Chris Russell figured that painting houses would be the perfect summer job--it meant he could work outside. "I never thought I'd be doing manual labour as a career," laughs Russell, who has a degree in chemical engineering. Two decades later, Russell Painting is the go-to outfit for Torontonians in tony Rosedale and Moore Park, many of whom have started hiring Russell and his four subcontractors to beautify their cottages around Muskoka and Georgian Bay, too. Supplies make up only 10% or 20% of the cost of any job, says Russell, "so it's worth a bit extra to use the best-quality goods you can." Here's how he makes sure his paint slides on silky smooth.
Paint-chip books
2 Norton sandpaper Half our job is prep. We go through thousands of feet of sandpaper. An orbital sander is best for doors and trim, and you can hook it up to a Shop-Vac.
3 Purdy or Corona brushes, $20-$30 For oil paint, I use a 2?-inch natural-bristle brush. The soft tip gives a much nicer finish. For walls and ceilings, I generally use a three-inch nylon or polyester brush. You can't use a bristle brush with latex paint--it just fills up with water
A crappy brush won't cut a straight line, and the bristles fall out and get in your paint. For $30 you'll get a beautiful finish, and the brush marks disappear. We also use Bennett no-shed rollers--they don't leave lint in the paint--and plastic trays. You can peel the paint off every month or two, and they're basically brand new.
4 Dickies painter whites, $25 Don't ask me why they're white--I guess with all the primer, caulk and dust, dark clothes would look awful. 5 3M OV-P95 respirator, $60 When we're painting with oil, we use these masks with dual organic vapour cartridges. Also, an extractor fan blows air from the inside out, which keeps the dust and fumes down and leaves the house smelling pretty clean, actually.
6 Latex gloves, $10 for 100 As a chemical engineer, I know that oil paint on your hands goes right through your skin, so everyone who works with me wears gloves.
7 Painter's Mate low-tack tape, $4 First we paint the ceiling and the trim and give it two days to dry. Then tape it off--it's twice as fast to paint the wall. Pull it off in two days and you've got crisp edges with no splatter.
Not shown in photo: portable halogen lights, $25 When you're prepping, it's important to see what you're doing. These lights make it bright as a summer's day. The walls can look perfect, and suddenly the light changes and there are imperfections you couldn't see.
Mastercraft heat gun, $25 With hundred-year-old houses, you can get up to 20 or 30 layers of paint. It's so thick it's cracked--we call that alligator paint. All the detail gets lost, so we use a heat gun to strip it down.
Tivoli audio iPAL radio, $199 In the old days, we'd show up with a ghetto blaster, and people would get nervous--they thought we were going to crank it. But a radio is important--it keeps you sane. I like the CBC, but you can't always listen to talk radio when you're sanding.
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Denise Balkissoon