Painting Division

 

Office: (214) 995-6331

 

Lewisville, Texas

 

www.Amazing-Finishes.com

 

Tips & Hints

 

Home Owner Painting Aid & Project Inspiration Section

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· The best paint project starts with good preparation

 

· Using the appropriate masking tape can make a difference

· Take the time to tape off all corners and trim for straight lines

· Remove all electric outlet and switch covers

· Cover your floor with plastic

· Thicker plastic will resist blowing around

· Adhesive backed heavy-duty plastic runners for high-traffic areas like hallways

· Use the light plastic for covering furniture - be careful not to tear it

· If your tape sticks to the plastic in the wrong spot - leave it and get a new piece otherwise you will tear the plastic trying to re-use the tape

· Tools for a good painting project

 

· Paint brushes

 

· Although tempting - resist the urge to buy the cheap brushes

· Higher quality (more expensive) brushes leave a smoother finish and will be less likely to leave bristles in your paint

· Pick the appropriate brush for the type of paint

· Be sure to clean your paint brush often during your project and definitely after you are through with that particular color

 

· Paint Roller Covers

 

· Most of painting is done with this tool

· The nap is most important here - you want to use the least nap possible for the project because higher nap means a heavier roller and more wasted paint

· Nap is the term used for the thickness of the fibers on the roller (1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2” ...1.5”)

· For flat walls (no texture) you will use a very low nap (less than 3/8”)

· For textured walls - a higher nap would be appropriate and the coarser the texture is, the higher the nap should be.

· If you are having to go over the same area of wall multiple times to get paint into the lower areas of the texture, you are doing the following:

· Not enough paint on your roller (stretching)

· The nap is to low

· Types of Fibers

 

· There are multiple types of fibers available

· Synthetic (used for most finishes)

· Natural (few advantages - more expensive)

· Cheaper is not always better

· Shedding is a common problem with your cheaper roller covers

· This is when you see fuzzy hairs in your freshly painted wall

· To “pre-shed” your roller you can wrap it in tape and remove it a few times.  The tape will remove any loose or soon to be loose fibers from the roller cover before they can get into your paint.

· Some roller cover inner tube material is not water resistant and therefore must be used only once

 

· Foam versus Fiber

· Foam rollers work excellent for a super smooth finish most commonly found on doors and trim

· Fiber is more commonly used on walls that have texture

· Fiber will most likely be able to hold more paint than a foam roller cover and thereby be able to paint more area before reloading

· Types of Paint

 

· Latex (water-based)

· Usually a 2-4 hour drying time (to touch or tacky)

· Water clean-up

· Low odor

· Short open time (workability)

 

· Oil (petroleum-based)

· Usually 8-24 hour drying time (to touch or tacky)

· Solvent clean-up

· High odor

· Long open time (workability)

 

· Oil versus Latex

· Oil is usually a harder more durable finish over latex

· Oil typically yellows (light colors) in short periods of time versus a higher color fastness with latex paint

 

· Product Advancement

· Many paint companies are creating new products

· Higher durability in latex paints

· Fast drying oil paints

· Research and don’t be afraid to ask your paint store about new products and there performance

 

· Avoid Project Pitfalls

 

· Always paint on a clean surface

· Remove any loose & peeling paint by scraping

· Replace all rotted wood

· Prime all new wood

· Power wash all exterior surfaces to remove build-up

· If painting latex over existing “old” oil paint - prime the surface first with an appropriate primer (ask your specialist)

· Buy enough paint and mix it all together before finishing an individual container to ensure color correctness

· Plan on two coats of paint when painting a color that requires a base other than “white - tint base”

· Never stop painting until you have completed the entire wall otherwise you may see your stopping point later due to additional paint being added

· It is best to always keep a wet edge as you move around the room

· Surface temperature is different than air temp.  Air can warm up faster than the surface you are painting.  A paint requires certain minimum surface temperatures before painting and these should be followed.

 

· Project Secrets

· Use a grey primer if painting reds—otherwise you may need three or more coats! 

· Usually as the degree of grey darkens as your red becomes more red (deeper darker reds).

 

· Do your cutting (edges) as you move along the wall

· this allows you to maintain your wet edge so as to blend your paint lines without seeing the lighter and darker regions

 

· When cutting—resist the urge to “stretch” your paint. 

· It is much easier to stretch you paint with a brush than it is with your roller and when the paint dries you will see light and dark regions near your corners and ceiling where you were “stretching”.

 

· Buying better paint usually means less coats but do not try to eliminate two coats if you really need two. 

· Most of the time, two coats is required over new drywall or freshly textured drywall. 

· Also so darker colors will require two coats. 

· If you a good at making sure you are applying the paint “thickly” with the roller than you may be able to get by with only one coat. 

· This is tricky though because you may see runs or lines in your paint. 

· Ultimately, paint is or should be purchased with the cleaning and hiding properties in mind and NOT if this or that paint states one coat coverage. 

· Also, paints advertising long warranties is a usually not a big point with me, seeing as how many people re-paint their rooms before the time period expires.

 

· Colors change from the “Chip” to the “Wall”. 

· Most of the time, a sample “chip” of one maybe two inches square is not adequate in determining your room color.  It is  a starting point. 

· Once you have narrowed your choice down to a few colors, I advise my clients to get those colors matched up in quarts or smaller size quantities and then paint a 2 foot square area in a couple of different locations in the room. 

· This allows more area for viewing and also puts the colors in different locations where lighting may be different or adjacent accents may effect the color. 

· Then live with the colors for at least seven days.  Psychologically, our minds need time to adjust to change. 

· Some times, our initial reactions are different than our “adjusted” feelings to a color.