Professional Tips and TricksIn my 40 years as a house painter and contractor, I've gathered many tips and practices that are now part of my every day routine. Some of these tips simply make my work faster or more efficient. Other tips help produce higher quality results. I'm certain that homeowners painting their own dwellings will benefit from these suggestions. Less-experienced contractors may also find my suggestions helpful, so over the coming days and weeks I hope to provide this information freely via my Twitter feed. Why am I sharing this hard-earned experience? It's my belief that generosity of knowledge and practice brings benefits to the giver and the recipient. I hope you'll call on me the next time you require a professional house painter.
You can access previous tips and keep up-to-date by "following" me on Twitter. Tip: If you assume that your work area is inhabited by blind monkeys, you'll have an idea of how to set up your equipment to avoid accidents on the job. For example, never leave a bucket with any paint in it sitting atop your ladder. Someone may bump your ladder, or decide to move it and the bucket could fall. (You shouldn't leave anything on your ladder when you're not using the ladder.) Don't leave tools or paint where someone coming around a corner might not be able to see it before they step into it. If you're working near a door, assume that an elephant is going to charge through the door without warning; will the door strike you or cause other damage? Anecdote: * A client asked a painting contractor, "Can I just borrow this ladder for a second?" and then picked up the open stepladder with a hammer resting on the ladder tray. The hammer fell off the ladder onto the carpeted floor and did no damage. But if the floor had been ceramic tile, there might have been serious damage. Copyright ©2011 by Nathan Harms |
