# Paint for Props



## dreamlight_director (Aug 7, 2014)

Hello!

I am a high school student and director of a play called Fool's Paradise. I am currently making a lot of props! Grave stones, banners, and next week my project is to paint a flat.

Is there a specific paint I must use. I am worried because I used semi-gloss on the banner. Will this conflict with the lights? Any other tips for a first production will be helpful as well.

Thanks!

Karley George


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## SteveB (Aug 7, 2014)

Karley George said:


> Hello!
> 
> I am a high school student and director of a play called Fool's Paradise. I am currently making a lot of props! Grave stones, banners, and next week my project is to paint a flat.
> 
> ...



Flat, water based, latex. Anything inexpensive. If you use flat, do everything flat. That's what my scenic artist wife says. I'm an electrician so otherwise have no clue.


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## Timothy A. Samuelson (Aug 7, 2014)

It truly all depends on your design. I frequently work with a designer who likes to put odd shaped, vibrant colored pieces in an otherwise black environment. He almost always wants them to be high gloss. At the same time, I have another designer that is adamant that everything be flat and neutral. Gotta love the production process!


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## balderson04 (Aug 8, 2014)

From what you describe, I recommend flat latex paint. Something I do to reduce cost is use relatively cheap primer as a mixing base and deep saturated colours in quarts for my colours to mix from. Doesn't work for everything, but helps cut the bottom line. Don't worry about the fact that the paint counter person will tell you to buy the best -- it's only got to last a few weeks, right?

Having said "flat", nowadays I find that what they sell as flat (unless you pay top dollar) is actually eggshell. The counter help will then argue black-is-white with you, even though you hold the evidence under their nose. Using the primer as a mixing base results in truly flat paint, though.

"Latex" for ease of clean-up, especially in a student situation. Also for ease of un-"oops"-ing the floor, the walls, the furniture, the . . . oh, wait, that's what happens when _my_ wife gets a paint-brush.

Best of luck.

David


Karley George said:


> Hello!
> 
> I am a high school student and director of a play called Fool's Paradise. I am currently making a lot of props! Grave stones, banners, and next week my project is to paint a flat.
> 
> ...


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## Timothy A. Samuelson (Aug 8, 2014)

Be cautious with the latex though. I ordered a flat of latex paint once and the scenic artist was highly allergic.


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## rsmentele (Aug 8, 2014)

You can also think about thinning the paint out a little bit with water to make it easier to work with, make the coat thinner, reducing weight, and of course using less paint and saving money. I cant recall ever painting a flat with full strength paint...


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## gafftaper (Aug 13, 2014)

Go to your local Lowes/Home Depot and look for the mis-tint paint selection. They sell paint which is accidentally not the right color for a fraction of the cost of the full price paint. 

Find a student who has a parent who paints houses, or look around the neighborhood for a small local house painting company. They have gallons and gallons of odd and mismatched paint left over from jobs they are working on. Develop a relationship with them and you can get tons of free paint. I had a guy who would dump all his left over white paint in 5 gallon buckets for me. Mix it up and it was "white-ish"... close enough for a high school play. Put a thankyou to them in your programs... they get a little free advertising and you are throwing away paint they can't use for them.


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## dreamlight_director (Aug 13, 2014)

Thank so much for all of your help!


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## josh88 (Aug 13, 2014)

My wife's program, and mine (to some extent) live off of mistinted paint. I love it, it's cheap, and if you're in good with the department, they may be willing to tint it a bit more towards something you want. To further what gafftaper said, see what's around you and ask for left over paint. My wife's YMCA program gets regular paint donations from mystic scenic which is a pretty big company, they also get other donations (Palm trees, foliage, etc) you never know what you might find and what someone might give. The worst you get is a no, which leaves you in the same place you were.


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