Masking the problem

Painters I have found over the years, have to be one of the bitchiest trades out there. Put a group of painters together and they will pick faults with others work, moan about standards and the way others work. Basically if it's not the way they'd do it, it's wrong. Now you can tell from that opening comment that on the painting online forums it's a bitch fest at times! Personally I have learnt a whole lot the past couple of years using them. Some of the work I have seen from other members I can only admire and aspire to be as good one day. The knowledge I've gained about different brushes, paints, dust free sanding, techniques of work is invalueable. Working alone you get stuck in your own little bubble, going on with what you know with little idea of the new ways out there so it's good in that sense to find like minded people to share information.

Going back to painters bitching, recently on these forums a lot have started moaning over the slightest thing. Which side of the tin you decant from. You haven't cleaned the side of the tin. No dust sheets down or that's a old bedsheet not a dust sheet. The handle on your brush is too dirty. So are your overalls. You should use this paint not that one and so on. Big rows break out over whether to mask up floors and areas prior to painting. This is a real bug bear for some. When I was starting out on my training, the mantra was a good painter doesn't need to tape up carpets as they can cut in perfect. Might be true, I know I can, but no matter how good a painter you are fibres from the carpet are easily collected then deposited on the skirting. So for that reason I tend to mask up floors. One chap put a picture up online of his brush (handle was dirty, bristles too long for skirting..) while he was doing skirting. He had taped up the skirting, true covered it in paint but it was protected nether the less. You'd have thought he'd shot someone the row that descended from it! Old school painters lamenting him for taping up, modern lads moaning at the old painters for being stuck in their ways whilst having a go at the chap for getting paint on the tape! Then as always it ended up being about oil based gloss vs water based gloss and which is better. From that to you are a dinosaur if you don't have a mirka or festool...

Standing back you can see the benefits of the new ways of working, sadly not everyone can afford the initial outlay required for the tools. That said you can also see the old ways work too. It's a case of combining the two to get the perfect result. Maybe stepping back from arguments and taking a look from a different angle can help. Just because someone else has a opposing view doesn't mean they are wrong. In all jobs it doesn't matter how good a job you do, there will always be someone to find a fault with it. Healthy debate is good, getting abusive towards others because their view doesn't fit yours isn't.

*Still loving the Corona archers, superb brush for water based trim. A lot of love for the purdy collossus mini sleeves too. More recenty I have used a lot of mirka hiflex sandpaper on site, really good sandpaper. You don't half notice the difference between that and fat hog standard scratch. 

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