One of the most irritating things that can happen to something you have painted is to have that paint peel off. Most people find painting monotonous and messy, with that in mind it is best to work in a way that you won’t have to do the job twice. This post is going to cover prepping glossy paint so that the top layer will not peel (or be much less likely).
There are three ways that I ‘de-gloss’ glossy paint…there are more ways but these work good for me.

– Use a Deglossing primer in coordination with a good cleaning. I use Valspar Deglosser (Lowe’s) to do this job, it has the best performance in my experience. This paint works for glossy trim, tile, varnish, etc… I do my prep cleaning with a lightly wet, soapy sponge and paper towels.

– Use sand paper and tack cloth to degloss. Take 220 sand paper and remove just the glossy part of the paint (it will become dull) then clean up the remnants with tack cloth. I usually follow up with a regular primer to ensure an even paint finish. **If you have ridges, beads or other areas that you cannot get to with sand paper use a brass wire brush.

– If you have a large area to de-gloss (like a whole room, house full of trim, etc) use a chemical de-glosser. This de-glosser needs to be used with safety in mind. It’s fumes are dangerous and it is very caustic to your skin…If you choose to use this method wear nitrile gloves, and a chemical respirator approved for the chemicals in the de-glosser you have chosen. I usually follow up this treatment with a regular oil primer. If you do not want to take the chance with the chemical treatment, just use the de-glossing primer (I use the combination of de-glossing and priming only because it gives me a little more guarantee that the last coat will stick – I have not yet run into a problem with the de-glossing primer).

Thank you for reading
Luke

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Do you have vinyl shutters on your house that are difficult to get off and looking like they need a little freshening up? I had this problem just recently and thought I would just paint them, but vinyl does not accept paint very well (It usually just peels off after a few weeks). I experimented with a few paints and discovered a combination that seems to work well. First I cleaned the shutters with bleach and water to remove all the dirt and mold. Then I used a plastic primer I found at my local home improvement store – I used Valspar Clear plastic primer. The clear primer was nice because I wanted to go back with a color similar to the original. Also just as nice was the fact that you could not see the spots where I missed the target. I let this primer dry for four hours, to make sure it was completely dry. I then used a semi-gloss Valspar Ultra Premium Exterior paint as the finish paint. I used a color called Charleston Green (Custom for my area), this color is a black with a light green tint. I let the first coat dry over night before putting on the second coat…This paint has been on the shutters for several months and I have not seen any peeling or bubbling, which is the norm for latex paint on vinyl shutters. The primer can says that it is made for any spray enamel, but it has worked well for our current project with the ultra premium latex. There are several de-glossers and oil based primers that are sold in the store, but this one seems to perform best for the dark color we wanted and for durability.

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One thing to remember when you are painting an old house is that you are probably painting over some lead paint somewhere. Lead paint was very popular 30 years ago (banned in 1978 for household use) and is still very popular in other countries – China for example. Some of the properties of lead made paint more desirable such as faster drying and durability. Lead is dangerous to humans because is damages your nervous system, stunts growth, and various other problems. It is said that lead paint is particularly dangerous to children under six. *** Now that you are thinking of all the places you may have lead paint let me tell some precautions to take to keep you and your family safe. First, don’t panic, if lead paint is covered by other paint it is safe unless it is peeling off whatever it has been painted on. If you have exposed lead paint, do not worry about this unless it is in an area where it can be touched frequently (especially at child height). If you are repainting an old house it is good to remove all chipped and damaged paint CAREFULLY. You must wear a breathing apparatus made for lead exposure, and nitrile or latex gloves when working with lead paint. Scraping the paint off with a paint scraper or putty knife is the best way to remove the paint without making dust. If you are working on the exterior of a house, you should pressure wash it first to knock off the loose paint. There will be rough edges from the scraping and washing, they can be smoothed with a block sander…do not use an electric sander because they can make a fine lead dust that is hazardous to you and anyone in the area. When you get done with cleaning up the old paint job, prime your work with a good oil primer (like Kilz Ultimate).
Lead Paint is not something to be afraid of. Just be aware of the hazard and respect the fact that lead can be harmful if it is handled incorrectly.

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Ever heard anyone say that if you had the right tools you can make anything? Well they forgot to mention all the time it takes to learn all the good tricks that go along with the tools. Painting is not an exception, but a good brush may up your game more than you know. Good paint brushes can mean the difference in needing painters tape and not needing painters tape for a well seasoned pro. The secret is the ability of a better brush to cut a nice tight edge. Higher quality brushes have bristles that adhere to one another when paint is applied, whereas in a lower quality brush the bristles stay spread apart. High quality brushes also have more flexible bristles, usually have stainless steel stocks, nicer handles, and a keeper that is intended to protect the brush for many uses. I like to use Purdy paint brushes for most of my paint work. They are not the only good paint brush, but they have a quality that has never let me down. The Purdy dale 3″ brush is very versatile and not too pricey (more expensive than some). The favorite of most interior painters (the guys you should be asking) is the Purdy Nylox brush, this brush is more expensive but drives like a Cadillac. Sherwin Williams also makes some good brushes…I don’t have much experience with them, but I have to say that I have not any bad experiences with their brushes. If you are interested in these brushes, talk to the guy behind the counter. The nice thing about all of our local SW stores is that the attendants are paint brush Gurus (not getting paid to say this…its just the truth).
Paint brushes to AVOID… I do not use any general use, plastic handle $5 brush for any paint job I want to be seen. These brushes (there are many) do not cut a good line, and do not leave smooth, level paint jobs. Another disadvantage is they do not hold their paint well so your flooring gets spattered with paint. This brush goes with my other chip brushes in BBQ sauce application, or just for a dust brush. If you cannot afford a Purdy or the Sherwin Williams brush look for a Wooster Pro or Performance select (Wooster, Performance Select, & Purdy are very similarly priced in most home superstores).

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Are you tired of the dark paneling in your house? I recently changed a storage room in my house into a bedroom. The old paneling was nice for a game room or library, but did not work for a bedroom (our bedroom, no offense to those who like dark paneling in their bedroom:). If you are wanting to paint your paneling here are a few tips to follow. First, if possible, move all your furniture and etc. out of the room. Cover the floor with plastic or canvas to prevent a mess. Sand the paneling to score the gloss, use a medium grit sand paper followed with a fine (use an orbital sander to hurry things up). Use a broom then some tack cloth to remove the dust from the wall. Prime the wall with an Premium Kilz oil base (or Zissenger). If the color bleeds through the paint, prime the wall again. Caulk and putty all the paneling seams (where one sheet meet another) and nail holes. After the caulking dries, paint the room with your choice of paints. I like paneling because it is almost like having a faux finish without all the extra work. I usually paint the trim with a semigloss light paint and the wall with an egg shell gloss…

After the paint

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Tack Cloth is a sticky cloth you can buy at the hardware store or on the internet for finishing paint and varnish projects. This cloth is used to remove dust between sanding stages when finishing a project. Ok….good information but how does this effect me? – If you ever get the hankering to varnish a door, you will want this cloth. This is the trick the professionals use to get a smooth streak less finish on all varnish projects.
Here is a quick how to varnish example that will help you later:
1) First, sand the wood with a fine sandpaper until it is smooth to the touch (you can use a sanding block or orbital sander, just be careful not to gouge the wood) Blow off as much sawdust as possible with fanning or use a shop vac. Rub down the door with the Tack Cloth to remove all excess sawdust.
2) Apply wood stain if desired with an old rag, be careful not to use too much. If you are staining a softwood such as pine or fur you will want to use a pre-stain this disperses the stain for a more even finish.
3) Apply varnish evenly over the wood surface with a varnish paintbrush. Use a wide brush and keep a can of mineral spirits handy to clean off the brush when you are finished. Allow varnish to dry.
4) Sand the door again to remove any imperfections in the door.  Use a fine sandpaper again, and if you are unsure of your skills with the orbital sander use a block sander or just the sand paper by itself.  Rub down the door again with the Tack Cloth.  Be sure to remove all sawdust, because it will show up on your finish.   Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the wood is to its desired finish. You will not need to sand the final coat, it will be smooth if you have sanded and tack clothed correctly.

****If I missed anything about tack cloth that you would like to add please feel free.

Luke

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