# Masking time new construction only



## mike75 (Dec 19, 2010)

Hi Mike from OZ noticed yous in the U.S. pretty much spray everything in nc that is something which hasnt caught on here.I personally started spraying ceilings and doors about 6 years ago and always been held back by my father(also a painter 40yrs)who traditionally brush and rolls everthing.Sorry to ramble on but would like to know how long it takes you to paint a house int and how long you,s spend masking and cleaning any helpfull feedback would be appreciated.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

We all have slightly different methods, different degrees of finish, different prepping methods, different finish method, different sized crews and different sized houses so your answers will vary greatly. To many variables such as in my area they use a lot of trim and in the west the trim is often a lot leaner. 

Here is a thread that covers this, if you use the search feature you will access many of old threads. 

http://www.painttalk.com/f22/new-construction-painting-sequence-1165/

I find Chris and Rob from RC Painting to have a technique that would be worth studying under.


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## mike75 (Dec 19, 2010)

In OZ we dont seem to have as much trim as in the U.S. probably seems why so many there have adopted spraying as much as possible.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

mike75 said:


> In OZ we dont seem to have as much trim as in the U.S. probably seems why so many there have adopted spraying as much as possible.


When I first started we did NC and used oil trim and brushed it all, I am glad spraying has become the norm for trim.


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## mike75 (Dec 19, 2010)

so am i been painting for 20yrs and learnt from my father the hard way and over the years have got quite fast at it which would always deter my father away from masking and spraying .Try and explain to a 70yr old to start masking so i can spray a door frame and window,didnt go down well.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

mike75 said:


> so am i been painting for 20yrs and learnt from my father the hard way and over the years have got quite fast at it which would always deter my father away from masking and spraying .Try and explain to a 70yr old to start masking so i can spray a door frame and window,didnt go down well.


I can relate when I was an employee and we just started spraying I had two bosses one was stuck in his ways and the other was open to change, we finally got the one on board with the spraying and even though he knew it was quicker and saw the advantages he would resort to what he was most comfortable with if given 1/2 a chance.


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## mike75 (Dec 19, 2010)

yep i,m in that boat at the moment .One of my older employees response was if you start spraying everything what are we going to do little does he know how much clean and prep was involved.I saw your photos of the waterford project i cant beleive how much trim yous have to paint that would be a nightmare of brushwork for my dad.You also do some impress work.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

mike75 said:


> yep i,m in that boat at the moment .One of my older employees response was if you start spraying everything what are we going to do little does he know how much clean and prep was involved.I saw your photos of the waterford project i cant beleive how much trim yous have to paint that would be a nightmare of brushwork for my dad.You also do some impress work.


Yeah I don't miss spending all that extra time on trim. Your dad will eventually come around after he sees the time it is saving, so will the guys, if they don't just get new guys lol. 

Thanks for the kind words, I need to go through the old computer and see if I can't find any finished pics of that job.


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

It varies for everyone, and for the project. A simple 1500 square foot house with no window trim or crown molding can be masked in 4 hours. There are no cabinets or floors in yet, so it goes pretty quick. My guys spend more time on prep than painting.


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## mike75 (Dec 19, 2010)

thanks for the reply have seen your photos and videos on youtube and very impressed with your finish and system.You mention there are no cabinets or flooring in your houses do you not worry about other trades damaging or dirtying your great work or do you allow for touch ups and maintenance.Also how long does it take you to paint a 1500ft home for example (days/hours).By the way i am trying to adapt and model my own paint system to yours .How do you spray walls without dirtying the ceiling?


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

mike75 said:


> thanks for the reply have seen your photos and videos on youtube and very impressed with your finish and system.You mention there are no cabinets or flooring in your houses do you not worry about other trades damaging or dirtying your great work or do you allow for touch ups and maintenance.Also how long does it take you to paint a 1500ft home for example (days/hours).By the way i am trying to adapt and model my own paint system to yours .How do you spray walls without dirtying the ceiling?


Like I said, it varies by house and type of project. Here is a breakdown.

We don't do what we call here "blow and go tract homes" meaning everything is just slapped on. We are fortunate to work with some good GC's that run the jobs well and protect our work. There will be some damage and our contract allows for a certain amount of touch up after all other work is done, usually 4-8 hours. 

In our area, some homes have the same paint on the ceiling and wall. When it is different, the ceilings are painted, then the walls are sprayed, there will be a little overspray on the ceiling, we then run a piece of tape on the wall and tape plastic to that and respray just the outer edge of the ceiling.

There are a lot of ways to this, and the other members here achieve the same, or better results with different methods. I suggest you continue to read and ask questions, and find a method that works best for you.

It works well for us because it is cheaper to have a lower paid employee do much of the masking and prep. If you do it all yourself, you may be better off rolling.


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## jack pauhl (Nov 10, 2008)

Mike I can contribute tremendously to this if I had a better idea of what you want to accomplish. Does your door jambs have face casing or does the jamb run flush with the walls?

What areas specifically are you considering masking? A picture would be great and the size of the home. Are you thinking about spraying ceilings, walls, trim and doors?


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## mike75 (Dec 19, 2010)

Thinking about spraying the whole lot without sacrificying quality but also cutting down labour costs.We have a combination of timber and commercial aluminium windows and most of the joinery and kitchens are usually installed including floors.Was concerned more how long it takes you more experienced guys to mask up a house with all that stuff in.Also concerned the time taken to mask would outway brushing and rolling.


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## Custom Brush Co. (Jan 26, 2011)

I think you worked out a great solution for your exact architecture of new construction. These methods could be applied probably to many job types. I really find it interesting how you get your straight line is to come down about 1/16" on the wall. This is probably a great solution for new construction, but would never pass in the what we consider the status quo. I would consider using the idea if I were forced by budget to do so. After-all, it is the quality desired that equals the painting routine and techniques you use.


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## mike75 (Dec 19, 2010)

hi was this message meant for this topic confused.


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## bloodnut (Nov 11, 2009)

Hi Mike75, I am a painter on the Gold Coast up here QLD, we do a lot new homes, we mask up everything, right up to window frames, we roll sealer through out first, spray walls, robes, primer on frames, spray 2x ceilings, spray frames x2 & doors x2, Cut & roll final on walls.
Cheers Bloodnut:thumbup:
Spray alot because i hate brushmarks in my finish coat. {use aqua enamel on doors & frames}


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## mike75 (Dec 19, 2010)

What do you use to spray trim ?.What kind of spray??


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