PREFACE.
This little work is intended to furnish the Practical House-Painter—the Every-day Workman—with information sufficient to enable him to understand his business intelligently. One of its objects is to deal with the nature, characteristics, qualities, and defects of the materials employed by the class of artisans for whom it is written; and to a limited extent this has been done with as little theory as possible; high-sounding technicalities have also been avoided wherever the author has been able to make himself understood without them.
It is thought the young painter may derive great profit and advancement from a careful study of this book, as the hints, rules, and recipes it contains are reliable, practical, and of every-day use.
The author has consulted many works on the subject, and is indebted to many of them for much of the matter contained, among which may be mentioned “Building Construction and Materials,” “House-Painter’s Hand-Book,” “Artists’ and Tradesmen’s Companion,” “Painter’s Guide,” “Chevreul’s Oils and Paints,” and several other works of more or less note. To this has been added many things discovered by the actual experience of the writer.