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're painting ceilings, it's necessary to cover the light fixtures to keep paint off them. Plastic sheeting is usually a good choice for covering lights. However, remember to remove the coverings from light fixtures immediately after ceiling painting is complete. You never know when someone may turn on a light and melt your plastic covers onto the hot bulbs... or start a fire! * It's very time consuming to clean melted plastic off of light bulbs and fixtures, and the smoke from melting plastic can cause damage. Anecdote: * A contractor left his plastic covers on the light fixtures because he had to repaint the ceilings the following day. The homeowner promised that no one would be in the room, but a small child looking for a toy came to the room that evening and turned the lights on. The contractor had to purchase 10 new light bulbs because the melted plastic could not be removed from the bulbs. Copyright ©2011 by Nathan Harms |
