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Home Painting Ideas

Preparation, Prime and Paint

Preparing the Surface

This page gives many home painting ideas and information about how to prepare a surface for painting, how and what to prime, the differences between oil and latex paint and how to deal with light mold as well as some spray painting ideas. I remember a house that I listed several years ago where the owner had wall papered some walls in the main foyer. The wall paper had been applied directly onto the walls without any initial preparation. There were small visible bumps in the wall paper surface. The result looked terrible!
Most painted wall surfaces will have small paint particles scattered here and there. These small particles would have been removed if a very light sanding had been done prior to painting. The same type of preparation is needed before painting.
Fill and sand any nicks, chips or holes with wallboard filler or “mud”, as the wall boarders call it, before priming and painting.
Light mold or mildew should be cleaned with a detergent solution. Rinse and let it dry completely. Use a mold and mildew interior paint.

Tobacco or water stain removal painting ideas:

Wash the tobacco stained area with trisodium phosphate (TSP). You may have to do this two or three times to remove the stains. For water stains remove the source of the water leak. Cover the areas with Quick Start or Kilz Original.
Wood knots showing through after painting.
Wood resin will seep through wood knots, though probably not on very old wood. Prepare the knots by painting them with Fresh Start or stain them with a stain blocking product like Zinesser's BIN.
Fill cracks in wood with a wax filler not the regular wood filler. Wood filler cracks when it dries out and becomes loose.

Painting Ideas to Paint over Wallpaper

Scrape, Steam, Peel it off! Use TSP to clean the wall. Use a stain blocker primer. It is a lot of work.

Primer Painting Ideas

Bare surfaces should be primed so that the paint will adhere properly. Light marks on walls can be covered with a water based primer. Darker stains need an oil based primer to act as a seal in order to prevent the stain from eventually “bleeding” through the paint.
A water based paint can be used over an oil based primer because primer contains a glue that allows the water based paint to adhere.
Prime any patches before painting as well as priming walls when transitioning from a light color to a dark color and also from dark to light.

Paint

Volatile organic compounds (VOC)in paint can cause headache, nausea and dizziness. Always check the paint label for paint with low VOC.Take home some paint chips from the store. Check to see how they look under different lighting conditions in the rooms where they will be used.
Compare the paint chip colors with the furniture and flooring in the room that will not be painted.
Think about the mood you are trying to create in a sensual bedroom or a spa-like bathroom.
Today’s paint can contain additives such as antibacterial biocides. Paint can create non slip floors or fight molds.
Sico’s Flat For Ceilings paint goes on looking pink but dries white. The initial pink color shows up any white ceiling spots that you may have missed.

Oil or Latex?

Most of the paint sold today is acrylic latex based paint.

Latex over Oil

Latex applied directly over oil will not work. It will peel off!
Use products like MF Adhero Plus to prepare the area first.

Latex Paint

1. Color will last even in sun.
2. Very durable, sticks to most surfaces.
3. Easy to apply, less than 7 hours to dry.
4. Good for wood, stucco, vinyl and aluminum siding.
5. Low odor, good for walls.
6. Low volatile off gassing.
7. Cleans up easily with water.

Oil Paint

1. Color can fade in sun.
2. Adheres very well, especially on caulked surfaces.
3. Harder to apply as it is a heavy paint, good for one coat, dries in 8 to 24 hours.
4. Can be used on most materials.
5. Very durable for doors, trim and window frames.
6. High off gassing.
7. Paint thinner needed to clean up.

Painting Ideas to Paint a Room in Two Days

Most people believe they can do their own painting. To paint a room on a weekend you need to be well organized.

Ten Tips to Paint a Room

1. Move the furniture to the center of the room. Use plastic sliders under heavy items so that you do not have to lift them. Cover the furniture with sheets or old blankets. Cover the floor with drop sheets.
2. Wash the walls and ceiling with a sponge and mild detergent.
3. Visit the paint store and do all your shopping in one visit while the walls and ceiling are drying. Use a shopping list. Down load a checklist at www.paintquality.com
4. Buy acrylic latex interior paint. This water based paint makes cleanup quick and easy.
5. Tape around door frames, window frames and base boards. You will be able to put the paint on faster.
6. First paint the ceiling, then the walls, then the windows and trim and lastly the baseboards. This top down approach prevents paint splatter on already painted surfaces.
7. Paint a 3 inch strip in the corners of the walls and ceiling with a brush. Then quickly paint the rest of the wall or ceiling with a roller.
8. Use lots of paint but do not use so much that it runs down the wall. A generous amount of paint will ensure that the under lying paint is covered and you will not have to apply a second coat.
9. Cleanup with soap and water.
10. Eco-friendly latex paints have very little odor an dry quickly. So you can put that room back into use very quickly.

Interior Painting Ideas

Define and customize areas with color blocking.
Separate a dining area from the living room with color blocking.
Frame decorative mirrors, wall art items.
With a room painted in a neutral color paint one wall with shapes in a contrasting color.
Paint a fireplace surround.
Getting Started
Make a sketch of your idea.
Lightly draw the shape on the wall.
Outline the shape with masking tape.
Paint the inside of the shape in a contrasting color.
More ideas are available at www.sico.ca

Spray Painting Ideas

Specialty spray paints can resemble finishes from stainless steel to stained glass. For $5 to $10 a can you can rejuvenate drab items.
Some projects to try.
1. Revive stained furniture, tables, and chairs with a translucent lacquer based spray stain. Create a scratch and water resistant top coat.
2. Spray slippery stairs or porch with a spray stain made of epoxy resins.
3. Spray outdoor fixtures to give a new metal appearance. You may need to apply three coats to get the look you want.
4. Spray a mismatched assortment of brass candlesticks to have a set with a smooth coating.
5. Spray door knobs, drawer pulls, switch plates to coat them with a rich metallic paint.
6. You can even spray fabric: curtains, upholstery and other textiles.
7. A plastic toaster can take on the look of modern stainless steel with a specialty spray paint.
References: rustoleum.com, krylon.com, liquidstainlesssteel.com, Lowes, createforless.com,tcpglobal.com, doitbest.com, bigpaintstore.com.

Faux wood grain is fast and easy.
Materials required: two colors of latex paint, acrylic glaze, a wood graining rocker to cut heart grain into the wet glaze, a paint comb, a mini roller and a paint tray. A plastic set of tools can cost less than $10 at your local hardware store.
1. Apply two coats of satin finish paint.
2. Mix equal parts clear acrylic glaze and white latex paint.
3. Apply with a roller a portion at a time.
4. Cut in the edge with the paint comb. Hold it at a 45 degree angle and pull it through the glaze in one motion to create veins.6. Every so often pull the comb along the edge of a section you have just completed with the rocker to vary the look. Twisting the comb while pulling it will produce some natural looking variaation to the pattern.

Bedroom Painting Ideas

Coming soon!

Interior Painting Ideas

Coming soon!

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