Home Painting Answers

  Building a new wood deck this spring/summer? If so you have a decision to make not long after you finish construction. Paint or stain for the finish? This could help.    Advantages of stain;                                                                   Advantages of paint;                                                                    Easer application.                                                                 More durable than stain. 5 to 7 years.  ...

   Taking on the task of painting your new home can be a rewarding and money saving DIY project. It can also be a nightmare. I have just a few questions you should give some thought to before you take on this project.  #1  Just how much money will you save?    Here in the mid-west the normal cost for a professional paint job (including labor and materials) on new construction is  3% of the cost of constructing the new home.    Example, if the construction cost of your new home is $250,000 it would be $7,500. Of that cost the materials will account for about $2,500 to $3,000. #2 What are your (as the painter) Responsibilities? Sight clean up.    If you have ever entered a new home after the dry wall has been just finished the mess left behind is huge. Scrap dry wall, dry wall dust and miscellaneous debris fill the home. Check with your general contractor on who's responsibility it is to remove this debris and clean t...

  Proper Roller work on your new DIY paint job is critical for a nice finished product. Please .....Please do not roll your walls as pictured here.    Not only will your finished job not look as nice as it could but you may spend the rest of the day in bed or on the couch with back pain.    Use a rolling pole as pictured here. After you have done the edge work with the brush, roll from the top to the bottom. Do not stop half way down the wall. Do not roll from side to side.    The person pictured here is doing two things wrong though. Get everything out of the way. You do not want to be half way along the wall and have to stop and move things out of the way. This mistake could give the paint you just put on the wall just enough time to start to dry and that could cause a lap. Second do not start in the middle of the wall. Start at a corner. What to look for in the Paint Brush for your DIY painting project.  

What is the correct brush for your DIY painting project you have at hand?    If the project your preparing to do is the walls in a typical bedroom this is the brush I would recommend. A 2.5 inch square tip brush.  This brush is big enough to get those spots to small for a roller. But not so large that it creates problems in those tight corners close to your trim work.   It is polyester as you can tell by the light color of the bristles. A nylon bristle brush would have black bristles. A nylon brush of the same size and with the square tip will work just as well. But as a personal preference I find the polyester brush bristles a little softer.   If you are painting the trim then this is the brush I recommend. If you are painting your trim with (latex) paint.    It is the same 2.5 inches wide and also polyester but has a tapered end. It's often referred to as a sash tool.    The tapered end make getting paint t...

  What paint roller cover to use on your DIY painting project may not be the biggest decision you ever make but it is worth a little consideration.  How thick of a (nap) should you use? In the vast majority of cases a 1/2" nap works the best.   Deeper naps may be needed for a ruff or textured service but for the drywall in your home 1/2" works well. But what if I am using an eggshell or a satin finish or possibly even a semi-gloss paint?    Yes a 1/2" is still your best overall choice. A 3/8" nap is what many paint suppliers recommend for paints with a (shine) when finished. Their reason is that a 3/8" roller cover leaves less stipple. Giving you a smoother finish.      No matter how little stipple you make with the paint you are applying. The stipple that is already on the wall is still there and will show thru the paint you are applying. So the advantage of less stipple with a low nap roller cover is gone. Secondly a 1/2" roller...

  We have all heard the saying the devil is in the details. Todays tip may appear as a minor and almost meaningless detail but it could save you a lot of problems with that DIY painting project you have planned.   A paint roller frame?      Something as simple and basic to painting today as a brush. What could possibly be a detail that is a need to know? Just take a look at these two examples of roller frames I have here. See the difference?    One has a metal ring at the point where the rolling pole screws in and one does not. Well that chrome ring is not there just for good looks.    That ring helps prevent the plastic handle from cracking when you screw the roller handle into the frame.    Screw that rolling pole in just a little to tight in the frame with out the metal ring and it WILL crack and it will no longer work. Just picture yourself just about to finish the last wall and that happens....

Your kitchen cabins looking a little dated and worn? Priced a new set and found out it's more than you new car. Well there is an answer. You can paint your stained and varnished kitchen cabinets/bathroom vanity  and bring new life to them at a fraction of the cost of replacing them. This is a project for those of you who have some experience in panting. It can be done however the problems are numerous. Making this a project best left to a pro. Just a short list of must do's for this project Clean...Clean... and clean again! Get all of the grime off your cabinets. Lightly sand,  odds are the finish currently on your cabinets is smooth so sanding should be a breeze. Remove the draw pulls, handles and hinges. Don't forget to label the doors as to where they go! Failure to do this will make a huge problem when you reassemble them. Use a "bonding" Primer, adhesion is the name of the game on cabinets. Use a satin finish for a "shine" similar to many...

   Do I need to Prime?  Most likely the answer to that question is ...no actuality. Priming is needed for two main reasons. Adhesion and coverage. So if your painting project is a simple repaint of you bedroom walls and ceiling with out a strong color change Priming is not really needed.   The paint on the walls before you start is likely a flat, or and eggshell/satin finish. Sometime even a semi-gloss. Todays paints will bond to these finishes with out the time and additional expense of priming.    Coverage is the most likely problem you could have in an repaint. One hint that could help is that "the darker the color the better it covers " is NOT the case! As a matter of fact very dark colors often require additional coats. I will not bore you with the details but it's the way paint is tinted today.    One clue you can use to determine how well your color selection will cover is look at the "base" of the p...

  Smoke/nicotine stains are a challenge for even the most experienced painter. So as a do it yourself project be prepared. This will not be fun or easy.   First things first. If the wall you are painting have a "flat" finish, washing the walls before priming is a waste of time and money. You will only spread around the nicotine and soak it deeper into the paint that is on the walls now.  If the walls have an "eggshell" or "satin" or "semi-gloss" finish washing can be helpful to a small extent. Areas you should concentrate on is where the stains are the heaviest. This is most often where pictures were on the walls and corners.  Do not invest a lot of time in this step. Just get the heaviest stains removed as best you can.  MATERIALS   You will need a (stain blocking) primer. This is critical as a standard primers will not do the job properly.   This type of primer is most effective if it is oil based. Some brands offer a latex stain b...

   Like many people your looking to reduce your electric bill by replacing your standard incandescent bulbs will LED or florescent lights.   Some think you should consider first. You invested a lot of time and expense in the paint on your walls. Changing you light from incandescent to florescent or LED. Can change the appearance of the color you walls are painted.  The standard incident light put out a light that has a yellow/gold color. Many florescent bulbs will put out a light pink color. LED light are a more white light than the incident or the florescent bulbs.    Changing to a florescent light in a room that is painted in a pastel or an off white wall color can change the appearance of that color drastically. The typical off white color will pick up a pink hue to it. A pastel color (especial light grays) will look purple.  The LED bulb will wash out a pastel color making it look several shades lighter in color.  ...