier application and cleaner lines, but it also prolongs the life of their rollers, pans, and brushes. On the other hand, the pros will also be the first to tell you that there are times when you don't have to completely clean your gear, and in these special cases (see below) that will save you valuable time and energy. If you dread dealing with the messy after-math-the paint-smeared rags, the cloudy water or paint thinner, the matted paintbrushes or rollers--read on to discover a simple, environmentally friendly cleanup technique.
Start by putting the excess paint back into the paint container. Squeeze as much paint as you can from your brushes (wrap them in newspaper and press with your hands), empty your roller pans, and scrape paint off your rollers with the curved scraper on a 5-in-1 painter's tool, available at paint and hardware stores. Then wipe off as much of the remaining paint as possible using something disposable, such as an old rag, newspaper, or piece of cardboard. Let the rag or paper dry and then stuff it in the garbage.
Use a two-bucket system to keep things tidy. Whether you're using water-based or oil-based paint, use two large buckets (plastic 5-gallon buckets work well) to contain your mess: one for washing and one for rinsing. The system is economical (because you can reuse solvents), it's friendly to the environment (you reserve rather than throw out paint or used solvent), and it's neat.
Use one bucket for washing. If you're cleaning up after using water-based paint, mix warm water with a squirt of dishwashing liquid in the bucket. If you've been using oil-based paint, put a small amount of paint thinner or turpentine into the bucket---
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
The Painter's Secret >
To renew an old, stiff paintbrush, place it in hot vinegar (acetic acid) for 15 minutes, wash the brush the in dishwashing liquid and warm water, rinse, and air-dry
The Pro-Painter's Cleanup: Four Easy steps
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2 or 3 inches in the bottom should be enough. Immerse the brushes, and use your fingers to gently work the paint out of them. Use a brush comb or an old fork to clean between the bristles. To remove paint from the metal band on the handle, scrub gentle with a wire brush. Use a roller spinner, available at paint stores, to remove paint from the rollers, either spinning it in the wash bucket or,
better yet, in a third, empty bucket. (The paint really flies.) Wash the roller pans over the wash bucket. (The paint really flies.) Wash the roller pans over the wash bucket using a soft-bristled brush. Leave the dirty water or solvent in the bucket, cover the bucket with cardboard or newpaper to prevent evaporation, and let is stand.
Use the second bucket for rinsing, after you've removed the bulk of the paint from your brushes or rollers. For water-based paint cleanup, use clean water; for oil-based clean up, use fresh thinner.
When the water or solvent squeezed from the brushes or rollers comes out clear, you'll know you're finished. As with the wash bucket, cover the rinse bucket containing water or solvent with cardboard or newspaper and let it stand.
Let it paint solids settle to the bottom of the wash and rinse buckets overnight. The next day, carefully pour the water off the top of the solids. Using a putty knife or paint stirrer, scrape the paint off the bottom of the buckets onto newspaper and discard it. As for paint thinner or turpentine, you can reuse it. carefully pour the relatively pure liquid on top back into its original container. (Never store solvents in plastic, because solvents will damage plastic containers.) Again, scrape the solids up and discard.
If you'll be using oil paint again the next day, you don't need to thoroughly clean your brushes and rollers. just give your oil brushes and rollers a cursory cleaning (squeeze and scrape off the excess paint) and then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. This will keep them from drying out--and will save you the hassle of cleaning up twice. You can save the thorough two-bucket cleanup routine for the end of the project.
If a water-based brush or roller just won't come clean, it may be because many of today's water-based paints contain resins, similar to those used in oil-based paints, to improve adhesion, gloss, and durability. After cleaning and rinsing the brush or roller in water, try a second rinse in paint thinner or turpetine to completly clean it. Afterward, wash with clean, soapy water to remove the thinner.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
For supple Bristles >
To keep the bristles on a clean oil brush soft, rub a little pertroleum jelly into them. Before using the brush, rinse it in paint thinner or turpentine. Never rinse out an oil brush in water. Water tends to make bristles turn dry and brittle.
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Paint is not only decorative--it's also a protective coating. But even though paint is made to stand up to considerable wear and tear, you must take care when cleaning it. Strong chemicals cleaners or too much scrubbing to remove greasy fingerprints can dull the paint's finish in spots or, worse, remove it altogether. Since touch-up painting, even with a color match, tends to look splotchy, a cleaning mistake could lead to a repainting. Ugh.
Dust painted surface regularly, when possible, to keep dirt and grime from staining the surface when smeared or moistened. For painted furniture, shelves, door and window trim, or knickknacks that are coated in a semigloss or glossy paint, use a clean dust cloth, either dry or slightly dampened with water. Dusting--especially wet dusting--entire walls is not feasible, since many walls are covered
with flat water-based paint, which wet dusting could actually remove.
To remove stubborn stains from semigloss or glossy paint, first by wiping gently with a cloth dampened with a sudsy solution of warm water and dishwashing liquid. If that doesn't work, try an all-purpose cleaner, but only after testing the cleaner on an inconspicuous corner of your painted surface. Clean from the bottom up so that your cleaning solution won't drip down, pick up grime, and leave dirty streaks.
Rinse with a clean, moist cloth or sponge. Dry well with clean towels to prevent water from damaging the paint or what's beneath it.
To remove marks from surfaces, such as walls, that are coated with flat paint, first try rubbing the area with a white vinyl eraser, the kind you'd find at an office supply store for erasing pencil marks. If that doesn't do the trick, try gently wiping the marks with a water-moistened cloth. Blot dry soon afterward with a clean towel. But be forewarned: Water can stain or even remove flat paint.
Painting Equipment
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The best painters will tell you that a good cleanup at the end of the day is essential. Not only does it keep their tools in tip-top shape, which means easier application and cleaner lines, but it also prolongs the life of their rollers, pans, and brushes. On the other hand, the pros will also be the first to tell you that there are times when you don't have to completely clean your gear, and in these special cases (see below) that will save you valuable time and energy. If you dread dealing with the messy after-math-the paint-smeared rags, the cloudy water or paint thinner, the matted paintbrushes or rollers--read on to discover a simple, environmentally friendly cleanup technique.
Start by putting the excess paint back into the paint container. Squeeze as much paint as you can from your brushes (wrap them in newspaper and press with your hands), empty your roller pans, and scrape paint off your rollers with the curved scraper on a 5-in-1 painter's tool, available at paint and hardware stores. Then wipe off as much of the remaining paint as possible using something disposable, such as an old rag, newspaper, or piece of cardboard. Let the rag or paper dry and then stuff it in the garbage.
Use a two-bucket system to keep things tidy. Whether you're using water-based or oil-based paint, use two large buckets (plastic 5-gallon buckets work well) to contain your mess: one for washing and one for rinsing. The system is economical (because you can reuse solvents), it's friendly to the environment (you reserve rather than throw out paint or used solvent), and it's neat.
Use one bucket for washing. If you're cleaning up after using water-based paint, mix warm water with a squirt of dishwashing liquid in the bucket. If you've been using oil-based paint, put a small amount of paint thinner or turpentine into the bucket---
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
The Painter's Secret >
To renew an old, stiff paintbrush, place it in hot vinegar (acetic acid) for 15 minutes, wash the brush the in dishwashing liquid and warm water, rinse, and air-dry
The Pro-Painter's Cleanup: Four Easy steps
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Squeeze, pour, and scrape excess paint from brushes, pans, and rollers back into the paint can. Wipe off what's left on an old rag, newspaper, or cardboard and dispose of it.
- Use one 5-gallon bucket for washing. For water-based paint, use warm water with a squirt of dishwashing liquid. For oil-based paint, put 2 or 3 inches of paint thinner or turpentine into the bucket. Leave the dirty water or solvent in the bucket, cover the bucket, and let is stand.
- Use another 5-gallon bucket for rinsing. Again, for water-based paint, use clean water. For oil-based paint, use fresh thinner. As with the wash bucket, leave the water or solvent in the bucket and cover it.
- Let the paint solids settle to the bottom of the buckets overnight. The next day, pour the water off the top of the solids. Or pour the clean solvent off the top into the solvent's original container for reuse. Scrape the paint from the bottom of the buckets onto newspaper and discard
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2 or 3 inches in the bottom should be enough. Immerse the brushes, and use your fingers to gently work the paint out of them. Use a brush comb or an old fork to clean between the bristles. To remove paint from the metal band on the handle, scrub gentle with a wire brush. Use a roller spinner, available at paint stores, to remove paint from the rollers, either spinning it in the wash bucket or,
better yet, in a third, empty bucket. (The paint really flies.) Wash the roller pans over the wash bucket. (The paint really flies.) Wash the roller pans over the wash bucket using a soft-bristled brush. Leave the dirty water or solvent in the bucket, cover the bucket with cardboard or newpaper to prevent evaporation, and let is stand.
Use the second bucket for rinsing, after you've removed the bulk of the paint from your brushes or rollers. For water-based paint cleanup, use clean water; for oil-based clean up, use fresh thinner.
When the water or solvent squeezed from the brushes or rollers comes out clear, you'll know you're finished. As with the wash bucket, cover the rinse bucket containing water or solvent with cardboard or newspaper and let it stand.
Let it paint solids settle to the bottom of the wash and rinse buckets overnight. The next day, carefully pour the water off the top of the solids. Using a putty knife or paint stirrer, scrape the paint off the bottom of the buckets onto newspaper and discard it. As for paint thinner or turpentine, you can reuse it. carefully pour the relatively pure liquid on top back into its original container. (Never store solvents in plastic, because solvents will damage plastic containers.) Again, scrape the solids up and discard.
If you'll be using oil paint again the next day, you don't need to thoroughly clean your brushes and rollers. just give your oil brushes and rollers a cursory cleaning (squeeze and scrape off the excess paint) and then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. This will keep them from drying out--and will save you the hassle of cleaning up twice. You can save the thorough two-bucket cleanup routine for the end of the project.
If a water-based brush or roller just won't come clean, it may be because many of today's water-based paints contain resins, similar to those used in oil-based paints, to improve adhesion, gloss, and durability. After cleaning and rinsing the brush or roller in water, try a second rinse in paint thinner or turpetine to completly clean it. Afterward, wash with clean, soapy water to remove the thinner.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
For supple Bristles >
To keep the bristles on a clean oil brush soft, rub a little pertroleum jelly into them. Before using the brush, rinse it in paint thinner or turpentine. Never rinse out an oil brush in water. Water tends to make bristles turn dry and brittle.
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