The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

The Practical Website Of Painting And Wallpapering

If the finish you obtain after applying the first coating is too glossy for your taste, gloss can be reduced by rubbing with a No. 000 steel wool. This process should be repeated if a second coating is applied, but before the surface is waxed.

Two coatings of a synthetic varnish are recommended for raw wood. Unless a previous coating is badly rubbed off, one coating will suffice on previously finished surfaces.

Most synthetic varnishes are available in a clear finish and colors. They come in high gloss and semi-gloss.

Additional Equipment

Drop cloths, pails and paddles, all are as necessary as paint

In addition to brushes, paint rollers, spraying equipment, and paint, there are other items of equipment you will need to paint the inside or outside of your home. These tools and their proper use will be discussed as we detail the painting operation in the chapters which follow on painting the interior and exterior of the house.

However, the accompanying table of equipment is offered to allow you to get your inventory in order. The table tells you whether the equipment is needed for interior or exterior painting, or both.

USING LADDER WITH SAFETY

The remainder of this chapter is devoted to the use of one of these pieces of equipment (namely, the ladder), which if not employed properly can result in serious injury to the user. Perhaps the greatest pitfall the homeowner-painter must overcome in his use of the ladder is complacency. No one can afford a devilmay-care attitude while perched on the top of a ladder, whether he is five feet off the ground or twenty.