Just spent two days painting the kitchen in the cottage in nth yorkshire with a one inch brush!! Couldn't work out what the problem was as every time I tried to add to a small area of painting the paint split like clotting blood and I had to work it out over a large area. Thought the stone walls might be too cold, so put on heating but it made little difference. When I asked at the paint shop the next day, the man said that f&b modern emulsion was drying too quickly? How can they dry too quickly if the walls are stone cold? After two days of applying a very thin coat of emulsion twice I have finally finished. Arm hurts. Shoulder hurts. Leg???? Hurts. Will I be in any condition to enjoy the fruits of my labours? Hey ho. Lindsey.
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JoceAndChris
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Oh dear Lindsey! I hope you feel better soon.
Why were you using a 1 inch brush? It sounds to me like your walls were sucking the moisture out of your paint, you might have had an easier time of it if you'd a) lightly misted the walls with water b) added 10% water to your tin and stirred well c) used a large brush or roller
Why were you using a 1 inch brush? It sounds to me like your walls were sucking the moisture out of your paint, you might have had an easier time of it if you'd a) lightly misted the walls with water b) added 10% water to your tin and stirred well c) used a large brush or roller
d49xc
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You should always use a paint brush of appropiate size to the work being done.
So complex window frames/mouldings - 0.5"
Window sills I'd use 1"
Doors I've either used 1.5 or 2"
....and for emulsion on walls either 5" or 6" and using a smaller 1" brush to do round the edges as and where necessary.
The first coat on new/unpainted walls should always be watered down to produce a "mist coat" as its called to avoid the very problem of the wall "sucking out" the moisture from the paint your applying and meaning it won't stick properely.
So complex window frames/mouldings - 0.5"
Window sills I'd use 1"
Doors I've either used 1.5 or 2"
....and for emulsion on walls either 5" or 6" and using a smaller 1" brush to do round the edges as and where necessary.
The first coat on new/unpainted walls should always be watered down to produce a "mist coat" as its called to avoid the very problem of the wall "sucking out" the moisture from the paint your applying and meaning it won't stick properely.
Not a masochist,despite impression given. If I tried to use a bigger brush the problem became impossible. A small brush meant I could work the paint out over a larger area in a thin coat and avoid the clotting problem. If I could have used a bigger brush or roller, believe me, I would have. I am fully equipped. Darling husband makes sure that I have all the tools so that NOTHING stops my work or creates the need for him to become involved or pay someone else!
Penners
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I always find painting with my leg to be painful, too.Lindsey said:
As Joce said above, I reckon the stone must be very absorbent. The same problem can occur on unpainted plaster. The usual practice is to apply a first coat of very watered-down paint, to reduce the "suction" of the unpainted surface. Once that's dry, then apply your full-strength coat of paint.
Feltwell
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Although 10% water is fairly normal for a mist coat, I'm sure I read somewhere that for surfaces with extreme levels of suction you can put a first coat on at 50% emulsion / 50% water, then a second mist coat at 80% emulsion / 20% water, then neat emulsion as normal. Of course there's no need to use expensive F&B emulsion for mist coats!
This is for "normal" modern non-breathable emulsions. If you've got a problem surface I'd experiment with a small area first, less to rectify if it doesn't work!
This is for "normal" modern non-breathable emulsions. If you've got a problem surface I'd experiment with a small area first, less to rectify if it doesn't work!
The worst wall, now I come to think about it and have stopped feeling sorry for myself and sulking, is the rear of the cottage,which is four or five foot below outside ground level. We are on a slope overlooking the Derwent and the garden is over several levels. On very humid days the walls run and drip. The dog got blamed several times before we worked it out.