Services
Testimonials
Privacy Policy
Our Inspectors
View Contract
Your Report
Career Info
REALTORS
Library
FAQ's
Links

National
Certificate Holder
Click to Verify

top of page

Intro | Getting Ready | Let's Paint! | About Paints | Application Charts

Agenda | Priming and Sealing | Fillers
Wood | Concrete | Metals | Tools | Safety

Agenda

INTERIOR
1.  Check for problems such as leaky roofs or pipes, before you start to prepare for painting.
2.  Clear the walls of pictures and curtains, and check the condition of all surfaces.
3.  Get your tools and materials together, including cleaning supplies and clothes for painting.
4.  Remove or cover the furniture and carpets.
5.  Remove, or mask door knobs, curtain rods and electrical covers with tape and plastic film.
6.  Make repairs to damaged surfaces and trim, and then dust & vacuum thoroughly.
7.  Wash, rinse and dry all surfaces, and sand glossy areas.
8.  Take down the light fixtures, and mask other items such as window panes and radiators.
9.  Spread a drop cloth, plastic, or newspapers on the floor.
10. Plan your approach...  where do you want to start and finish?

EXTERIOR
1.  Look for leaky or clogged gutters & downspouts.  Use a wire brush on rusty areas and prime with appropriate metal primer.  Trim back larger trees.
2.  Brush soffits, check for mildew and apply one or two coats of paint.
3.  Scrape and sand wooden siding, trim, windows and doors, and look for evidence of mildew.  Recaulk joints, fill cracks and nailholes; and apply primer to bare wood areas.  Finish with two coats of good quality exterior paint.
4.  Remove any wooden or alumunum storm windows, and clean the area between the windows, before touching up your wooden window frames.  Remove or cover exterior light fixtures.
5.  Mildew can be cleaned with 1 part bleach mixed with 3 parts water.
6.  Scrapers, heat guns and wire brushes are all useful for removing dead paint, dirt, rust and rot.  Chemical strippers are useful for trim and small, hard to reach areas.  Pressure washers are handy for washing the whole house, and at higher pressures can effectively remove loose paint.
7.  Cover shrubs and flowers with plastic, and ensure that vehicles will not be speckled with paint!
8.  Avoid painting on windy days, or during very high humidity conditions.   Dust and dampness will have an effect the outcome of your paint job.
9.  Work from a roller pan, or smaller container, keeping your paint cans tightly closed when not in use.
10. Use rust inhibiting primers on all metal surfaces.
 

Priming and Sealing

DRYWALL
New drywall can be primed with latex or alkyd primer.  Ensure that the tape is covered and secure at all joints, and that the kraft paper is not damaged from excessive sanding, or sanding with paper that was too coarse.  Scratch marks should be repaired before painting, or painting will be difficult.

VINYL WALL COVERING
Latex primer should not be used on drywall, when vinyl covering is to be applied, because the drywall paper can be damaged when the vinyl is removed.  This is due to the fact that latex primer does not penetrate and seal the drywall paper as well as alkyd primer does.

PLASTER
New plaster is best primed with alkyd primer-sealer.  Use a moisture meter, to ensure 14% or lower moisture content, before painting.

SANDING
#120 sandpaper is good for sanding between coats;  finer paper will clog, and coaser paper will damage the surface.

LIQUID SANDPAPER
Solvent blends are useful for preparing old, or gloss surfaces.  They soften the old paint, and help to improve adhesion of the new topcoat.

PRIMERS
Primers are recommended only for new surfaces.  After sanding, repaint old surfaces with good quality finish paint. 

MILDEW
Recipe for mildew cleaner:  Mix together 2/3 cup trisodium phosphate, 1/3 cup detergent, 1 quart bleach and 3 quarts warm water.  After washing, wipe down and rinse with clear water.  This mixture is also effective on tar, nicotine, grease and grime.  Remember to wear gloves & goggles, and cover your carpets, furniture and plants.

STAINS
Stain "bleeding" can sometimes be prevented by changing paint from water-based to solvent-based, or vise-versa.  Commercial "stain barriers" are most effective, although quite expensive.  To prevent bleeding of asphalt products such as tile cement, prime with shellac before painting.

SHELLAC
Shellac is a good sealer for stains and for knots in wood, but cannot be used under polyurethane varnishes, or peeling will occur.  Use "stain barrier" on wood which is to be painted. 

ALUMINUM PAINT
Aluminum paint is a good stain barrier, but difficult to cover with alkyd or latex paint.

SPRAYED CEILINGS
Avoid over-wetting if using water-based paint, or the texture will come away from the primed drywall.  This can be prevented by using alkyd the first time a textured ceiling is painted.

VINYL & ALUMINUM SIDING
All sidings should be washed, rinsed and free of chalk before painting, and metal sidings should be primed with an exterior alkyd primer suitable for the paint you will be using.  Avoid extremem color changes and  on vinyl siding, avoid dark colours or heat warping may occur in direct sunlight.

GALVANIZED METAL
Galvanized metal primer must be used, before alkyd paint is applied, or peeling will result.  Washing with detergent, before priming, is also advised.

COUNTER TOPS
Counter tops can be painted with akyd enamel paint, however must be sanded and primed, and will not perform as well as the original surface.   Epoxy primer is recommended, and should be sanded smooth and painted over with 48 hours.    

ACOUSTIC TILE
Avoid using gloss paint on acoustic tiles, because they will seal the surface, and ruin the acoutical properties of the tile.

MOISTURE
Use a moisture meter to ensure all surfaces have 14% or less moisture content or paint will peel. 

MULTIPLE COATS
As painted surfaces get thicker and older, they lose flexibility,and eventually crack and peel, at which time the surface has to be stripped.

EFFLORESCENCE
Efflorescence is a white, chalky-looking build-up of water-soluble salts left on masonry surfaces after moisture evaporates, and must be removed before painting.   Paints formulated specifically for masonry surfaces are recommended.

Fillers

WOOD FILLER
A stiff paste made of sawdust and white carpenter's glue makes a good filler, which will match the wood, however may not take stain very well.  One part sawdust mixed with two parts epoxy forms a strong, hard shrink-resistant filler, good for deeper holes. 

COMMERCIAL FILLERS
Quick-drying, water resistant, stainable, sandable wood fillers are available commercially.  Read the labels carefully, and choose the right filler for the job.   Alkyd and latex block fillers perform best on bare concrete block, and are not recommended for poured concrete.

PAINT - PUTTY - SILICONE
Paint, putty and pure silicone caulking do not make good fillers.  Putty dries slowly and may bleed through; pure silicone is not compatible with paint; paint shrinks as it dries in cavities.  Only latex caulking may be painted over, and must be absolutely dry before painting, or it will shrink later and crack the paint. 

Wood

SANDING
Sanding wood not only smoothes wooden surfaces, but also increases the wood's ability to absorb paint, and provides a more consistent coating over the entire surface.  

DECKS, TRIM AND SIDING
Exterior wooden components, if at all possible, should be entirely painted or stained before assembly.  This will help guard against moisture absorption through unpainted areas, which is frequently followed by peeling of painted areas, as the water evaporates in direct sunlight.

PRESSURE-TREATED WOOD
It can take up to a year for chemical preservatives to finally dissipate, and allow paint or stain adhesion.  Use "deck wash" to clean these, and sun-damaged or mildewed surfaces, before painting or staining.

CHECKING
Cracking and raised grain occurs on plywood which has been exposed to the weather.   These surfaces should be primed with exterior alkyd or acrylic primer, before applying a finish coat.

Note:  Most stains will not adequately seal plywood, and remember - paints do not adhere well to stain or varnishes.   If you must paint over stain or varnish, sand first, and prime with alkyd before painting with alkyd or exterior latex.

Concrete

It takes a month for concrete floors to cure, and another month to finally dry out.  Floors can be difficult to paint, even with appropriate products, if chemical hardeners were used.  Abrasive blasting is sometimes required. 

ETCHING
Old, or dirty concrete floors can be cleaned with muriatic acid, sprinkled or sprayed evenly over the surface. 

Caution:  Follow product instructions closely, or consult with your paint store specialist, before using muriatic acid.  Wear rubber gloves, goggles and appropriate clothing to guard against skin contact; ventilate well, and exercise extreme caution.

LAITENCE
This is the dust on the surface of new concrete, formed by cement and sand, after mechanical (machine) trowelling.  Muriatic acid is also effective for removing laitence.

MOISTURE METERS
Ideally, use a moisture meter to determine whether a concrete surface is below 14% moisture content, and ready for paint.  Alternatively, tape a piece of vapour barrier to the floor, and look for condensation under the plastic, after 2-3 days.   Basement floors may remain perpetually damp, in the absence of adequate vapour barrier underneath.

Metals

STEEL
"Mill scale" is an oxide layer covering new steel, which forms cracks, allowing moisture and finally rust to accumulate between the steel and the scale.   The mill scale flakes off, and so does the paint!  Abraisive blasting is the best way to remove mill scale.

The blasting pattern (texture) should be about 1/4 of the thickness of the paint, and not deeper than the primer.  Very heavily blasted steel will rust at the peaks of its texture, before the second coat can be applied.  The texture is determined by the grit of the sand used.

RUST
Despite advertising claims to the contrary, it is not a good idea to paint over rust.  Some paints are recommended for slightly rusted metals, but better results can always be achieved with proper surface preparation.  Paints do not penetrate rust scales, and loose rust may fall off, taking the paint with it.

The following metals can be problematic:

ALUMINUM
Alkyd and latex paints do not adhere to anodized (a.k.a. alodized) aluminum (exhibits a golden or copper-tone hue).  Use a vinyl primer, or finish with epoxy paint.  Ordinary aluminum can be primed with zinc chromate primer. 

STAINLESS STEEL
Stainless steel should be deglossed with a fine buffer or brush.  Epoxy paints adhere well to deglossed stainless steel.

COPPER, BRASS & BRONZE
Alkyd paints will provide good coverage, however use an alkyd primer if finishing with latex paint.  Remove the green patina from old copper with phosphoric acid.  
Caution:  Wear rubber gloves and goggles when working with acids.  Follow instructions carefully!

Tools

"THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB"
Get the right tool for the job!  Brushes, pads, rollers, paint gloves, power painters, sprayers and even rags...  they all have their own specific purposes.   And there are as many varieties of each, as there are paint jobs to be done!   If you don't have a lot of experience painting, you'll benefit from a trip to your local paint specialty store...  and don't worry about the prices - you'll be much happier with better quality tools.  A good brush, or a good roller, can be cleaned and used over and over again.  Better application tools provide better performance, and much better results!  Your paint store specialist will help you choose the "right tool for the right job.

"DON'T PREP A $100- WALL WITH A 50¢ TOOL!"
The real key to good-looking, long-lasting paint work is painstaking preparation - and the correct choice of tools for this important stage also helps to ensure the best possible results.  The correct choice of scrapers, sandpaper and other prep tools is just as important, if not more important, than having the right brush or roller.

Safety

Exercise caution when working on ladders, and if you need access higher than your stepladder provides, be extra cautious.  Set up your ladders, planks, scaffolds...  whatever, in a manner which will afford you the safest, easiest access to your work surfaces.  Don't over-reach the extent of your platforms, and never lean past the edge of your ladder.  Cutting corners and compromising safety won't get the job done any sooner, and could end in an accident or even injury!

Wear comfortable clothing, however avoid loose-fitting clothing which can catch on your ladder, or cause you to trip, or drag in your paint work.  Wear rubber gloves and goggles when working with acids, strippers and other caustic materials.  A hat will keep most of the paint out of your hair and eyes.  Ensure adequate ventilation when painting indoor spaces, and avoid open flames when using solvents and solvent-based products.

Keep your work areas tidy, and clean up at the end of each day...  it may sound fussy, but you'll have a better time of it - and eliminate spills, thrills and disappointments!

Intro | Getting Ready | Let's Paint! | About Paints | Application Charts

Back to Directory

[ Home ] [ Up ]