Just today, I received an email from an individual who had an exterior paint job fail after just six months! That is miserable performance. The email contained lots of voodoo excuses and solutions from the painter and a carpenter buddy. Neither, in my opinion, had nailed the cause of the problems. Based upon the description in the email, it appears that excessive indoor humidity is to blame. I never cease to be amazed at the amount of bad information that is out there.

My newspaper this morning had a feature article in it about cleaning and sealing decks. All of the information given in the article was suspect. Seriously! The reporter had called some local deck cleaners and took their word as gospel. All I am trying to say is watch where you get your information.

Paint is a Film Former

Paint, by its inherent nature, is designed to peel. It is a film forming coating. Paint will stick very, very well to substrates that do not move too much. Examples of this are just about any metal. Think. When was the last time you saw paint peel from a refrigerator or stove? Do you think it is because they use special high tech paints? Not really. Metal of just about any type is an excellent substrate. It doesn't move too much. Aluminum siding is a good example. Paint can last for years on aluminum. Aluminum expands and contracts, but the paint holds on!

Wood is the WORST!

Wood is just about the absolute worst thing to paint. It expands and contracts wildly in response to changes in moisture content. This movement can easily defeat the strongest paint film.

Is your interior or exterior ready for a paint job? Find the professional painters by using my Interior Painting & Staining Checklist or my Exterior Painting & Staining Checklist. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Some wood products such as hardboard or Masonite® must be painted multiple times on all edges and sides to protect both the material and the finish paint film. Hardboard can swell enormously if it gets wet. The paint is the only line of defense. If cut edges and seams are not painted during installation, you can have severe rot develop within a matter of just a few years. When was the last time you saw a carpenter have a can of paint open near a miter box or circular saw? To the best of my knowledge, I was one of just a handful of carpenters in Cincinnati that carried paint/primers alongside my saws!

Shrink Wrap Your Wood

Wood will behave and paint will stick quite well if you can paint the entire piece of wood before it is installed. The old-timers called this backpriming. It can be done assembly line fashion in the field. You can also buy many wood sidings and trim that come factory primed. This is a must if you want a long lasting paint finish on your new home or room addition.

Sealing the wood completely means painting cut edges as well. This will be a hard thing to get your carpenters to do. However, it is absolutely necessary. The cut ends are often where end grain is exposed. End grain is where water has the easiest time entering wood. Water that is sucked up by end grain will liberate itself five or six inches away from the end of the board. This is why you often see the butt edges of wood siding peel or the bottom portion of trim boards flake.

Flexible Paints

Knowing that wood moves, it would help to have primers and paints that have built-in flexibility. Acrylic resins (resin = paint glue) are the ones with the greatest amount of flexibility. The paint can resist years of movement. It appears that these paints will not get brittle like the older oil based paints.

Exterior house paints can contain other resins or glues. They do not perform as well as acrylic resins. Keep in mind that once the paint dries you are left with only two of the three primary ingredients in paint: the resin and any color pigments. It pays to purchase the absolute best resin or glue that you can afford! Acrylic is the best - plain and simple.

Related Articles:  Exterior Home Painting & Weather, Exterior Painting

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When to Paint?  Watch the Weather!

Did you know that weather conditions can affect how well your paint holds up? It can make a huge difference! The worst conditions are extremes of hot and cold.

Paint needs to mechanically and chemically bond to the surface it is covering. It can only do this well if the solvent (water or mineral spirits) in the paint evaporates at a slow or medium pace.

If you paint with water based paints in brilliant sunshine on a hot, windy day, the water can evaporate too quickly from the paint. I have actually seen blisters form on a freshly painted surface. The paint skinned over before the water below could get out! It was a mess.

Plan your painting for cooler weather. Paint areas AFTER the sun has hit it. Western exposures need to be painted on overcast days.

Is the exterior of your house looking drab? Find the professional painters by using my Exterior Painting & Staining Checklist. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Related Articles:  Understaind Paint & Painting Tips, Exterior Painting

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Painting Floors - Tips and Techniques

The minute you apply the first brush stroke of paint to your floor you are going to cringe. There is something very unnatural about painting a floor. I still am not comfortable when I do it. I feel this compulsion to immediately clean the paint from the floor! After all, spilling or dripping paint on most floors is a bad thing.

What Can be Painted?

Just about any flooring material you can think of can be successfully painted. Ceramic tile, sheet vinyl, old linoleum, hardwood, vinyl tile, etc. are all perfect candidates. If you have ever tried to clean up old paint drips or splatter from a floor you know what I am saying is true. High quality paint that is applied to a clean floor and then allowed to cure is virtually impossible to remove from most flooring materials. Cover the paint with two or three coats of urethane and you will have a devil of a time getting it up!

The preparation process for all flooring materials is the same. You need to get the floors squeaky clean and remove all traces of wax. Dirt, wax and glossy surfaces prohibit good adhesion between the paint and the floor. Remember, paint is simply colored glue. It is nothing more than that. Glue doesn't stick well to dirt, dust, wax or other high gloss surfaces.

Glazed ceramic tiles can be painted with great results if you lightly sand the tile after it is clean and dry. The sanding dulls the glazing and actually creates micro-grooves that allow paint to grab better.

Primers

It is usually necessary to apply a primer to the floor before you paint. Primers do a great job if the surface to be painted has uneven texture or porosity. This is what bare wood or freshly finished drywall has. Primers even out all of the imperfections and allow the finish paint to soak into the surface at an even rate. A ceramic tile floor or sheet vinyl floor already has fairly even porosity. The only areas that might need primer in these examples would be the grout. Grout has a completely different texture than the tile itself. Even after applying a primer, there is a good chance you will see a gloss difference when you finish the job.

Get Crazy!

Would you like to raise some eyebrows? Create a geometric pattern and transfer it to the floor you intend to paint. Have you seen those cool stenciled walls in designer and decorator houses? Why not stencil your kitchen or family room floor? The possibilities are endless.

Basement playrooms are the best. If you want to see what I mean, you should go to Asheville, North Carolina to the famous Biltmore Estate. One Halloween the Vanderbilt children and their friends were allowed to paint a basement space to their hearts' delight. The wall paints and designs are still there today.

Floors make great places for maps, lakes, roadways, or any other thing you find in nature. Take my son for example. He plays make believe all the time in our current living room. The floor is the surface of the earth. If he is playing with boats, then the floor is ocean blue to him at that point in time. I am getting ready to paint a basement room floor area so that he actually has his ocean, his roadway, army battlefield, etc. You can do the same. Remember, once they outgrow it, simply paint it again with a new concept, color, border, stencil or whatever.

Applying Paint

You will paint the floor exactly as you have painted walls and woodwork for years. Use a combination of the best rollers and brushes you can buy. Cheap rollers and brushes yield inferior results. Spending five or seven more dollars for a good brush is worth it. Don't get cheap on me here.

To get the smoothest floor, you need to clean it and then inspect it at night. Defects, bumps, etc show up best if you use an automotive trouble light that is held down at floor level so the light beams strike the floor nearly parallel. The smallest bump will seem like a mountain under these light conditions. Scrape bumps off and vacuum them. Fill tiny holes and cracks with standard wood filler. Sand it once it is dry. Filled areas will have to be primed before you paint or you will see a texture/gloss difference.

Sheet Vinyl Embossing

Should you fill in the embossed patterns on a sheet vinyl floor? It is up to you and it is a lot of work. It also creates a problem if the filler doesn't bond well.

I suggest that you paint a small test patch - say 2 feet by 2 feet first. See if you like the look under daylight conditions and nighttime lighting. You might be amazed at how the embossed pattern actually enhances the look of the floor - much like a Berber carpet pattern. Good luck with your painted floor!

Related Column: Painting Floors Really Works Well

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Oil Based Paints for Floors

Do you need to use a special paint for your floors? Not really. Special porch and deck paints have been around for years. These have a tougher finish coat and resist scuffing to a degree, but they often come in very limited colors - battleship gray being one! To get unlimited color choices, all you need to do is buy a high gloss regular indoor oil based paint and cover it with a top grade clear urethane. The urethane protects the paint finish.

Be careful when you go to the paint stores. Often the sales clerk will ask you what you are doing with the paint. When you tell them you will be using it on the floor, most will freak out. They will tell you, "No! You can't use this paint for that purpose." Ignore this advice. Why? Because painting floors is such an uncommon event that most sales clerks do not have the experience to deal with it. If you run into this situation, you can have some fun. Ask the sales clerk if they have attended or have watched a basketball game on TV. Mention to them the painted lines and logos on the hardwood floors. Ask them how in the world those things work. The sales clerk will probably ponder this and make an excuse or say it is some sort of special paint. The truth of the matter is that it is not a special paint. I know because I have talked with the paint companies and the painters who paint the basketball courts!

Remember to let the paints dry according to the instructions on the can. If you don't the paint might not harden sufficiently. Adding urethane over paint that is not completely dry stops the paint drying process. The urethane basically shrink wraps the paint and doesn't allow the volatile chemicals to off gas. It will be a big mess. Try to let the paint dry for at least 48 hours if possible before you re-coat it with the first layer of urethane.

• Devoe
  Primer: Velour Enamel Undercoat
  Top Coat: Mirrorlac 7001

• Dutch Boy
  Primer: Oil Primer
  Top Coat: Oil Base High Gloss
• Fuller O'Brien
  Primer: Sand & Coat
  Top Coat: Versaflex or FOB 630

• Olympic
  Primer: Primer 6 - 6
  Top Coat: 6 - 282

• Sherwin Williams
  Primer: Anchor bond
  Top Coat: # 200 Gloss Oil

*Product names were current on the date this Bulletin was written. Manufacturers may have changed product names since then.

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Transforming Dark Paneling

There still are many houses and basement family rooms out there that have dark paneling. It was the rage back in the late '60s and early '70s but times have changed. So should the paneling. There is no need to rip it out, let's just lighten it up!

The following advice is given by Gary Lord, probably one of the top faux painters in the USA today. You can see excellent examples of his work in his book Great Paint Finishes for a Gorgeous Home. The color photos in the book are simply magnificent. You can easily see just how to create 12 different faux finishing projects by following his step-by-step instructions.

Here is what Gary says to do to transform dark paneling into a light and airy look.

Getting Ready

The paneling needs to be clean, wax-free and free of any gloss. Washing the paneling with a soap and water solution will surely get it clean. Wash multiple times if necessary until the rinse water is clean. If the paneling has been waxed use a standard wax remover to eliminate wax films. Factory or field applied gloss finishes can be dulled by using de-glossing liquids found at any top quality paint store. Simply follow directions.

Want a faux finish but don't have time to do it yourself? Find the professional painters by using my Interior Painting & Staining Checklist. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Field Mixed Stain

The stain for this job is going to be mixed by you! You are going to buy oil based paint that is tinted to a shade that you want the paneling to look like. Take a one gallon empty can and pour one quart of the paint into it. Add 1/2 to 3/4 quart of paint thinner to the paint and mix. If the wood paneling is very rough and porous, use less thinner.

Applying the Stain

Use an oil brush and apply the stain mixture to the vertical grooves (if any) of the paneling. Only apply it to two or three grooves. Now brush on the stain to the three vertical panels adjacent to the grooves. Keep the stain coverage as even as possible.

Use old rags to wipe down the paneling. Some of the dark color may show through. Do not be alarmed. The wall will very likely dry slightly lighter than what you see. You need to work fast and apply stain to the dark paneling next to the area you just finished as soon as possible. You basically want to keep a wet edge of stain at all times.

Do not stop working until you hit a corner or do the entire room. You can have big problems if you stop halfway down a wall.

The process works best if you have a helper. One person can apply the stain while the helper wipes it down. Step back about 10 feet on a regular basis and check your work.

Gary Lord's Tips:

• If you work by yourself, only do three or four boards at a time. The stain can dry and you will have a botched job.

• Don't go back and touch up an area. It can create a light spot in the finish.
• Watch for runs and drips!
• Practice in a closet or on scrap if possible. Stand back from the work eight to ten feet to see the realistic look.

Related Articles: Faux Finishing, Faux Finishing Basics, Faux Finishing Tools, Faux Finishing Books, Faux Painting

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Floor Urethanes - Tips and Application

Not all floor urethanes are created equal. You can choose between water based and oil based products. The water based urethanes are newer technology. Tests have shown that they are quite durable.

I happen to prefer the commercial grade oil based urethanes. These are the products that are used on gym floors and other locations where there is heavy foot traffic. You will rarely find these products at a home center or regular paint store. It is easy to find them. Just call several hardwood floor companies in your area. They know the distributors or they will sell these excellent products directly to you.

If you can't find these, go with a name brand urethane from a top paint store. Make sure on the label it states that it is indeed a floor urethane and not a wimpy furniture urethane -one not intended for floor use.

Before You Open the Can

When you buy paint the clerk or you often shake the can before you open it. This mixes up the pigments in the paint so that the final finish is uniform. Shaking cans of urethane or varnish is a big mistake. Don't do it! the shaking action injects lots of air bubbles into the urethane. These tiny bubbles don't always go away before you apply the finish or before it dries. Simply stir the urethane with a paint stick. The proper way is not to go round and round like you might stir coffee. You pull the stick from the side of the can towards the middle while lifting the stick up. The lifting action pulls up thicker components from the bottom of the can and brings them back into suspension. Do this for about one minute and you will be in great shape.

Applying Urethane

If you are urethaning a large area - anything over 100 square feet, then you should use a lambs wool applicator. This is what professional floor finishers use. This applicator is available at most paint stores and home centers. It attaches to a pole and you use it to spread the urethane evenly over the floor. The urethane is poured in a line on the floor. You then use the applicator like a bulldozer. You push the urethane in front of the applicator leaving a fine film in the wake of the applicator. Hold the applicator at an angle so the excess urethane is forced to exit the side you are working towards. If excess urethane escapes the other side, you will get a ridge line on the floor. Think how snow plows work.... This is exactly why they tilt the blades at an angle! Don't go back and forth! Use one straight forward motion from one end of the floor to the other.

You will still need to brush the edges. The lambs wool applicator is only intended to apply urethane to wide open spaces. You also need to work fast - especially if it is warm and there is significant air movement. Failure to keep a wet edge on the urethane will show up as streaks and lap marks. It is helpful to have someone do all of the brush work and applying urethane in front of the applicator while one person progresses across the floor non-stop with the applicator.

Be sure to lightly sand the urethane between successive coats. Vacuum up the dust before you do each coat. Before applying the urethane, wipe the floor down with a rag saturated in paint thinner or mineral spirits to remove every trace of dust. Burn the rag after you are finished.

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Faux Finishing Books

The following titles are just a few of the many recent books that are available concerning faux finishing. Some are paperback and others are works of art in hardcover editions. Each of those listed below is available at Amazon.com!

• Great Paint Finishes for a Gorgeous Home by Gary Lord

• The Art of Faux: The Complete Sourcebook of Decorative Painted Finishes by Pierre Finkelstein
• Classic Paints & Faux Finishes by Annie Sloan
• Decorating With Paint & Paper by Karin Strom
• Painting Techniques & Faux Finishes by Louise Hennigs
• Debbie Travis' Painted House: More Than 35 Quick and Easy Finishes for Walls, Floors and Furniture by Debbie Travis
• Classic Paints and Faux Finishes: How to Use Natural Materials and Authentic Techniques in Today's Decorating by Annie Sloan, Kate Gwynn

Related Articles: Faux Finishing, Faux Finishing Basics, Faux Finishing Tools, Faux Finishing Wall Paneling, Faux Painting

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Faux Finish Supplies and Tools

You would be surprised at what you might have around your house that can be used for faux finishing. Feathers, old rags, sheets of thin plastic, coarse burlap, etc. Many of these items can be used to texture paint and create unique looks. Most paint stores now have special sections setup for faux finishing. You can buy special rollers, paint pans, accessories, etc. that will help you achieve professional results.

One item that I have seen that produces a unique pattern on a wall is a rag roller. It looks like a regular paint roller cover except that instead of nap, there is a twisted rag. What's nice is that the rag can be adjusted on the roller to produce different looks on the wall. This tool is available online from Faux Accents.

If you like to use stencils in your faux finishing work, check out these two web sites. They have some fantastic stencils!

• Jan Dressler Stencils
  
• Royal Design Studio

Related Articles: Faux Finishing, Faux Finishing Basics, Faux Finishing Books, Faux Painting

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Faux Finish Basics

If you decide to go with a faux finish in a room, you must produce a sample first or have the painter do it for you. You can do it on a 2 x 2 foot piece of poster board or a scrap piece of drywall.

The sample will help you in the event of a dispute about the finished product. It also will eliminate any questions as to what you want as the finished product. This is only fair to the painter. Imagine them trying to read your mind as to what you want!

Always take the time to prep out the room. This means plenty of drop cloths, masking tape, covers on lights, safe ladders, etc.

Think small for your first project. When I say small, I mean small - like a closet! You need to get comfortable working around corners and working against woodwork. Why take a chance in a large open area when a closet would do just fine?

If you don't want to sacrifice a closet, why not just buy a blank piece of drywall? You can prime it with a good primer/sealer and then go to town with your faux finish. If you mess up, big deal! Just start over and keep trying until you master the technique. Your largest investment will be your time.

Want a faux finish but don't have time to do it yourself? Find the professional painters by using my Interior Painting & Staining Checklist. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

If you are happy with your results on the drywall, don't try to tackle a large room or a two story entrance hall. Go to a small bathroom, or possibly a bedroom to try your handiwork. By taking your time and progressing on to bigger rooms in a step-by-step process, you will be assured of great results!

Finishing Touches

Rookie faux painters get into trouble on the edges of their work. Often they try to do the edges last. This is a huge mistake. You need to work all edges and corners while you are there and you have a wet edge.

A wet edge means the paint in that area is still fresh. If you try to come back later, you will have double coverage at worst or you will have inconsistencies in your pattern. Just take your time and work the edges, corners, etc. as you go.

Edges usually require an abundant supply of rags. You can also help yourself by using the proper masking tape. There are surface friendly tapes out now - some are blue - that have a mild adhesive. They stick just well enough to hold the tape and possibly some plastic in place. When you remove them, they don't leave a sticky residue behind. They are found at first class paint stores.

Related Articles: Faux Finishing, Faux Finishing Tools, Faux Finishing Books, Faux Finishing Wall Paneling, Faux Painting

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The art of faux painting has been around for many years. Painters have been fooling people for hundreds of years. There is a good chance you have been fooled and didn't even realize it. I can tell you that while doing research for this column I could have been easily fooled! I saw some samples of fake marble that were so real I thought I could carve my name in them. But, alas, they were paper thin. The most amazing thing was how three dimensional the faux marble appeared!

Infinite Possibilities

"There are only 88 keys on a piano", said Gary Lord - one of the top faux painters in the land. "Yet, you can create an infinite amount of music with those keys." I interviewed Gary at his studio for this column and bulletin set. Gary then went on to say that the human eye can perceive nearly 16,000 different colors. This means that the different colors combined with the different faux techniques allow anyone to create countless faux possibilities. I can tell you that Gary has thousands of sample faux finishes as part of his selection process, more than I had time or energy to look at!

Want a faux finish but don't have time to do it yourself? Find the professional painters by using my Interior Painting & Staining Checklist. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

Faux finishing can make a surface look like real stone.

Price Ranges

If you decide to hire a pro like Gary Lord, you can spend a little or a lot. The simplest faux finishes can be done by a pro for about 75 cents per square foot. If you want a detailed, decorative mural, you will pay nearly $50 per square foot. Most of the common faux finishes created by a professional cost between $1.25 and $3.00 per square foot.

Who Does It?

Would it surprise you if I told you that most of the professional faux finishers out there are women? It shouldn't. They seem to have much more patience and more of an eye for detail than men.

You can find the best faux finishers by calling the interior designers in your area. These people use faux painters on a regular basis. They know who can deliver striking results. If you run into a dead end with interior designers, then try all of the top quality paint stores in your area. The store manager often knows several faux painters. The painters must buy certain types of materials from standard paint stores on a regular basis.

Related Articles: Faux Finishing Basics, Faux Finishing Tools, Faux Finishing Books, Faux Finishing Wall Paneling, Faux Painting

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