Paint prep can be more important than painting (depending on your paint project). Prep work is not as fun as the actual painting but paint prep is a must for your paint job to turn out looking good!
Paint prep can consist of alot of things but here's the most common items for interior painting:
* Before caulking: clean off any dirt/dust buildup on any wood trim areas needing to be painted or painted around.
* Caulking: prep any painted wood trim areas,inside corners,outside corners,cracks,visible lines & imperfections,nail holes,screw holes,staple holes,around trim pieces,etc.,look at all your sheetrock wall areas & prep those areas too (same things as described above).
* Remove: electrical outlet cover plates & switch plates,save all plates & screws & put in bucket or box....wash & clean these covers,replace any broken or stained covers,re-install after all paint is dry.
* Remove from sheetrock walls: staples,tacks,scotch tape,unused plastic anchors (or patch over),finish nails,etc..
* Install masking tape around: electrical outlets & light switches,trim,baseboard,light fixture bases,etc..
* Install drop cloths or tape down plastic to floor areas.
* Clean off: ink pen marks,color crayon marks,dark smudges,dirt,food markings,grease/oil buildups,etc. (whatever you cannot remove, you will then need to install a "kilz" primer or some other primer product before applying any paint).
* Check out any spray texture imperfections & scrape off any unsightly specks (interior sheetrock walls).
* Look for any water stains: treat these areas accordingly as you do not want any water stains to "bleed" through your paint job.
* Look for cobwebbs & remove any you see.
* Do any wall areas need to be lightly sanded? Check it out then wipe down wall areas prior to applying any paint.
* Exterior painting: review the above list to see what applies.
* Exterior painting: cover bushes/landscaping items,check you local weather forecast for possible rain & wind issues.
Prep your paint areas before painting & your paint project will come out looking better than ever!
Click here to get some free video painting tips
Paint On!
VideoJoeKnows
Monday, September 21, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Painting tip...pour your paint from the "backside"
Here's another painting tip for you....there's a reason to pour your paint from the backside. This painting tip is vital since how many times have you needed some more paint & you looked at your paint can & low & behold....there's old paint all the way down the front of your paint can so you can't see what color of paint you need plus.......the paint type could also be covered up so now you don't know if it's flat,eggshell,or semi-gloss,etc..
Maybe there is old paint covering up the little tag that shows the special formula of the paint you were using & you need 1 more gallon but the paint store will not know how to mix the last gallon of paint you need because the label was covered up. You didn't "cover-up" the special formula sticker mind you. The last person who used this particular paint can did though.
You should always make it a habit to pour your paint from the backside of the paint can. That way, if any paint spills down the side of the paint can, you can wipe it up & not worry that you are covering any special wording on the paint can. Keep the "front" of the paint can clean & you will be better off. Follow this painting tip & you'll never have to worry about "this" again.
Here's another painting tip....check to make sure you know exactly where the special formula tag has been put on the paint can. Most of the time this label is placed on the lid of the paint can so be careful with the lid too although I have also seen this label stuck to the side of a paint can so check it out before starting your project.
Another painting tip for you is.....you might also want to pick up a little circular plastic goody that you can put on the top edge of your gallon paint can "before" you pour your paint out. This minimizes any drips you get on the side of the paint can when pouring your paint....still pour from the back though.
You may think, "Is this such a big deal?" & my answer is "Yes" as I see this kind of thing happening over & over. Just a simple thing with major ramifications if you know what I mean. Better to be safe than sorry. Follow the painting tips above & think it through before "pouring your paint".
Click here to enjoy some video painting tips
Paint On!
VideoJoeKnows
Maybe there is old paint covering up the little tag that shows the special formula of the paint you were using & you need 1 more gallon but the paint store will not know how to mix the last gallon of paint you need because the label was covered up. You didn't "cover-up" the special formula sticker mind you. The last person who used this particular paint can did though.
You should always make it a habit to pour your paint from the backside of the paint can. That way, if any paint spills down the side of the paint can, you can wipe it up & not worry that you are covering any special wording on the paint can. Keep the "front" of the paint can clean & you will be better off. Follow this painting tip & you'll never have to worry about "this" again.
Here's another painting tip....check to make sure you know exactly where the special formula tag has been put on the paint can. Most of the time this label is placed on the lid of the paint can so be careful with the lid too although I have also seen this label stuck to the side of a paint can so check it out before starting your project.
Another painting tip for you is.....you might also want to pick up a little circular plastic goody that you can put on the top edge of your gallon paint can "before" you pour your paint out. This minimizes any drips you get on the side of the paint can when pouring your paint....still pour from the back though.
You may think, "Is this such a big deal?" & my answer is "Yes" as I see this kind of thing happening over & over. Just a simple thing with major ramifications if you know what I mean. Better to be safe than sorry. Follow the painting tips above & think it through before "pouring your paint".
Click here to enjoy some video painting tips
Paint On!
VideoJoeKnows
"How much paint do I need?"
"How much paint do I need?" Good question. Let's make the assumption we will be talking about painting your interior sheetrock walls so we will be working with "interior latex enamel paint" for our example.....fair enough?
How much paint you need will be determined on how many square feet a gallon of paint will cover. A good rule of thumb is to figure that 1 gallon of paint will cover apprx. 300 square feet of wall.
Let's look at a room size of 12 feet wide x 16 feet long (x= the word "by"). We will assume your wall height is say 10' tall (nice ceiling height.......you must live in a great neighborhood!). Were you any good in math? Here's where your math comes into play.....you know....the math you learned in school & you always said.....what am I gonna need this for? You never knew you were going to paint some walls for yourself one day did you? Length "times" width will equal your square footage. Pay attention or you're going to fail this last math test & this time it's going to cost you money.
Here we go: add up the total length of all of the walls. In our above example (assuming you have a square room), you have a total of 56 lineal feet of wall....meaning you have 56 "running" feet of wall: 12 plus 12 plus 16 plus 16 equals 56 feet or 56'. So far so good. Now we get to do your math. Length "times" width would be 56 "running" feet of wall "times" 10 feet wall height: so we have 56 "times" 10 equals 560 feet or 560 square feet. You remember I said you should figure (as a rule of thumb) apprx. 300 square feet of wall coverage for each gallon of paint. So we would take your 560 square feet & "divide" this by 300 square feet which would equal 1.86666 gallons of paint you are going to need. It's always good to use a calculator to add things up.
Now of course you know you cannot purchase 1.86666 gallons of paint at the store. You will need to purchase 2 gallons of paint for the example above. This is where you need to pay attention: the above example is only good for "1 coat of finish paint". Ask your self the question again: "how much paint do I need?". How many coats will you be installing? If you are just freshening up the existing walls with the same paint color in the same paint finish then you should only have to install 1 coat of paint so 2 gallons of paint should be enough.
However, if you are changing the wall color or changing the finish from flat paint to semi-gloss paint,etc., you may need to install 2 coats of finish paint so you would have to "double" the order amount so you would have a total of 1120 square feet of wall area to cover so you would "divide" this by 300 square feet for a total of 3.7333 gallons of paint needed. You will need 4 gallons of paint.
This will vary if you have lots of windows in your walls or doors so plan accordingly (you could add up this square footage for windows & doors & subtract that from the total of paint needed then divide this new number to get the "actual" paint needed). You get to decide how to figure how much paint you need.
Here's some things to consider: sometimes you can almost buy 5 gallons of paint for about the same amount that you can purchase 4 gallons for. That's if you buy a 5 gallon bucket of paint rather than 4 single 1 gallon containers of paint. This varies by paint store & paint brand so do some homework & see if this applies to you. It's always wise to have a little bit of paint left over so you can save this extra paint for paint touchup down the road.
If you were to purchase a 5 gallon bucket of paint, you would have over 1 gallon of paint left over. You're in a "quandry": "should I buy more paint since I can just about buy 5 gallons of paint for the same amount as 4 gallons but do I want to store over a gallon of paint left over or......can I use that extra paint for something else & still have some paint left over for future paint touch-up?".
If you want to keep your touch-up paint in a smaller container than a 5 gallon bucket then you could purchase an empty 1 gallon paint can & lid, pour the paint into this can & save the extra paint this way. Clean out your 5 gallon bucket & save it though. You never know when it will come in handy.....for something.Think about it & make a decision. It won't be earth shattering either way but I wanted you to know you do have options.
Other things to consider: semi-gloss & gloss paint go further than flat paint. You could probably squeeze out 400 square feet to the gallon (or more) depending if it's the 1st coat or the 2nd coat. If you are painting new wall construction, then you will be needing to install a separate coat of primer & my recommendation is to then install 2 coats of finish paint over the primer. Primer will also have a tendency to soak up more into the new sheetrock so you may only get 250 square feet of paint coverage to the gallon for the primer so "do your math accordingly".
If you're looking to cut costs a bit, most paint stores have some "stock/standard" colors pre-mixed in 5 gallon containers which may work for your project. This could be ideal for your project.
Also.....yes I have more to tell you...most paint stores have "mis-matched" paint that you could use as primer (that is...if you need primer). Make sure you ask for the mis-matched paint in "flat" if you're going to do this though. You could buy however many gallons you needed (go with the lighter colors of mis-matched flat paint though), mix them altogether & you will probably come out with something like a medium beige color & you could use this as your primer (a considerable cost savings depending on how large your project is).
There you go. Measure twice, order once, use a calculator, mix & match, be prepared "before" you start your project. Do what you need to do to get your project done & in the cost frame you so desire. Options.....you have options when doing it yourself. "How much paint do I need?" You know the answer for that one!
Click here to get some "Free" video painting tips for your next project.
Paint On!
VideoJoeKnows
How much paint you need will be determined on how many square feet a gallon of paint will cover. A good rule of thumb is to figure that 1 gallon of paint will cover apprx. 300 square feet of wall.
Let's look at a room size of 12 feet wide x 16 feet long (x= the word "by"). We will assume your wall height is say 10' tall (nice ceiling height.......you must live in a great neighborhood!). Were you any good in math? Here's where your math comes into play.....you know....the math you learned in school & you always said.....what am I gonna need this for? You never knew you were going to paint some walls for yourself one day did you? Length "times" width will equal your square footage. Pay attention or you're going to fail this last math test & this time it's going to cost you money.
Here we go: add up the total length of all of the walls. In our above example (assuming you have a square room), you have a total of 56 lineal feet of wall....meaning you have 56 "running" feet of wall: 12 plus 12 plus 16 plus 16 equals 56 feet or 56'. So far so good. Now we get to do your math. Length "times" width would be 56 "running" feet of wall "times" 10 feet wall height: so we have 56 "times" 10 equals 560 feet or 560 square feet. You remember I said you should figure (as a rule of thumb) apprx. 300 square feet of wall coverage for each gallon of paint. So we would take your 560 square feet & "divide" this by 300 square feet which would equal 1.86666 gallons of paint you are going to need. It's always good to use a calculator to add things up.
Now of course you know you cannot purchase 1.86666 gallons of paint at the store. You will need to purchase 2 gallons of paint for the example above. This is where you need to pay attention: the above example is only good for "1 coat of finish paint". Ask your self the question again: "how much paint do I need?". How many coats will you be installing? If you are just freshening up the existing walls with the same paint color in the same paint finish then you should only have to install 1 coat of paint so 2 gallons of paint should be enough.
However, if you are changing the wall color or changing the finish from flat paint to semi-gloss paint,etc., you may need to install 2 coats of finish paint so you would have to "double" the order amount so you would have a total of 1120 square feet of wall area to cover so you would "divide" this by 300 square feet for a total of 3.7333 gallons of paint needed. You will need 4 gallons of paint.
This will vary if you have lots of windows in your walls or doors so plan accordingly (you could add up this square footage for windows & doors & subtract that from the total of paint needed then divide this new number to get the "actual" paint needed). You get to decide how to figure how much paint you need.
Here's some things to consider: sometimes you can almost buy 5 gallons of paint for about the same amount that you can purchase 4 gallons for. That's if you buy a 5 gallon bucket of paint rather than 4 single 1 gallon containers of paint. This varies by paint store & paint brand so do some homework & see if this applies to you. It's always wise to have a little bit of paint left over so you can save this extra paint for paint touchup down the road.
If you were to purchase a 5 gallon bucket of paint, you would have over 1 gallon of paint left over. You're in a "quandry": "should I buy more paint since I can just about buy 5 gallons of paint for the same amount as 4 gallons but do I want to store over a gallon of paint left over or......can I use that extra paint for something else & still have some paint left over for future paint touch-up?".
If you want to keep your touch-up paint in a smaller container than a 5 gallon bucket then you could purchase an empty 1 gallon paint can & lid, pour the paint into this can & save the extra paint this way. Clean out your 5 gallon bucket & save it though. You never know when it will come in handy.....for something.Think about it & make a decision. It won't be earth shattering either way but I wanted you to know you do have options.
Other things to consider: semi-gloss & gloss paint go further than flat paint. You could probably squeeze out 400 square feet to the gallon (or more) depending if it's the 1st coat or the 2nd coat. If you are painting new wall construction, then you will be needing to install a separate coat of primer & my recommendation is to then install 2 coats of finish paint over the primer. Primer will also have a tendency to soak up more into the new sheetrock so you may only get 250 square feet of paint coverage to the gallon for the primer so "do your math accordingly".
If you're looking to cut costs a bit, most paint stores have some "stock/standard" colors pre-mixed in 5 gallon containers which may work for your project. This could be ideal for your project.
Also.....yes I have more to tell you...most paint stores have "mis-matched" paint that you could use as primer (that is...if you need primer). Make sure you ask for the mis-matched paint in "flat" if you're going to do this though. You could buy however many gallons you needed (go with the lighter colors of mis-matched flat paint though), mix them altogether & you will probably come out with something like a medium beige color & you could use this as your primer (a considerable cost savings depending on how large your project is).
There you go. Measure twice, order once, use a calculator, mix & match, be prepared "before" you start your project. Do what you need to do to get your project done & in the cost frame you so desire. Options.....you have options when doing it yourself. "How much paint do I need?" You know the answer for that one!
Click here to get some "Free" video painting tips for your next project.
Paint On!
VideoJoeKnows
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tell a Friend or make a Comment
I hope you are enjoying the blog posts. From time to time, you may read one of the posts & think "hey, so & so (you fill in the name) would like to read this". There's an easy way to send a post to your "friend(s)". "Really?".......Yes really....."How do I do that?".....I'm glad you asked. Here's what you're going to do:
All you have to do is go down to the bottom of whatever "post" you are reading & click on the little envelope at the bottom right (the envelope has an arrow on it). See it? Click on there & it will take you to another screen where you can "email the post to a friend". You would be such a great friend if you did this. Your friend(s) would appreciate your efforts. It's always nice to help out a friend once in a while so this would be an easy way to do it!
If you have a comment for me....there's a place to do that too! At the bottom of each post (right next to that envelope), there's a place where you can click on to make a comment. I've noticed most people don't make comments rather they read the posts & go from there. I hope I am writing about things of interest as I would like to "inform" you the best way possible. Information is "key" & I would like to give you the right info. for whatever you are trying to accomplish (project wise).
So........if you have something in particular you want to know (that I haven't talked about) or would like for me to comment on, please let me know. I'm here to help any way I can. Try out the comment area & see if you can "stump" me..... after all "VideoJoeKnows" alot about alot of things &....if I don't know (yeah right), I'll tell you straight up.
Thanks again!
VideoJoeKnows
All you have to do is go down to the bottom of whatever "post" you are reading & click on the little envelope at the bottom right (the envelope has an arrow on it). See it? Click on there & it will take you to another screen where you can "email the post to a friend". You would be such a great friend if you did this. Your friend(s) would appreciate your efforts. It's always nice to help out a friend once in a while so this would be an easy way to do it!
If you have a comment for me....there's a place to do that too! At the bottom of each post (right next to that envelope), there's a place where you can click on to make a comment. I've noticed most people don't make comments rather they read the posts & go from there. I hope I am writing about things of interest as I would like to "inform" you the best way possible. Information is "key" & I would like to give you the right info. for whatever you are trying to accomplish (project wise).
So........if you have something in particular you want to know (that I haven't talked about) or would like for me to comment on, please let me know. I'm here to help any way I can. Try out the comment area & see if you can "stump" me..... after all "VideoJoeKnows" alot about alot of things &....if I don't know (yeah right), I'll tell you straight up.
Thanks again!
VideoJoeKnows
Monday, August 3, 2009
Paint paneling.........don't do it!
I do not recommend to "paint paneling" (I'm talking about the interior veneer wall paneling that used to be considered an "upgrade" in the 80's). Some people think painting paneling would now be considered an upgrade. Sounds easy, right? It would look good, right? Umm.........not exactly. Here's why:
Most wall paneling has vertical indented grooves/lines that will become visible after you paint the paneling. Sometimes these lines are rough so once you paint the paneling, the lines take on a textured look to your wall. These "lines" are magnified once you paint the paneling so stand back & look at your paneling & "visualize" a painted wall with visible vertical lines in it all the way across your wall. If you like that look.....great......but if you don't..................
Also, take a look at the vertical seams between each wall panel. Are they tight up against the wall? Are there any waves in the lines? Are there any gaps between the vertical edges? Look closely as you may have never noticed any problems at these vertical seam areas since the lines are generally a dark brown or black so as to "hide" any imperfections that may have been caused at the time of installing the wall paneling. Take note since you will clearly see these imperfections once you paint the paneling.
You could caulk these vertical lines (at the seam areas) but you will have to do a very good job of this as you do not want any caulking excess to be left on the smooth surface of the adjoining wall paneling. If all of the remaining vertical lines are "rough sawn", you will now have to caulk these lines as well since the paint will pick up differently at these areas than your caulked "seamed lines between each wall paneling sheet". Lots of things to consider when painting paneling.
Look at the overall wall area you are thinking about painting the paneling. Are there any bubbled or loose areas within the wall panel sheet (above & beyond the vertical seam areas)? These areas will be magnified once you paint your paneling.....something else to think about.
How much trim do you have on the wall paneling ie: corner trim,top trim,baseboard trim,etc.. Keep in mind that any "edge" you see will be "picked up" by the paint & you will see every small dark line in your wall once you have painted your wall paneling, so don't forget to caulk all of your edges of trim. Prep work is the name of the game when it comes to painting paneling.
Most wall paneling is "finished" in a glossy appearance. If you want to paint paneling such as this, you will need to make sure to "etch" the surface (sand) prior to installing a coat of primer. Priming your paneling is a must before you paint the paneling. If your paneling has the dark visible vertical lines, you may want to consider installing a "kilz" primer in these areas (prior to installing the caulking &/or if you decide not to caulk these lines) as regular primer on these lines may have a possibility of not covering 100% especially if the original installer used a black felt tip marker pen for any touch up work that may have been completed when the wall paneling was originally installed (especially at the vertical seams).
Painting the paneling will now require two coats of finish paint over the one coat of primer. If you still think you want to paint your paneling, try painting a "test" area first, before your tackle the entire project.......(behind a door,in the closet,in a storage area,behind the headboard to your bed,etc..).....just in case you decide against it.
Painting paneling can be a nightmare but you now have the knowledge to make an intelligent decision on whether or not to paint your paneling, or leave it alone. I still vote to not paint paneling but of course "you have to do what you have to do". Now you have the "tools" to help you make that decision.
Click here to "view" some other "free" painting tips for your next project.........these additional tips are in "video format"........check it out.
Paint On!
VideoJoeKnows
Most wall paneling has vertical indented grooves/lines that will become visible after you paint the paneling. Sometimes these lines are rough so once you paint the paneling, the lines take on a textured look to your wall. These "lines" are magnified once you paint the paneling so stand back & look at your paneling & "visualize" a painted wall with visible vertical lines in it all the way across your wall. If you like that look.....great......but if you don't..................
Also, take a look at the vertical seams between each wall panel. Are they tight up against the wall? Are there any waves in the lines? Are there any gaps between the vertical edges? Look closely as you may have never noticed any problems at these vertical seam areas since the lines are generally a dark brown or black so as to "hide" any imperfections that may have been caused at the time of installing the wall paneling. Take note since you will clearly see these imperfections once you paint the paneling.
You could caulk these vertical lines (at the seam areas) but you will have to do a very good job of this as you do not want any caulking excess to be left on the smooth surface of the adjoining wall paneling. If all of the remaining vertical lines are "rough sawn", you will now have to caulk these lines as well since the paint will pick up differently at these areas than your caulked "seamed lines between each wall paneling sheet". Lots of things to consider when painting paneling.
Look at the overall wall area you are thinking about painting the paneling. Are there any bubbled or loose areas within the wall panel sheet (above & beyond the vertical seam areas)? These areas will be magnified once you paint your paneling.....something else to think about.
How much trim do you have on the wall paneling ie: corner trim,top trim,baseboard trim,etc.. Keep in mind that any "edge" you see will be "picked up" by the paint & you will see every small dark line in your wall once you have painted your wall paneling, so don't forget to caulk all of your edges of trim. Prep work is the name of the game when it comes to painting paneling.
Most wall paneling is "finished" in a glossy appearance. If you want to paint paneling such as this, you will need to make sure to "etch" the surface (sand) prior to installing a coat of primer. Priming your paneling is a must before you paint the paneling. If your paneling has the dark visible vertical lines, you may want to consider installing a "kilz" primer in these areas (prior to installing the caulking &/or if you decide not to caulk these lines) as regular primer on these lines may have a possibility of not covering 100% especially if the original installer used a black felt tip marker pen for any touch up work that may have been completed when the wall paneling was originally installed (especially at the vertical seams).
Painting the paneling will now require two coats of finish paint over the one coat of primer. If you still think you want to paint your paneling, try painting a "test" area first, before your tackle the entire project.......(behind a door,in the closet,in a storage area,behind the headboard to your bed,etc..).....just in case you decide against it.
Painting paneling can be a nightmare but you now have the knowledge to make an intelligent decision on whether or not to paint your paneling, or leave it alone. I still vote to not paint paneling but of course "you have to do what you have to do". Now you have the "tools" to help you make that decision.
Click here to "view" some other "free" painting tips for your next project.........these additional tips are in "video format"........check it out.
Paint On!
VideoJoeKnows
Paint wall covering......should I do it?
Paint "wall covering" (I'm talking wall paper here) in lieu of removing the wall covering could be a good thing, but then again, you might be opening up a can of worms. It depends on what type of wall covering you will be painting over. Here's what you need to know:
Paint wall covering that is paper-based is not generally recommended. This type of wall covering has a tendency to lift & bubble once your paint "hits the wall". The moisture in the paint is like putting water on your wall covering & you know what happens when you leave water saturated on your paper-based wall coverings don't you? So you may have a problem here, depending on how long it takes for your paint to dry.
"I don't know if my wall covering is made out of paper. How do I check this?"
Look at see if you have any remnants of your wall covering. If you don't, check & see if your wall covering, on the wall, is lifted in a corner or seam. Look at the wall covering closely. If the wall covering is really thin & looks like paper, & has a whitish/yellowish back, it's probably paper.
"OK, I've checked the wall covering & I think it's paper but I really don't want to spend the time it takes to remove the wall covering before I paint the wall, plus I might damage the actual sheetrock wall from the removal of the wall covering. Can't I just paint the wall covering?"
I feel your pain here. You can always make the attempt to paint your wall covering but just paint a little wall section first, to see if the wall covering stays "tight" to the wall (check this after your paint is dry). Look at your wall covering that you want to paint over. Check & see if the wall covering looks nice & tight to the wall & seams are looking good before you decide that you want to paint your wall covering since whatever you see now (flaws in wall covering,open seams,tears,lifted corners) will be magnified once your wall has been painted.
"The wall covering I want to paint over looks like vinyl & not paper. Will I have a problem painting over my wall covering?"
You should not have a problem to paint wall covering, if you know it's vinyl, as the paint will not soak through the wall covering to the back like paper wall covering. Try a "test" spot though, so you'll know what the vinyl wall covering will look like once it's painted. If your vinyl wall covering has a raised pattern or design, please realize that some of these little nooks & crannies will fill up with paint, so when the paint is dry, you may see that the wall finish looks different in some spots more so than in other areas, so keep that in mind.
When painting vinyl wall covering, do the usual "look see" to make sure the seams are tight together & perimeter edges are down. Identify any "problem areas" & make minor repairs prior to applying your paint.
Click here to enjoy some "free" video painting tips....oh yeah!
Good luck with your project!
VideoJoeKnows
Paint wall covering that is paper-based is not generally recommended. This type of wall covering has a tendency to lift & bubble once your paint "hits the wall". The moisture in the paint is like putting water on your wall covering & you know what happens when you leave water saturated on your paper-based wall coverings don't you? So you may have a problem here, depending on how long it takes for your paint to dry.
"I don't know if my wall covering is made out of paper. How do I check this?"
Look at see if you have any remnants of your wall covering. If you don't, check & see if your wall covering, on the wall, is lifted in a corner or seam. Look at the wall covering closely. If the wall covering is really thin & looks like paper, & has a whitish/yellowish back, it's probably paper.
"OK, I've checked the wall covering & I think it's paper but I really don't want to spend the time it takes to remove the wall covering before I paint the wall, plus I might damage the actual sheetrock wall from the removal of the wall covering. Can't I just paint the wall covering?"
I feel your pain here. You can always make the attempt to paint your wall covering but just paint a little wall section first, to see if the wall covering stays "tight" to the wall (check this after your paint is dry). Look at your wall covering that you want to paint over. Check & see if the wall covering looks nice & tight to the wall & seams are looking good before you decide that you want to paint your wall covering since whatever you see now (flaws in wall covering,open seams,tears,lifted corners) will be magnified once your wall has been painted.
"The wall covering I want to paint over looks like vinyl & not paper. Will I have a problem painting over my wall covering?"
You should not have a problem to paint wall covering, if you know it's vinyl, as the paint will not soak through the wall covering to the back like paper wall covering. Try a "test" spot though, so you'll know what the vinyl wall covering will look like once it's painted. If your vinyl wall covering has a raised pattern or design, please realize that some of these little nooks & crannies will fill up with paint, so when the paint is dry, you may see that the wall finish looks different in some spots more so than in other areas, so keep that in mind.
When painting vinyl wall covering, do the usual "look see" to make sure the seams are tight together & perimeter edges are down. Identify any "problem areas" & make minor repairs prior to applying your paint.
Click here to enjoy some "free" video painting tips....oh yeah!
Good luck with your project!
VideoJoeKnows
Smelly paint could "wreck" your next paint project
Did you know that smelly paint could (& probably will) play havoc on your next painting project? Yes, that's a fact. Smelly paint should be avoided at all costs. I don't think you want to invest alot of time on your paint project only to find out that the paint you used was more smelly than you thought. "All paint smells doesn't it?" Well, some paints smell worse than others. "What can I do next time then?" I'm glad you asked that. Here's what you're going to do:
If you are going to use the old pan can you have in the back of the shed, make sure you mix it up good then "smell" the paint. Does it smell like old musty smelly paint? (I'm talking really smelly here). If it does, don't use it. Go to the store & get some new paint. I know it will cost you a few dollars but it's well worth it as you don't want this smelly old paint to outlast its welcome. Oh yeah, take your old paint can to the paint store with you so they can match up the paint. If you decide to use the paint in the old paint can, make sure you strain the paint before you use it.
If you are repainting the interior sheetrock walls of your home, it's always a good idea to purchase a low/no VOC paint. This is a low smelling paint that will get the job done for you. Talk to the paint store & they will show you what types of low smelling paint they have which will work for your project.
"I just purchased the paint for my interior sheetrock walls but I didn't even think to purchase a low smelling paint. What do I do now?" Here's a trick I learned many years ago. Put some vanilla extract in it & stir it in. You know....the cooking variety that you make cookies with. Believe it or not, it works pretty good.
It's important to realize, you'll still have a paint smell when you complete your project......"no matter what you do", but the above ways can minimize the smelly paint smell you hate. Try out the above tips & you'll be.........smelling like a rose!
Click here to get some other cool "video" painting tips
Paint on.
VideoJoeKnows
If you are going to use the old pan can you have in the back of the shed, make sure you mix it up good then "smell" the paint. Does it smell like old musty smelly paint? (I'm talking really smelly here). If it does, don't use it. Go to the store & get some new paint. I know it will cost you a few dollars but it's well worth it as you don't want this smelly old paint to outlast its welcome. Oh yeah, take your old paint can to the paint store with you so they can match up the paint. If you decide to use the paint in the old paint can, make sure you strain the paint before you use it.
If you are repainting the interior sheetrock walls of your home, it's always a good idea to purchase a low/no VOC paint. This is a low smelling paint that will get the job done for you. Talk to the paint store & they will show you what types of low smelling paint they have which will work for your project.
"I just purchased the paint for my interior sheetrock walls but I didn't even think to purchase a low smelling paint. What do I do now?" Here's a trick I learned many years ago. Put some vanilla extract in it & stir it in. You know....the cooking variety that you make cookies with. Believe it or not, it works pretty good.
It's important to realize, you'll still have a paint smell when you complete your project......"no matter what you do", but the above ways can minimize the smelly paint smell you hate. Try out the above tips & you'll be.........smelling like a rose!
Click here to get some other cool "video" painting tips
Paint on.
VideoJoeKnows
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