Gunk
What's with the gunk in paint? I don't understand how a can of perfectly good paint can develop globs of congealed gunk in it within just a few weeks. It seems no matter how tightly it's sealed, the gunk appears. And it's a mess to remove.
Last time this happened, I purchased a paint strainer. Unfortunately, this hairnet-looking-contraption was good for only one use--and a messy use at that! So when I popped open the can today to slap a coat of paint on the desktop, I was at a loss on how to strain the goo without driving back to the hardware store and getting yet another hairnet-looking-thing. (I hate to keep buying such things that end up being disposable junk. My sister would have a field day with that.)
So, instead of doing the SMART thing, I tried to devise any way but the right way to strain the paint. I looked for a wire strainer in the kitchen. No luck--oh yeah, I remember that I ruined the kitchen strainer last time before I bought the hairnet thing. Next, I thought a piece of landscape fabric might work. I had a roll in the storage room, so I cut a piece large enough to fit over the can top. I figured if water can go through the fabric, so should paint. But I soon found out that was not the case. I got nothing but black fuzz.
My final attempt was to pierce holes with a hammer and nail in the metal top of the paint can, thus making my own sieve. After about 20 holes, I gave it a whirl. Almost immediately, the thick, oil-based paint clogged up the tiny holes. So I tried again, using a larger nail and grinding the holes as large as I could. This time, a bit more paint seemed to drip out, but it took forever to get enough to use. And alas, when I did roll it out on the desktop, there was STILL flecks of gunk in it!
Oh well, at least I can sand off the worst of it and use this side as the desktop bottom. I'm now at the end of the can of paint anyway, and I'll be buying a fresh gallon before I start painting the topside. It seems like there's always some kind of obstacle in my way when I'm doing the simplest project! You'd think rolling paint on a flat piece of wood would be easy.
On the bright side, Sherwin-Williams has the paint on sale this week :-)
Maybe I'll pick up a new strainer while I'm there.
Last time this happened, I purchased a paint strainer. Unfortunately, this hairnet-looking-contraption was good for only one use--and a messy use at that! So when I popped open the can today to slap a coat of paint on the desktop, I was at a loss on how to strain the goo without driving back to the hardware store and getting yet another hairnet-looking-thing. (I hate to keep buying such things that end up being disposable junk. My sister would have a field day with that.)
So, instead of doing the SMART thing, I tried to devise any way but the right way to strain the paint. I looked for a wire strainer in the kitchen. No luck--oh yeah, I remember that I ruined the kitchen strainer last time before I bought the hairnet thing. Next, I thought a piece of landscape fabric might work. I had a roll in the storage room, so I cut a piece large enough to fit over the can top. I figured if water can go through the fabric, so should paint. But I soon found out that was not the case. I got nothing but black fuzz.
My final attempt was to pierce holes with a hammer and nail in the metal top of the paint can, thus making my own sieve. After about 20 holes, I gave it a whirl. Almost immediately, the thick, oil-based paint clogged up the tiny holes. So I tried again, using a larger nail and grinding the holes as large as I could. This time, a bit more paint seemed to drip out, but it took forever to get enough to use. And alas, when I did roll it out on the desktop, there was STILL flecks of gunk in it!
Oh well, at least I can sand off the worst of it and use this side as the desktop bottom. I'm now at the end of the can of paint anyway, and I'll be buying a fresh gallon before I start painting the topside. It seems like there's always some kind of obstacle in my way when I'm doing the simplest project! You'd think rolling paint on a flat piece of wood would be easy.
On the bright side, Sherwin-Williams has the paint on sale this week :-)
Maybe I'll pick up a new strainer while I'm there.
posted by Tif at 8:39 PM
2 Comments:
Maybe you wouldn't have that problem if you finished the project before a few weeks. :)
Gee, that hurts!
You should talk :-)
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