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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The original paint on this aluminum siding has all but worn away. You can successfully repaint aluminum siding. Copyright 2019 Tim Carter

Painting Aluminum Siding - It's Easy

You can paint aluminum siding. It's important to realize you have to clean off all the chalking factory paint before you apply the new paint.

Ammonia + Aluminum = Trouble

Virtually all water-based paints have some ammonia in them. Don't ask me what it does, I just know it's there. Anyway, it just so happens that ammonia and oxidized aluminum don't mix very well. In fact, when you mix the two things together a chemical reaction occurs that produces gas. This is just fine in a chemistry lab but not on your siding.

Some books and magazines on painting recommend that you prime aluminum siding and/or paint over existing aluminum siding with water-based primers. This can spell disaster. The problem is that there are quite possibly pinholes or cracks that are not visible to the naked eye where the old aluminum paint has worn off. The aluminum could have been exposed to the air for quite some time. It is oxidized. If you paint this aluminum with a water-based primer, you may create a problem. Small bubbles may form under the paint skin. This could lead to premature film finish.

Oil to the Rescue

Did you know paint companies employ chemists? These individuals know that you must create a barrier between the oxidized aluminum and the water-based acrylic finish paint. It is easy to do.

Virtually every paint manufacturer makes a high-quality oil-based metal priming paint. This is the product to use to create the barrier. However, it is not necessary to apply the primer full strength. In fact, thinning it down actually helps the primer penetrate deeply into the eroded paint finish on your siding.

The trick is to thin one gallon of paint with one pint of thinner. Be sure to use the approved thinner! Don't use gasoline, or some other solvent you think will work. The label on the paint can usually tell you exactly what to use.

Surface Preparation

The key to any successful painting job lies in preparing the surface. The surface to be painted is the foundation. Poor foundations create poor results. This is true in any project. Clean surfaces are the key. If you remember that paint is simply a modified glue, you will be on the right track. Glue likes to stick to rough surfaces - there is more surface area. Glue doesn't like dust. If you follow some of my painting tips, your upcoming paint job will last and last!

Special Primers

You can buy some clear acrylic primers that will not bubble. They are made for old painted aluminum surfaces. William Zinsser makes one called Peel-Stop.

Companion Articles:  Aluminum Gutters Can Be Painted, Aluminum Siding Painting Tips, Paint Your Aluminum Siding, Aluminum Siding Paint Manufacturers

Author's Notes: The following updated information was received from the Paint Quality Institute.  Debbie Zimmer addresses ammonia in latex paints and the resulting bubbling.

"Hi, Tim,

Thanks so much for your questions and comments.  Regarding ammonia in latex paints, it is so low today that the off-gassing (resulting in bubbling) is really not a factor.

Here are a few detailed points to consider:

1. Bare Aluminum: forms a strong oxide layer which is easy to stick to and is relatively inert to ammonia. Some folks confuse ammonia with acid. Yes --- acid will generate some hydrogen gas but there should not be a reaction with ammonia.

2. All Aluminum Siding is coated. This again generally results in a surface that is easy to stick to but for all intents and purposes, relatively inert to water-based paints. Even under poor conditions, incidental exposure to Aluminum should not be a problem because of above (1).

Also, on occasion, we do speak about oxygen bleach but typically use the more common (common to homeowners) "bleach" term.  Perhaps we should use oxygen bleach more often.  We don't use brand names (in any of our materials), such as Clorox.

Tim, I'm really glad you asked the questions --- it helps us make our educational information stronger.

If you are ever in the Philadelphia, PA area, I would love to take you on a tour of our PQI facilities --- we have over 30,000 paint panels on exposure (a few dating back to the '50's) and 1000's with the most recent and forward-looking technologies. In addition, our "farm" contains over 200 different surfaces and substrates (painted/not painted) on exposure as well.

Thanks again,"
Debbie Zimmer
PQI Director of Communications and Alliances
Dow Coating Materials, North America
The Dow Chemical Company

Updated: 08/23/2010

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Painting Aluminum Siding & Exterior Painting Tips

OK, let's get the show on the road. We want to paint your aluminum siding. The first thing we are going to do is thoroughly wash the siding. What, go to the tool rental shop? Get a pressure washer? Hmmmmmmmm, let's think about this.

Pressure washers are great when used in the hands of someone who knows how to use them. However, with aluminum siding you can have some problems. For example, if you direct the spray near the ends of pieces at doors and windows, you can create leaks into your home. If you direct the spray at a seam overlap, water can get behind the siding. Also, pressure washing doesn't always get all of the dirt off. If you direct the spray at a downward angle, the area just under the beveled bump-out doesn't even get cleaned!

A better alternative, although more work, is old fashioned elbow grease. Using a large sponge, soapy water, and a scrub brush, you can do a great job.

Start cleaning at the top of the siding and work down. Rinse the cleaned siding until the water runs clear. You want to remove as much old pigment as possible. Even after the siding dries, there is a possibility that a small amount of pigment or chalk will get on your fingers. That's OK.

Primer - A Must

As we discussed earlier, you must apply an oil based metal primer to seal any oxidized aluminum. Try to use a primer that is close in color to your finish paint. You can get primers tinted! Tint it 1/2 or 3/4 strength of what the finish color is supposed to be. Don't forget to thin the primer: 1 pint of thinner to 1 gallon of paint.

Apply the primer after the siding is completely dry. Don't prime too much siding! The freshly primed siding should not be allowed to weather. Ideally you should paint the primed siding the next day. So, don't prime for one week and then paint the next!

Applying the Finish Coat

It's now time for the glory work. This is what everyone wants to do right away. They are impatient. They want instant gratification. Great things come to those who wait! Finish painting of aluminum siding is critical. The weather can ruin your job! No, I don't mean rain. Sun and wind are your enemies! These two adversaries will cause the paint to dry too rapidly. The paint will not have a chance to get a good grip on the primer. The sun can actually boil the water beneath the outer paint skin and cause blisters! It has happened to me. The old saying is follow the sun. This means try to paint in the shade. Let the sun hit a wall and paint it after it is gone or high in the sky. Paint north facing walls on sunny days and south facing walls on overcast days. Cool, overcast days are ideal for painting aluminum siding. These days are easy on the paint and your body. Wait for a good day and you may squeeze an extra 5 years from the job!

Companion Articles:  Aluminum Gutters Can Be Painted, Paint Your Aluminum Siding, Aluminum Siding Paint Manufacturers, Aluminum Siding - Paint and Primer Tips

Author's Notes: The following updated information was received from the Paint Quality Institute.  Debbie Zimmer addresses ammonia in latex paints and the resulting bubbling.

"Hi Tim,

Thanks so much for your questions and comments.  Regarding ammonia in latex paints, it is so low today that the off gassing (resulting in bubbling) is really not a factor.
 
Here are a few detailed points to consider:
 
1. Bare Aluminum: forms a strong oxide layer which is easy to stick to and is relatively inert to ammonia. Some folks confuse ammonia with acid. Yes --- acid will generate some hydrogen gas but there should not be a reaction with ammonia.
 
2. All Aluminum Siding is coated. This again generally results in a surface that is easy to stick to but for all intents and purposes, relatively inert to waterbased paints. Even under poor conditions, incidental exposure to Aluminum should not be a problem because of above (1).
 
Also, on occasion, we do speak about oxygen bleach but typically use the more common (common to homeowners) "bleach" term.  Perhaps we should use oxygen bleach more often.  We don't use brand names (in any of our materials), such as Clorox.
 
Tim, I'm really glad you asked the questions --- it helps us make our educational information stronger.
 
If you are ever in the Philadelphia, PA area, I would love to take you on a tour of our PQI facilities --- we have over 30,000 paint panels on exposure (a few dating back to the '50's) and 1000's with the most recent and forward looking technologies. In addition, our "farm" contains over 200 different surfaces and substrates (painted/not painted) on exposure as well.
 
Thanks again,"
Debbie Zimmer
PQI Director of Communications and Alliances
Dow Coating Materials, North America
The Dow Chemical Company

Updated: 08/23/2010

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Companion Articles:  Aluminum Gutters Can Be Painted, Aluminum Siding Painting Tips, Paint Your Aluminum Siding, Aluminum Siding - Paint and Primer Tips

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