The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
The Practical Website Of Painting And Wallpapering
The figures of 450 (primer) and 500 (finish) are constants. Finish coats of house paint normally can be applied to about 500 square feet of surface per gallon. A gallon of primer will cover about 450 square feet.
The average height of my house, for instance, is 10 feet. It has a pitched roof, so 1 must add 2 extra feet, giving a total of 12 feet.
The distance around the foundation is approximately 300 feet. When I multiply the height times the distance, 1 find that the surface area of my home is 3600 square feet.
To determine how many gallons of finish house paint I would need, I divide the surface area by 500. I find I need 7 gallons of paint.
WHEN TO PAINT
The best time to paint your house is when the weather is clear and dry and the temperature is above 40° F. Wait for morning dew to evaporate before starting. If it has been raining and the siding is wet, let it dry for a few days before applying paint.
If you paint in the summer when it is hot, you can assure the best results under the most comfortable conditions for you by following the sun around the house. By following the sun, you will be painting the shaded side of the house during peak periods of heat.
PREPAIRING AND PROTECTING
Two other tasks remain before you can apply the paint to the house: preparing the paint and protecting surrounding areas, such as shrubbery and walks. The latter is easily done by covering those areas which might receive paint spatter with drop cloths. As for preparing paint, it must be thoroughly mixed even though your paint dealer may have stirred the paint by mechanical means when he sold it to you. Mechanical stirring is not always thorough stirring.
The correct way to mix paint is to first stir it with a mixing paddle from the bottorn up —that is, mix the paint on the bottom of the can, bringing your paddle up to the surface while you keep it moving. Do this many times to assure complete mixing. Follow mixing with "boxing" of the paint. Pour the paint from the can into an empty, clean receptacle, and pour back again. This action thoroughly mixes paint vehicle and pigment.
Do not begin painting with a full can of paint. Empty half of a gallon into a clean receptacle. This allows you to dip the brush without drowning it. The brush should be dipped into paint only about two inches and then tapped against the side of the paint can to remove excess. Never pull the brush over the lip of the can, since this can damage the brush. Working with half gallon of paint at a time facilities proper brush dipping.
