A Can of Paint and How to Use It 



By H. A. Gardner 

 Assistant Director, Institute of Industrial Research, Washington, D. C. 



PREPARED paints, contained in 

 sealed packages, are the most 

 economical and convenient. The 

 brand selected should be composed of 

 pigment and liquid, the pigment being 

 white lead (corroded or sublimed) ad- 

 mixed with zinc oxide, with or without 

 a small amount of chemically inert pig- 

 ments. These pigments should be 

 ground in a liquid composed of linseed 

 oil with a small amount of drier and thin- 

 ner. Small amounts of color pigments 

 have been added to such mixtures, if the 

 paint is tinted. These paints are suita- 

 ble for the exteriors of all wooden struc- 

 tures. 



If the painter desires using a paint 

 mixed by hand, paste paints may be ob- 

 tained either in the form of white lead 

 ground in oil or zinc oxide ground in oil, 

 which may be mixed together, or pur- 

 chased in the form of a paste paint 

 made of these two pigments. It is c'us- 

 tomar}' to add to lOO lbs. of a paste 

 paint from 4 to 6 gallons of linseed oil 

 and a pint of liquid drier. The mixture 

 may be thoroughly stirred in a barrel or 

 tub. Labor and time are necessary to 

 produce a smooth paste. Loss by spat- 

 tering should be avoided, if possible. A 

 gallon or more of turpentine may be 

 used to take the place of part of the oil 

 for first-coat work. If a colored paint is 

 desired, color ground in oil may be 

 added to produce the desired result. 

 The paint should then be stirred for half 

 an hour or so in an endeavor to get the 

 color thoroughly into the mass in order 

 to prevent streaking. 



What Color Shall I Paint My House? 



The color of a paint to be selected for 

 a house requires consideration. In many 

 rural localities, white paints are used, 

 and they contrast pleasantly with the 

 green of the surrounding foliage. It 

 must be remembered, however, that 

 white paints which have been tinted, by 

 grinding into them small percentages of 



permanent colors, are more economical 

 to use, since the wearing value of these 

 tinted paints is from 30% to 60% great- 

 er than the wearing value of whiet 

 paints. For instance, if a white paint 

 is applied to one house and a similar 

 white paint, tinted with say 3% or 4% 

 of color, is applied to another house in 

 the same locality at the same period of 

 time, the surface painted white will 

 probably require repainting at the end 

 of a period of three years, while the sur- 

 face painted with the colored paint will 

 be in an excellent state of preservation 

 and will probably not require repainting 

 for two more years. Therefore tinted 

 paints should be used whenever durabil- 

 ity is the commanding consideration. 

 The property owner should also remem- 

 ber that the lighter shades or tints are 

 in many instances best adapted, since 

 the lighter colors reflect the heat rays 

 from the sun, while the darker colors, 

 such as dark red, dark blue and very 

 dark gray absorb the heat. For this 

 reason, a house painted in light colors 

 will be cooler in the summer than one 

 painted in very dark colors. 



Before the paint is applied, the wooden 

 surface must be freed from moisture. 

 If new, weathering of the wood for a 

 short period is generally advisable in 

 order to allow thorough seasoning and 

 drying-out of absorbed moisture. Paint- 

 ing should never be done in damp 

 weather. A successful job depends upon 

 the application of the paint during clear 

 dry days. If the wood has not been 

 painted before, any visible sap streaks 

 or knots should be brushed with turpen- 

 tine just before applying the paint. 

 This treatment will soften the resin in 

 the wood and allow the priming or first 

 coat of paint to soak thoroughly into 

 and combine with the resin, thus pre- 

 venting scaling. For the priming coat, 

 there should be added to a gallon of pre- 

 pared paint from 2 to 4 pints of turpen- 

 tine, or benzol when obtainable. The 



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