Adding some flare to a boring room or touching up your home’s exterior through painting can bring a freshness to your living space. Sometimes all you need is a couple coats of paint to restore newness to something that was once dingy or worn out. When you are painting in the hopes of making an improvement for future homeowners, you have to make sure that you’re paint work is meeting Australian Standards.
Dry Film Thickness
You wouldn’t think that there would be standards for the dry film thickness, and in a lot of different places there aren’t any, but in Australia there are. It is required that the layers of paint meet certain thickness for quality control and safety.
Since paint is made up of chemicals that could potentially be harmful, one must be aware of the maximum amount of coats to apply and measure the layers that are already present. Too many layers and coats of paint can create a more toxic environment, so knowing the limit is key to keeping everyone safe who comes in contact with the surface or surfaces.
After so many layers of paint, the quality of the paint application will diminish. Defects and blemishes will begin to surface because of all the coats that have been added over time. In order to have the best possible results, the paint contractor should research the maximum thickness allowed before starting the project. The dry film thickness will be inspected to meet standards.
Paint Surface Uniformity
In the painting process, it is exceedingly important that none of the “tiny” details go left unnoticed. Uniformity is the key. The finish of your paint, whether it is matte or glossy, must match all throughout. This may seem like an obvious suggestion, but people still make the mistake of using a glossy paint to touch up a surface with a matte finish, and it shows. Likewise, some folks may use a matte finish paint to touch up a spot on a glossy finished surface. Again, this will look unprofessional and just plain sloppy.
The freshly painted surface must be free of paint application defects. Does the surface still feel tacky? Are there visible brush and roller marks? Did you use a sprayer and get a little heavy-handed in some spots? These are questions that need to be asked to ensure the consistency with good trade practice. Obviously nobody’s perfect, so if you can stand 1.5 to 2 meters away without seeing any major defects, then usually the surface is deemed acceptable.
Take notice of things on or around the surface like light switches, baseboards, electrical outlets, thermostats, etc. These areas should be unaffected by the paint. Was the work area properly prepared for the use of paint, with tarps laid and fixtures covered? You will be able to tell right off the bat whether or not someone took the right precautions to ensure quality paint work.
What about stains and spills? Be sure to remove and clean up all spills and stains safely and properly, without using anything that might damage the floor in the process.
Neat, Clean and Straight
In a final inspection, check if everything is neat and tidy. Make sure nothing in the surrounding area of the work space was damaged or broken. Sometimes debris from the paint may be left behind, but in order to meet standards, all debris should be vacuumed or swept and completely removed from the premises. All equipment related to the work performed are to be offsite as well, making the newly painted space ready for viewing and showing off.
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