George D. Armstrong

“ For water or distemper graining, more turpentine, giving a dull gloss, is better, for this class of work two coats of varnish are ultimately required, while, if the ground is hard and oily, only one coat of varnish is necessary, as the varnish binds the pigment when the water has evaporated. A good ground cannot be obtained by the use of dead or flatting paint, there must always be sufficient oil in the color to allow it to be thoroughly spread and laid off, and so ensure the absence of coarse brush marks. The color of the ground is determined by the wood about to be imitated. ”

“ Although to accurately test the quality of a color requires somewhat elaborate experiments, both chemical and practical, yet there is no reason why the painter should not determine with a sufficient degree of accuracy for his purpose the quality of the color he uses. Indeed, if this was done more generally, much of the adulterated trash would be driven from the market, and none would rejoice more at such a result than the color manufacturers themselves. The manufacturers assert that they are as desirous that the trade should use pure colors as the painters can possibly be. ”

“ The most difficult feature of painting: in distemper is that the colors dry so much lighter than they are when first put on, and many of them have, by gaslight, an entirely different appearance than they have in the daytime. Most colors dry several shades lighter than they are when wet, and, worse still, they do not all dry lighter in the same proportion, so that any person new to the work cannot estimate the particular shade of his paint when first laid on. It is, therefore, advisable for the painter to try his colors on a small scale at first, and dry them in front of the fire. ”

“ Of course, if a very dark ground, such as that for antique oak, is required, not so much white-lead is used in its composition as for light or medium grounds. It may not be out of place to say that the grainer who relies on the use of white-lead to obtain a good ground seldom produces those unnaturally bright and garish grounds that always offend the trained eye. As a general rule, in making grounding paint, sufficient white-lead for the purpose, together with one-tenth the quantity of patent driers, should be broken up in linseed oil, and the staining pigments added and well mixed in. ”

“ An excellent effect is produced in decorating a room with such a plain ingrain, especially if a good bold frieze is employed to form a finish, and take away from the bare effect. The objections to ingrains, however, is that they are very apt to lose their color, and also that they are very difficult to hang, as they are almost like blotting paper in texture, and they rapidly absorb the moisture from the paste. For many purposes an ingrain paper or its equivalent, having printed upon it a very small set design, produces good results. ”

“ The blistering of paint upon wood is distinct in its order, and is the general blister known in the trade. It occurs on the face of woodwork exposed to the sun, and is traceable to the influence of heat. It is not pronounced in the case of new work, where the body of paint is not great; but it is a great evil and an eyesore on old work, where the coats of paint are layered one on the other. Wood, as a groundwork, is a porous body highly charged with moisture in a natural state, and never free from it in a so-called dry state when used in exposed situations. ”

“ The most difficult subject with which the painter has to deal is that of color harmony. In other words, how to use different colors in decoration in such a manner as to produce a perfect harmony and a pleasing result. ”

“ The method of painting a bath tub, however, is an entirely different one. The wear and tear of an ordinary bath tub is very great; the heat of the water is in itself very trying to any paint or enamel, especially when, as often happens, the water is allowed to enter the bath in a nearly boiling state, there to mingle with the colder water. It will be a hint of value to know that the hotter the water the greater is the wear and tear on the paint material, and this whether the bath tub is of the highest quality or is of a cheaper make. ”

“ On the other hand, it must be urged on the attention of painters the fact that practice alone will not accomplish the end desired; a painter who can only spread a quantity of paint over a given surface is little better than a machine, and it is hoped by the instruction given in the following pages, to awaken the interest of the painter, and to show him that his occupation is not merely manual, but that each branch of the trade, if properly understood, will afford scope for the exercise of mental acquirements and for the application of knowledge. ”

“ The application of the varnish to either paper or wood work requires some care. The painter is apt to try to get over the work too quickly by taking too much in his brush at once, and this is certain to lead to nasty running or tears. The best way is to dip a little more than the tip of the brush into the varnish, to apply it almost in the same manner as paint across the work, and then to finish by lightly stroking the surface all in the same direction with the tip of the brush, so that the varnish flows and the brush marks are obliterated. ”