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Proper Surface Prep Is the Most Important Part of Painting.

When compared to painting, surface preparation can be tedious, but proper prep will make or break your exterior painting project. The first step should be a thorough inspection of your home's exterior, checking for peeling paint, din, grease, cracks, knots, rusty nail heads, bare areas, and mildew. Scrape all surfaces clean of peeling paint and rust. Remove oil, grease, and dirt by washing with a detergent or commercial cleaner recommended for washing paint. Remove all mildew with a stiff brush and a cleaner recommended for killing and removing mildew. Cracks in siding or open joints between building materials should be caulked, and unpainted surfaces should be primed before caulking. You can use turpentine or mineral spirits to remove resin if siding has bleeding wood knots. Then seal these spots with special knot sealer. Sand rusty nail heads, then sink them slightly below the surface with a hammer and nail punch. Apply corrosion-resistant primer over the nail head, add putty or exterior Spackle, and sand if necessary for a smooth finish. Bare areas should be spot-primed. Even if the sitting is factory primed, spot priming will be necessary on bare or rusted areas. Minor scratches, dents, and raw edges should be filled, feather sanded, and spot primed.

It's often been said that painting is a breeze—it's the surface prep that takes the most time and effort. Without the prep, however, your painting efforts are virtually worthless. With the proper prep, you'll be awarded with a beautiful paint job that will last for years.

How to Be Sure Your Color Choices Are the Right Ones:

1. Color changes under varying lighting situations. This can create havoc when choosing paint or wallcovering because a color appears one way in the store and another way in your room. While in the store, check paint chips and wallcovering samples in daylight as well as under artificial lighting. Store lighting can differ greatly from home lighting.
2. Take home no more than three different color and wallcovering samples. Fewer alternatives make the final color decision easier.
3. It's helpful to tape four paint chips together because larger- color samples are easier to judge. Cut off white borders, which can be distracting.
4. If you think the paint chips are correct, buy a quart of paint in this color. Paint a large sample card to hang on the wall. Then cut a large sample of coordinating wallcovering or borrow the sample book to take home.
5. Judge samples of paint and wallcovering in the room where they will be used. Stand the color samples upright to duplicate the way light strikes a wall surface. Tape or prop wallcovering samples on the walls where they will be hung. Check your samples from time to time over the course of a day. Notice how the color changes under varying situations. If a room is most often used at a particular time of day, look at the color carefully at this time.
6. Indoor lighting varies from natural daylight, which has a blue cast at midday and a warm orange tint at sunrise and sunset. Furniture, woodwork and floors reflect their own colors onto the walls. All of these factors will affect the appearance of color.

By carefully selecting samples and following these guidelines, you can make your color choices correctly the first time, every time.

Prime before You Paint for Better, Longer-Lasting Results.

1. Priming before you paint can make a world of difference on the outcome of your paint job. Experts recommend a prime coat for almost every painting project.
2. What can be so important about priming a surface? Primers serve two major functions: they seal porous materials so the top coat won't dry with an uneven appearance and they aid the top coat in bonding properly with the surface underneath.
3. The two main types of primers are primer-sealers and conventional primers. Unpainted surfaces, or surfaces where most of the original paint has been removed, call for a primer-sealer. Conventional primers should be used to form a bond between coats of paint.
4. Know your surface and choose the primer accordingly. For those rooms that take a lot of wear and tear, alkyd (oil-based) primers are recommended. For drywall surfaces, latex primers are better because they don't raise the naps or fibers. For plaster surfaces, a latex or alkyd primer can be used. Enamel undercoats are appropriate for wood trim. For best results when painting over wallpaper, use an alkyd primer or alkyd enamel undercoat. When painting over smooth vinyl wallcovering without a design, use an alkyd flat enamel. Smooth vinyl wallcovering with a design needs a latex primer, and textured vinyl needs an alkyd flat enamel primer.

Once you have selected and applied the appropriate primer, you are ready to paint a topcoat. And because you took the time to prime, your finished paint job will be more attractive—both now and in the future.

For More Information and Tips on Painting, Call Us or Visit Our Store!