Community Editor

WHO TO CALL:

Andrew McCredie _ Layne Christensen

esate (147) 985-2131 4 (118)

YODAY i-have a chal-

lenge for you, readers

"and paint store. own-

Vers. We needa more: pre-

dictable way of telling what

“a gallon of paint. will look

_ dike on'a wall, in the: room:
we want to paint. .;

Tiny color chips don’t usually
., give an accurate representation of
» the color; trying, out several quarts
of paint in a variety ‘of hues can be
“expensive: °.":
"=" Wouldn't it be neat to be able
to buy litle paint rollers, each « .’
soaked in a small amount of paint
“ {similar to the idea of the dispos-
able toothbrush which stores just
‘the right amount of toothpaste)? -
We could take the rollers home, -
try them out in the room we want”
to paint’and see the'result on the |
spot, in the propey. light and
against the surrounding colors. *")
Let me know. if you have any .
brain waves. What I really w want to.

talk about is painting.

‘Tis the season to start paint-
ing, to work off the energy caused
by spring fever, to go through the
pleasures of choosing color, and to
spend a weekend getting a work-
out with roller, paintbrush and lad-
der.

Besides, the sunshine tends to

-show up the peels, cracks and fin-
gerprints we never noticed during
the dark days of winter. So for
those of you who can’t wait to get
started, here are some tips from
the painting. pros. For those who °

“would rather go sailing and let the |

pros do it, I'll give you their °
phone numbers later. :

Buy the best equipment you
can afford — synthetic brushes for
latex paint, and bristle brushes for
oil paint. :

Kate Allen, who has been
_ painting for over 20 years, cleans

' her oil brushes in three or four
. small buckets, each half-filled
with paint thinner. After a few

days the paint settles; the thinner:

liquid becomes pure again and can
. be poured off and reused. Kate's

_ brushes last for years and are as

-. soft as my cat’s fur. .

Use good quality paint; it pays
off in time and money because ©
you will need fewer coats; good
quality pant is also thicker and:
less likely to drip. :

'. Surface preparation is crucial.
-. As Rick Miller, one of the two
~ Grimpy Gld Men: (that’s their

- company Name,'‘not my unflatter- ‘

ing description) says: “‘when °
» you've prepped your surfaces

“ Swell, more than half your job i is

done.”

Home and Garden Editor

That means cleaning walls,
faithfully filling all cracks and nail
holes. sealing around window
moldings, spot-priming and sand-
ing, sanding, sanding. And no, the
wet/dry sandpaper won’t du. It has
to be the dry kind, and it will be
dusty.

Make sure you wear a face
mask. Use damp cloths and a
broom for cleanup. Excessive dust
can burn'a vacuum-cleaner motor.

“Carpenter in a cartridge” is

.Kate’s expression for latex caulk-

ing. This is especially useful for,
“black cracks” which occur where
molding and walls join, or on

mitred door frames. °

The caulking can be applied

‘and wiped off with a finger or rag.

It doesn't need to be spot-primed
or sanded, it’s flexible and will not

_ fall out.

Abrasive sponges are very:
handy to sand moldings which»

have contours. ::

Wear latex gloves when work-
ing with stains; they contain
chemicals that can irritate. the skin.

'. Opinions are divided on mask-
ing off areas where you don't
want paint or want to use a differ-
ent color.

Miller and Aldridge believe in
using masking tape; they use the
painter's tape in three-foot sec-
tions and peel it off as they go.

Allen eschews this practice.
She says a gocd eye and a steady ..
hand are all you need.

4] three agree on their prefer-
ence of foam rollers for oil paint.

And here is one of my tips. As

See Library page 16

“RQUAVELWEY
For Walls -
Ceilings & Trim.

: NEWS photo Miko Wakafiold .

WORK OFF the energy caused by spring fever, grab abrush and can-

of paint. and start painting.
_oxpert. There are plenty willing to help.

“AQUAPEARL
Latex Pearl Finish.
Childproot Paint .

fe

- Serving the North Shore with guality, products for 7 years!

Or if you'd rather: go, salling,” call an

‘MoorGarp
“Latex Exterior.

. House Paint