PAINTER-WORK IN THE BUILDING TRADE. In painter-work the most important fact to remember is that the cost of applying paint is from four to five times the cost of the paint itself, and therefore to use materials of poor quality, be cause of their relative cheapness, is false economy. The use of paint for decorative purposes is ordinarily secondary in impor tance to its function as a protector of surfaces from decay. The paint used must be selected carefully according to the purpose for which it is to be employed. For outside use it is essential that the paint chosen should resist atmospheric weathering ; in paints used for indoor work great durability becomes less important than a pleasing finish. In the article PAINT a detailed description is given of the composition of the paints in common use, and of the work for which they are most suited. Until recently, the paints in most common use were based on white lead, and such paints are still very largely used. They cover well and are easy to work. Owing, however, to the danger of lead poisoning (see PAINT), their use for interior painting is not to be recommended and they have been largely superseded by leadless or non-poisonous paints made on a zinc or titanium base. The British Lead Paint (Protection against Poisoning) Act, 1926, makes the following regulations for preventing danger from lead paint to persons employed in or in connection with the painting of buildings : 1. Lead paint shall not be stored, or transported, otherwise than in receptacles legibly marked as containing lead paint.
2. Lead paint shall not be applied in the form of spray in the interior painting of buildings.
3. No painted surface (containing lead) shall be rubbed down, or scraped by a dry process.
4. Every person employed in or in connection with the painting of buildings and liable to come into contact with lead paint shall carefully clean and wash his hands before each meal-time before leaving work.
5. Every person employed in or in connection with the painting of buildings and liable to come in contact with lead paint shall present himself at the appointed time for medical examination.
The tools and appliances of the painter are mixing pots, paint kettles, strainers, palette knife, scraping knife, hacking, stopping and chisel knives, sponge and pumice for washing and rubbing down, blow-lamp for burning off, and a large variety of brushes.
It is absolutely essential for good work to use brushes of a good quality. Brushes must be well cleaned of ter use, though for keep ing overnight it is generally sufficient to wrap them in several thicknesses of paper. Some painters keep their brushes soft over night by putting them in water. If, however, the brush is not to be used for some time it should be well washed in turpen tine and hung up to dry.