Myths, Facts and Questions of a Painter?

The Myths and questions answered about a painter:

Painters have been around since we started writing on walls in the caves many many years ago.

This was not a bad gig if you consider they worked in a dry area, out of the sunlight and probably did not over exert themselves compared to dragging a Wooly mammoth back to the cave for dinner.

Since dinosaurs roamed the earth and cave drawings were made things have changed, but not everything has.  Our clients still prefer color on their walls and some murals in those special places around their home or like Michelangelo’s work, murals on their ceilings.

A Few Myths, Facts and questions and Answers from a painting Contractor:

1. Why do painters wear white clothes?   Way back in the 18 century most buildings were whitewashed as well as most of the material they used was the color white.  When this splashed on them it would not show.
2. I heard painters drink a lot?  Back in the day when painters would have to mix their own paint and add lead the fumes would be inhaled while doing this and the painters would appear to be drunk.  This starting a perception that all painters are drunk.
3. Why are barns red?  Many, many years ago the farmers use to preserve their barns with linseed oil and would mix it with what they had around the barn, animal blood.  This giving the barns a nice red look but now you will look at them much differently
4.  How heavy is that ladder? Odd question, I know.  We sometimes have to use a 40 foot ladder to reach the extremely high areas of a home, this type weighs approximately 99 lbs.  They do sell a 48 foot ladder which comes in three sections that weighs 179 lbs. and requires two to three people to move and set up.
5. Vincent Van Gogh died at age of 37 and only sold one painting while he was alive.
6. When did they stop making lead paint?  All though lead paint was banned from household paints in the residential market in 1978,   lead paint is still used for in some cases for road markings
7. Do you need a license to be a painter?  Not all states require painters to take a test and have a painter’s license.  Massachusetts does not require a license but some painters are “HIC”s  that is a Home Improvement Contractor.
8. Do you need insurance to become a painter?  If you work alone a painter should carry liability insurance.  If a paiter has a helper or crew then workman compensation insurance as well as liability insurance has to be held by the contractor.  Also if a contractor who works alone but may work for a general contractor in most cases they would have to hold both insurances.
9. Changing paint colors.   You recently purchased paint that is a few shades to light or dark and you want it changed, can this be done?  Some think just adding a little white or black will change the color to a color you can live with.  In most cases this will not work and new paint has to be purchased.
10. Does paint and primer in one work?  In a perfect world this would be great to have but as a professional painting contractor we have found there is qualities in an actual primer that are there for a reason.  We prime all raw surfaces first with the primer made for that substrate.  If you have a small area that has been repaired in a wall and do not want to prime first then this might work but two coats are still recommended.
11. Spraying vs brushing paint, which is better?  Actually we love them both.  There is a time and place for each method of painting.  We have found when spraying exteriors of homes as long as the paint is worked into the surface either by brushing or rolling after spraying this is sometime better than just brushing as you can reach all the hard to reach places a brush can not get to on its own.

If you would like any of your painting questions answered please feel free in contacting me at www.RamsdenPainting.com or give us a call at 978-683-9119 or 978-482-7800.