House Painting

Outside Work.

Exterior paints are more elastic, as they need to be far more lasting, than those used on interiors, since the effect of exposure to the sun and rain destroys paint more than almost any thing else does. Paint on the interior of a house will last almost indefinitely; but on the outside the best paint is not very durable. The surface, if new, should be cleaned by brushing; knots should be shellacked ; after which the priming coat should be applied. This may be the same paint which is selected for the finish, only thinned with boiled oil (or raw oil and dryer), using one to one and a-third gallons of oil to each gallon of paint. The reason why ordinary paint may not be used as a primer, is that the wood absorbs the oil, leav ing the pigment as a comparatively non-adhesive powder on the sur face, from which the next coat will probably peel off. The next step is to putty up all nailholes and other defects. For the second coat, many experts advise the addition of half a pint of turpentine to the gallon of paint; others make no addition to it. The third coat is applied after the second is thoroughly dry; if a week or a month can elapse between these coats, so much the better.

Repainting.

If the old paint has been on a long time, it is liable to be permeated by minute cracks, which admit moisture to the surface of the wood and loosen the paint. If we paint over this, the new paint, which shrinks in drying, tends to pull off the old paint, and of course the whole peels off in patches. If the old paint is in this state, it must be removed before the new paint is applied. This can be done by burning off. For this work a painter's torch is required, which is a lamp burning alcohol, gasoline, or kerosene, and is so con structed that a blast of flame can be directed against the surface. This melts or softens the old paint, which is then immediately scraped off with a steel scraper. The paint is not literally burned, but is softened by heat so that it can be scraped off. In some cases it is sufficient to remove as much as possible with a steel brush; this is a brush like a scrubbing brush, with steel wires instead of bristles, and, when vigorously used, will take off the loose paint.

Old paint, however, is not always in this condition. If it adheres well, it may be cleaned with an ordinary scrubbing brush and water, and when it is quite dry, the new paint may be applied. Sometimes the paint seems in good condition, only it has faded and lost its luster; in such cases a coat of boiled oil, or raw oil with dryer, is all that is needed.

It is well to paint the trim—that is, the window-casings, door casings, corner-pieces, and the like—before painting the body of the house; then the paint can be applied to the flat surfaces more neatly than is otherwise likely to be done. Paint should be applied in thin coats, well brushed on; it is not unusual to see paint come off from re-entrant angles while it is still good on flat surfaces, because it was difficult to brush the paint properly in those places. There is a great difference in durability between a thin paint flowed on with a large, flat brush, and one of proper consistency well brushed out with a brush of medium size. In all painting on wood, it is desirable to brush it on

with the grain of the Wood; and by painting only a few boards at once, we may avoid laps by painting the whole length. Rough surfaces hold paint better, and more of it, than smooth. A gallon of paint will cover, one coat (on a painted or well-primed surface), about 600 square feet, not flowed on, but well brushed out in a thin film. The priming coat will not cover more than 300 or 400 square feet to the gallon. In measuring the outside of a house for surface, make no deductions for doors and windows; if the trim is to be painted a different color, from one-sixth to one-third of the paint will be required of that color. Paint should be stirred frequently while using. A coat of dry paint is from a 3 -6 to T. 613-6 of an inch in thickness.

Roof Painting.

Roof paints should contain a larger proportion of oil to pigment than other paints, and less dryer (or none at all). Many think that the addition of ten to twenty per cent of fish oil to a paint for roofs is advantageous; fish oil greatly retards drying and prevents the paint from becoming brittle. Tin roofs, if new, should be thoroughly scrubbed with soap and water, or with pieces of harsh cicth, such as burlap, well wet with benzine. They may then be painted.

Paint dries relatively fast on roofs; but as a roof paint is very slow-drying, plenty of time must be allowed between coats. A new reef should receive three coats. Metal gutters and spouts are to be treated the same way. Do not forget that new tin or galvanized iron is difficult to paint; have it very thoroughly scrubbed, even though it looks perfectly clean, and then rub the paint on well with the brush. Metal spouts will usually be painted the same color as the wall of the house.

Sometimes shingle roofs are painted with fireproof paint. This is not really fireproof, but considerably retards the spread of fire, after it has become thoroughly dry; when fresh, it does not even do that; nor does it have much effect after it has been on a year or so. It may be made by adding to a gallon of any good paint about a pound of powdered boracic acid. When strongly heated, this material fuses and forms a sort of glass, which keeps the air from the wood. It is after a time washed out by the rain.

Canvas roofs are prepared in the following manner: The canvas (10-oune duck is often used) is first nailed down, care being taken to draw it tight; it will show some wrinkles, but these are not to be allowed to accumulate to form a large wrinkle or fold. Then the canvas is thoroughly wet; it shrinks, and all the little wrinkles disappear. It is a common practice to paint it while it is still wet, this being an excep tion to all other practice; but some wait until it is dry. The writer has been accustomed to the latter method, and has not found that the canvas shows wrinkles on drying, while the results are all that can be desired. A well-painted canvas roof is very durable and satisfactory.