408 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



Common Sense in Painting Greenhouses 



JAY D. EARLMAN 



A CERTAIN friend of mine has a hobby, it is his 

 greenhouse. And unHl-ce some greenhouse owners, 

 he didn't build it as a material evidence of his 

 prosperity. In fact, from one or two remarks he made, 

 I think he had to scrape a bit to indulge himself, but he 

 bought it becnuse he loves flowers and all manner of 

 growing things. 



This friend of mine is a successful business man. and 

 a thrifty one. Although he devotes a great amount ol 

 attention to the greenhouse and its stock of growing 

 things, he attempts to operate it on a business basis — as 

 economically as possible. 



I use the words "attempts'' because I think he is in- 

 consistent ; specially referring to the question of painting 

 that greenhouse. 



In spite of the fact that as far back as a half a century 

 ago it was proved that ready-mixed paint is far superior 

 to the old-fashioned hand-mixed variety, some folks just 

 can't seem to see the light. 



.\nd so, because Charley Burson is a friend of mine. 

 J just naturally sat down beside him the other evening 

 and told him where he is not only behind the times, but 

 throwing away good money besides. Am not sure, but 

 believe he now understands. The following, in substance, 

 is what I told him : 



In the first place, the one great outstanding" mark of 

 superiority of the machine-mixed paint over the hand- 

 mixed lead and oil, is found in the mixing itself. The 

 modern mixing machines found in a luodern paint fac- 

 tory can in a short time mix the necessary paint-produc- 

 ing ingredients in a manner that never has been and 

 never will he approached by the old-school jiainter with 

 his stirring paddle and his good right arm. 



Properly mixed paint means paint that has a film of 

 linseed oil wrapped completely around each pigment 

 particle, which film will protect that pigment from the 

 action of the destroying elements and at the same time 

 bind it together with its fellow pigment particles. Hand- 

 mixing cannot accomplish this. 



One great trouble experienced by the man who at- 

 tempts to mix his own paint is that of obtaining a mixture 

 of the proper consistency. Suppose, for example, he 

 starts out with three gallons of oil and a ijuantity of white 

 lead. He mixes the two together and liegins the stirring 

 operation. He needs more lead, so he puts it in, and 

 continues stirring. More lead is needed, so he adds it — 

 generally adding a little too much — making his mixture 

 too thicic. 



This means he must add more oil, which he does. Ten 

 to one he adds a little too much oil, which necessitates the 

 addition of more pigment to obtain a proper working 

 mixture. 



And not onh- amateurs, but many journeymen painters, 

 as well, have in this manner mixed from one to two gal- 

 lons more paint than was necessary for the job. Of 

 course, the property owner paid for the waste. 



So much for the higher cost of lead and oil. 



Next, consider the results that are expected — yes, ex- 

 pected. It should be borne in mind that if about 30 per 

 cent of zinc is not added to the pigment, the first coat of 

 lead and oil will soon chalk off. I don't say it is liable to 

 chalk off, I say it tvill ; and it will do this as soon as the 

 linseed oil has dried, due to the oxygen of the atmosphere 

 acting upon it. 



And when the ground coat jiecls oft', the top coat or 

 coats go riglu along with it. 



Now, ready-mixed paint contains all the ingredients 

 that years of paint-making experience have shown to be 

 necessary. Not only contains them, but they have been- 

 introduced in just the right proportions and are thor- 

 oughh' mixed. 



Every batch of paint is made according to a fixed 

 formula (usually determined by weight), which means 

 that all preceding and succeeding batches of paint will 

 ha\-e the same consistency and workability, and produce 

 the same results. 



These formulae enable the paint manufacturer to match 

 colors perfectly, insuring that the batch of paint being 

 made today will be of exactly the same shade as that he 

 made last month, or even last year. The "mix-my-own" 

 jiainter can only aoproximate the shadjs he once produced, 

 because he has no rules or formulae. 



Paint manufacturers have used all manner of convinc- 

 ing propaganda during the last half-century to convince 

 pamters and property owners that their products are su- 

 perior to lead and oil, but their one obstacle in putting the 

 idea across universally has been the opposition of the 

 painter himself. 



This because the old-time master painter was wont to 

 throw an air of mystery about his mixing operations,, 

 which accounts in a measure for some of the older paint- 

 ers holding to the earlier traditions. And while in many 

 cases, a painter will not hesitate to buy a ready-mixed 

 paint if a color is desired, he seems to like hand-mixed, 

 lead and oil when painting greenhouses white. 



Perliaps this is one reason why so many greenhouses 

 re(|uire painting every year. 



I recently had occasion to visit a large paint factory in 

 the middle west. On the roof of one of the buildings are 

 a number of large racks, holding in the aggregate, I 

 should say, about four hundred wooden paddles, each 

 painted with a different kind and color of paint. The 

 president of this particular concern is very particular as 

 to the quality of every kind of paint he makes, which ac- 

 counts for each and every color of each and every kind of 

 l^aint being tested on this "roof garden.'" 



.\nd this test is a severe one. The paddles are inclined 

 at an angle, similar to the slojiing sides of the green- 

 house roof, which means that dust, soot, rain and snow 

 will remain on the surface instead of dropping off. This 

 means that these paddles receive unusually drastic ex- 

 posure, and you can understand from this that an ex- 

 posure of three years on this roof is equal to an exposure 

 of from six to eight years on the ordinary dwelling. 



The painted frame of the greenhouse roof is, of course, 

 exposed to the same conditions, 1 ut in addition, the glass 

 panes reflect on the frame an intense heat and highly 

 concentrated light rays, which combine to tear down the 

 paint texture. 



The majority of greenhouse owners are today using 

 ready-mixed paint for two reasons : it looks better and it 

 lasts longer. 



A third reason is that it costs less. True, the best 

 ready-mixed paint costs more per gallon, but it always 

 costs less per jol> because it spreads out ftu-ther and 

 covers better. 



The ffreenhouse painted with hand-mixed lead and oil 

 has to be painted every year. When painted with the 

 best grade of manufactured paint it will not require paint- 

 ins: tor three years. 



