Posh Painting: Expand Your Space

October 31, 2013 by Jay Harris 0 Comments

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How many times have you wanted to elevate the feel of a room but thought you couldn’t due to budgetary constrictions, spatial confinement within the four walls of the structure that you cannot renovate, or rental restraint (it’s not your pad, so you’re either prohibited from drastically altering the space or you don’t want to heavily contribute to someone else’s investment ñ besides, rent’s enough of a contribution as it is)?

The truth is that it doesn’t take much to kick your décor up a notch…if you have the right tools and know-how. And yes, many of those techniques involve little more than a humble can of paint and some inexpensive paint supplies.

Indeed, many folks know that applying a fresh coat of paint is a fast and easy way to brighten up a room and erase years of wear and tear from a wall’s surface. But what about going a step further and trying some cool, almost magical, optical illusions using the same tools?

Even if you have problematic surfaces or skimpy trim, you too can achieve the same high-end looks for less. Here are a couple of projects that highlight the power of paint while minimizing your less-than-ideal structural components.

Smooth Sailing

If you have textured walls or walls that are supposed to be smooth but were cheapened by shoddy workmanship on the part of the drywall “professional”, does that mean you’re doomed to a life without crisp, clean paint lines?

You shouldn’t have to say “see you later” to sharp edges and the freedom to paint designs or patterns on your wall just because they are not exactly up to smooth surface snuff.

Fortunately, a couple of paint’s buddies agree with you: all you need are painter’s tape and paintable caulking to create a smooth enough surface on your wall to where you can wave goodbye to bumpy edges and wavy lines.

Simply apply the painter’s tape to the wall where you want to paint your lines, apply a miniscule bead of caulking right over the edge of the tape and smooth it out with a wet finger. Be ready to go with your paint and paint over the tape and caulk so that you can remove the tape before the caulk (and accompanying coat of paint) dries.

Build it Bigger

Don’t put away that caulk gun just yet because you’ll need it for the next optical illusion: creating taller baseboards without replacing a single piece of trim.

Short baseboards are better than no baseboards at all but let’s face it, taller baseboards are best! And they are completely within your grasp.

You’ll need a:

• Flat piece of wood (measuring about an inch wide) to use as a spacer
• Top piece of moulding or trim to match the existing bottom trim, in sufficient linear footage to span the entire room of baseboards you are planning to build up
• Nail gun
• Caulk gun
• White paint for the finished product ñ a bright white, semi-gloss is a great choice to make your baseboards really pop

Measure and cut each piece of moulding or trim in the appropriate length, with 45 degree miter cuts for virtually seamless edges and corners.

Use the spacer and rest it upon the top of the existing baseboard; work your way around the room to mark 1″ guide lines around the perimeter.

Attach the top trim to the wall with the nail gun at the 1″ marks ñ from here you should have an empty wall space of 1″ in between the new trim and existing baseboards.

Apply caulk to fill in the nail holes and the gaps in between mitered joints.

Once it dries, paint the newly exaggerated baseboard in its entirety (including the wall gap) to create an awesome optical illusion of super tall baseboards!

What are some of the cool ways you’ve used paint and paint supplies to pull the décor wool over scrutinizing eyes?

10 Fun Ways to Use Leftover Paint

September 8, 2015 by Debbie Zimmer 0 Comments

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If you’re hoarding a stash of leftover paint, you’re sitting on a gold mine when it comes to home decorating. With just a little imagination, you can use the paint for any number of projects that can infuse new life into your decor.

Want to give it a try? Start with one or more of the following projects, then come up with your own ideas. Your home will be the better for it, and you’ll have lots of fun in the process!

1. Make kitchen items kitschy. It takes only a little leftover paint to impart coasters, canisters, or the handles of wooden spatulas and spoons with bright color that can make cooking more joyful.

2. Colorize some flowerpots. In the same way, planters and flowerpots can be decorated with paint color — the more, the merrier. Paint them a solid color, or embellish them with a pretty pattern for more panache!

3. Dress up a dresser. Do you have an old dresser that’s seen better days? Spruce it up with paint! Apply different colors here and there to impart even more visual interest. Do the same with an old cabinet, table, or even a stool.

4. Rejuvenate “junk” furniture. Rifle through your attic, or frequent some garage sales. You might spot a unique piece of furniture just pining for a fresh coat of paint. . . and a prominent place in your home!

5. Put a stamp on your walls. Add pizzazz to painted walls by applying a handcrafted patterned border. Fashion a “stamp” out of an old sponge in the pattern of your choice, dip it into the paint, and dab new color onto your walls. Voila! Custom design.

6. Speak with an accent. Express your home’s individuality by adding accent color to one or more walls, doors, or doorways. Even a small area of unexpected color can make your interior something special.

7. Beautify a built-in. Make the most of built-in bookcases, cabinets, or even a mantelpiece by embellishing with a contrasting leftover paint color. It’s a great way to create striking elements in your décor.

8. Stencil something. Using a homemade or commercial stencil, apply paint to just about anything – your walls, a piece of furniture, or if you’re really adventurous, the floor. An interesting stencil can render the ordinary, extraordinary.

9. Make like an artist. Why buy artist’s supplies, when you already have a handpicked palette of colors you’re drawn to? Use them as is, or mix them into new colors to create murals or even fine art.

10. Frame your artwork. Repaint the frames on the prints, paintings, and drawings in your home to give them a fresh appearance. Or, paint a simulated “frame” right on the wall to highlight a favorite piece of sculpture or even a more ordinary item you treasure.

As you might imagine, most of these projects require just a small amount of paint, and some take only a little time. But each and every one can add a unique and very special touch to your decor.

Ladder Safety

Some Simple Steps for Ladder Safety

October 19, 2015 by Debbie Zimmer 0 Comments

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In order to do some exterior painting or to clean out the rain gutters, many of us will be climbing ladders in the coming weeks. For most, that’s no everyday occurrence, so it always pays to review the steps that make ladder use a little safer. Here are some tips:

• Inspect your ladder before using it. Make sure the rungs are intact, and free of dirt or excessive paint buildup that could interfere with footing.
• Wrap cloth around the tops of the ladder rails to protect the wall and help prevent slipping.
• If the day is wet or windy, wait for better weather.
• No matter what the weather, wear rubber-soled or non-slip footwear.
• When raising the ladder, make sure that the base is level and sits firmly on solid ground.
• Place your ladder at the correct angle. For every nine feet of height up the wall, the base of the ladder should be three feet away from the wall.
• Make sure the ladder reaches at least three feet above the highest level that you want to stand.
• Remove knives, scissors, and other pointed tools from your pockets before climbing the ladder.
• Always face the ladder as you climb and descend.
• While working on the ladder, keep your hips between the rails to maintain stability.
• Keep your ladder away from all power lines, especially if the ladder is made of metal.
• Avoid pushing or pulling too hard on tools while standing on the ladder — it could make you lose your balance or cause the ladder to slide.

Following these ladder safety tips will give you (and your loved ones) some peace of mind while you’re finishing those late-season exterior projects. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

The truth about painting drywall

Constructed out of a gypsum-based core with a paper coating on all sides, drywall is the most common interior wall surfacing material used in modern construction. Despite its prevalence in the construction industry, achieving a uniform and even finish when painting new drywall can prove challenging. While the painter may appear responsible for an uneven or patchy finish, these defects can often be attributed to how the drywall was prepared.

Why does this happen?

One of the reasons an even and uniform finish is so difficult to achieve when painting new drywall is due to the variance in texture and porosity between the paper coating and joint filling compounds. The paper coating is less porous and therefore will absorb paint at a slower rate than the filler compound, resulting in an uneven finish. Using a high quality latex primer sealer will help to offset this difference in porosity by sealing the more porous surface joint filling compound and the less porous paper surface. This provides a continuously sealed surface with relatively uniform porosity and is the first step required to accomplish an even and smooth finish on new drywall.

Although minimizing the variance in porosity is the first step in ensuring an even finish when painting drywall, it often is not the last step. This is because defects in drywall can be very difficult to detect until the prime-coat is applied. This occurs because greater light reflectance tends to make surface defects more noticeable and thus the uncoated drywall may have small surface flaws that are practically invisible until some coating is applied. Read More…

Even with a thorough review of the unpainted drywall surface, it is quite common for “new” surface defects to become visible after the prime-coat has been applied.

The next step from here is to call the drywall contractor back onto the jobsite to repair and fill any deficiencies in the substrate. Once repaired, the painting contractor will spot-prime these areas before scuff-sanding the prime-coat in order to prepare the surface for the application of the intermediate coat. Ideally, this would be the final step before scuff-sanding the intermediate coat and applying the final finish coat; however, this is not always the case.

Often, when painting work on new drywall commences, the lighting and heating systems of the finished project have yet to be installed. As the project moves forward, these systems are set up, both of which can impact the appearance of the drywall.

Improved lighting makes surface defects in the drywall much easier to see (as well as the application of a higher sheen intermediate coat), and changing the temperature of the exposure environment causes movement in the walls and seams, creating additional defects. These newly identified surface irregularities will be need to be repaired by the drywall contractor. The painting contractor is only liable for surface defects found AFTER the applying the finish coat, however the scenario above highlights how difficult achieving a quality, uniform finish when painting new drywall is. Perhaps the worst part of the scenario described above relates to what happens when drywall repairs are made after the intermediate coat.

To achieve a smooth uniform appearance in a typical 3-coat system, each coat must be applied over a level and even surface. In the scenario mentioned above, one wall could consist of the following combinations of coatings and filler:

1. Drywall, Sealer, Intermediate Coat
2. Drywall, Filler, Sealer, Intermediate Coat
3. Drywall, Sealer, Filler, Sealer, Intermediate Coat
4. Drywall, Filler, Sealer, Intermediate Coat, Filler, Sealer, Intermediate Coat

If coating combination A were to appear directly beside coating combination D, the variance in texture would not create a visible profile to the naked eye; however, it would definitely give the wall a blotchy, patchy appearance as if the wall was painted with the 2 different batches of the same product. The variance in surface texture created by applying uneven layers of filler, sealer and intermediate coat across an entire wall is what causes the inconsistent appearance of the finish. 

At this point, the painter would apply the final coat to the drywall; however, the final appearance will still be uneven and patchy (assuming the painter had done a perfect job). The only remedial action the painter can take is to apply additional coats to level off the surface; which, given the variance in surface texture, could take significantly more coats. 

Although these defects and flaws will look like application errors, the reality is that these defects have nothing to do with the quality of paint or application methods used. Paint alone cannot fill these defects and level the surface. Because the dried film thickness (DFT) of a single coat of conventional latex is roughly 1/3 the thickness of a 5-dollar bill (1-2 mils), it is impossible for these defects to be masked or filled by a single coat. 

How to Avoid this Problem 

One solution that could have been used is for the specifier to require an ASTM Level 5 Drywall Finish, which requires the entire surface of the wall to be coated with a thin skim-coat of drywall compound to create a smooth and level surface. It is important to note that although a Level 5 finish will produce consistently better results than a Level 4 finish, it does not guarantee a defect free surface in critical lighting conditions. 

Seeing as a Level 5 finish is not commonly specified, all parties involved in the project should be aware that all drywall repairs should be made before the intermediate coat is applied. Only small minor repairs like dents or scratches from moving furniture/equipment should be made after the intermediate coat is applied. Additionally, the interior temperature of the building should be at 60°F or higher before any painting commences to avoid movement of the drywall that can create new surface flaws. To assist in identifying any surface imperfections in the drywall before application of the intermediate coat, ensure that good lighting has been installed. 

Furthermore, if the painting contractor believes the raw drywall is not ready for paint, he should inform the general contractor, point out exactly where the problems lie, and ask that the drywall contractor make the necessary repairs before painting work begins. Repair work is much harder to execute effectively after paint is applied.

Recap

1. New drywall can be difficult to paint as there is a difference in texture and porosity between the paper surface and the joint filling compound used. Additionally, repairs made after painting work has commenced will create an uneven surface that results in an uneven and blotchy appearance after being painted. Although these defects and flaws will look like application errors, the reality is that these defects have nothing to do with the quality of paint or application methods used


2. Use a high quality latex primer sealer when painting new drywall to provide a continuously sealed surface with relatively uniform porosity.


3. Although using a high quality latex primer sealer is an important first step, many defects in the drywall are practically invisible until the prime-coat has been applied. This means the drywall contractor will have to return to the jobsite and make repairs.


4. Ensure proper lighting is in place and that the interior temperature is above 60°F before commencing painting work. Proper lighting makes defects in the drywall more noticeable, and the change in temperature cause movement in the walls and seams of the drywall, which can create new surface flaws. It is far more efficient to have these repairs made before painting commences.


5. Never make drywall repairs after the intermediate coat has been applied. The variance in surface texture created by applying uneven layers of filler, sealer and intermediate coat across an entire wall is what causes the inconsistent appearance of the finish.


6. Specifying a Level 5 Drywall Finish (application of a thin skim-coat of compound across the entire surface of the drywall) can produce consistently better results than a Level 4 Finish when painting new drywall; however, a Level 5 Finish does not guarantee a flawlessly painted surface in critical lighting conditions.

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HOME DECOR

6 Super Simple Tips and Tricks for Painting at Home

Painting tips and tricks to make your life easier

LINDSAY LISTANSKIAUG 9, 2013

Commercials and other ads make painting at home look like this:

(source: decorarhogar.es)

 Or This:

(source: gangapaints.com)

And This:

(source:hbvl.be)

But we all really know it can end up looking more like this:

(source:failblog.org)

 Or This:

(source:onemansblog.com)

 And Of Course This:

(source:davidjamie.com)

If your past experiences looked anything like the last three images then we have life hacks you are going to love.

Paint-Can Drip Tip

Spills and drips are bound to happen while you are painting. Reduce the mess by wrapping a rubber band around the paint can. Wipe the bottom of the brush against the band each time you dip to avoid spills on the floor.

Aluminum Foil Paint Protector

The great thing about tinfoil is that it molds to whatever shape it is wrapped around.By wrapping foil around fixtures like doorknobs and other hardware you can paint around the item without worrying about dribble from excess paint running onto the protected item. (http://bit.ly/uD5azj)

Vaseline Protection

Vaseline can be used to cover up things that you don’t want to get painted like hinges, key hole locks, and glass. (http://bit.ly/13JaLKd)

Paint-Pan Liner

Lining the paint pan with aluminum foil is a great idea for many reasons. First and foremost it allows for a super easy clean up. If you are painting with multiple colors you can simply throw away the foil, place a new sheet, and you are good to go. It also allows you to dump unused paint back into the can easily. (http://martha.ms/TAdM9B)

Painting Hard to Reach Places

Have you ever tried painting behind a toilet? Trust me, it isn’t fun. This tip from familyhandyman.com is genius. “If you have a tight spot to paint, remove the pad from a paint edging tool (about $2 at home centers). Hot-glue the pad to a stir stick, and you’ve got a painting tool that will fit behind toilet tanks and radiators.” (http://bit.ly/13JcHCo)

Paint Color Reminder Trick

After you have finished painting, touch ups may not be the first thing you are thinking about. Avoid guesswork on the paint color for later on by writing the product number on painters’ tape and stick the label to the back of the room’s light-switch plate. (http://martha.ms/TAdM9B)

Do you have any other painting tips or tricks that have made your experience easier? Please let us know!

Colour Psychology For Home Decor

Colours have a language and impact of their own, capable of affecting humans both physically and emotionally, thus impacting our mood significantly. That is why selecting a colour theme for decorating your home is so important. Let’s have a look at how some colours impact our home decor as well as our moods and spirits.

1 Sunshine Yellow: An Enriching Hue
Sunshine yellow is most commonly affiliated with optimism and happiness, as it helps in activating memory, promoting creativity and stimulating human nervous system. Paint your walls in sunshine yellow and tone it down with various accents to get the best of this wonderful hue.

2 Muted Yellow: Roomy and Relaxing
If bright yellow is not your preferred way to go, you can try muted yellow, a much neutral and paler shade of yellow. Another great benefit of muted yellow hue is that it adds to the roominess of a room, just like in this image, especially with big windows letting in plenty of light and white, bestowing small space of this living room with serenity and capaciousness.

3 Bold Red: Energizing and Dramatic
Red, no matter which room it is painted in, contributes towards a romantic and passionate ambiance. You can add a dramatic flair by using bold red generously or can simply introduce mild cosiness in a place by using it subtly. This colour can work out especially well for teen bedroom decoration ideas.

4 Bold Pink: The Grownup Way
Long gone are days when pink shouted ‘little girls’. In reality, this punchy colour has much more to offer even to adults. Just observe in this image below how bold pink adds playfulness to the ambiance of this room, bestowing it grownup youthfulness.

5 Peony Pink: Youthful and Energetic
If you are looking for a true grownup pink ambiance in a room, there is nothing better than trying a saturated peony shade, just as in the image below. This hue blends in some energy, but in a mature feminine manner.

6 Lime Green: Fresh Burst of Energy
Green, owing to its association with nature, speaks of life and renewal. It can be really versatile. It can help you create a refreshing, dramatic or inviting outlook in a room, depending on how you want to use it. Lime green as in the image below, will add freshness into every meal you take up in your dining area.

7 Cool Blue: Serenity 
If serenity is what you desire in any of your rooms, you better seek cool blue hues. In the image below, blue sofas across a wallpapered background ooze pure comfort and serenity, turning your living room into an irresistibly inviting place for your guests.

8 Sapphire Blue: A Powerful Way of Expression
You will be surprised to see how a darker shade of blue can turn your room into something totally different and powerfully expressive. Sapphire blue walls in the image below clearly exhibit the impact of darker shades of blue in a room.

9 Purple: Vibrant Playfulness
The image below clearly speaks of the vibrant playfulness purple can introduce in a room. Dark purple sofas are complemented well with a lighter shade of purple in the carpet, making a striking and playful focal point in this living room.

Knowing more about colour psychology can help you greatly in transforming your home into a place truly embellished the way you want it.

Looking for Painting Tips and Tricks

I am going to paint the entire interior of my home after the first of the year. I have painted over the years under the direction of my husband who is no longer here. I need some tried and true tips for making the job as easy and long lasting as possible. I have seen a number of products on TV, which look great in theory, particularly that little roller that is used to do trim so you don't have to tape off everything. Since it seems too good to be true I thought I'd ask if anyone has used such items and how they rated.
Rebecca

Painting Tips and Tricks: Paint Trimming Tool a Great Resource

I have painted the interior of our houses several times over the years and the one tool I would not want to be without, besides a basic roller for the walls, is the little pad with wheels to paint next to trim without getting on the trim. They are about 4x6 inches in size and are very easy to use and clean. The pads can be replaced. They cost approximately $3-4.

I first paint the woodwork around the doors, windows and baseboards if it is going to be painted. Then, as I paint the walls, I use the little pad with the wheels for the part next to the trim and fill in the big blank areas of wall with the regular paint roller. The little wheels guarantee you don't get paint on the woodwork. The pad holds enough paint to move it 2-3 feet before needing to lightly re-dip it in the paint.
Becky

Woman Painting a Wall photo from Shutterstock

Painting Tips and Tricks: Professional Painting Tricks and Resources

My husband worked with his father doing professional house painting during the summers. His dad was a schoolteacher, so the painting provided extra income in the off months. What he's taught me about painting is this:

1. Buy good quality paint. It will cover with fewer coats and last for more years.
   
2. Never tape to do your edging. It will take you less time to do a careful job with a brush. If you use tape, sometimes it pulls up part of your new paint job when you pull it off.
   
3. Do your roller painting in manageable-sized squares, such as a square yard. Load the roller well with paint, then paint approximately a square yard by rolling side to side, back and forth with medium pressure. Without reloading the roller, then roll over the same square painting up and down, again with medium pressure. Then, again without reloading, roll over the square side to side very evenly with light pressure to give it an eggshell finish. Start your next square (after reloading the roller) overlapping the first slightly, while the paint is still wet. To avoid having seams, don't let the paint dry. Paint so that you're always contacting wet paint. Work out from your original square in this way until you've finished the whole wall.

I saw the same commercial for the edger and asked my husband about it. He said it's not new and it doesn't work very well. Before long, paint gets on the wrong side of the guard, which can mess up your edging job.
Happy painting!
Drea

Painting Tips and Tricks: Not Satisfied with Roller

Save your money and buy an inexpensive pad-type trim tool from a discount store. Even this did not do a great job on the floor molding, however, so you'll probably still need to tape here. We tried one of the "magic" trim rollers advertised on TV, and as the old adage goes, it was too good to be true! The paint leaked profusely out the sides all over the door trim on our first try. We also tried one of the nifty rollers where you pour the paint inside the roller instead of rolling it in the paint tray. Less mess to be sure, but the pressure needed to apply the paint to the wall made me give up after one wall. Also, when you went back over the same area, the roller took the paint off you had just applied. I had never painted before and was slightly afraid of it, so I wanted to make it as easy as possible. My advice would be to invest in some basic good rollers and trim tools. Old fashioned, maybe, but gets the job done right.
Michelle

Painting Tips and Tricks: The Right = Easy Job

We just finished doing some painting in our home this past weekend. We used one of those "paint sticks" that comes with the special top and fill tube that sucks the paint directly from the can into the paint stick and, in turn, into the roller. It is fantastic! It was easy to use and it sure beat having to fill the roller pan every few minutes and slopping paint everywhere. There was no mess, no drips, no streaks or runs. Clean up was easy, too, and the paint seemed to go a lot farther.

We also used a "window edger" to paint the window frames. It is two pieces of curved plastic, jointed in the middle in a wide V shape. You place it in the corner of the window and along the frame as you go, against the glass, and it allows you to paint the frame without getting any paint on the glass - a very handy little tool.

One more thing we found helpful was a baseboard edger. It is a long (appx. 14" long x 2" wide) piece of flexible plastic that you put on top of your carpet at the bottom of the baseboard. The curved edge goes all the way down to the floor, below the carpet nap, so you can paint all the way down your baseboard to the bottom, to get the most finished look. Protects your carpet from stray brushstrokes also. All these tools, especially the paint roller, made the job so much quicker and easier!

Painting Tips and Tricks: Not a Happy Painter

I recently tried the Pro-Trim paint kit (pretty much the same as the Edgemaster) and was extremely dissatisfied. The guard that is supposed to be like tape was atrocious. It left a groove in my walls around everything. So not only did I have to tape anyway, I had to spackle the grooves the thing left. I do not recommend this product at all.
Shannon

Painting Tips and Tricks: Hints from the Pros

Professional painters will remove all fixture covers before painting. Also, many painters find that if they use a new angle-edged 2 inch brush (correct for the paint type) and slap the excess paint off the brush against the edge of the paint can they can "trim" the edgework without using masking tape much at all. One technique folks' need to learn is to hold the brush in a fixed position and move the brush along the edgework area by moving your arm at the elbow, rather than the wrist. This steadies the hand much more than you'd think and the line of paint remains very straight. If you don't want a lot of brush marks showing up in your work, always be sure to sand the primer smooth before you apply paint and always paint back "into the wet". That is, finish your brushstroke by heading it into the wet paint you just applied rather than dragging it into an unpainted area.
Latas

Painting Tips and Tricks: Book to Check Out

Don Aslett's book, Painting Without Fainting , is very helpful. Check it out of the library and follow his advice. The result should be a professional, efficient, and not a very messy job.
Kim