Anybody out there really like to paint?
Children, put your hands down. Adults …. I thought so.
Painting is one of those things that you really would rather have a professional handle, if he wasn’t so expensive. However, the prospect of doing it yourself is no fun either. That’s where the Point ‘N Paint comes in ( $19.95 locally at Altmeyer’s Stores ).
The latest “As Seen on TV” item promises the improbable: Being able to paint an entire room in less than one hour without having to tape the edges of the wall and without having to go to the tray for more paint after every stroke.
Joel Lakus, the owner of Lakus Painting, tested the Point ‘N Paint for us. He works in Bridgeville and has more than 18 years of experience painting homes — and one year he did my deck. Joel is known as a very particular painter, especially when it comes to the corners and edges.
Joel thought from the start the product would work better with a consumer than a professional. He liked the premise of the two applicators: one for the edges and one for the broader stroke areas. In his words, one is used to draw the lines and the other is used to color it in.
However, it was quickly apparent that it was difficult to stay along the edges with this smaller applicator. He found the paint would drip and that the applicator was not good for getting to the hard-to-reach areas. Joel said he would have to use his brush to finish up the corners.
The larger applicator screws onto a pole, allowing you to go up and down walls. That’s fine, but the applicator kept spinning and Joel found that hard to control and not good for applying the high-end latex paint he used made by Sherman Williams.
After all this, he got about an eighth of the room done in 20 minutes. Joel senses it would take more than one hour to do the entire room. He does believe it would a better job on smaller projects likes foyers and small bathrooms. He also thought it would work well for people who don’t want to make a mess like they might with a roller.
Overall, its not going to replace the roller and brush. There are many things that have improved thanks to technology. Painting is not one of them. Face it, you just going to have to do it the old fashioned way … or have a pro do it.
