Professional Tips and Tricks

In 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:

Many professional painters use aluminum step ladders, but good quality wood step ladders are far superior for many reasons.

* They are less likely to mar a painted wall if they make incidental contact.
* They are steadier to stand on.
* They are less susceptible to damage during handling, such as loading into a truck.
* They are non-conductive to electricity.
* They will not get your hands blackened with aluminum oxide.
* They are easier to clean(of snow, ice or dirt) than aluminum ladders because they have fewer nooks and crannies.
* Their service life (before replacement) is longer.

Anecdotes:

A painter was using an aluminum ladder while exterior painting. As he was repositioning his ladder, it contacted an overhead power line and he was electrocuted.

A painter was standing on the third rung of an aluminum ladder. The weak rivets securing one end of the rung failed and the painter fell from the ladder.

Copyright ©2011 by Nathan Harms
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