Painting a Windowsill

Tools:

drop cloth
buckets
dustpan
5-in-1 painter's tool
carbide-tipped scraper
paintbrush
towel
sandpaper
green scouring pads
safety glasses
dust mask
gloves
cleaner /deglosser
primer
paint

1. Lay down a drop cloth to protect the floor around your workspace. Put on the dust mask and glasses and get to work removing the top layer of paint with the carbide-tipped scraper (figure A). A painter's tool is handy for getting into corners (figure B.)

2. Once most of the top layer is removed, use a medium-grit sandpaper to blend in the areas.

3. If you're painting over a high-gloss paint, rub a deglosser into the paint with a scouring pad. Keep rubbing until all the gloss is polished away and you're left with a nice, smooth surface.

4. Let the deglosser dry for about 30 minutes, then apply a primer (figure C). The primer is an important step you should not skip. Not only does it act like a glue, bonding the top coat to the surface, it can also save you paint as you'll need to apply less of the top coat.

5. Immediately wash the primer out of your paintbrush. A plastic comb makes a good tool for cleaning a brush. Just dip and rinse in a bucket of water and comb out the primer.

6. Next apply the top coat using smooth, even strokes (figure D).