Painting

When the weather takes its course, anything on the way will have to bear the consequences. Wrought iron is one of the things will be most affected by the weather changes. One solution to restore their original beauty is by painting them. The paint coats will protect the wrought iron from heat and moisture, thus [...]

Picking the right colour for your home is an important thing to do. Pick a colour that is too pale and your house will seem flat and featureless. Pick a colour too bold, and it may overwhelm the deco, or even yourself. Colours chosen should highlight the best features in your home. The right use [...]

Room colour can affect your mood and thinking, so it’s worth your time to think about the colour you want in specific rooms. Colours can affect people in many ways, depending on age, gender, ethnic background or local climate. Colour trends come and go, so you don’t have to worry much about trends to make [...]

Once you’ve decided on the colour of paint that you want for your house, the next step seems simple enough. Head to the hardware store and get some paint and brushes. Sounds simple? Not really. You’ll discover that there is just one type of house paint, but a whole range of paint, latex or alkyd, [...]

Once you’ve decided on the perfect colour for your room/house, you will need to decide which finishing you want for them. Knowing the benefits of each finishing will help you determine the right one for your job. There are some particular application specifics that you should consider when selecting an interior paint finish.

Maintenance and Durability

Most [...]

When stripping paint from a home built before 1978, test the paint for lead. You can strip finishes by heat-gun stripping, chemical strippers, scraping, or sanding. These are the more primary method of stripping. Chemical strippers which are the least damaging to the surface work best at removing paint from fine woodwork or irregular surfaces, [...]

Preparing Exterior Trim for Paint

The wood trim of a house is most susceptible when it comes to damage from sun, rain, and wind. You will need to thoroughly clean, sand lightly and prime the surface. You may also need to scrap, strip, re-glaze, wire brush, fill or caulk the trimmings.

Scrub away all dirt and chalking [...]

A power paint sprayer makes for quick work of a paint job. With virtually no dipping or dripping required, you can cover a large area with just the press of a trigger. Sprayers are available in various sizes and power ratings for homeowner’s and contractor’s specific needs, including applying stains as well as paint.

Types

The basic [...]

Extremes in temperature, air pollution, expansion and contraction of building materials, or mold growth are some of the problems faced by the exterior surface of a home. These are related to improper preparation and application. 

Peeling

Moisture penetration through a paint coat can result in cracking, peeling, discoloration and premature paint failure. They tend to be more [...]

Moisture or poor adhesion can be the main cause of problem for peeling. Peeling caused by poor adhesion happens when the top layer paint separates from an earlier paint layer (intercoat peeling) or from the substrate leaving some paint behind. It can be caused when surface preparation is poor prior to painting the new coat [...]

Alligatoring and Checking

“Alligatoring” occurs when the paint film takes on a cracking pattern of deep relief resembling a reptile’s skin, such as that of an alligator. “Checking” is a similar failure but is less severe and is characterized by long, fairly evenly spaced cracks in the paint film having shallow relief or depth. Alligatoring happens [...]

Sagging or Running

When you see dripping or drooping look to areas of the paint film, you would have spotted problems where the application of a coat of paint that was too heavy or overloaded. This can be caused by heavy handed paint application, paint thinned too much at time of application, or applied in poor [...]

Stirring

Always stir from the bottom up as this ensures the mixing of the clearer layer of thinner at the top with the heavier, pigment-laden material that settle at the bottom. For a more uniform colour among multiple cans of paint, boxing (below) is recommended, but not usually necessary.

Boxing

Different cans of paint, even in the same [...]

Painting is not such a difficult project to undertake as long as you know what you’re doing and have done preparation for it. It does not demand a lot of you physically, and probably the toughest part will be painting the ceiling. 

The key to a successful painting project is prepping. This is a step that [...]

Tools for Prepping Walls 

Safety glasses or goggles 
Respirator or face mask 
Ear protectors 
Rubber gloves 
Pry bar 
Paint scraper 
Wallpaper steamer (rent if needed) 
Can opener or widening tool 
Fan 
Hand sanding block 
Orbital sander 
Screwdriver 
Putty knife 
Sponge 
Cap or scarf 
Old clothes 

Materials for Prepping Walls

Spackle (compound) 
Fine-grit sandpaper 
(100 – 120-grit silicon carbide) 
Detergent and ammonia or tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) 
Self-adhesive drywall tape 
Primer or adhesive pad 
Sizing (for wallpapering) 
Tools for Painting 
Drop cloths 
Ladders 
Buckets 
Paint edger 
Brushes, [...]

Turn the electricity off to outlets or fixtures on surfaces that you will paint on. Remove all light fixtures, switch and outlet plates, heat registers, towel rods, drapes and drapery hardware. After you have safely wrapped all disconnected light fixture wires, you can turn the electricity back on. 

Protect the floor from drip by covering with [...]

Remove everything removable from the room before you start painting. Remove as much furniture from the room as possible, and move the remaining furniture to the center of the room. Cover the remaining furniture with a drop cloth, and use removable masking tape around any moldings, doors and windows. Use drop cloths to protect the [...]

First Things First

You will need to prep your walls and wood work trim before beginning to paint, or else the debris from prepping will settle on the new paint. Woodwork and trim are painted with an enamel or glossy paint, which will have to be roughed up so that the new paint will adhere properly. [...]

Always remember to paint your ceiling first before painting your walls. Working from the higher end of the wall down to the bottom Always use safety goggles when painting your ceiling. Also use high quality roller with an extension so that all areas of the ceiling can be reached without strain. 

Pour the paint into a [...]

Trim work like doors, frames and casework are usually constructed of wood, vinyl, or metal. Paint the entrance and exit points last, as this will allows the paint finishes will be undisturbed and allowed to dry upon completion of the room. It is easiest to paint a door on its hinges, by cleaning the hinges [...]

Harmonised stripes on your wall can give a sophisticated look and add interest to plain walls. It can be done with a steady hand and the proper brush, or with masking tape. For example, soft shades of green and blue produces a minty sweet colour scheme, as the  blue base coat provides one stripe; green [...]

Faux painting or Faux finishing are terms used to describe a wide range of decorative painting techniques. Faux, derived from the French word for “fake”, faux painting began as a form of replicating materials such as marble and wood with paint, but has come to encompass many other decorative finishes for walls and furniture.

From cave [...]

There are many faux finishing techniques and there are a few important things that should be thought out clearly before you start faux painting. You will need to consider a few things in order to avoid major complications or problems that might delay or completely derail a work in progress.

Before you choose what faux finishing [...]

Always make a checklist of the tools and materials that you will be using. Each faux finish project has different tools and material requirements, and knowing what you need and how much of it is important so that you don’t have to go running to the hardware store and break your mid-stride during your project [...]