Painting Tips and Tricks....

Painting over stained wood: Tired of that dark paneling in den or just want to give new life to those dark kitchen cabinets? It's easier than you think. The first step in painting over stained wood is to wipe the surface down with a deglosser. This will get pretty smelly so make sure you have plenty of ventilation and even a mask. Give it a day to dry then go over the entire area with 220 grit sandpaper. These two steps will assure that your paint will have something to hold on to. The next step is primer. Today's marketplace offers great alternatives to oil-based paints, however, I always felt more comfortable using 1 coat of oil-based primer and 2 coats of semi-gloss or gloss latex paint. When painting cabinets, I found it much easier to remove all of the hardware for the doors and replace them when everything is nice and dry.

Refreshing old exterior windows: Many older homes with windows that have not been replaced with the new vinyl varieties have individual panes (usually 9 or twelve) that are held in place with glazing. This glazing is a putty-type substance that will break down over time and will not only reek havoc on your electric bill but also look hideous. To repair this is very time consuming but fairly easy to do. First, use a putty knife to remove any glazing that is falling away easily. Don't force it to come out. Those window panes will break. The glass is held in with little triangular points that can be picked up at the paint store if you need extra. Next, carefully sand the areas that remain and dust off everything real good. You need a real clean surface for the next stages. Glazing can also be purchased at your local paint store or big box stores. Take a ball of glazing in one hand and a flexible putty knife in the other hand. Just feed the glazing into the channel and follow behind with the knife until you get the glazing bead that you desire. The surface of the glazing bead should be smooth when finished. After you're finished glazing an entire window, you're ready to first prime with an oil based primer then finish off with an exterior latex paint of choice. It is a lot of work and after the first window; you may want to cough up the money for replacement windows.

Staining: There are various different stains for different jobs. Interior and Exterior. Transparent and Semi-Transparent. The biggest tip I have for you regarding staining is to make sure that your brush the stain as well as the polyurethane in the same direction as the grain. You may also want to apply the stain and the wipe the excess off with a soft cloth, depending on how deep you want the color to show. If you want to whitewash, take an oil-based primer such as Kilz and thin it down with paint thinner to a stain type consistency. After applying the whitewash, either wipe down with a cloth or dry brush all excess stain.

Painting the evil color RED. Because red has very little pigment, it is an extremely hard color to work with. I've often heard people say that they had to paint the wall 8 times to get it to cover. Here's what you do to minimize your frustration. Before you even get started with the red, prime the walls with a latex primer that's tinted dark grey. You'll be amazed at how great this works for you. You still may have to apply 3 or 4 coats but it will look a lot better and you'll cut your work time in half.

More tips and tricks to come………