Interior Painting

Hot Tip
Watch for signs of cracking, splitting, and delaminating. Check the sides of the house that get the most sun exposure. Check trim boards, fascia, and the body of the house. At the first indication of these symptoms have the house examined by a professional painter. If left to continue the material will begin to suffer irreparable damage.
Your Garage!
Turn you unsightly concrete garage into something all will admire. An epoxy floor will resist oil, water, stain, tire marks and much more.

Interior Primers

Making the right choice for today's painting challenges

Paint finish is critical to any job’s success. But before you pick up that brush or roller and jump in, consider the numerous factors involved in achieving an attractive, durable finish.

Questionable substrates, new materials, workmanship, time constraints, scheduling conflicts and tight budgets combine to make a quality, profitable finish more difficult than ever to achieve. That’s why primers – as mundane and ordinary as they may seem – are key to the final outcome of any paint job.

Primers solve problems. Chances are, you won’t be satisfied with the topcoat if you don’t use the right primer. In many cases, you’re likely facing a myriad of surface problems that prevent you from achieving the finish your customer demands and expects. If substrates were perfect, there would be no need for a primer, but such surfaces are few and far between.

Using the right primer can also influence job efficiency. Primers reduce surface preparation expense, improve paint coverage, speed top-coating and reduce callbacks – all which can lead to significant savings in time and money.

All good primers perform the basic functions of sealing, hiding and binding to form a firm foundation for topcoats. Modern research and development has allowed for the emergence of new primer technologies – products that not only provide the basics but attach specific problems. If you have a tough stain to cover, rough tape joints or even a porous surface, chances are there’s a primer solution that will help you achieve the finish you and your customer expect.

High Production Paint Brushes

Advancements in technology are not limited to just computers and golf clubs.

Now you can paint faster and save time on the job site with Sherwin- Williams new Contractor Series High Production brushes.

They’re called “High Production” because they contain specially crimped WAVE polyester filaments. Each of these filaments creates extra bends and curves where paint can be held until it’s released onto the substrate. Extensive laboratory testing has concluded that High Production brushes pick up and release more paint than any other brush on the market.

High Production brushes are available in two separate lines: one for latex, one for alkyds.

Latex brushes are offered in seven sizes. Made of WAVE polyester and the highest quality nylon, High Performance latex brushes pick up 25% more paint per dip than any other synthetic brush. These brushes are also excellent for trimming and delivering a sharp cut line.

There are five sizes of High Performance brushes for oil painting. Combining WAVE polyester with the finest natural white China bristle, these brushes pick up 35% more paint per dip than any other 100 percent natural bristle brush on the market.

For the ultimate in productivity, choose High Production brushes. Contractor Series brushes are available at your local Sherwin-Williams store.

Developing a maintenance painting program that works

Downsizing. Outsourcing. Shrinking maintenance budgets. Competition. Fluctuating occupancy rates. The list is endless for facilities managers facing these and other challenges. It’s tough to stay abreast of all these changes and stay competitive.

While at first it might seem to be a mundane consideration, a well-planned maintenance painting program can be one of the most useful tools in the ongoing quest to control facility maintenance and upgrade costs while keeping commercial, industrial and institutional buildings in top shape.

Cosmetic appeal is a key factor in how a building is perceived, and there’s no quicker, easier fix than a fresh coat of paint for sprucing up lackluster spaces. But why is such a program needed? Why not simply redo a space here and there, or contract for a complete repaint when a particular area starts to lose its aesthetic appeal?

A100

Long-lasting with excellent performance that goes beyond comparably priced products.

A-100 meets the tough standards professionals have for exterior coatings, with a high-quality Advanced Resin Technology formula.

Contractors choice for proven performance

With A-100, any exterior surface is efficiently and easily covered with a finish that lasts. It has a proven formula that translates to fewer callbacks, a heightened reputation, and more referrals. Contractors can be confident that it covers well, lasts long and resists fading and chalking.

Use A-100 for residential or commercial applications on:

Wood

Brick

Concrete block

Metal

Aluminum siding

Masonry

Asbestos siding

Choosing The Right Paint

It’s important to know that interior house paints fall into one of two categories - latex or oil (or alkyd); and each has different characteristics.

Easy to use latex

Latex paints combine the longest-lasting finish with the best gloss retention. Sherwin-Williams latex paints are easy to work with, dry quickly and are extremely durable. Do-it-yourselfers favor them for almost any painting project.

Latex paint mixes with water. This means you can:

wipe spills with a damp rag

clean brushes and rollers with soap and water after use

wash paint off your hands with soap and water

Stain resistant oil (alkyd)

Alkyd/Oil paints offer good adhesion and stain resistance. Because of this, many users prefer alkyd products for trim and for kitchens and bathrooms. Tools clean up with solvent.

Mildew

The appearance of mildew depends on various conditions, which are:

Continuously high humidity.

As the humidity increases, mildew growth becomes more rapid.

High average temperature.

Optimum temperature for mildew growth is 77ºF.

Poor ventilation.

Still air increases mildew growth.

Composition of surface.

Mildew will grow on any surface that provides a nutrient, even dirt.

Light colors of paint film.

Colors that do not absorb the sun’s heat provide a surface for mildew growth. Dark colors become hot and discourage mildew growth.

Solution

Wash mildewed areas with a solution of one part household bleach and three parts water. This will destroy mildew and bleach stains caused by mildew growth. Apply solution by brush or a garden sprayer apparatus. Heavy mildew may require additional applications, and scrubbing may be required. Flush area with clean water to remove bleach solution. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Follow label cautions when using bleach solution.

For maximum durability in eg-shel finishes, you have to consider both scrubability AND burnish resistance.

Fresh, clean walls that do not require frequent repainting is a common expectation of specifiers and facility managers. Proof of this is seen in the popularity of eg-shel finishes in commercial buildings. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of wall paint on commercial jobs is an eg-shel finish. But all eg-shel paints are not created equal when it comes to durability. The term has been tossed around rather loosely in the paint industry. Specifications are often written for “best ” contractor grade coating. But what defines best? What defines durable?

Multiple factors

Interior paints are often incorrectly specified for durability based on volume solids and/or scrub test data alone. Volume solids measurements, while important in other ways, are not a good yardstick for durability. And scrub test measurements alone cannot ensure final film performance.

Durability in today’s popular interior eg-shel coatings is better defined as the combined coatings performance in both scrub and burnish resistance testing. Burnishing and marring – an increase in gloss or sheen – can occur when the paint film is subjected to rubbing, scrubbing or having an object brush against it.

How well a coating resists burnishing is critical to customer satisfaction. Walls that remain free of these unsightly marks look better longer. That translates to less frequent repaints and, consequently, happier customers. For example, an eg-shel paint that has high scrubs, but poor burnish resistance, is not the best choice for durability.

Developing a standard

To help assess product durability in eg-shel paints, Sherwin-Williams has developed Interior Excellence, an online comparative coatings reference. Interior Excellence contains scrub cycle and burnish resistance test results conducted by an independent testing lab, DL Laboratories of New York, following ASTM methods.

In the scrub cycle test, paint is applied to a panel in a uniform thickness and dried for seven days. A shim is then inserted under the panel to accelerate the failure. A stiff bristle brush is attached to a mechanical arm and the control panel is scrubbed until the film is broken and the panel is exposed. To test burnish resistance, the change in angular sheen is evaluated after the paint has been subjected to 20 cycles of rubbing with a soft cloth, using test machinery similar to the scrub testing apparatus.

Because the results are derived from third-party tests, it’s an objective evaluation of interior paints that can be used to evaluate performance criteria when discussing product selection with facility owners, architects, designers, property managers and other specifiers. No longer do you need to wonder which “best grade” paint is really the best for the job.

Your Sherwin-Williams rep can provide painting contractors with these important test results and other information that can help you explain the important concept of durability to you.

Touch-up tips.

Size of touch up area. If there are several spots to be touched up or if the area to be touched up is large, repainting from corner to corner is the better choice. A large area is difficult to feather in and match the texture. If there are several spots to touch up, it is very difficult to treat all the spots exactly the same way.

Touch up using the same paint (and same batch number preferably) that is on the surface to be touched up. If the paint product is different from the paint on the surface, the touch up is likely to show. It is not only important to have the same paint, but having the same batch number will increase the success of the touch up as well.

Ensure the paint and the surface are clean and free from contaminants. If the paint or surface has been contaminated in some way, it will affect how the paint matches and blends into the surface.

Use the right tools and techniques. The best tool for touch up is a clean, dry brush.

	Latex - Using a minimum of material, first fill the imperfection then feather the paint into the surrounding area, using the bristles of the dry brush to match the texture of the surface.
	Gloss and Semi-Gloss Latex on Sheetrock - Keep film build to a minimum to prevent flashing; you may also thin the paint up to 10% with water. It may take 2-3 weeks for the sheen to even out.
	Latex in Cold Weather - add up to 2 oz/gal of Texanol to improve touch up.
	Oil/Alkyds - Just touch the paint to the spot and let it flow out, otherwise it will flatten and cause a milky halo.

A series on interior and exterior painting by B&K Painting

Part 1

The simple truth about painting is that some jobs, big or small, are better left to a professional. Some painting jobs may require specialized equipments that is expensive to buy, impossible to rent, or dangerous to an inexperienced operator. Some chemicals or solvents may be dangerous or cause serious reactions. And finally, it may simply be cheaper to have a professional do the job. An estimation of the costs and time involved, factored in with what you feel your time is worth, will let you compare your cost to the estimate of a professional.

It’s fairly easy to estimate the monetary costs involved in painting. First, start with a list of all the equipment you will need for the job. This may include putty and knives, caulking and caulking guns, sandpaper, masking tape and plastic, drop cloths, brushes, rollers, spray equipment, ladders, scrapers and wire brushes, respirators, and gloves in addition to paint.

A trip to a local Sherwin Williams store will help you determine prices for the materials you need to buy. Sherwin Williams paints typically list coverage rates and specifications on the label. To figure out how much paint to buy, measure the surface area (length x width) you need to paint and multiply it by the number of coats you want.

Trade Secret

All Masking Tapes Are Not Equal

Have you ever noticed that if you leave regular tan masking tape on something too long, it is almost impossible to remove, tearing and leaving adhesive residue behind? And besides, it often makes a ragged line with some coatings instead of a crisp clean line. That’s not your fault. You are simply choosing the wrong tape. There are several specialty tapes that work better.

One company, 3M, color-coded their specialty tapes making the differences easier to see. Their blue ling Mask tape is designed to remain on for a week and still come off clean, with no residue. For a clean, masked line when painting, use 3M’s bright green Lacquer Tape.

Take Your Pick

Good Brushes vs. Cheap Varieties

There is no reason why you can’t use cheap throwaway or foam brushes for jobs where the quality of the surface does not matter. Putting on stain that will be wiped off is a good example. Those foam-on-a-stick brushes are great for putting down the first coat of primer or oil varnish. For anything that requires a smooth layout with no brush marks and no hairs in the finish, good brushes are an important investment. You’ll appreciate the difference. Our favorite multipurpose brush is the Sherwin Williams Contractor Series 2 ½ inch angled sash brush.

Article provided by B&K Painting. Stay tuned for our next part of the series. For free estimates and a 10% senior discount, call Chris at 861-7327 or visit our website at www.bnkpainting.com

Four rules for a perfect exterior paint job.

1.) Properly prepare the surface. Even the best quality exterior paint can fail if applied to a dirty or unsound surface.

	Clean soon-to-be-painted surfaces with power washing equipment or by scrubbing with a long-handled brush using plain soap and water.
	Remove loose, flaking or peeling paint by scraping or wire brushing and feather back rough paint edges by sanding. Especially on repaints, it is necessary to scrape after powerwashing to remove paint that may not be visibly peeling but has separated from the substrate.
	Sand and spot-prime any areas where bare wood shows. When painting a glossy surface, be sure to sand the area to permit the paint to adhere better.
	Brush off any dust or particles left from the scraping and sanding.
	Caulk around windows and doors, between gaps in siding, and in any other areas where moisture can enter.

2.) Purchase top quality paint and follow label directions. Top quality acrylic latex paint is excellent for most exterior applications and will provide the best-looking and longest-lasting paint job. Acrylic latex paint offers many advantages including superior adhesion when applied to a properly prepared surface to help prevent failures like blistering, flaking and peeling. It remains flexible and can expand and contract with the surface when temperatures rise and fall dramatically so will extend the life of your paint job.

3.) Use top quality application equipment. To get the best results with your top quality paint, be sure to apply it with top quality tools and accessories. They'll make the work much easier and help you apply a thicker, more uniform coat for a better-looking paint job.

	Power Washing and Spray Painting Equipment. If you choose to speed your work with power washing and spray painting equipment available at many paint stores and rental centers, be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for safe and proper operation.
	Brushes and Rollers. Make certain that you have the right type of applicator for the paint you are applying. Use synthetic brushes and roller covers for latex paint, and use brushes and rollers made of either natural or synthetic fibers for oil-based or alkyd paint. And, when choosing brushes, favor those that are tightly packed, well balanced and springy.

4.) Paint under the right weather conditions. It is generally recommended that paint be applied when temperatures are in the 50°F - 80°F range to allow your paint to form a highly protective film that will look great and last for years. Ask your Columbia representative for more information about how weather conditions will affect your paint job.

Painting in cold weather.

As the days become cooler through autumn and into winter, the application and proper curing of latex and oil/alkyd paint can be significantly affected by low air and substrate temperatures and increasing moisture levels.
Latex Paint:

Air Temperature - The proper formation of the paint film can be seriously affected if paint is applied when air temperature is below 50° F. Paint film may crack and check, and improper film formation may cause a powdery film that can be brushed off the substrate. This can cause the touch-up coat to look several shades lighter than the base coat.

Moisture Levels - The moisture level in the air increases as temperatures drop during the fall which can cause large amounts of condensation to form on exposed surfaces. If the condensation forms on a paint film that has not fully cured, it can cause surfactant bleed or shadowing, primarily in deep and accent colors as evidenced by glossy, dark streaks or blotches on the paint film. Condensation can also dramatically slow the dry time and cure time of the film, increasing the water sensitivity of the paint film until it has fully cured.

Substrate Temperature - When surface temperature of the substrate is below 50° F it can significantly slow the drying time and even prevent proper film formation of the paint. It is important to note that the surface temperature can vary between different areas on the same structure causing the dry time and proper film formation to vary as well.

Paint Temperature - The performance of the paint can also be affected by the temperature of the paint when it is applied. Store the paint in an area that will be at least 50° F. If the paint is applied when it is too cold it will not flow and level properly, leading to excessive film build, thereby slowing the dry and cure time of the film.

Oil/Alkyd Paint:

Air Temperature - Oil/Alkyd paint is to be applied when the air temperature is 40°F or above. If the paint is applied when air temperature is below 40° F the paint film will take significantly longer to dry and thoroughly cure.

Moisture Levels - High humidity and fog conditions create problems for oil-based products, specifically heavy-bodied oil-based stains. If these products are applied in humid, foggy conditions, the paint can turn blotchy or show color differences in the film; we do not recommend the application of oil-based stains under these conditions.

Substrate Temperature - The minimum recommended substrate temperature is 40° F for the proper application of oil/alkyd based paint. The paint will be slow to dry and cure if it is applied below 40°F. Often, in order to warm the surface of cold walls to proper application temperature, room temperatures are raised well above normal levels causing other problems to occur including premature skinning of the surface of the paint. The premature skin will trap the solvents in the paint and dramatically slow the dry time.

Paint Temperature - The temperature of the paint at the time of application can greatly affect the drying rate of the paint film. If the paint is stored below 40° F and then applied at the same low temperature, it may not have proper flow and brushing characteristics, resulting in excessive film build and lengthy dry and cure times.

Hot Tip
Deep base paints are hard to cover existing paint. Consider using a tinted primer to save cost in recoating as top coats cost a much as three times the price of primers.

Buckets
Don't throw away those 5 gallon buckets. These buckets cost $2.47 at Home Depot and serve a multitude of purposes. They can be used to clean brushes and rollers, store tools, box paints together, water plants, store seed, store lawn fertilizer ect...