Frequently Asked Questions
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Question: “What is an ‘epoxy’ coating?”
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Question: “I need to paint the ceiling in my living room. The ceiling has a ‘popcorn’ textured finish. What is the best solution?”
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Question: “I have a wooden privacy fence around my property made of 2x6 fir wood planks. The rails turned brown within one year of me painting them white. What did I do wrong?”
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Question: “What do you paint first, the trim work or the walls?”
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Question: “I like to put plants on my window sills. Which type of paint should I use to paint the sills?”
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Question: “I am almost ready to repaint bathroom (small) that I have remodeled. The main incentive to do room over was the heavy mildew damage. I have installed better ventilation, but in researching paint, everyone has a different idea. What type of paint should I use to avoid more mildew?”
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Question: “What exactly is enamel?”
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Question: “Why do I keep hearing people refer to applying paint or stain at the spread rate [square feet per gallon] recommended by the manufacturer? Is it really that important? Isn't it reasonable to try to get extra "mileage" out of a gallon of paint?”
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Question: “What is the relevance of VOC?”
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Question: “Can a quality latex paint be hurt if it has been frozen and thawed?”
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Question: “What is a paint conditioner?”
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Question: “What does “hiding” mean?”
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Question: “Why do light colors often hide better than darker ones?”
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Question: “What is the difference between paint thinner and solvent?”
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Question: “Why is the paint on my home's exterior fading?”
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Question: “Which method is better for applying outdoor paint -- brush or spray?”
Answer >
Question: “What does the term “epoxy” mean? How does it apply to paint as opposed to glue or cement?”
Answer >
Question: “What is an ‘epoxy’ coating?”
Answer: An an epoxy polymer is a tough plastic-like material. These are used to make chemical and water resistant adhesives, auto finishes, and paints, especially for interior commercial and industrial wall and floor surfaces.
Question: “I need to paint the ceiling in my living room. The ceiling has a ‘popcorn’ textured finish. What is the best solution?”
Answer: If the ceiling has any discoloration at all in any areas, you'd be best off first applying an stain blocking interior latex primer. But first, clean the ceiling with a brush nozzle on a vacuum cleaner tube. Use a half-inch nap quality synthetic roller cover. Have at least two windows open wide while applying and while it dries. Allow to dry at least over night, then apply a dead flat wall paint.
Question: “I have a wooden privacy fence around my property made of 2x6 fir wood planks. The rails turned brown within one year of me painting them white. What did I do wrong?”
Answer: It sounds like tannin bleeding, which can occur particularly if latex paint is applied to bare wood without benefit of an appropriate primer. If this is what is happening, then the thing to do is apply a heavy coat of an exterior latex stain blocking wood primer. Discuss this with several paint dealers and paint stores, and then decide from what they tell you, which product you want to go with.
Before applying the primer, clean the rails off. An effective approach is using a power washer with plain water (no detergent or bleach). Allow the primer to dry for 1-2 days. Then apply a top of the line acrylic latex house paint in a satin or semigloss finish.
Try not to apply primer or finish coat under conditions that are at all extreme: don't apply in direct sunshine if possible; don't apply if it is dry and breezy, below 50 degrees F (10 degrees C), or is extremely humid.
Question: “What do you paint first, the trim work or the walls?”
Answer: We typically paint the trim work first, then the walls. This strategy will make it easier to sand, prepare, and paint all the details, edges, and planes of the trim work. After all the coats of paint on the trim work are dry, we mask off the trim work and then paint the walls. This does depend on the individual painter or crew.
Question: “I like to put plants on my window sills. Which type of paint should I use to paint the sills?”
Answer: An alkyd paint would work best because alkyds are solvent-based and offer better resistance to moisture and standing water than latex products.
Question: “I am almost ready to repaint bathroom (small) that I have remodeled. The main incentive to do room over was the heavy mildew damage. I have installed better ventilation, but in researching paint, everyone has a different idea. What type of paint should I use to avoid more mildew?”
Answer: First, we will want to remove all mildew on the surfaces. When treating mildew, you need to allow the bleach to stay on the surface for at least 20 minutes, or the mildew will not be killed (even though the color disappears), and it can grow back before long. To treat the area, we use a 3:1 mixture of water and household bleach, respectively; and leave on for 20+ minutes, reapplying as it dries. We then rinse off the area thoroughly; then thoroughly wash the area and rinse again. For best results, we apply an interior stain-blocking water based primer. Then apply a quality interior satin, semi-gloss or gloss latex paint, depending on the appearance desired. Some kitchen and bath paints are made with an ingredient to discourage mildew growth. We use two coats of the paint.
Question: “What exactly is enamel?”
Answer: The term “enamel” originally referred to the hard, durable outer layer on the crown of a tooth as it still does. Enamel then was applied to the tough, vitreous coating obtained by melting sand or glass on hot metal, as is done with decorating metal dishes and flatware and in making durable metal bathtubs, sinks, etc. The term was applied also to hard, durable, dirt-resistant oil-based glossy paints, and for years, this was the type of coating associated with the term. In the 1960s and 1970s, the meaning began to be extended to most any tough, durable, dirt-resistant paint, be it oil-based or latex, shiny or dull, until today, there are commercial products with designations such as alkyd gloss enamel, latex satin enamel, and even latex flat enamel. Thus, any current definition applied to paint has to be rather broad and non-specific, but capturing the aspects of durable and highly washable.
Question: “Why do I keep hearing people refer to applying paint or stain at the spread rate [square feet per gallon] recommended by the manufacturer? Is it really that important? Isn't it reasonable to try to get extra "mileage" out of a gallon of paint?”
Answer: It is important because how thick or thin the coating is applied impacts many properties. This applies to paints, primers, stains, clear coatings and elastomeric coatings. Some properties directly impacted by spread rate (and thus film thickness) are:
- Hiding and Uniformity of Appearance
- Crack Resistance
- Mildew Resistance
- Stain Blocking (primers)
- Corrosion Resiatance (primers)
- Flow-Out and Smoothness (which affects appearance and durability)
- Scrub Resistance
- General Longevity of Protection. While hiding may, for example be acceptable when a coating is spread thin, other properties can be seriously compromised.
Question: “What is the relevance of VOC?”
Answer: VOC refers to “volatile organic compound”; some examples are paint thinner, mineral spirits, alcohol, gasoline, ethylene glycol, acetone and xylol. Most architectural paints contain some VOCs. With oil-based products, the paint thinner is VOC. With shellac, the alcohol is VOC. With water-based, or latex, paints, the water is not a VOC, but some additives are, typically several per cent are VOC. Some latex paints on the market now are very low in VOC content. It is some of the VOCs that give latex paint the odor that it has, so these low-VOC paints are generally characterized is “low odor.” The EPA is limiting the level of VOCs in paints, because when they evaporate into the air when the paint dries, they can contribute to low-level smog generation. Still, the amount of VOCs coming from coatings is extremely small as compared to that coming from auto and electric power emissions, and from pine trees. There is some sacrifice of paint properties when going to no-VOC formulations, but the performance is generally considered satisfactory.
Question: “Can a quality latex paint be hurt if it has been frozen and thawed?”
Answer: Yes, latex paint can be hurt if it is frozen. Problems that can occur are reduced gloss, separation of ingredients, formation of “grit” or lumps. Often, though, a paint may survive one or a few freeze-thaw cycles. If a paint is frozen, it should be thawed slowly; then thoroughly stir the paint. If it appears to be smooth and of normal consistency and of the proper color, it probably is OK to use.
Question: “What is a paint conditioner?”
Answer: A paint conditioner is an ingredient added to paint when surface or weather conditions prevent the paint from performing as it was formulated. The conditioner helps the paint to overcome the negative situation. Often surface conditions such as excessive chalk and high porosity or weather conditions such as cold or hot temperatures, low humidity, etc. challenge the performance of a coating that was formulated to perform satisfactorily under average conditions. Thinner and water evaporate when containers are left open in hot, dry weather, causing the paint to drag. Cold weather turns paint sluggish, and again, it resists best efforts to apply a smooth coating. When the substrate is dry and porous it will suck the solvent from the paint and cause improper film formation. Most latex paints don't wet chalk or dust as well as oils do, and adhesion can be poor at best. The right paint conditioner can help overcome these problems and can also help you produce a more professional-looking job at the same time.
Question: “What does “hiding” mean?”
Answer: Hiding is the ability of paint or coating to mask or cover the surface.
Question: “Why do light colors often hide better than darker ones?”
Answer: Colors mixed in pastel and mid-tone bases have more titanium dioxide (TiO2) than those mixed in deep bases, and it's primarily the Titanium that provides surface hiding.
Question: “What is the difference between paint thinner and solvent?”
Answer: Solvent is a general term used for different organic liquids. Examples of some used with paints and coatings are lacquer thinner, paint thinner, naphtha, denatured alcohol, turpentine. Paint thinner is a specific solvent used with oil based paints, stains and varnishes. Paint thinner is made mainly from a solvent called mineral spirits. Paint thinner is similar to “lighter fluid” and “charcoal starter”. Paint thinner is less flammable than lacquer thinner and gasoline.
Question: “Why is the paint on my home's exterior fading?”
Answer: When exterior paints aren't capable of enduring the sun's ultraviolet radiation, the unfortunate results are faded colors and a weak skin that allows damage to the building material underneath. Ultraviolet rays tend to deteriorate paint binders. The binder remains as part of the final paint film, holding the pigment particles in place. Most exterior paints contain resins that are naturally resistant to UV radiation. Look for an exterior paint that contains UV inhibitors or pigments that absorb or reflect the sun’s damaging rays and keep from reaching the substrate under the paint film.
Question: “Which method is better for applying outdoor paint -- brush or spray?”
Answer: Basically, both spraying and brushing are fine, so long as the paint is put on at the proper spread rate (sq. ft./gallon). Spraying will provide a smoother appearance, and less chance for mildew to get into brush marks and grow. With spraying, the painter has to be careful about getting a full coat onto areas that are next to areas that won't be painted, so careful masking must be done. Some people think sprayed paint will not adhere as well as if brushed, but as long as the surface has been properly prepared that should not occur.
Question: “What does the term “epoxy” mean? How does it apply to paint as opposed to glue or cement?”
Answer: In general terms, an epoxy polymer is a tough plastic-like material made by reacting a compound with the expoxide group (R1-HC[O]CH-R2) with an amine, alcohol, organic acid, an unsaturated compound, etc. These are employed to make tough, chemical and water resistant adhesives, patching materials, insulating materials, auto finishes, and paints, especially for interior commercial and industrial wall and floor surfaces. Most epoxy patching compounds, adhesives, sealers and paints are prepared by combining two components on-site, just before application. Some epoxy materials are very high or 100% solids; some are two-component water-based acrylic-epoxy; and some are one-package water-based products. Two-component epoxy systems generally do not stand up and maintain color in exterior applications as well as two component urethane systems.