Remove Glow in the dark stars

Paint the ceiling

Today I am going to paint the ceiling with plastic Glow in the dark stars on them. So I will need to "clear the sky"☺, before start painting the ceiling. 

Step1 Remove stars using scraper

Step2 Spray oil based primer (like Kilz) to block glue spots 

Step3 After primer is dry, patch and sand ripped spots. Put one coat of ceiling paint on these primed spots

Step4 Paint the edge with the brush around the ceiling perimeter 

Step5 Role the ceiling with 3/4" nap roller cover using flat finish ceiling paint

Ceiling is finished, no more stars in the sky☺. 

Next post will be about painting trims and doors with stained -varnished surface.

Trim and 6 panel door Painting

As mentioned in a previous post I am going to paint trims. This time wall painting is included in a project. It means that we can paint baseboards and trims "relaxed", because we can step with the paint on the walls and then use easy masking tape after trims are completely dry and tape it on the top of the baseboards and trims. So in this case you won't need to paint baseboards by hand. 

Step 1 We will start with taping a carpet so we could paint a bottom of the baseboard 

Step 2 Sand the surface of the trims and 6 panel doors by using 150 grit sanding sponge. Vacuum clean the surface after sanding

Step 3 Caulk trims and allow to settle for minimum half an hour before painting

Step 4 Paint the door trims first. As I mentioned we can step on the wall with the paint, because walls are going to be painted

Step 5 Paint 6 panel doors with a brush and a small roller. I like mini roller covers from 

Benjamin Moore store. They make smooth finish and very fine texture. Actually you are not going to have ideally smooth finish without spraying (as does doors manufacturer). Any mini roller cover going to make some fine texture. The question is what cover is going to make the best possible finish on the door

I like to paint the panel both directions to leave roller texture finish around the panel (to cover brush marks)

Step 6 Next we can paint baseboards. As I mentioned earlier we can step on the wall above the baseboard, because we are going to paint these walls later 

Step 7 We can take off tapes from the carpet

 So this project stops right here. We are going to allow everything to dry. After color for the walls is going to be ready we will come back, put easy tape on baseboards and door trims and after walls painted we will take off tapes and will have excellent lines!

Crown molding- Chair railing-Baseboard painting

Today I'll  paint a trims where walls and ceiling are not included in a project. We need to be careful protecting existing painted walls, do not drop trim paint on them.

Step 1 Use new sanding sponge 150 grit to sand off the sheen of the old paint and prep surface for better paint bond with the trim. After sanding you can use vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to collect the dust from the surface. 

 

Step 2 Detect cracks on the surface and caulk, it. In this case we have dark color walls and need to be cautious not to leave caulk marks on them.

  Step 3 Start painting  crown moldings if you have them in a project and then go down doing chair railing and baseboards. Today I have little friend watching me J.

Step 4 Chair railings would be the next thing to paint. Before painting we need to do the same preparation of the surface as in the step 1 (detecting cracks, sanding, vacuum cleaning, caulking)

Step 5  Baseboards would be the last thing to paint. All painting process typically goes from the top down, because of dust, accidental paint drops falling down in a painting process of crown molding and chair railing in this case. 

The next post will be about painting trims where painting of walls and ceiling are included.

See you soon!

Painting of Peeled Skylight Tunnel

If you detected water stain marks on your skylight tunnel or peeling paint on the interior part of frame or drywall it is important to find the reason whether the skylight is leaking or it could be condensation issue. Usually this problem is solved by home owner or roofer before painters are invited to fix and paint interior part of the tunnel. I will show steps how to prepare and paint skylight tunnel after exterior part is fixed.

Step 1. If you see signs of mold or mildew it is necessary to wear gloves and a proper mask. Tape the window around perimeter and cover the glass with a plastic if you are going to use spray primer. Make sure it is no film for the sun control, because tape can damage or rip off the film. Scrape peeled paint from the surface with a scraper (5 in one tool and finish with sandpaper (usually I use grit 100).

Step 2. Wash the surface by using bucket, sponge and towel with mold killing solution. For this case we have painted drywall, we can use disinfectant chlorine bleach 10% solution. Allow the surface completely to dry. You can use mobile fan directed to the skylight.

Step 3. Fix the drywall by using mesh tape and patching mud. After everything is dry, sand patched spots and prime all spots with the proper primer. I prefer oil based primers from the paint stores with anti mildew protecting qualities. Especially if you have spots with bare wood, oil based primer is necessary (my opinion).

Step 4. Allow primer to dry completely than fill every crack with the caulk. I like Sherwin Williams 950 white caulk, but you can have different choice. When caulk is settled (firm enough) it is time for painting. I used Emerald interior acrylic semi gloss finish paint and primer in one with stain blocking advanced technology. It is much more durable than regular flat paint, often used for ceilings and skylight tunnels. Especially if you don't change old skylight window with new one you can expect condensation water spots in the future, so washable paint is preferred.

Sorry if this post looked scary at the start, but good news is, that this looks much better now J. 

Step 5. The paint on the video is wet and fresh. After it will be dry you can check if the sheen is nice and even. Than you will decide if it needs second coat. On the end would be nice to compare these two "faces" J:

Before                                                                                                    After

 All comments are welcome on  any of my posts.

 Happy New Year Everybody!! 

How to paint a straight ceiling line

I remember about 14 years ago when I was painting the first lines in some of Chicago's homes my hand was shaking and the lines were wavy. I was wondering why it was so difficult to do something so simple? The first idea that came to mind was how to be calm and I've found a way- I started to pray and it helped me at some point, because it balanced my mental state. These first steps I would compare with an artist going on stage. You are going to give performance and after that you are not able to take it back if you do something wrong. Drawing the line on the wall especially with the dark color does not have way back- you have one shot and you need to make it as good as possible. Of course you can paint the ceiling edge with the ceiling paint and try it again, but sometimes you only paint walls and you don't have ceiling paint for touch up. 

Over time it changed, because I've gained some experience and understanding of what things are important in the process of painting a straight ceiling line. I will list several important things in this process:

1. What concept is the most important in painting the line: sturdy hand, ability to focus your sight to the edge of the ceiling, understanding how the line should lay in that edge to have the best look (because sometimes you have not so straight edges) or having a good quality brush for that purpose. By my understanding all these things are important, but I would put them in this order:

1) A good brush is the most important thing here; you have to have a good tool to do a good job. It could be individual thing- if somebody likes one specific brush for painting the lines, that doesn't mean it is good for everybody. But I would recommend two brushes that I am using for that purpose today. When I started painting I usually used Purdy brushes, but later the bristles got too soft for me and I started looking for more firm brushes. A couple of years ago I found the Benjamin Moore Extra-Firm Nylon & Polyester 2 1/2" brush, and it works well for me.

And for my big surprise two weeks ago I unexpectedly found an even better brush and I am "in love" today. This is the Wooster PRO, 100% Nylon  2 1/2" brush. You can find it at a Home Depot store.

2) Second most important thing is the ability to focus your sight to the edge of the ceiling. I would compare it with the process of driving a car. We don't look at small details on the road (stones, curbs, bumps, etc.) when we're driving a car, we just follow our intuition and look in front of us with abstract sight, our goal is to drive straight and go smoothly through all the obstacles along the way. When you paint the line you should see the whole picture (do not concentrate to the small details of the edge), and try to imagine the straight line in front of you.

3) A sturdy hand comes with experience, but it is not always the rule. I have seen nice lines at clients' homes that they did by themselves. Maybe some people are just more focused and calm than others.

2. Existing paint on the wall is important in the line painting process. The brush will move with more difficulty on cheap flat paint finish surfaces, sprayed years ago. It will go smoother and easier on washable paint, like egg-shell or satin finish. When we paint the first coat, the line isn't ideal, but that's okay. When we do the second coat we can straighten the first coat and get desirable results.

So when you have good result from a closer distance, it looks even better looking from farther away J

3. Dip the brush into the cut bucket (can) and clean one side. I usually clean just one side of the brush after dipping it in to a cut bucket (can). I leave more paint on the side that is going into the edge.

4.Washing the brush. I got good advice from my friend about washing and leaving the paint brush wet. After the brush is dry it keeps its good shape- the bristles are not dis-shaped 

So this is it for this time. I wish you straight lines in your painting projects. By the way I always think, that main rule in the painting process is to have straight lines everywhere if it is possible; the room has a better appeal. Sometimes for people it is hard to tell why the room looks more appealing. I think these "invisible" things we spend preparing to do a higher quality job makes this appealing look. 

What do you think? Your comments are always welcome.

Touch up walls and ceiling in your home before Christmas

I know there is not too much time left before Christmas for touch ups, but it is definitely enough if you know what to do. About one week ago I worked in a clients house just doing touch ups and repainting some walls. In about nine hours I was able to do following:

1. Patch several small spots on the wall in a sitting room and paint one coat over the whole wall.

2. Fix two cracks on the wall on both sides of the fireplace in a family room, patch it and touch up spots.

3.Paint two narrow walls up to the ceiling in a kitchen.

4.Patch several scratches on the wall in a mud room and do paint touch ups.

5. Patch drywall hole hit by the door handle in a daughters room and to do paint touch up.

6.Patch several scratches and paint one wall in a sons bedroom.

7.Paint one wall over with seem dirt spots in a master closet.

I think it is necessary to mention here, that the client was supposed to have the original left over paint by previous painters for touch ups. Later in the process, that paint did not match (walls are faded) or was completely the wrong color. So before starting all the touching up -here is the painting process:

Step 1 . Make sure that you have all of the paint needed: the right colors that are still in good condition. Be ready to go to the paint store if needed.

Step 2. Have ready all needed tools:

-painting tray and several liners for different colors;

-brush, and small painting brushes;

-small and big rollers with handles;

- 5 in one tool (scraper);

-drop cloth to cover the floor and plastic sheets for covering furniture;

Step3. Evaluate what paint finish you have on the wall; you will find this on the paint can. Typically on the ceiling should be Flat finish. On the walls it could be Flat, Egg-shell or Matt  finishes. Doors, trims, and baseboards are mostly semi gloss finish.

Step4. When you detected finish of the paint it is good to know how to handle each finish:

Flat- it does not have any sheen and it is not washable paint. But it is the best finish for touch ups, because touched up spots will be less likely seem. Unless it is painted for more than 3-5 years and possibly paint color might be faded from the sun light.

That is why landlords of the rental properties  like this paint. After tenant moves out often times it is enough to do just lots of touch ups around the unit and it is no seem Flashing spots after that.

Egg-shell- has medium sheen and considers a washable paint. Any touch up ,bigger than 1/4 of inch most likely will be seem as the Flashing spot, especially in a light room, where you have sun light . In a smaller bathroom without window or with the small window it might be seem less or not seem at all.

Matt-has less sheen and considers washable paint. Regarding touch ups is almost the same as the egg-shell finish. Any bigger touch up will be seem as the Flashing spot.

Semi gloss-has high sheen and it is washable paint. On the walls it could be used at the bathroom. Touch up on the wall most likely will be seem as the Flashing spot. On the door the touch up might work better, because typically door and trims will be white color.

For all finishes i would recommend several simple rules:

1. All small touch ups do with the very small painters brush. 

-Let's say you want to hide a nail hole (because you took off the picture). Just fill that hole with a caulk or putty carefully. Do not mess around, fill just in a hole and wipe with the wet and clean cloth around this hole. After that just do small 1/8" touch up (do not use roller in this case!)

-if you have small scuffs on the wall or the corner, do the same way. Take very small painters brush and touch up just tiny area.

2. if you have bigger repair, like a crack. Fix it, prime it and try to paint just locally at the start.

Let's say we have small crack closer to the fireplace , where the arrow  shows. After fixing it and priming , its enough to paint it from the baseboard up to the small window. I would stop at the both sides of the window where those narrow places are. If those colors would differ I would paint it up to the ceiling.

3. Follow this logic around the house. Try do small touch up. If it seems as the Flashing spot, paint whole section of the wall up to the narrowest place. If it does not work- than be prepared to paint whole wall.

4. If you don't have enough paint for whole wall, take old paint gallon to the store. They will scan bar code and you will have enough paint.

5. If you don't have any old paint- don't worry. Cut little peace of the top paper part of the drywall about 2'x2' square. After that just patch this spot, sand and prime. Any paint store (Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore) will match this color by using computer technique and you will come home with full gallon of the paint. Make sure you told them the right paint finish (Flat, Egg-shell or Matt, etc.).  And then "Paint It Easy!" Merry Christmas Everybody!

P.S. If you have specific situations needed for touch up, fixing or painting , send me a picture or the video I will be more than happy to help you.

Fix the drywall after the leakage on the ceiling

In my earlier blog I wrote about the ceiling leakage at my clients office. Today the plumbing problem is solved and I can finish my job by fixing drywall hole left by the plumber. I will guide you by steps needed to take to close the ceiling hole:

Step 1. Find ceiling joists around the hole. Make sure that drywall sides going along the joist are in a middle of it so every square peace of the drywall could be tightly fixed to the joint. For that reason we need to cut marked areas.  

On the right side (look at the picture) drywall hangs on the empty space. We will need to do some framing work to support this side of the drywall as well

For that reason I fixed one peace of 2" by 4" wooden stud  to the existing joist and other peace of the same size wood I fixed to the drywall itself with the screws. Make sure whole perimeter of the drywall is fixed to the wood so it wouldn't have any movement 

Step 2. Measure the hole and figure out how to cut the drywall. I decided to go with two peaces of the drywall. Fix the drywall withe screws and put mesh tape around perimeter of the hole.

Step 3. Now it is time to put first layer of mud on the patched area. Make sure that with the first layer all gaps are properly filled with the mud. 

Step 4. For better quality and smooth finish we have to put two more layers on the top, after each layer is dry. Then we will sand the surface with the sanding handle, put one coat of the primer and one or two coats of the ceiling paint on the top. Make sure every coat is completely dry before you are doing next coat.

So the ceiling hole is fixed and we can move forward. We will see what interesting situations we will have tomorrow and in coming days. One of the next themes I would like to write how to do touch ups around at home before Christmas. Few days ago I worked at clients home doing touch ups, fixing drywall, repainting several  walls in different rooms. I was surprised by myself how much you can do in one day if you organize work properly and you know what you do. I would like to share this experience with you. Stay tuned and Iwill talk to you next time.