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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Painting, Decorating & Tiling Questions >> Clean Up? https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1190878676 Message started by WiZ3R on Sep 27^th, 2007, 8:37am

Title: Clean Up?
Post by WiZ3R on Sep 27^th, 2007, 8:37am

I invested in a 1.5" Purdy Monarch Brush yesterday and for the first time took care to clean thoroughly. As an amateur I saw paint brushes and rollers as throw away. But spending £10 on one brush got me thinking how the pros clean up. I washed the Purdy in white spirit and water and it seemed to be fine.

I also had a 'glosser' roller to clean and used white spirit on this. It is a short pile roller so cleaned up well. From memory rollers are a nightmare to clean. I dread splashing out on a lamb/sheeps wool roller only for it to br rock hard after one use. What's the procedure here?

I went through a hell of a lot of White Spirit. Over 2l. Is this normal?

We had a pro painter in our old house a few years ago and I seem to remember he was very clean and tidy. Unlike the carnage in our kitchen sink last night ;)

Title: Re: Clean Up?
Post by corablimey on Sep 27^th, 2007, 8:30pm

TBH I never clean glossing roller sleeves, I only use the oldest scruffiest sleeve I have, specially when I have to undercoat a ceiling for example, so I just throw the sleeve away, as the amount of white spirit you use to clean them can end up costing more than the actual sleeve. :o

I use the lambs wool for emulsioning a textured paper, and the medium pile for a flatter finish on a wall.

I keep my roller in a couple of plastic carrier bags, specially the white, when I have finished with the white roller, I place the whole roller in a carrier bag, wrap some masking tape round the handle, then I put that in another plastic carrier bag, also the emulsion brush as well.

This will keep for up to a couple weeks, even longer, I have tested this, ;D and this will carry you on to the next job, what I might do is to change the actual bag, as sometimes bits comes off from the end of the roller and gets stuck in the sleeve, but the actual roller will last for a long long time.

If your using the same colour all over the house, magnolia for example, then do the same with your mag brush and roller.

I then wash them out at home when I have finished with them.

Another trick is to invest in some brush cleaner, after you have cleaned your glossing brush with white spirit, rinse it through, then put the brush into the brush cleaner, leave that for a few hours, then wash it out with soapy water.

When completely dry, rub in a smidgeon of baby oil, and work the oil through the bristles, this will keep your bristles nice and supple for when you come to gloss again.

If you want to keep your emulsion brushes supple also, after you have washed them out in the usual fairy liquid, then place then in a container with some warm water and diluted fabric conditioner.

My brushes last me for ages, as I treat them like a baby lol

I have never bought purdys, I refuse to pay the price for them, I know they are the dogs whatsits and great for glossing, but one thing I can do very well, is gloss a door by brush, and the usual brushes I use do a good job anyway. ;D

Title: Re: Clean Up?
Post by CWatters on Sep 28^th, 2007, 12:01am

The professional painters who did our house didn't clean brushes. They stored the brushes in a jar of water overnight even when painting with oil based paints. The water stops the oil paint drying. Next day they pat the brush "dry" with a clean rag and carry on. They used the same brush for a week then threw them out. I'd done this with water based paint but not oil based. Seemed to work.

Edit: One other trick I learned... If you've run out of cleaner try neat washing up liquid. It's important NOT to use any water until all the paint is loose. As soon as you use any water it stops working. Swarfega works the same.

Title: Re: Clean Up?
Post by corablimey on Oct 3^rd, 2007, 8:11pm

CWatters wrote on Sep 28^th, 2007, 12:01am:

It definately works with the oilbase, as I do this, and believe it or not, after you have dried off the surplus water, the bristles are nice and floppy, the're not all dried up and hard like you would expect after being stored in water.
You can also do this with a rad roller, if you are rolling flush doors, but get the water out of the roller takes more time, and sometimes a tiny bit of water will run down the door, but after a couple of rolls the water has gone.