Page:Cyclopedia of Painting-Armstrong, George D (1908).djvu/141

Rh night. Do not attempt to touch up ladder or stage marks, as such will always show in spots. Paint the whole board on which such spots show. Always have the paint for the finishing coat free from specks and dirt. Good work cannot be done with dirty or lousy brushes. Clean out pots at night. Put brushes away carefully. If skins have formed or dirt has got into the paint, strain it before commencing to work.

Two-Coat Work—Priming. Before commencing, be sure that satisfactory two-coat work can be done on the lumber to be painted. Be sure the surface is dry, as the priming for two-coat work is of heavier consistency' than for three-coat work and there is not the chance for the surface to dry out that there is if a thinner coat is applied. Brush the paint out well. Do not flow on, leaving the paint heavy in one place and thin in another. Remember this coat is to help cover the grain, as well as fill the wood, and only one more coat is to be applied to complete the work. If not uniformly applied, the last coat will soon show the effects of bad priming. Work the paint well into nail holes, cracks, beading and seams. Avoid holidays, as they will show up when the second coat is applied. Have the paint of a medium thin consistency, carrying sufficient turpentine to assist in penetrating and filling the wood. This coat must both satisfy and fill and leave sufficient pigment on the surface to assist in covering or hiding the grain of the wood.

Finishing Coat—Two-Coat Work. Be sure the priming coat is hard dry over the entire surface before commencing to apply the second coat. It is very often the case that part of the work has been primed for a month or six weeks and other portions have stood for only a few days on account of the inability of the carpenter to finish the entire building, or like causes. Places such as the latter will in a short time crack or peel, and when a complaint is entered the entire house is given credit for having been primed a month or six weeks. Do not apply the finishing coat during