By Jaime White, PPG Segment Specialist
Does the consistency of your coating vary from bucket to bucket? Does your color vary from building to building or bucket to bucket? Are you having touch-up issues?
If you are answering “yes” to these questions, then there is one more question for you. Are you adequately mixing the coating before you apply it? And if so, how are you mixing it?
Shed coatings are a mixture of resin, binders and pigments. During the manufacturing process, they are heavily blended to ensure consistency. Over time, while sitting at a store or at your shop, the ingredients in the coatings can begin to settle and separate. This is completely natural and not a concern if the coating is mixed before use.
If you have been to a paint store, you have seen them put a 5-gallon pail into a high speed shake to mix. This is a fast and effective process for a store; however, it is not necessarily practical for you to do at a shop. The cost of a good 5-gallon paint shaker is approximately $5,000. You can effectively mix your shed coatings with a piece of equipment that costs around $10.
A simple, cost-effective method of mixing your paint is to use a 5-gallon drill mixer. These consist of a spiral mixing paddle that fits on a cordless drill.
Following the process below will ensure that your coatings are properly mixed and that your color is consistent from pail to pail.
1 Attach the paddle to the drill. Place the paddle into the coating and mix for 2 minutes. Raise the paddle up and down, but be careful not to raise it too high or you will splatter everything within a few feet of you!
2 After mixing the paint, remove the paddle from the paint and stick into a pail of water. Mix the water for 30 seconds or so, remove the paddle, and wipe off any excess residue.
3 Point the paddle into the air and mix air for a few seconds to dry it off. Then lay the paddle off to the side for the next use.
This process should be used any time you are preparing to paint using a new or partial pail. By mixing before you spray your shed or before you touch up, you will see significant improvement in your shed’s appearance. GSCB
Jamie White ([email protected]), PPG Segment Specialist, can help you better understand how to get the best coatings system.
