PAINTING TIPS 101
Should You Thin Your Paints?
For me personally, No. Well let me rephrase that. I never thin paint that goes through an airless sprayer. I just personally believe if you thin the paint you can degrade the quality, eliminate the warranty in some cases, and it just does not seem right.
OK it is time to explain caulking tape before painting
We tape the trim with 1″ tape to get laser straight lines. Sometimes the paint will bleed through the tape and give a jagged line. So with new tape technology we have tape with Paint Block which will swell not allowing the paint to bleed under. This stuff is amazing (I am a big fan of FrogTape). However, it does not always work. So we caulk with clear caulking prior to painting.
Simple hacks to make it work: You have to work fast. Caulking cannot dry before you paint over it. Put just enough to seal the tape edge (small bead). Pull the tape off before paint or caulking dries (essential). Work one or two walls at a time if you are alone. White caulking works if the trim is white cause if the caulking bleeds under the tape the trim is white and you will not see it.
Sprayer Pressures
I get asked a lot what PSI to run a sprayer at. I keep it simple. For spraying all exterior homes (the body) we run our pumps at 2200 PSI.
When using fine finish tips spraying trim we run the pressure at 3000 PSI (interior trim, doors, gutters, anything requiring a fine finish) Some simple spraying tips: Click Here
Titan RX-Pro Gun
I have suffered tendonis from so many years of spraying so this may help some. The new Titan gun has a significantly ligther trigger pull then every other gun on the market. This should help.
Finally someone has redesigned and made some substantial changes to airless spray guns. I have 2 of these new guns and I am liking them so far. Yes they seem expensive but the cheap packing replacements will make the price very cheap after just two repacks. Check out my unboxing of this new gun Titan RX-Pro Gun.
Getting a head start on
exterior season?
Have you ever added denatured alcohol to your paint to get it to dry faster or dry in very cold weather? Well I have. Does it actually work?
From my experience not really. If you do believe it does, think about this. Denatured alcohol changes the chemical makeup of the paint causing it to crack within two years. Better for the customer to just wait till the weather permits.
Have you ever heard of fish eye eliminator?
Ran into this paint problem doing some cabinets. What a huge head ache. Took some research but I discovered this stuff at an automotive paint store. If you ever have paint fish eye you need to try this stuff. I have a video on it. Click Here to watch it.
Painting cabinets can be
fun and easy
Paint them with a pigmented catalyzed lacquer using an HVLP sprayer. They will look like they came right out of the cabinet shop that way. Its not difficult.
If you are a painter, this can make you good profits. My video series, painting cabinets, is finally out. Here is the link to video #1. Painting Cabinets.
Tips for storing paint
Don’t let it freeze. Store in air tight containers. Store indoors not in the garage. Take pictures of cans for your records.
Watch my video on how to store your paints. Storing Paint Video.
Think your furniture is to
heavy to move?
Well it is not. Try furniture sliders. These things are amazing for a mere $20. You can easily and quickly move furniture on carpet, tile, vinyl and more.
It only takes one person to move heavy furniture. We use these things all the time. Check out my video on using these things.
Using Furniture Sliders
Have you seen some painters painting outside this winter in Boise?
I have. Few homeowners bother reading the tiny print on the paint can label, but they should. There’s a wealth of information printed right on the can that can help you produce a professional looking paint job.
Pay particular attention to the instructions about prepping the surface and outdoor air temperature. Most paints shouldn’t be applied when the temperature is 50 degrees F or colder.
But some paints are specially formulated for application when the temperature is as low as 35. Sherwin Williams has a whole line of products that are low temp.
Sanding or Priming?
Sanding not only feathers out chipped paint but also provides “tooth” for the next coat of paint. For glossy trim, use a sanding sponge rather than sandpaper.
Sponges mold to the shape of the trim and last longer than paper. I really like the Uneeda Ekasand 3×4 sander with a sanding sponge attached, simply amazing and makes sanding fun.
Want to paint your brick?
For brick or concrete we use water-based H&C solid color or semi transparent stains from Sherwin Williams. It really is a simple process to do. No primer needed when use these types of stains. Just power wash it real good then stain the next day.
We like to use an airless sprayer to apply it then back-roll and back brush the heck out of it. It will take many coat to get it completely covered it you are going to a solid color. If you use an actual paint you will have peeling problems within years. Do not paint it.
Want to paint your shower
or bathtub?
You can brush it but believe me, it will not turn out well. You have to use an HVLP and it has to be done with a special product. Some paint stores sell this special epoxy in a quart can in a kit. This is a very difficult thing to do. It if goes wrong you will totally mess up you tub. Prep work is critical or bad things will happen. There a guys who specialize in this type of work. That’s all they do.
You can also paint your tile with the product. You never want to roll tile either. It has to be, or really should be sprayed. Sherwin Williams sells a product in a box especially for this task. I will be doing a video on it in the near future.
