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Polyurethanes Or Varnishes To Your Newly Stained Timber Surfaces Without Making A Mess Of It.

Varnishing and applying clear coatings are pretty easy but here are a few things to watch out for.

Perhaps the biggest issue with applying a nice coat of clear varnish to your work is seeing if you have covered the surface properly. Now often looks can be deceiving, especially when you are "clearing" (applying a coat of clear/varnish) over a newly stained and sanded surface as the contrast is immediate and huge however when it dries if you haven't applied it properly you will see some misses and patch work especially around the edges.

Like most things in painting you should check your work thoroughly when you have finished doing something. If you finish an architrave have a good look over it. This is a great habit to get into - Always check back over your painting as soon as your are done.

So how do you apply Varnish or clear using the correct application techniques?

Polyurethanes and clear/varnish are generally all oil based products so we are going to assume that they are all oil based for this article. (Painters Tip: if the one you are using is not oil based then it will be acrylic based, so go to the Acrylic Paints Application Technique and use that article to learn how to apply it as they are both the same techniques. Note: Just get a light to reflect along your surface which will enable you to see if you have any misses on the surface.)

The method for applying a coat of clear to your surface is exactly the same as applying oil based paint the only difference is that you need to check it by getting the light to reflect off the surface which will show up ay misses of patchy spots. so here is the normal oil based application method:

Method to use when painting Clear with a brush:

Firstly you will need a extra items handy

Mineral Turpentine
Clean rags or toweling
And a pair of stockings (to strain the paint with not to wear ;-)

Make sure your pot that you are going to be pouring the paint into is nice and clean and any other paint left over from previous use is well and truly dry.
If you are using an older tin of oil based paint then you will want to mix it and then strain it through a stocking (Painters tip: even if it is the foot of the stocking you should always tie a not in the bottom it just strains better for some strange reason). If you are using a new tin of paint you shouldn't need to strain it.
Only pour a small amount in the bottom of your paint pot, about 30mm or a bit over an inch. You don't use a lot of oil based products so no need for a full pot. This is especially good incase you knock the pot over as cleaning up oil based products isn't what I'd call fun!
More often than not when using oil based paints I add a few ml of mineral turpentine to the paint pot about 10ml or a cap full. This helps to make the paint a bit easier to spread around. however it is worth noting here that adding too much mineral turpentine dulls the shine on your paint and can thin it out too much so that it won't cover or dries cloudy so don't use too much.
Now that your additives are mixed in and you have your pot and brush at the ready and your surfaces are stained, sanded filled and dusted.
So lets get the paint on then! Dip about 1/4 of the bristles into the paint and gently wipe the excess off both sides of the brush. Apply to your wood work away from any cutting in that you need to do. Never try an cut in with a fully loaded brush you will definitely regret it. instead empty about 3/4 of the paint out and then go back over what you have just applied and work that into your cutting in edge by twisting the brush on an angle so that the paint run across the face of your brush and ends up at the cut in line.
The important thing with oil based products like polyurethanes and clears is remembering that if you apply too much or leave it uneven it will run so you have to work the paint pretty well. Stretch it out with some pressure behind the brush and spread it evenly then lay it off gently over and over until you get it looking even and smooth. It should by no means be a skimpy coat or see through. Oil based products when applied properly will cover no problems but it does take some practice first.
Next thing to be wary of is not starting your loaded brush stroke next to an edge, an internal corner or some where where you can't spread it out first before cutting it. this along with too much paint are the main courses of running and sagging in your paint.
Lastly always finish your work with tipping off. Using the tips of the bristles on the brush with a long and light stroke with the direction of your very last stroke going back into your previously painted surface and your are done. The longer the stroke the better as this creates a nice finish. Of course don't go over board no more than the length of your Architrave or door and about 1 metre (3ft) on a skirting board. Be aware when doing this on hot days as if the paint has already started forming a skin it will ruin it leaving a mess in that case make your tipping off stroke as long as possible under the circumstances.

Painter Tip: Remember to paint your skirting boards last so that any dirt picked up from the floor doesn't get onto your architraves where it will be noticed

How To Apply Clear Coatings Using A Roller

Again there are many bad habits when it comes to using a roller to apply paint and also the tools that you use will make a huge difference.

These are the tool that I suggest you use for your painting project.

Thickness of the roller - For oil based paint on a normal wall/ceiling - 6mm nap/pile. Mow contrary to acrylic I don't like using wool or fiber types when rolling Oil based paints. The oil is too sticky and often pulls the wool fibers out of the roller and leaves them on your surface. Try a foam roller for oils. Again this is a personal preference
Length of the roller sleeve. - I always use the 270mm roller sleeves which is the largest sleeve and frame combo that you can buy. Why waste time with a smaller one?
The type of roller tray that you use is a big factor on how easy your job is going to run. many of them are just rubbish and cause you more spillage and headache than anything else. there are a few different one that painters use. My personal favourite, and unfortunately I can't supply with a photo so you will have to put up with my lame description is a curved well type. From the side on view where you pour the paint into looks a bit like a "C" with a tray coming of the bottom of the "C". I will take a photo of a nice clean new one and post it here for you to see. This type reduces the spills and accidents immensely plus it has a handle underneath so that when you pick it up all the paint sits in the Well and doesn't spill everywhere. They are great!!
Extension Poles - they are a must! Using an extension pole is essential for creating a professional finish to your wall. If you don't use them it will take you much longer to do a 5 - 10 minute job and the finish will be uneven and very amateurish. The bottom line if you want nice even & professional finish to your newly rolled surface get yourself a good twist lock or extendable roller pole.
The Roller Frame that you use isn't overly important but there are a few things to keep in mind. With the cheap roller frames often after a bit of use they start to bleed a grease that mixes with the paint and causes grey splatters of tainted grey paint on your nice new wall. While this is really annoying it can be avoided most of the time by getting a better quality roller frame. Apart from that I don't have a favourite type that I would recommend.

Method for painting oil based products with a roller:

Make sure you are wearing old clothing & have remove any nice jewelry that you don't want spattered with paint, you have a good quality drop cloth down on the floor and covering your furniture. Rollers tend to spray lots of little paint flecks so cover everything up.
Now after stirring your paint, pour some into you tray but don't fill it right up to maximum capacity. You need to have a little bit of room to work with, so just full up the Well of your tray not the flat tray it self.
attach the extension pole and adjust to fit your height. When rolling you want to stand about 1 metre away from the wall and be easily able to reach all the way up to the ceiling without stretching and all the way down to the top of the skirting boards without bending over.
Now load up your roller with paint. Start by placing your clean sleve on the flat tray and role into the paint coating smaller amounts of the sleeve at a time until full (should take about 5 or 6 dips to do this) Never just plunge the entire roller sleeve into the paint nor do you roll back towards you on the tray, always roll towards the paint well this will keep the paint from dripping over the edge of the tray and making a big mess.
once the roller sleeve is nice and evenly coated all over then apply to the wall. Start about 150mm or 6 inches away from the corner of the wall and about knee height and roll up wards until you get about 3/4 of the way up the wall. leave it for the moment and re fill your roller and apply in the same fashion starting about knee height and about 100mm further across the wall from your last roller full.
Next you want to spread it out evenly. After the 2nd applying roll, take your roller off the wall go back to the starting point of your first roll. Applying a firm even pressure roll up towards the cornice but this time roll it a bit closer to the cornice but not up to the final height yet, stay down about 100mm for now. Then roll down and across to the starting point of your second applying roll, again rolling it up to the cornice again staying down about 100mm from it. then roll back down and across to the starting point and down to the skirting board.
Now that the majority of your paint is spread out you need to push it out the the edges of your wall. so roll the paint gently out to about 30mm above the skirting board edge of your wall and the same up below the cornice. The trick is to avoid fat edges so lighten the pressure you are applying to the roller as you approach the edges and finish with a very light pressure as you rebound and roll back in the opposite direction. So - As you roll down to the skirting board start lightening your pressure about 300mm or 1ft above the skirting board and as you get to the bottom it should be just the weight of the roller on the wall as you stop your downwards roll and start rolling back up the wall.
When spreading the paint to the outside edges or as you are pushing the paint into the corners of your wall you want to make sure you aren't pushing copious amount o paint into the corners to make fat edges. For the edges of your wall make sure the side of your roller frame that the sleeve slides up against or the side that disappears into the sleeve is facing away from the wall. (you should always lead with the edge. that means have it facing the over all direction that you are painting) Now push gently and tilting the pole away from the edge that you are rolling into (this will lift the pressure on the edge of the roller closest to the internal corner of the wall and reduce the risk of creating a fat edge in that corner). Roll gently taking your time not to get too close to the other wall.
Now that the paint is evenly spread across the wall and all the surfaces are covered you need to apply the finishing roll. This is other wise known as "laying it off" with your now emptied roller start about half a roller width from the corner of the wall at about waist height. Again make sure the part of your frame which going inside the roller sleeve is facing towards the direction that you will applying your next roller full to. Now again slightly tilt the roller pole making your trailing edge of the roller sleeve light to avoid leaving a line of paint. Now roll up and into the top corner of your wall then roll down along the wall taking care again not to get it on the other wall. Once at the bottom roll up to the cornice this time slowly moving your roller as you go about half a roller sleeve width away from the internal corner once at the top. Do this movement over the whole rolling stroke don't lift off and reposition or slide over then start again for this lay of technique your roller should never lift off the surface. Once at the top go back down again moving 1/2 a roller sleeve over on your way down then at the bottom do it again and keep doing this until you have gone over the entire surface you just applied paint to.
Have a quick look to see if you left any lines of paint down your wall form uneven pressure or incorrect technique if it all looks good the start with the applying technique again. if not re do the laying off method until you are happy with it.
For the rest of the wall it is exactly the same method as before. only you treat the previous laid off surface as the internal corner of the wall, except for when you get to the spreading it out part and when you lay it off. This time you will go back into your previously laid off surface about 1/2 a roller width when spreading it out and 1 full roller width when laying it off. Again with your laying off technique, start away from where your laying off stroke that goes back into your existing work will finish and at waist height roll up to the full 1 roller distance into the previously laid off surface roll straight down and then start the up down 1/2 roller at a time movement across the wall until you cover all the newly applied paint.

For all surfaces that you roll its the exact same technique. on ceilings though it is worth me mentioning that you start against one edge and work across the ceiling walking backwards. but you apply and lay off the paint exactly the same way. put it on spread it out and roll to the edges then lay it off and you're done!

Painters tip: As oil based paints run and sag very easily it is extra important to remember to lighten the pressure that you are applying on your roller pole when you are about to change directions to avoid leaving a build up of paint where you changed the direction or other wise known as a "fat edge" These will run and make a mess of your nice work.

Painters tips for rolling doors: After you have finished rolling the door get your brush and wipe as much of the paint out of the brush as you can against the side of your pot and use the tipping off method to create a nicer finish on your door.

Best of Luck & Happy Painting!