After the mason, bricklayer, carpenter, tinsmith and plasterer comes the
painter. At this stage of progress in the work, the owner usually thinks
of moving in; in fact, he thinks he should have been living in his new
house several weeks ago.
If weather conditions have been good, the representatives of other
branches of house building have got along smoothly excepting a little
shaking up now and then, caused mostly by the men occasionally yielding
to the seductive influences of Old John Barleycorn or his rival King
Growler. The owner, having previously engaged or contracted for inside
painting, now calls on the painter. The man of colors and brushes is
always ready to promise quick work (and we are free to say the mysteries
of his trade are equal to any reasonable emergency), and is apt to humor
his employer’s impatience, and meekly submits to his wishes knowing that
his employer’s hurry is his gain. House-builder, did it ever occur to you
that first-class inside painting is a slow process? Think of this; after
the first coat is laid, it should stand long enough to become thoroughly
dry, dry enough to be sand-papered. The second coat should be a little
heavier than the first or priming coat. It does not dry as fast as the
first. (We are speaking of good materials properly proportioned.) Each
coat must be thoroughly dry before it is sand-papered. Any kind of good
work requires three coats. Extra good work—four, besides varnishing.
If you succeed in doing this work inside of four weeks you are fortunate.
Thus you see it requires time to do good work. Time for the men to do
theirs, and time for Nature to do hers. Sometimes Nature frowns and
lowers a curtain of humidity for days at a time, which prevents the
oils from drying. It is possible for your painter to finish all four
coats in as many days; but if he is honest and you have not hurried him
unreasonably, his conscience will suffer. Good painting, like other good
things, is durable, looks well, and is the cheapest in the end.
Good painters pride themselves on doing good work. So if you desire
first-class work, you should give the painter a reasonable price, and
sufficient time in which to do the work properly.
There is doubtless more adulteration in paint than in any materials
used in house-finishing. So general is this the case that it is often
difficult to get pure materials. This is caused by the low price of the
products of petroleum, the earth materials used to adulterate mineral
paints, and the demand for cheap work.
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