H Mag - The Handy Mag for Home, Hardware and Home DIY Jun. 2014 | Page 28

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2. Invest in Canvas

I used to buy cheap plastic drop cloths to protect the floor from
paint spatters. At the end of the job, I’d just roll up the paintsmeared sheets and toss them out. Then I noticed that pro
painters always use canvas drop cloths. When I found out why, I
made the switch. Here are just a few of the benefits of canvas:

for one that has a soft, nonslip rubber grip and a rigid metal core.
And be sure the threaded end of the pole is metal, too. All-plastic
handles are too flexible, making them hard to control, and the
plastic gets fatigued over time and can snap under pressure.
Also check to be sure the telescoping shaft locks securely in
position and doesn’t collapse when forced.

Canvas drop cloths are durable, and rip- and puncture-resistant.
They lay flat as you walk across them, presenting less of a
tripping hazard; seldom, if ever, must you tape
canvas to the floor. Canvas also absorbs paint
drips, unlike plastic drop cloths that become
slippery when spattered with wet paint.
You’re much less likely to pick up paint
on your shoe soles from canvas. Canvas
drop cloths can easily be folded around

4. Paint Off a Grid

corners and doorways--something that’s virtually impossible to
do with plastic sheeting. Plus, canvas can be reused countless
times. I always felt bad about discarding plastic drop cloths after
just one use, but reusing them was messy because the dried
paint drips and splatters would flake off and get all over the
room. Several years ago I bought a 10-oz canvas “runner” that
measures 4 ft wide x 15 ft long. It’s perfect for lying on the floor
against the wall or spreading outdoors over shrubs and flower
beds along a foundation wall. Now, I’ve never had paint soak
through my drop cloth, but you can buy plastic-lined canvas
drop cloths that offer better soak-through protection.

3. Roll With a Pole

When painting rooms, forget the ladder and
get a telescoping extension pole for your
paint roller. Extension poles come in various
sizes, but one that extends from about 18
in. to 30 or 36 in. offers plenty of reach for
painting rooms with ceilings that are 9 ft or
lower. There are also extra-long extension
poles that telescope up to about 18 ft for
painting cathedral ceilings and loft spaces.
To attach the extension pole to the paint
roller, simply thread it into the hole in the
paint-roller handle. Check to be sure your
paint-roller handle has a threaded hole in its
end; most of them do. The shaft of the pole
telescopes out and can be locked anywhere
along its length with a twist of the wrist.
When shopping for extension poles, look

When it comes to poorly designed hardware items, it’s hard to
find one that matches the futility of the paint-roller tray. Here’s
a device meant to hold paint for paint rolling, but it spills easily,
only holds a small amount of paint, is hard to carry from one
spot to another, and is difficult to clean. Plus, you must place the
tray on the floor, where someone--okay, me--invariably kicks it or
steps in the paint.
I stopped using paint trays years ago, and have never regretted
it. Now I roll paint directly from a 5-gal bucket using a paint grid,
which is a rectangular, rigid metal screen that hooks onto the
rim of the bucket. Start by filling the bucket about halfway with
paint, then hang the grid in the bucket. Now dip half of the roller
sleeve into the paint, and roll it against the grid to remove excess
paint, which drips back into the bucket. At the end of the day,
just drop the grid into the bucket and snap on the lid.

5. Record the Color

After painting a room, it’s important to keep track of the brand
name and color of the paint used, so you can buy more when
it comes time to touch-up or repaint the room. I’ve t