Painting upside-down

[Hartley18]

Next item on my list is painting the deckheads..

Aside from inverting the boat or lifting the deck off (not really very practical options here), anyone got any great ideas for getting the paint to actually STAY UP THERE and not run down the brush, my hand and my arm??

A small roller might be the go, but it gets pretty tight between deck beams near the hull. Must be some new-fangled gizmo out there especially designed to do this?...

Thanks,
Cameron

[Faster]

They have sponge paint pads now... and make small "edgers" that might fill the bill.

Sorry about the cheesy ad, but this may give you the idea.. I think they're available in a variety of sizes and shapes.. they won't drip like a brush and won't spatter like a roller.

Paint Pad Pro - Painting Tool

Here's another link showing the variety.

Paint Pad Kit Reviews | JennyReviews.com

[MacGyverRI]

How about a airless spray gun or even an airbrush?

[Hartley18]

Spray/air-brushing is definitely out here - unless I want the entire cabin including ALL fixtures and furnishings one colour - which I don't.

Originally Posted by Faster

They have sponge paint pads now... and make small "edgers" that might fill the bill.

Sorry about the cheesy ad, but this may give you the idea.. I think they're available in a variety of sizes and shapes.. they won't drip like a brush and won't spatter like a roller.

Neat!! Thanks, Ron - I'll look them up in the hardware store. I especially like the idea of no masking, since I'm not looking forward to masking the deck beams.

I think I've used one of these at home before (and forgotten all about it! ) but I seem to remember that you needed to be real careful with how much paint you loaded onto the thing to get a decent finish...

[zz4gta]

Just put a little paint on a brush. You should only paint with the tip of the brush anyway. If it's dripping, you have too much paint.

[tdw]

Originally Posted by Hartley18

Next item on my list is painting the deckheads..

Aside from inverting the boat or lifting the deck off (not really very practical options here), anyone got any great ideas for getting the paint to actually STAY UP THERE and not run down the brush, my hand and my arm??

A small roller might be the go, but it gets pretty tight between deck beams near the hull. Must be some new-fangled gizmo out there especially designed to do this?...

Thanks,
Cameron

As ZZ4GTA says...too much paint on the brush. Professional painter gave me this tip years back and its one of the best. Don't drown the brush in paint and don't squeeze the excess out against the side the tin. Tap tap tap. When you squeeze you are not only sqeezing paint down and out you are squeezing paint up towards the handle.

That said, those sponge pad thingys are a boon. Thats the way I'd go anyway.

[Hartley18]

Originally Posted by zz4gta

Just put a little paint on a brush. You should only paint with the tip of the brush anyway. If it's dripping, you have too much paint.

Fair point.. Most of it is probably due to my washing the brushes out in turps and neglecting to dry them properly before use - the turps simply thins out the paint high up on the bristles and the result runs out down the handle - but I'll try not to use so much paint in future.