Show Notes: Paint Like a Pro

If painting is on your summertime calendar, how about some professional help? James and Morris have pro painting tips and answers to your questions  on problem paint.

 

Common Paint Problems

Paint can do wonders to breathe new life into the appearance of a dingy old room or the otherwise tired exterior of a home. Appearance aside, a good coat of paint on interior walls and woodwork can them more abrasion resistant and easier to clean – especially where little ones are involved. On the exterior, paint provides a protective coating against oxidation and rot. As with the interior, good paint — properly applied — will resist oxidation and staining and can be kept looking good with an occasional rinsing with water and garden hose.
Regrettably, many do-it-yourselfers pay more attention to color – albeit important – than they do to preparation. There is a well known saying in the professional painting world that “70 percent of a good paint job has to do with preparation.” Simply put, that’s the cleaning, scraping, sanding, puttying, caulking and priming. All else being equal, high quality paint combined with thorough preparation is a winning recipe for a paint job that will look good and last a long time.
One of the most important parts of preparation is dealing with paint problems that may not be solved with a fresh coat of paint such as blistering, chalking, nail head rusting and paint incompatibility – to name a few. In fact, it would suffice to say that you may end up having to paint twice unless the cause of these (and other) common paint problems are first addressed and solved. What follows are some of the most common paint problems, their causes and what you can do to solve them.

Paint incompatibility: Typically this condition exists where latex (water base) paint is applied over several coats of old oil base paint. The paint refuses to stick and easily peels. This can usually be prevented by sanding the existing oil finish and applying a coat of oil base primer followed by a latex finish coat. Most diyers and pros alike are opting for latex paint due to its ease of application and quick cleanup.

Blistering paint: These resemble medium to large water blisters. With few exceptions, paint blisters are almost always moisture related. The origin can be from excessive interior moisture escaping through the exterior walls; a leak around windows, doors or from the roof that is allowing moisture to make its way behind the paint; painting a warm surface in direct sunlight or painting a “green” surface that is damp or wet. Popping the blisters and patching, sanding, priming and painting is at best a temporary fix. Your best bet is to find the source of the problem, fix it and then paint.

Chalking: Chalk is great on blackboards, but is miserable when it’s on the outside of your home. There nothing worse than having someone brush up against the siding on your front porch only to have their Sunday best look as if they’ve been rolling in a dust pile. While some chalking can be attributed to normal oxidation, excessive chalking is usually associated with the use of “bargain basement” paints that contain lots of cheap fillers such as clay and less of the more expensive titanium dioxide, which gives paint its hide. Another common cause of chalking is using an interior paint outdoors. Solution: buy the best paint that you can afford and never use an interior paint outdoors and vise versa.

Nail head rusting: If your siding looks like it has the mumps, what you probably have is rusting nail heads bleeding through the surface of the paint. Rusting nail heads can result from using non-galvanized iron nails; non-galvanized iron nails that were not countersunk, filled and primed; or galvanized nail heads that have lost their galvanic protection from sanding or weathering. Solve the problem by washing off the rust stains, lightly sand the nail heads and countersink them slightly below the surface of the siding. Apply a dab or top quality siliconized latex caulk to each nail head; spot prime and paint to finish.

Poor gloss retention: The paint had a mirror-like finish when you first applied it, but now it’s duller than dirt. More often than not this condition is caused when using a gloss oil base paint in areas that are exposed to direct sunlight. It can also be caused when using an interior paint outdoors or applying poor quality paint – see chalking. Although virtually all paints will lose some degree of luster over time, this condition can best be avoided by using latex paint in areas that have prolonged exposure to the sun. The binders in latex paints are especially resistant to the oxidizing UV rays of the sun. Poor quality paints will also oxidize more rapidly.
Roses are red, violets are blue, buying and applying the right paint will a home improvement hero make of you.

https://onthehouse.com/common-paint-problems/

 

Paint Like a Pro

Repainting Your House From A-Z

A fresh coat of paint applied to the exterior of the house will do more to improve its “curb appeal”, and hence its value, than any other single improve­ment that one can make. Additionally, a coat of paint will protect the exte­rior surface of the home from damage due to wind, rain, the sun and even structural pests.
Arming oneself with top-quality exterior grade paint is only part of the solution. As a matter of fact, most painting professionals agree that 80 per­cent of a good paint job lies in the preparation.
The preparation can simply be defined as everything that is done prior to applying the finish coat of paint. Whereas the specifics of surface prepara­tion may vary depending upon the material over which the paint is to be ap­plied, the bottom line is that the surface must be clean and structurally sound.
We have found that one of the best ways to commence an exterior paint job is by power washing the exterior of the building. This will remove any debris that most likely exists on the surface of the paint. It will remove spider webs, mildew, and contaminants in the air that end up making their home on the exterior of your home!
The power washer should not be confused with the inexpensive car washing devices that can be purchased from the auto parts store for under $35.00. The power washer that we have in mind is a commercial grade device that can be rented from the local tool rental outlet or paint store. Look for one that has a rating of between 1500 and 2500 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure. Most homes can be power washed in less than a day and for a total rental fee of under $75.00. Carefully follow the operation instructions provided by the firm renting the equipment since an unprepared homeowner can do more damage than good.
Once the pressure washing is complete some addition scraping and or sanding may be required. Damaged areas or depressions in the surface where chipped paint or blisters existed should be filled with an exterior grade vinyl spack­ling compound. Apply this with a putty knife with about an 6″ blade. After the spackle has dried it should then be medium sanded with 80 to 100 grit paper. A finish sanding with 120 grit papers will help to ensure a superior finish.
Cracks and other penetrations should be filled with an exterior grade paint­able latex caulk. Large cracks (in excess of 1/8″) in plaster or stucco should be patched with a plaster-patching product. Cracks should be opened up slightly and thoroughly cleaned before the plaster patch is applied. Galvan­ized sheet metal that has damage should be repaired and primed with an oil base rust resistant primer.
The final step in the preparation phase involves masking any other forms of protection that will minimize the amount of cleanup that will be require once all of the paint has been applied. Masking paper/tape and canvas or plastic drop cloths are typically all that are required here.
When shopping for paint, your best bet is to go with top quality exterior acrylic latex. It not only offers excellent adhesion to virtually any finish (wood, plaster, and masonry) but also has great elasticity and resists chalking too. What’s more, latex paints are among the most user friendly since they clean up with water. One of the best ways to determine the quality of paint is by the price tag attached to it. The more expensive the paint, the better the quality. Spending a little more money for paint up front can end up saving a ton of money in the long run.
Paint can be applied with a brush, a roller, or a sprayer. Our preference is with an airless sprayer. It makes painting an entire house a task that even the least enthusiastic of do-it-yourself house painters will be willing to take on. An airless sprayer like the pressure washer can be rented from the tool rental outlet or paint store. Paint applied with an airless sprayer should be back brushed or rolled to ensure proper adhesion and a uniform finish. Check with your paint supplier to determine the roller nap length or the type of brush required for the paint you are using. Never attempt to use an airless sprayer on a windy day. The net result could be a neighbor’s car that highly resembles the new color of your home.
Finally, clean up all of the paint equipment so that it will be ready for the next time you feel like playing Michaelangelo. Be sure to properly dispose of all waste material. Thinners, oils, and other solvents should be treated as toxic waste and be disposed of in accordance with local environmental require­ments. Call your local department of environmental health for specifics.

https://onthehouse.com/repainting-home-exterior-z/

 

Got Mosquitos ? 

Attractive Target Sugar Bait (ATSB) – an entirely different mosquito control technology that uses the mosquito’s natural physiology against it versus waging war with harmful chemicals.

For conscientious gardeners and backyard enthusiasts, ATSB ends the battle of the bite without any of the collateral damage caused by alternative neurotoxins.  Here’s why:

1.  More than 10 years of science says SUGAR not just harmful chemicals are Mosquito’s Achilles Heel.

Based on the simple concept that mosquitoes need plant sugars to survive – to fly, to mate, and even to bite – a global team of scientists spent more than ten years honing the ingredients of a perfected sugar bait that targets mosquitoes specifically, yet is 100 percent non-toxic to people, pets, and the environment including non-target insects like bees and butterflies!
***Only mosquitoes – not beneficial insects — find the sugar bait and the encapsulated garlic hidden within irresistible.  The combination is lethal to both male and female mosquitoes.  They quite literally die to eat it!

1. ATSB Proven to Collapse Mosquitoes by more than 90 percent with NO harmful chemicals
   More than 21 scientific studies, an article in Malaria Journal and an upcoming study in Acta Tropica all agree that ATSB is a highly effective, very viable NON-TOXIC solution that has shown a 96% efficacy against the Aedes albopictus species, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito and known carrier of chikungunya and West Nile virus.

2. ATSB Now Available in Easy, DIY, non-toxic spray for backyard!
   ATSB’s promising technology is for the first time available this spring direct-to-consumer in a ready-to-use backyard spray for homeowners called Terminix AllClear Bait & Kill.  Simply apply Bait & Kill to green, non-flowering foliage or non-porous surfaces.
   ***Within 48 hours of ingestion, both males and females stop biting, their breeding cycle is disrupted, and they begin to die.  Within three weeks, mosquito populations as a whole collapse by more than 90 percent.
   ***Available at Target, Lowes stores, and Amazon.com NOW for an MSRP of $12.99. Each twin pack protects up to 5,000 square feet of backyard.

A gardener’s or homeowner’s dream come true?  If the 2015 regional bug predictions hold true for a much heavier season of pests then most likely!

 http://baitandkill.com

 

Website Mentions:

Selecting Energy Efficient Windows: 

http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/energy-efficient-windows

Stainless Steel Scratch Remover:

www.restoresolutions.com

Animal Repellants – Liquid Fence

http://www.liquidfence.com

Replacement Cabinet Hinges:

http://www.cabinetparts.com

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