Julie Porter

In late March, IUPAT Paint Instructor Julie Porter and students from the Ft. Semoce Job Corps Center volunteered their skills to complete the finishing work at two Habitat homes in the state of Washington.

The students prepped the interior structures by filling the nail holes and other uneven metal surfaces with plaster mix and then sanded it over for a smooth finish needed for the painting coatings.The students used their newly-learned skills in bazooka gun taping to roll and plow angle cuts to cover windows, door jams, floorboards, vents, receptacles and other fixtures.They then had to carefully mask areas targeted for meticulous paint application.The students completed the finishing work by applying double coats of different color paints to the interior of the homes.

Porter explained that as students participate in a project of this magnitude, they not only gain real work experience and good work ethics, but personal confidence as well.