White On Rice

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Author Message Russell W. Wood, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: woodr5678 Post Number: 150 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 02:36 pm:    Does anyone remember why painters wear white? Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEEDŽ AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1011 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 02:52 pm:    No, Russell, tell us why painters wear white... Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI, CDT Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 1158 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - 02:54 pm:    When they quit medicine to make more money? John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1182 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 10:04 am:    Don't know, but having been a painter for years, I'm going to make a guess. Light-colored clothing shows paint spots a bit less because most paint colors are relatively light. (I never used my painting clothes as a rag, however. That's just declasse.) Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, LEED-AP, MAI, RLA Senior Member Username: tsugaguy Post Number: 243 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 12:26 pm:    Pigment costs money? Or white absorbs less heat on hot days? If it is to show spots less, then they would probably choose whatever color is most often painted. Nearly all primer is white, many ceilings and trim are painted white, and some walls are painted white or shades of white. I'll run with that. Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI, CDT Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 1159 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 01:03 pm:    The "real" answer is- that is the only way they come!!!!! Brett M. Wilbur CSI, CCS, AIA Senior Member Username: brett Post Number: 195 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 01:22 pm:    Back in the 70's, it was in fashion to wear "blaze orange" painters pants. Showing my age... I used to have some in 7th grade. Russell W. Wood, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: woodr5678 Post Number: 151 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 01:24 pm:    So far you're not even close. Dave Metzger Senior Member Username: davemetzger Post Number: 348 Registered: 07-2001 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 02:33 pm:    From Googling the question came a variety of answers, including the following: One theory holds that the custom of painters wearing white began in 18th-century England when buildings commonly were whitewashed. Another idea says that it began in the early 20th century when union painters adopted white as their uniform to set themselves aside from non-union workers. The union guys used to wear white clothes with black neckties as a symbol of their professionalism. Another theory says that the most common color painters deal with is white, and they also deal with a lot of other white stuff such as plaster and spackle, so they wear white clothes so the splotches don't show. A painter in blue jeans is going to finish the day looking a lot messier than a painter in white. Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 395 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - 02:33 pm:    So the whitewash wouldn't show up. Russell W. Wood, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: woodr5678 Post Number: 152 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 - 10:14 am:    OK, here's what I heard through the paint grapevine. Years ago, painters used to wear dark denim work clothes. Of course the dark clothing would get dirty from the paint. To remove the paint stains, the clothes were bleached, quite often to the point that they turned white. Hence, clothing manufacturers started making white work garments for painters. So now you know.... Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEEDŽ AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1013 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 - 10:21 am:    So now that we've all learned something today, can we go home?