HOUSE PAINTING

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 March 1930, Page 4

HOUSE PAINTING

THE BASIC PRINCIPLES Preservation, decoration .sanitation, and economy, are the real purposes of house painting (says an exchange). Speaking generally, the desirability for painting is considered chiefly from the standpoints of preservation and decoration, but sanitation and economy are of vital importance. Paint serves as an effective preservative of the surface to which it is applied. It should have the properties of penetration, slow setting, should permit of easv spreading, yet should harden to a glossy, nearly impervious cement-like application. Not only is it more effective as a preservative and beautifier than an equal quantity of any other material that could be used, but it is much less expensive. In order to secure adequate results, stress must be laid on the importance of using good paint and having it properly applied. It is also important to consider natural influences or elements which may be detrimental to the life of the pain film. Heavy brush marks, the film of unequal thickness at various points, etc., indicate poor workmanship. Serious loss of gloss or much variation of gloss indicates that not sufficient oil, was used in the priming, coat to seal the surface properly. If this surface be dry and the priming coat properly tempered and well brushed into the surface there will be rarely, if ever, a case of peeling occur on the first painting. Peeling, which may occui’ after the building has been painted several times is more difficult to attribute to any definite fault because it is more difficult to get a complete history, including the conditions surrounding the original painting. This is necessary if the conclusions are to be thorough and reliable. If all the paint comes off the surface it indicates practically the same as if

the peeling had taken place after the first painting. If some of the earlier coats of paint remain intact, it indicates that the last coat which remained in place was not in proper condition for painting over or that it required. special treatment in order to get good results. Sometimes troubles of this kind result from changing from comparatively dark colours to very much lighter tints or white. This may sometimes be done with safety, but it is more difficult and requires good judgment

in manipulation of the paint by the painter. When the coats separate or part of the paint remains on the surface, the failure seldom manifests itself in form of peeling. It is more often what is termed scaling, the causes of which are almost identical to those which cause peeling. Most cases of scaling may be attributed to the use of insufficient oil in the paint, and frequently it may be found that painting was done over previously painted surfaces which were not free from moisture. This is specially true of early morning painting, and particularly so in localities which are subject to fogs.