TRASH IN PAINT

Do you ever lift up the pick-up tube on your sprayer, and it’s completely covered with dried paint?

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Have you ever rolled your trim and there are little strips/chunks of dried paint in the coating?

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It can be frustrating to deal with “trash” in your paint. In this issue we will discuss some different tips to help you reduce the amount of “trash” you get in your shed coatings. First off it’s important to know that all “trash” is not equal. Sometimes it could be dirt, sawdust, or other foreign materials that have fallen into an open bucket of paint. It could be an issue with the manufacturer and be some kind of defect. In most cases though the “trash” is actually dried paint.

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Water-Based coatings dry when the water/solvents in the coatings evaporate out and leave the paint film. This process begins when the coating is exposed to air. Obviously, this issue is more prevalent during the warmer months of the year but if you paint in a heated spray booth you can experience it in the winter as well. When you have an open pail/gallon of paint it is being exposed to air and it will begin to skim over on the top. It will also dry on the interior sides of the bucket as well and can fall into the paint. Once paint begins to skim or dry it will not return back to liquid form. So when you try to stir the skim back in, it oesn’t actually mix, in most cases it sinks to the bottom. Or when you are using a spray rig, the pick-up tube has suction and it draws the skims to the filter and they clog the filter. Below are some ways to help reduce or prevent getting skims or “trash”:

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1. Remove it first…When you open a pail or gallon of paint, if you see skim or trash on the top remove it. Do not mix it in.
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2. Cover the open container…When you are spraying out of a pail you can cover the open pail with a wet rag or you can take an old lid, cut a small “V” out and cover the pail, place the pickup tube in the “V”. When painting with single gallons it is best to pour out just what you need into a roller tray or small container and keep the gallon covered.
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3. Reseal your containers….When not in use make sure your pails and gallons have the lids firmly sealed on them. We see a lot of containers that are barely or improperly sealed and they are allowing air to the coating while they are in storage.
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4. Strain it….If you have some paint that has a lot of “trash” in it then you can strain the paint. The paint will still be good and usable. There are different techniques for straining, but the easiest way is to take an empty 5gal pail. Put a 5gal elastic top strainer on it. Pour in your paint. Then slide your sprayers’ pick-up tube between the strainer and the side of the pail. This will insure that as the suction of the sprayer draws the paint it will pull through the strainer and make sure you have “clean” paint to use.
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5. Filters on your sprayer…..Make sure you have filters on and in your sprayer. Every sprayer should have a filter at the end of the pick-up tube. This one is very important, make sure it is on there and clean. This protects your rig from pulling up a small rock, or chunks and running them into and through your pump which can cause damage. Also make sure the filter is clean, a lot of times we see the filter being clogged and only one small hole for the paint to pull through. This makes your pump work harder to pick up the paint.

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We hope you will find this information useful and it will improve the quality of your paint process. Please reach out to your local Pittsburgh Paints Tru-Industrial Specialist to further discuss painting tips. If you would like to view past issues, please contact our shed experts at sheds@pittsburghpaints.com.