Why Can't I Paint?

[Mike Ellis]

After being off work for a while and trying to do some stuff around the house, I have finally faced the facts: I need to join "Bad Painters Anonymous".



I've never been able to get a decent looking paint job with a brush. Not on trim work, not on furniture, not on nothin'. My only hope of a decent finish is with a sprayer.



- I've tried fancy brushes. Cheap brushes. Foam brushes. Little bitty rollers. They all suck!

- I've tried fancy paint. Cheap paint. Water base. Oil base. Enamel. Laquer. Acrylics. Varnish. They all suck!

- I've sanded. I've primed. I've cleaned. Sealed. Dusted. Vacuumed. Polished. Prayed. None of it works! The final finish always ends up with brush streaks, or smears, or dust. Attempts to repair the defects just make it worse.



This last weekend I tried to paint these miserable no-good snake-licking newel-post things that are in an alcove in the house - like fancy lathe-turned table legs. It went... poorly (and that's putting a POSITIVE spin on it). :{ Worse, I realized when looking at the wretched results that EVERYTHING I paint ends up looking like that. #@$%! I could do almost as good dobbing it on with a red shop rag!



How in the libbery-blasted ding-dang heck do you guys get a good finish???? I have seen stuff that has been painted nicely, so I know it is possible in principle. But HOW? HOW? God help me, HOW?! :{



Ellis: "My name is Mike, and I'm a bad painter. "

Audience: "HI, MIKE!"

 

[TORQUE THIS]

One key thing to do is not go back over what has been just painted.

I was taught 3 stokes max where you are painting. You also need the correct amount of paint for the area you are coating. And always work from the wet edge.

Take a scrap piece of something and try a few different methods, you'll see the results.
If you ever get the opportunity to watch a professional painter, pay close attention to what they do, it's pretty easy to pick up on the techniques.

 

[Moose]

I have the same problem... Cant paint to save my life... I learned a long time ago it helps to make friends with someone who is good at painting and is willing to be paid with beer





My name is Nate, and I am a bad painter.





Moose

 

[JoshPeters]

Ahh yes... . I painted all through High School. My uncle owns a painting biz.



Make sure you are using enough material. If it is light it won't "flow" together over the brush strokes. Don't "scrape" your brush on the bucket. Dip about 1/4'' of the tip of the brush, then kinda swing/tap it to the side a time or 2. That helps keep the paint all through the brush, not just squeezed to the middle bristles.



When your doing a wall with Latex, brush along the celing, then floor, then Roll. Try to roll over as much of the brushed area as you can. Latex isn't very forgiving. When it dries it really should dry all at the same time, overlapped when wet. If you overlap when its dry you can get a different color where you overlap.



The quality of the brush is more personal preferance. When your doing alot of intricate brush work, a good brush is nice. It holds it's shape and won't get the stray bristles like a cheap brush. A good brush also will lay down the paint smoother and more consistanly.



When I hold a paint brush, I have the handle between my thumb and pointer finger, I lay my other 3 fingers across the wide part of the brush. That way you have better control of the brush.



My roommate was painting a room the other night, he was trying to use a sponge thing. . He coudln't get close to the celing because he'd hit the little stelagtites (sp) of the texture. I picked up a paint brush, and proceeded to cut along the celing faster than he could with the sponge and a piece of paper.



Really..... it's all practice.



Humm. . what else... .

 

[rbattelle]

My name is Ryan and I stink at painting.



My biggest problem is accuracy - I always get paint where I don't want it to go. Always.



Fortunately, I also hate painting, so I do as little of it as possible.



Ryan

 

[big jake 1]

What's the big deal guys????????



Been fanning a brush for most of 30 years,just got done painting in Arnold's office in the State Capitol, just takes a little practice, with brush, roller or spray you need to keep a 50% wet edge and then let it dry, don't touch it while its setting up, patience is the key.



Don't try to put it all on in one coat, maybe thin it by 10% with appropriate solvent and apply multiple coats, put one coat on and walk away, after it is good and dry apply the next one until you get the desired finish.





My name is big jake and I am a good painter





big jake



THE FORD GUY Oo. Oo. Oo.



Home of



THE BIG BAD BENZ Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[rbattelle]

While we're on the topic, I also can't clean a paintbrush well enough to use it more than a few times.



Ryan

 

[KBennett]

I can't get nearly as nice a finish from a brush as I can from my little Wagner sprayer. My Dad painted for a living for 5 years and taught me a few tricks including how to thin paint.



Masking takes a lot of time with the sprayer but I like the finish so that's the way I go.

 

[nickleinonen]

While we're on the topic, I also can't clean a paintbrush well enough to use it more than a few times.



Ryan

buy them in bulk. . saves headaches later on :-laf:-laf

 

[Joe G.]

My wife thinks I should be arrested for picking up a paint brush. Felony if I attempt to spray.

 

[rbattelle]

buy them in bulk. . saves headaches later on :-laf:-laf

That's exactly what I do. I buy the super el-cheapo Harbor Freights in cases of 24. Use once, throw away. But for important stuff (like walls) they're junk because they shed constantly.



Ryan

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

Geeee... I've always managed to convince my BETTER half that painting falls under wifely duties like cooking and laundry.



Cuz I've got saddle with the heavy lifting duties like auto repair, cut firewood, carpentry, and holding down the couch.

 

[Mike Ellis]

My wife thinks I should be arrested for picking up a paint brush. Felony if I attempt to spray.

Our wives have similar opinions of our painting skills it seems :-laf

 

[tugboatphil]

Mike,



All good advise above. Another thing I do is after painting far enough that I have to move the ladder, and before the paint has started to dry, I run the brush along the entire length I just did. Do it real lightly and you won't end up with brush marks every couple of feet.