A new year with new paint

As 2010 rolls in new regulations take affect to regulate the paint retail business.
The paint companies have started to roll out their lines of green paint, namely paint with low VOC's (volatile organic compounds).
These paints have a much shorter open time (working time) and really are still at a stage where improvement is needed. Some of the immediate things painters notice is the way these paints will clog up brushes and will dry on your roll if you don't cover it when you go for coffee.
A small spritzer is a good thing to keep around, I often spray my roller tray if I'm leaving it for more than a few minutes. Also I keep a roll of cling film to wrap my brush at lunch time and put some across my roller tray to prevent that thin skin from forming and later transfered to the wall.
The new paints are a result of legislation in California that trickles around to the rest of us some time later. I personally liked the alkyde modified exterior paints that Benjamin Moore made for decades, and will be sad to see them go.
I've got news for you folks, 100% acrylic is not all it's cracked up to be, acrylic softens in water and is not as good as their modified cousins.
Have a good 2010 painting and stay safe. Ken Wells http://www.mercuryminc.net/

A trade secret to keep.

Knowledge of any subject takes some research and study. If you intend to do some large painting project in your home and can't find a painter you can trust or can't afford our rates, then arm yourself with knowledge about painting.
Getting the consumer to paint their own homes has been encouraged by retailers for about three decades now. There are good profits in selling paint at full retail, and the consumer doesn't have the knowledge that a professional has.
My advice is to go online and order a book or two. "Paint Magic" is a good start, it goes over all aspects of faux finishing and painting. "The art of faux" would be for the more advanced student of painting.
Of course follow my website and blog also and ask me for specific details or idea's and I'd be pleased to assist you. Our site www.mercuryminc.net

Celebrate, paint to the music.

OK, our website just got the official nod from the Symantec gods, it took a while but we finally have the little green tick when you Google search us.

Method for painting doors

Painting flush panel doors is a simple job, but here are the steps. Cover the floor with a drop cloth or news paper. I like a piece of thin cardboard especially if there is carpet on the floor.
Remove the door hardware (door handle) and keep them to one side. Sand the surface of the door with a 120 to 220 grit sand paper or a med/fine sanding sponge,(use the fine side).
Wipe the door down with a damp rag and inspect for any imperfections that you may have to fix.
Open the paint, pour it into a roller tray and use a 7 inch roller with a 6 mm sleeve. These smaller rollers are much easier to handle than the 9 inch wall rollers and are great for doors.
Using your sash brush, paint the edge of the door that belongs to the side you are painting.
If the door opens away from you, it's the hinge edge, if it opens towards you, it's the edge with the handle and latch. After you have brushed the edge, go around to the back of the door and wipe off any extra paint that may have crept around on the other face. Now dip the roller and roll the surface. With a flat door you should be able to leave the surface as a roller finish, if you decide to brush it out you will need to work VERY fast especially with the new paints. Brush vertically and be careful to keep the strokes straight and not get drips off the top edge of the door.
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Visualization is a skill

To see a project completed in your (minds eye) or imagination seems to be something some people can do easily and some struggle with. I've even seen famous designers who have to draw what they need to do. Drawing though is a great way to convey what the conceived idea is going to look like. Imagination is where it starts, but communicating it is the first and vital step if other people are going to understand the concept. Without communication you are on your own.
Some designers borrow from magazines or other media, others work at being original.
The main thing for me is for understand what the customers tastes are and how far they can stretch to accept new idea's. The greatest concept will die if presented to the wrong client.
Also presentation is important. I've had projects die because somebody tried a presentation over the phone. Never assume the client sees what you see. Have good visual references and clear imagery for them to look at.
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Trade Secrets are not secrets.

You have figured out by now that trade secrets are a list of practical suggestions that have been proven over time. It's all basic stuff, but many people miss the basics, thinking the secrets are more complicated.
Here's a note about dark colours. Oddly enough some dark colours cover other colours quite well. While some are like transparent glaze. This is because the paint that is in the can before the colour (tint) is put in by the machine IS transparent. So what do you do?.
Some companies recommend a coloured base coat, use it. The old paints used to require a dark grey under their colours, this also will help, but what ever you do, try a little as a sample before committing to the whole wall. It will save you a lot of grief.
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Basic steps

Just like the Karate Kid who wanted to be a master in the sport, painting is really about the basics. If I had a dollar for how many people who told me "I can paint", I'd be living in a castle.
Yesterday I went to see a small painting job that included 6 doors and frames that were painted with the highest gloss paint I have seen. Before I paint them I will need to sand them to a flat appearance, otherwise you could pull the new paint off with your thumbnail after a month.
To avoid dust I will use automotive emery paper, this is used with water, (usually a wet rag) and works really fast and efficiently. The grit should be 150 or 180, even 220 would be OK. Wipe the surface after you've finished sanding and voila. A good quality semi gloss or eggshell latex will be used to repaint these doors and frames.
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Painting tip. Colour and you

Colour choice is a personal thing of course. I don't buy it that men can't choose colour. Usually it's a lack of will more than anything. Always choose a colour in the room you are going to paint. If in doubt, get a large sample and keep it in your space and look at it at different times of the day.
I mean if you are going with a beige or off white you can just paint. But colour choice can be an important part of the process so don't rush it or be thinking of other things. Key off other coloured items in the room and rely on your own feelings of what the colour does for you.
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Washing/wrapping paint brushes

I have noticed that wrapping a paint brush in that cooking cling film, can have nasty results if left too long. Especially with the new low voc paints, who's open time (working time) is really short. Anyway washing at the end of the day is still the best option. Floating them in a bucket or paint can will expand the wooden wedge and cause the brush to lose it's shape and ability to be used as a cutting tool.
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Trade secret # 9

Here's one painting problem that many people are confused about.
Can you paint latex over previously painted oil paint?
Usually the oil paint has been on the surface for a few years, so the answer here is yes.
Here is the condition. If it's a high gloss finish then you MUST sand every part of the surface so it takes off all the gloss. Then wipe it down to remove the dust and paint away.
If it's old alkyd paint on the walls, sand and paint. Sometimes it might require washing with TSP.
If it's fairly new oil paint then you have a problem. There are some paints you can find that will remedy this, but sanding is still the key.
More information can be found on our site
http://www.mercuryminc.net/

Trade secret # 8 Painting a ceiling

I just added some info about this subject on my site http://www.mercuryminc.net/, that's on page three of trade secrets.
Usually you should ask a professional painter with experience painting ceilings to give you a quote. If your ceiling is textured or not they are not easy to paint.
Most should be painted with a flat latex, although kitchens and bathrooms can be finished in eggshell or even semigloss.
There are some good washable flat latex paints on the market also.

Trade secret # 7. Glazes

OK, some of you were wondering, does this guy know anything about anything more than the basics? But people, the basics ARE the secret. OK, here is some info about glazes.
A glaze is a transparent coating applied over a surface. It can be an oil or combination of oils thinners, and color. Or, it can be an acrylic clear coating with some color in it.
The oil based glazes are an old traditional way of creating beautiful affects used by the old masters. Faux finishers use them to scumble or make thousands of great looks in their trade.
The film business uses glazes extensively for anything from marbling, to woodgraining.
Making glazes is for painters with advanced knowledge and experience, but they can be purchased in paint stores. But be aware that you will not have a good experience unless you have some knowledge about what to do with these transparent coatings. The most challenging part is how much tint to put in the glaze, too little and you don't get the effect, too much and you have to start again. Contact me for more info on this.

Trade Secret #6

Here is a seemingly unnoticed practice that I have found common even with professional painters.
When you have finished painting for the day, CLEAN THE ROLLER TRAY with brush if you are not using a tray liner, and make sure there are no globs of paint left in the corners so the tray can properly dry overnight, and be ready for the next days painting.

Trade Secret # 5

One of the things I am asked about is brush technique. How do you get a straight line up by the ceiling and not get paint every where? First, look on the trade secrets page number 2 and I discuss some of this when talking about painting. When you hold the brush up to the wall just below the ceiling, the brush needs to be perpendicular to the wall, don't have the handle pointing in the direction you are pulling the brush. Next, push the bristles against the wall and ease the paint up to just below the line where the ceiling connects to the wall. Try cutting a line one eighth of an inch below where you want it, that way you will be less inclined to push paint up onto the ceiling, (Something we all want to avoid). Also, if you find yourself using just the tip of the bristles to cut in, it's virtually impossible to make a straight line. Again push the brush again the surface and use just edge of the bristles to form the line.
Yes I need to start making video's of this, instead of trying to explain it.

Trade Secret #4

Washing brushes after use. If your brush is not getting dried lumps on the side of the bristles after a day of painting you can avoid washing the brush by carefully wrapping the bristles with a cling film used for cooking or a piece of thin (1 mm) plastic sheet used for covering furniture. Be careful to push out the air bubbles, then put the brush in a cool place until the next day.
If you need to wash the brush do it thoroughly, until no more discoloured water is coming from the bristles. I usually dab the brush against the bottom of the sink with the tap running.
Spin the brush in you hands until the bristles are damp, then smooth out the bristles as the brush will conform to the shape you leave it in. Lay it on a rag and you're done.

Caulking

There are lots of types of caulk , which has an elastic characteristic. The tubes that require a caulking gun, and the smaller hand squeezed ones. For painting always buy the paintable latex caulk. The 100% silicon caulks cannot be painted and will cause whoever comes later to paint your handy work a lot of grief.
Apply caulk by cutting a small amount off the end of the tube,then with a steady stroke squeeze the caulk into all the area's between door casing, windows etc that are separating. (Some scraping maybe required before this step.) Then, with a damp rag draw your finger along the caulk to wipe off the excess. If you have a mound of caulk on the rag you are applying too much. Rinse the rag often and remember you cannot sand away the excess later so remove all the excess caulk.

Painting Tip # three

Choosing a colour for your home.
Just remember that paint is only paint and can be redone if you don't like what you chose.
Now you can buy little jars of your colour before you have to make your purchase. Try it to see if it's going to work. Benjamin Moore has them, and some of the other paint stores too.
Choose the colour in the room that's going to be painted, every room has it's own light qualities.
Take into consideration the other colours in the room and furniture also.
An eggshell finish is the usual choice but there are some good washable flat paints.

Oil paint to latex/a rock and a polluted place

Well I must say the new rules on paint are welcome, but I still have a rant, as a professional of course. 2010 stores will NOT be able to stock alkyd (oil) based paint. I hate the smell of oil paint but it's soooo.. nice to have time to work with it when painting murals or faux finishing. Even just slapping a coat on the wall it flows out nicely and guess what?, after you finish you usually dispose of the roller and wash out the brush in paint thinner and let that thinner stand in an old can and then reuse it for washing the next brush. Fast forward to the future, which is now.
Latex is water soluble and loaded with chemicals unheard of 20 years ago. Although we are assured the new latex is low in VOC's, ummm , now the paint is dry before you have a chance to scratch your nose, and , try faux finishes with this stuff, even with the extenders they sell separately. Then we are ready to clean up. Wash the brush and roller in the sink and watch all those chemicals go into the sea, ummm very smart.
Are we creating a bigger monster? I for one have decided to dispose of my rollers after the job instead of trying to wash them. I do put them in a 5 gallon bucket and see if I can reuse them but wash them? not.

Trade secret tip # two

On my website I have mentioned how to buy the correct filling knife. The flexible ones are filling knives, the stiff ones are used for scraping. A 2" and a 4" knife will be all you should need for regular work around the home. Use the two knives together, one to hold the mud, the other to apply it .
A ready made filler like Redifiller is OK for picture hook holes and little dents around your home. Bigger holes sometimes require a filler that is mixed before you apply it. The advantage is that the filler will set and be ready to sand before the premix variety and for bigger holes it won't shrink as much.
DON'T over fill. Press the filler into the hole and then draw the knife across the hole and remove all the filler thats not hiding in the hole. If it shrinks, fill it again. This one technique saves hours of dusty sanding and subsequent clean up.






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Tip # one

trade secrets are not what people expect. The most basic habits are the things that make the difference. Where you place your tools can have a huge impact on your jobsite. For instance putting your paint can in or near a doorway can have unwelcome outcomes. If someone treads in your rollertray is it their fault or yours for having it in the way? Think about it .... and talk to you soon. Ken.