PAINTING
103. Painting is measured by the superficial yard, girting every part of the work that is covered by paint, and allowing additions to the actual surface to compensate for the difficulty of covering deep quirks of moldings, for carved and enriched surfaces, etc. Ordinary door and window openings are usually measured solid, to compensate for the extra time taken in working around them, “cutting in” the window sash, etc. Porch and stair balustrades, iron railings, and work having numerous thin strips, are also counted solid, for a similar reason. Allowance is frequently made for the distance from the ground that the work is to be done, as in cornices, balconies, dormers, etc., and also for the difficulty of access.
Charges are usually made for each coat of paint put on, at a certain price per superficial yard and per coat.
Graining and marbling (imitations of wood and stone) and varnishing are rated at different prices from plain work.
Capitals and columns and other ornamental work that is difficult to measure should be enumerated, and a clear description of the amount of work on them should be given.
DATA ON PAINTING
104. Quantities.—One pound of pure lead-and-oil paint will cover from 2¾ to 3¼ square yards of wood for the first coat, and from 4½ to 6 square yards for each additional coat; on brickwork, it will cover about 1½ and 2 square yards, respectively. Colored paint will cover about one-third more surface than white paint.
Using prepared or ready-mixed paint, 1 gallon will cover from 250 to 300 square feet of wooden surface, two coats; for covering metallic surfaces, 1 gallon will be sufficient for from 300 to 400 square feet, one coat. The weight per gallon of pure mixed paints varies considerably, but, on an average, may be taken at about 16 pounds.
Prepared shingle stains will cover about 200 square feet of surface per gallon if applied with a brush; or, this quantity will be sufficient for dipping about 500 shingles. Rough-sawed shingles will require about 50 per cent. more stain than smooth ones.
One pound of cold-water paint, for the first coat, will cover from 50 to 75 square feet of wood, according to the surface condition, and about 40 square feet of brick and stone.
One gallon of liquid pigment filler, hard-oil finish, or varnish will generally cover from 350 to 450 square feet of surface for the first coat, according to the nature of the wood and the finish, and from 450 to 550 square feet for the second and subsequent coats. One pound of paste wooden filler will cover about 40 square feet.
One gallon of varnish weighs from 8 to 9 pounds; turpentine, about 7 pounds; and boiled or raw linseed oil, about 7¾ pounds.
For puttying, about 5 pounds of putty will be sufficient for 100 square yards of interior and exterior work.
For sizing, about ½ pound of glue is used to 1 gallon of water.
For mixing paints, the figures given in [Table XIV] represent the average proportions of materials required for each 100 pounds of lead.
TABLE XIV
QUANTITIES OF MATERIALS
| Coat | Lead Pounds | Raw Oil Gallons | Japan Drier Gallon | Turpentine Gallons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priming | 100 | 7 | ½ | — |
| Second | 100 | 4 | — | 2 |
| Third | 100 | 6½-7 | — | ½ |
The drier is omitted in the second and succeeding coats, unless the work is to be dried very rapidly, as it is considered to be injurious to the durability of the paint.
On outside work, boiled oil is generally used in about the proportion of 1 gallon to 2 gallons of raw oil.
105. Care in Painting.—In painting woodwork, putty should not be used until after the first coat of paint or varnish has been applied. There are two reasons for this. In the first place, if putty is used on dry wood, the wood is liable to absorb the oil from the putty and leave it in a dry and crumbly condition. Then, also, the oil from the putty soaking into the wood will stain the wood dark, and this stain may be seen through varnish. For this latter reason, putty should be put in cracks and holes with a putty knife and not with the fingers, as otherwise the oil from the putty will get over the fingers and thus be transferred to the woodwork, where it will show as a dark stain if the wood is varnished.
Due care should also be taken in painting woodwork that has knots in it, as otherwise the turpentine in the knot will be sure to discolor the paint in course of time. To avoid this, the knots should be coated, or killed, with a coat of shellac before the first coat of paint is applied. The shellac prevents the turpentine in the knot from soaking through and discoloring the paint.
106. Cost of Painting.—The cost of applying paint on general interior and exterior work will average about twice the cost of the materials, while for very plain work, done in one color, the cost may be taken at about 1½ times that of the materials. For stippling, the cost will be about the same as for two coats of paint. For varnishing, the cost of labor will be about 1½ times the price of the varnish.
The following figures represent fair average prices, for various classes of work, and have been adopted by the Builders’ Exchange of a large eastern city:
107. In staining hardwoods with open grain, such as oak, chestnut, ash, etc., it is customary, when a varnished surface is required, to stain the paste filler with oil colors so as to secure the desired tint and then finish with three or four coats of varnish. The staining adds about 5 cents per square yard to the cost of varnishing.
When it is desired to color the silver grain, or medullary rays, revealed in quarter-sawed material, the usual plan is first to stain the material with an oil or an aniline stain that permanently affects only the silver grain. Afterwards, the paste filler colored to the desired tint is applied, and this, on entering and closing the open grain, buries the first stain, but does not cover that over the medullary rays. This, as in the previous method of staining, adds about 5 cents a square yard to the cost of varnishing.
Another method of treating oak, chestnut, and ash is to stain the wood to the desired shade with an oil stain of the proper tint. This stain is applied with cheesecloth to an even surface, and, after puttying, one coat of flat varnish is applied. This process costs about 25 cents per square yard.
For silver-gray effects, the addition of aluminum bronze to the oil stain will give a pleasing effect. This costs about 28 cents per square yard.
When it is desired to have the open grain show a white effect, the usual method is to use a paste filler with zinc white added and then a coat of flat varnish. This costs about 30 cents per square yard.
Oak, chestnut, and ash maybe colored by fuming (to give the effect of age) with the vapors of ammonia released in a closed box. This effect is also produced by several patented processes. It costs about 30 cents per square yard.
Exterior Painting
| Cost Per Square Yard Cents | |
|---|---|
| Woodwork | |
| 1 coat of paint | 10 |
| 2 coats of paint, including puttying | 18 |
| 3 coats of paint, including puttying | 25 to 30 |
| Common and Pressed Brickwork | |
| 1 coat of paint | 15 |
| 2 coats of paint | 25 |
| 3 coats of paint | 35 |
| Penciling and lining joints on painted brickwork | 05 |
| Penciling joints on pressed, unpainted brickwork | 10 |
| Sanding | |
| 2 coats of paint, 1 coat of sand | 28 |
| 3 coats of paint, 1 coat of sand | 35 |
| Miscellaneous | Cost |
| Dipping shingles, per 1,000 | $3.00 |
| Additional coat, per 1,000 shingles | .50 |
| Brush-coating shingles, per square yard | .15 |
| Blinds, per square foot, 1 coat, painted on both sides | .04 |
| Additional coat for blinds, per square foot | .04 |
| Iron fence, per square foot, 1 coat, painted on both sides | .04 |
| Tin roof, per square yard, 1 coat | .05 |
| Additional coat for tin roof, per square yard | .04 |
Note.—For painting sand-lime bricks, double the prices given for common and pressed brickwork.
PAPERING
108. Papering is usually figured per roll, put on the wall. The paper is generally 18 inches wide, and is in 8-yard rolls; double rolls are 16 yards. On account of waste in matching, etc., it is difficult to estimate very closely the number of rolls required, but an approximate result may be obtained as follows: Divide the perimeter of the room by 1½ (the width of paper in feet); the result will be the number of strips. Find the number of strips that can be cut from a roll, and divide the first result by the second; the quotient will be the number of rolls required. No openings less than 20 square feet in area should be deducted, in order to compensate for cutting and fitting at such places. About 15 per cent. should be added to the area to allow for waste. The border, whether wide or narrow, is generally figured as one roll of paper.
The cost of paper is extremely variable, ranging from 15 cents to $6 per roll; the average cost is probably 25 to 50 cents per roll, for ordinary houses. Paper hanging costs from 10 cents to $1 per roll, according to quality, with strips butted.