Painting Tips and Tricks

Welcome to the Tips and Tricks page! Below you will find miscellaneous how-to’s and tips to help you get your own paint job done, or possibly to convince you to hire a professional!

Choosing Latex Paint

(14/04/2009)
Where To Go
As a rule of thumb, we stay away from big box stores whenever possible. We have our own brand preference, but our main recommendation is that you head to a dedicated paint store. Not only is the paint usually better quality, but you can talk to a person who is extensively trained in paint and paint alone. They will know methods and application techniques, what paint to use, and why. You just get more professional, dedicated service – there is a reason there are paint stores out there!

Many Choices
First of all, your product choice will vary greatly between interior and exterior. For exterior, you will most likely want a semi-gloss finish if you are going with a straight latex finish, which can go over properly primed wood or metal.

For concrete, stucco, or other masonry, we would recommend going with a high quality elastomeric latex. This will be very thick to apply, but will last long and stretch as the substance contracts and expands with heat and cold.

There are also latex/oil “hybrids” that can be used on wood (unprimed). These are basically solid stains, and will be a lower sheen and will last longer than a latex over a primed surface. Once again, see a paint store for more information on these.

For interior, there are 3 main things to consider when choosing paint – how much moisture it will encounter, how much physical wear it should endure, and how you want it to look.

Moisture: When thinking of painting a washroom or kitchen that experiences a lot of cooking, cleaning, and steam, consider a paint specifically formulated for high moisture environments. These are usually called “Kitchen and Bath” paints, or something similar. They most often have extra chemicals to resist mold and mildew, and are easily wipe able.

Physical Wear: Sheen can often come into play here. The higher sheen something is, the more dirt and physical contact “slides off” of the paint surface. For trim, doors, baseboards, and windows where this is more likely to occur, consider a pearl/satin or semi-gloss finish. Choose a high quality paint that may be intended for these surfaces specifically.

Look: These days, it is not necessary to use semi-gloss in a washroom as long as you use the correct product. We recommend eggshell for most walls, as it has the sheen to be easy to clean, and the reflective quality which makes it great to look at. A flat/matte finish can also look great as a feature wall or in areas were little to no contact with the wall will be made. These finishes look amazing, but even products that say they are a “washable flat finish” will be difficult to clean and show scuffs quickly.

In most cases, as with any product, the more it costs, the better quality it is. Those paint brands that have built a name for themselves and are “designer” definitely charge more for that privilege even though their paint may not be higher quality by any means. If you stick to a stand alone designated paint store and ask the right questions, you will get something that looks great and lasts a long time. Painting is the cheapest and fastest way to make a massive change in any area of your home, but that doesn’t mean it should be done quickly or cheaply itself. Happy painting!

Caulking Intricacies

(15/01/2009)
Caulking has two main uses – filling linear gaps, and improving aesthetic on the work you have done. The following are some tips that will help maximize the effectiveness and look of your “caulking experience”
- Caulk is NOT a hole filler. It cannot be sanded and is not easy to smooth out on a flat surface. It may be used to fill extremely tiny holes such as those from a brad nailer if necessary.
- If a crack is more than about 7-8mm wide, I suggest some foam backfiller. Either a foam insulator or foam “piping” or backing that can be bought at most hardware stores. Cut the foam to the correct length and stuff it securely in the crack, then caulk over it.
- When exterior caulking, consider purchasing caulk that has a similar color to what you are caulking over. This means you dont have to paint it, which will make the caulk last even longer. Most hardware or bog box stores will supply you with a large selection of colors.
- BUY THE RIGHT PRODUCT. Do you plan to paint it? Make sure it is not 100% silicone, or that is says “paintable” if it does have silicone in it. If you want the product to last for the 25-50 years that it might, pay the extra money. I personally believe pure silicone should be reserved for granite counters and fish tanks.
Baseboards and Trim
- Do not put caulking on too thick. Inside your home, caulking is mostly aesthetic and weather will not effect it. Don’t glob it.
- Keep your hands clean – when your fingers begin to get gummed up with caulking, clean them off and you can flatten out the caulking much easier.
- Two friends that can help you make straight lines and smooth caulking are tape and a wet cloth. Tape both sides of a crack or area you are caulking, pressing the tape hard onto the surface. As soon as you have put the caulk in the crack and pressed it in, remove the tape carefully and you should have stright lines. The wet cloth is perfect for smoothing out caulk in cracks, on trim, or baseboards. Push the caulk in to the crack with a finger, then do once more with a fairly wet cloth. This cleans off the surface and smooths out the caulk quite well.
If you have any questions about this specific post, or any other painting tips or tricks, please contact us and we would be glad to share with you!

Painting Silicone

(24/11/2008)
So you are trying to paint in your bathroom, or around some trim somewhere and you are finding that your paint is pulling back and just not sticking to some areas. Most likely, someone has used a 100% silicone sealer on joints, around tubs or vanities, or even around some trim here and there. The problem is you want to change the color, and you may be able to see the old color underneath that clear silicone.

Luckily, there is a fix. There are plenty of latex based caulking compounds out there that are 100% paintable. Many have silicone in them, and have up to 50 year guarantees that straight silicone has. Go out and purchase a tube of caulking that says it is paintable. While your paint may not stick to the silicone, the paintable caulking will.

Your goal is then to cover the part of the silicone you want to paint with the paintable caulking. Tape off the area where you do not need the silicone painted over, and then run a bead of caulking over the exposed silicone and press on with your finger. After the caulking has dried, you can take the ape off and paint, or leave the tape on and remove it after you have painted.

I would still recommend using a silicone sealant around tubs, counter tops, sinks, etc, where constant water is expected. They key is to use a clear silicone only where you will not wish you could change the color underneath it. You can buy colored silicone sealants as well, which can be very handy.

Remember when caulking cracks or corners, that tape is your friend! Put tape on areas you dont want the caulking/silicone, run the bead and press in with your finger, and remove the tape immeditely for a perfectly straight line every time!

An Unusual Project

(12/11/2008)
Well, it was time to paint one of our work vehicles. I (Ryan) decided my van was in serious need of at least a quick aesthetic remodeling. The previous paint job was peeling horribly when I purchased the van. I did not feel the need to spend lots of money on a professional car paint job, as this vehicle will not last for more than another few years.

I took some time off work, got some rudimentary knowledge of how to prep and paint a car, and bought a good quality paint from our paint store. The following is a basic description of what I did, with pictures of how it turned out. By no means do I claim to be any sort of authority on painting a vehicle – the correct materials and procedures are quite different than anything Brothers’ Painting specializes in.

First of all, I took off all of the trim which circled the entire vehicle and filled the holes. I spent hours sanding and sanding. When I say the peeling was bad…it was very bad. I did not take enough before pictures. But in the following pictures you can see how much sanding I did to try and smooth things out and get rid of everything that was peeling.

The hood was the worst area.

After washing the car with degreaser and soap and drying it off, I masked off the areas not to be coated and primed where it was needed.

The paint I decided to use was General Paint’s Marine Paint. It is a DTM (direct-to-metal) and is rust resistant, extremely water resistant, and heat resistant to over 120 degrees Celsius. I knew it was not designed specifically for cars…but if you can paint a marine engine that is under water and extremely hot with it, I was sure that it would last a year or two on my van. The final product is not perfect but much better than it preciously was. I had a small area to work inside, and had to resort to aerosol cans to deal with that problem. The result was an uneven spray that left an almost purposeful looking faux finish when one looks closely at the van. This is ok though…I am satisfied at how it turned out and glad to have something that looks uniform! Look for me cruising down Calgary roads in my new, dark blue, self painted work van!