PAINTING AND PAPERING
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.