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Katie Muck
RE/MAX Palos Verdes
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In This Issue:
Three must-haves for a good paint job
Without proper prep, finished product could be
disaster
By Paul Bianchina, Inman News Paint
preparation is one of the ugly sides of home-improvement projects. All
that sanding and scraping and cleaning -- no one really likes to do it,
but it's essential to a good paint job. So, like it or not, it's a step
that you don't want to skip or do poorly, since the quality of your
finished product pretty much depends on it.
There are three basic
things to remember for properly preparing any surface that you want to
paint -- get it clean, smooth and dry.
CLEAN IT UP
Paint will stick to most of the things it comes in
contact with, which is not necessarily a good thing. If the surface being
painted is dusty, for example, the paint will stick to the dust. Since the
dust is not well-adhered to the surface below, you have an obvious recipe
for paint failure.
It's important that the surface being painted has
been cleaned to remove dust, dirt, grease and anything else that could get
under the paint film and prevent it from forming a solid bond. For
previously painted exterior surfaces, such as siding, dust everything off
with a soft brush attached to a painter's extension pole. If the old paint
is in generally good condition, you can also spray off the dust and dirt
with a pressure washer that is set on low pressure and wide spray. Do not
use high pressure or a concentrated spray nozzle, which can drive water
into the siding.
For interior surfaces such as cabinets or moldings,
dust the surface off with a brush to remove dust (use an inexpensive chip
brush -- not your good paint brushes), then clean the surface with a
degreaser to remove any grease residue. If the surface is glossy, lightly
sand it to roughen it up slightly, then wipe or vacuum it off to remove
any dust.
For new wood, such as new cabinets or furniture, your best
bet is to use a tack cloth, available from any paint store or home center.
A tack cloth is simply a piece of lint-free fabric that has been treated
with a material to make it slightly sticky so that it will pick up fine
dirt and dust particles.
A SOLID START
The same holds true for painting over old paint that
is not well-adhered. The new paint film will stick to the old paint, and
again, since that old paint is not attached to the surface below, the new
paint job will eventually fail. There's simply no easy way to remove old
paint, and you have four basic choices:
- Scraping: The tried and true method is to use a hand paint scraper
and scrape off any loose paint. A pull-type scraper works best for most
situations, and helps prevent gouging into the wood below. Scrape with
the grain in both directions until all that remains is paint that is
well-adhered to the underlying surface. For small areas, a push-type
scraper, such as a putty knife, will work as well.
- Sanding: This is the other most common paint removal method, used
alone or in combination with scraping. A pad sander works best for most
situations, using an open-coat, coarse-grit paper for the initial paint
removal. Avoid rotary sanders, which can gouge and raise the grain on
some older siding, and belt sanders, which remove too much underlying
material.
- Chemicals: For small areas, such as a piece of furniture, you can
use a chemical stripper to remove paint, varnish and other finishes.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully, and make sure you have
adequate ventilation.
- Heat: Using a heat gun will work to remove paint in smaller areas,
but it can be dangerous. You can damage the surface you're removing the
paint from, and even worse, the heated paint film or the wood can catch
fire. Skip this method.
Remember that a paint film is very thin,
so whatever you've left on the surface is going to show through the new
paint. Once you're done with the scraping and other paint removal work,
sand the stripped areas with a medium to medium-fine grit of sandpaper to
smooth out the wood and feather down the edges of any remaining paint.
DRY IT OUT
Preparation rule number three is that the surface to be
painted needs to be dry. This applies to actual water that is standing on
the surface being painted, as well as to material that is damp, such as
wood that's been out in the weather. Any type of excessive moisture,
either on or in the wood, can cause the paint to fail.
If you have
pressure washed your siding, make sure it is completely dry before
painting. Do not paint outside early in the day when moisture might be
present on the wood, or on days of extremely high humidity. Inside, if you
have washed the cabinets or other wood, they need to be completely dry
again before applying the paint.
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Beware of kitchen-range fire hazard
Can fireproof material compensate for inadequate cabinet
clearance?
By Paul Bianchina, Inman News Q: I purchased a 27-inch, four-burner Wolf commercial
range, with an oven, about 30 years ago. I was told when I purchased the
range (commercial) that there should be at least six inches between the
range and cabinets on both sides; the rear was tiled already. I had my
kitchen remodeled in November 2006. Is there a way to protect my cabinets
by installing any fireproofing products so that the range can set within
the one or two inches against the cabinets, or should I tile the rear wall
and the two sides next to the cabinets? --Fran K.
A: The required clearances for ranges will vary from manufacturer to
manufacturer, and even between models, but any commercial gas range will
generate quite a bit of heat, and the rear, top and side clearances are
critical to its safe operation. Also, adding ceramic tile directly over
wood is not in and of itself adequate to create a noncombustible surface,
due to the amount of heat transfer that occurs through the tile
itself.
You will need to contact Wolf directly to find out what the
specific clearances are for the model you have, and ask their technical
department if there are any acceptable materials that can be used to
reduce that clearance. However, due to the thickness of materials or
material assemblies that can be considered noncombustible, it's doubtful
you will be able to adequately cover the cabinets and still have clearance
for the range to slip into the opening.
Incidentally, if the
contractors that did the kitchen remodel did not comply with the
appropriate clearances to meet the manufacturer's requirements, they have
exposed you to danger and themselves to quite a bit of liability. Once you
have spoken to Wolf and have obtained and checked the necessary
clearances, if the current installation does not meet those clearances you
need to have the contractor back out immediately.
Q: We have a charcoal-gray granite counter in our kitchen. We left a
container with diluted bleach solution on the counter, and the container
leaked. Now we have an area where the leak was that is slightly discolored
and appears to have a somewhat duller finish. Do you have any
recommendation on how to treat this area? --Ken G.
A: Granite is actually more porous than most people realize, and many
installers will use a sealer on it to help prevent the granite from
absorbing greases and oils. I suspect what has happened in your case is
that the bleach penetrated whatever sealer was used when the granite was
installed, which is what is accounting for the duller finish. Once it got
through the sealer, it soaked into the marble slightly and bleached out
some of the natural color in the stone.
It's hard to say if you are
going to be able to get the color back completely, but I would recommend
that you have an experienced granite installer take a look at it. Good
installers have a variety of techniques they can use for blending colors
-- they do it regularly to help conceal the seams where the pieces are put
together -- and they may be able to do something here to bring back some
of the color. They can definitely redo the sealer to get rid of the dull
spot, and then re-polish the counters.
Check with any of the larger
countertop shops that do granite installation, and they will have or be
able to recommend a good installer for you.
Q: I
purchased a synthetic deck last year and noticed (just like real wood)
that it has faded. Can conventional deck stains be used in order to bring
back the color? In addition, the manufacturer does not recommend cleaning
the deck with a power washer thus, what is the best way to clean a
synthetic deck? --Scott A.
A: You can clean the deck
with hot soapy water and a stiff-bristle scrub brush. Many home centers
have brush heads with a female thread that fit the male thread on the end
of an extension pole -- the type of pole that fits a roller handle for
painting -- so that will save you some stooping over.
After it's dry,
you should be able to stain it with any type of stain that is suitable for
wooden walking surfaces, such as a deck stain. I would check with the
manufacturer of the decking you purchased to see if they have
recommendations for specific brands of stain that work best with their
product.
Speaking of manufacturers, if the deck is less than a year
old, you may have some warranty issues with the fading. Before undertaking
any re-staining, I would check with your dealer or directly with the
manufacturer.
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Palos Verdes
Realty 450 Silver Spur Road