Archive for the ‘Exterior Painting’ Category

New angles: Long-life paint, high-tech boilers – BostonHerald.com
After 30 years on the air, there’s not much the “This Old House” team hasn’t seen in the way of home improvement problems.

The biggest surprises are the ways to solve the most common problems.

“There are new products on the market all the time,” said Kevin O’Connor, who has hosted the show for seven seasons. “In the Newton project, we are using a new paint called Rhino-Shield that promises you will never have to paint your house again. I don’t know if it’s true, and we won’t know for 20 years, but it’s just one example.”

Other examples, he said, are high-efficiency boilers that extract a greater amount of heat from the same amount of gas or oil that’s burned compared to a traditional burner; building materials such as laminated veneer lumber, an engineered wood that uses multiple layers of thin wood assembled with adhesives and is stronger, straighter and more uniform than pine boards; and plywood that’s coated with a weather barrier.

“These are high-end products that cost more, and smart builders are grabbing them up to build a better house with less resources,” O’Connor said.

But buyers will have to do a cost-benefit analysis. In the case of Rhino-Shield, the product is only available through distributors and can cost two or three times the price of a routine paint job.

023 Day of Love || Vision over Visiblity
Since Ben was born at 34 weeks, my family began to panic realizing that his expected birthday at the end of April was approaching. They wanted to do something special for Pam and me. My mom called me up and asked what the family could do. I’m one of six kids and we are all a bit unique so that’s a packed question. Pam and I were in the middle of converting the attic into an office space and converting a small room into a master bath. There was a ton to do. We needed help with that for sure, but it all required skills. They needed a task that was fit for the talents akin to a senior high youth group on a mission trip. For one weekend.

Our house didn’t need to be painted. I wanted to paint it eventually, but it didn’t need it. Parts of it needed it, but not the whole thing. It was a nice neutral tan. But I’m never content with leaving things alone: everything could use a little personal touch.

So I invited the family up for a weekend of painting. Pam and I were itching to paint the house yellow. Why? Surely other homes in our neighborhood were bright and cheery on our block. Nope. They are all neutral. Some of them are white… that’s about as bright as they get.

So it was set, my family was going to come from Philly to York the last weekend in April for a weekend of painting. All Pam and I had to do was pick the shade of Yellow. Simple enough, right? We purchased dozens of samples and put them on our house. Some were too white, others too bright, others too peach, others too tan. All we wanted was a nice gentle yellow. Our house was asking us to make it more like a cottage (at least that’s what we thought we heard it saying). We finally choose the color “May Yellow” from a local paint store. We bought 15 gallons and were ready to rock and roll.

A couple of days before my family showed up I called my dad who used to be a professional painter by trade. That’s a critical point here. We were counting on Dad’s wisdom and expertise to analyze and assess the situation and advise accordingly. Our house isn’t massive, but it isn’t tiny either. It’s a two story colonial house with a full attic. It’s got some height to it. I thought the family was coming up for the weekend, but Dad informed me that they only needed a Saturday as long as I did all the prep work. I clearly remember asking him if he was SURE he needed just one day. He assured me.

“One Saturday is all we need.” he said.

Saturday came and I woke up at 6 a.m. to finish the final stages of prep for the house. There was a lot to clean and power wash. I started painting the trim white on the bottom part of the house and waited for the family to come. The Philly bus arrived at 11 a.m. for an all day job. My only thought was: this is going to be a very late night.

As soon as they arrived Pam left with my mom to get some missing materials from Lowes. That’s when my dad opened the 5 gallon drum of May Yellow and rolled the first section on the side of the house. It was horrible. It wasn’t yellow: it was yellow on acid. Yellow with battery power. The color of dog pee in fresh snow. You couldn’t stare at it longer than 5 seconds without it burning your retinas. I called Pam instantly.

We panicked on the phone:

J: “Pam, what should I do?”
P: “Is it the color we picked?”
J: “Yes… I think. It’s the same name of the sample we bought.
P: “Can you put it next to the sample still on our house?”
J: “Good idea, I’m doing it now.”
P: “Is it the same?”
J: “No. Well, kind of. I don’t know. Now they both look bright. I’m sooooo confused!!!!”
P: “Call the paint store.”

So I did. And they were closing in 10 minutes. My neighbors came out and joined the fun. They said they loved the color. Even our neighbor’s mom and dad joined in the fun. So here we were: My dad, my brother Andrew, my sisters Emily and Ashley, and my brother-in-law Ian, my two neighbors and their mother-in-law. Rollers in hand looking at me to make a choice.

So I called Pam again.

J: “Pam, the paint store closes in 5 minutes. We are 15 minutes from there. I don’t know if they messed up or not. I don’t know if this color is right or not. All I know is that this corner of the house looks like it’s on yellow drugs. They are all standing around me with paint brushes and rollers. What should I do????”
P: “Just have them paint the house. I’m sure it will be fine.”
J: “I agree. Let’s just let them loose on the house.”

So we let them loose.

I painted one side of the house, my brother and brother-in-law painted the other side’s bottom and the front bottom, my sister Emily (for some reason) power washed what was already painted, my Dad was on the chimney painting it white, and my sister Ashley wisely stuck to planting flowers and set up baskets under all the windows.

Pam arrived at 1:00 to 1/8 of her house painted tinkle yellow. And that was her reaction. Logically she began to panic and logically we tried to calm her down saying things like, “It’s still drying. Once it’s dry it will be much duller.” “All the neighbors liked it.” “Just give it some time and it will grow on you for sure.”

We started at 11:00 broke for lunch at 1:00. Two hours of solid mission trip style help. We had hamburgers and hot dogs and sat in the back yard. At one point my dad said, “Hey John, these brown spots are great places to put your plate and drink.

“Dad, they are brown from the dog’s pee.”

“Oh. Never mind then.”

So our afternoon shift picked up again at 2:00. Pam wandered around the house looking at in it in the shade, looking for dry spots to get dryer and duller, and praying to God. Basically in full out panic.

Then came 5:00. I was unaware this was shut down time. 1/3 of our house was painted bright shinny yellow. Pam was a quiet wreck. I was in shock. My family was tired and ready to go home.

So we packed up. Ash finished the flowers. We all cleaned our brushes. The day of love was complete. All we needed was one last cherry to top the day off: a picture of our amazing work. Look close and take careful note at the look on Pam’s face.

That night as Pam and I laid in bed she was trying to think how we could just sell the house and loose any profits. We had a half neon house, a tore up attic, a tore up master bedroom, and a tore up potential space for a master bath. She just wanted to walk away and get a do over. If she was playing Nintendo she would have hit reset on level 6 of Mario Brothers: just when it was started to get good. She was convinced our realtor had a reset button we could hit.

This day in history will always be known as “The Day of Love” in our family. What’s so great about this day is that Pam and I really did need it. We were drowning in sorrow with Ben and needed Miller family chaos to give us something new to stress about. It gave us something to laugh about, and we continue to laugh about it. I think when people around us are suffering we often don’t know what to do or to say. It’s because so many times there ISN’T anything that can be said. Sometimes you just need to show up.

So they showed up with brushes, rollers, soil, flowers, pots and a two-foot roller that my dad and brother fought over. When they left our house was 1/3 painted bursting with flowers. It really was a sight to be seen. The paint never got any duller.

Within days Pam found a much quieter yellow and painted the entire bottom half of the house by herself in one afternoon. She was in full panic mode. That too, was a sight to be seen. My dad came back by himself in a couple weeks and finished the job all alone while I was at work. I love my family and would do anything for them. And they would do anything for me entertaining me every step of the way.

(If anyone needs 11 gallons of May yellow, let me know. We have some really cheap.)

Pam’s face says it all. (she’s the one in the back middle)

CBS The Early Show, Exterior, Home Improvement, Painting & Finishing by Danny Lipford

Of all the remodeling projects, by far, the one tackled more often
by homeowners is painting. We’re entering the time of the year when it
makes sense to take on any outside painting, because the weather is
going to be cooler and more comfortable. But not all outdoor painting
projects are equal. You may have several types of surfaces to paint
outside your home and each has its own unique method to ensure success.
Here are a few tips that, hopefully, will keep your colors and your
painting experience bright.

Painting Wood

Whether it’s lap siding, board and battens or porch railings, if you
want a successful paint job, it all starts with preparation. As is
often the case with wood surfaces that have to deal with Mother Nature,
the old paint begins to flake, exposing raw wood.. Before you pick up
your paint brush, you need to remove as much of the old, flaking paint
as possible. This can be done with a simple paint scraper. If, however,
you have a large area in need of scraping, you’re best bet is to use a
drill motor or cordless drill with an attachment specifically designed
for stripping paint. A synthetic fiber wheel does a great job and lasts
much longer than the old sandpaper wheels that are often used. For very
stubborn spots, you could also apply a chemical paint stripper. This,
however, will mean that the job is going to take you longer to complete
because the surface needs to be completely dry before moving on to the
next step. Once the loose paint is removed, prime the raw wood with a
good quality primer before applying a finished coat of paint.

Painting Wrought Iron

The process for iron work, such as railings, columns or decorative
hangings is very similar to wood, which means the most important step
is preparation. Using your drill motor or cordless drill with a wire
wheel attachment is perfect for removing any rust or deteriorating
paint. There are also chemical strippers available for iron, but in
most cases, the wire wheel is sufficient. To prime the metal surface,
you need to choose a primer made for metals. You can purchase it in
liquid form and apply it with a brush like normal paint, but if the
metal has intricate details, you’d be better off using an aerosol spray
primer. The metal primer will typically have a rust inhibitor
formulated in it and will be either a gray or burnt umber color when
applied. Once the primer dries, it provides a surface that new paint
will bind to so it will last for years without flaking.

Painting Masonry and Concrete

Brick, cinder block and stucco surfaces all have one thing in
common: They are porous. Preparation for masonry surfaces starts with
sealing them. A masonry primer will do the job, but be forewarned,
these sealers are usually quite thick, more so than paint, and it takes
a lot longer to cover the area you’re painting, but it needs to be
done. Actually, there are some newer methods out there to spray the
sealers on masonry surfaces as well as new paint, but it’s mainly done
by professionals and not for do-it-yourselfers.

Concrete is very similar, but in addition to being able to paint it,
you can also put stain on it. Staining can actually be a little less
strenuous than painting since coverage is greater and it’s easier to
apply. There are a lot of colors to choose from, too, so you can match
or compliment other colors on your house.

Painting Metal

Although I already mentioned wrought iron, there are other metal
surfaces around your house that could stand a coat of paint at times.
Eave metal, valley metal and even roof vents can all be painted. The
challenge is how to prepare them. Most of these metals are galvanized
and paint, typically, won’t stick to them. The secret is a common item
you probably have in your kitchen pantry. Take a rag and dip it in
simple white vinegar. Swab the metal surface with the soaked rag and
allow it to dry. There is a chemical reaction with the vinegar that
creates a surface that any spray paint will adhere to. Roof vents are
probably the best thing to spray paint, because you can paint it a
color to match your shingles and help make it blend into the color of
the roof. It really looks a lot better than a dull, rusty metal vent.

Painting Plastic

Finally, for items such as lawn furniture or even something as
simple as a flower pot made from plastic, there are some really great
ways to make them look spectacular. Certainly, a spray paint formulated
to bond with plastic is what you want to use, but you don’t have to
settle for simple color any more. First, wash the plastic with a water
and mild detergent solution to remove any dirt and grime. Once it is
completely dry, you can spray paint it with some of the new plastic
paints that also will spray on a texture, such as hammered metal.
You’ve got several color choices and it makes a really unique
appearance.

One final word of advice. Be sure to read the directions to any of
these specialty paints paying close attention to recommended weather
conditions, proper ventilation and application options.

Related Article: How to paint or stain almost anything

Clarkston’s landmark house gets a makeover for benefit tour | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Clarkston’s landmark house gets a makeover for benefit tour
Susan R. Pollack / Detroit News Design Writer

The impressive white Greek Revival house with Ionic pillars on North Main Street boasts a fascinating history dating to the 1840s, when Clarkston’s founding family opened a gristmill on the pond out back.

The Clark House, as it’s known, also has what interior designers like to call “great bones.”

But those bones, along with the home’s aging wood floors, grew creaky over time, weighed down by dark, heavy drapes, musty rooms with anemic white walls and an awkward, outdated kitchen. The house stood empty and for sale for four years.
Enter Kevin Harrison, a Clarkston interior designer who couldn’t help but notice the once-grande dame’s fading glory — and vast potential — each time he passed by en route to his studio/shop, KH Home, a few blocks down Main Street.

Drawing upon his stint as a designer in Chicago, Harrison mounted a community effort to restore the house, enlisting the aid of more than a dozen design colleagues in northern Oakland and southern Genesee counties.

Joined by 15 interior design students from Baker College of Auburn Hills, the designers poured considerable talent, sweat equity and even tears (when leaking pipes damaged a freshly done powder room) into the project, transforming the dowager into the 2009 Clarkston Designer Showcase House.

The spiffed-up showhouse makes its debut today, from 7 to 11 p.m., with a strolling dinner and silent auction in a tent overlooking the old Mill Pond. Admission to the fundraiser is $75.

The show house also will be open for public tours for nine days, Saturday through Oct. 4, for a $10 admission fee.

The ambitious project benefits Clarkston SCAMP, a summer camp for special needs children and young adults. And SCAMP supporters couldn’t be happier with the 15-room makeover.

“This house screamed, ‘Help me!’ ” declared Donna Clancy, director of fundraising.

Her assistant, Jackie Clancy, visited recently, as volunteers scurried to complete the finishing touches, and marveled at what she described as the home’s “Cinderella” transformation.

“It needed so much work it made me cringe,” she says. “But the result is just amazing — it’s gone from almost uninhabitable to a magnificent, stately home with all the work done professionally. I believe there’s a room in this house that everyone will enjoy. With so many styles, it’s going to fit many tastes.”

Rooms range from the three-season sunroom done up by Baker students in white wicker furniture and shades of robin-egg blue and coral, to a show-stopping upstairs bedroom that’s a Parisian fantasy in pink. It’s adorned with layers of accessories, including vintage lace bras and hats, silk negligees, ballet slippers, boas, black opera gloves, Schiaparelli boxes and even jars of pink and white marshmallows the designer, Teri Guelde of Clarkston’s Frank & Me, found on a recent trip to Costa Rica.

“Probably more than any other room, this one is all about accessories,” says Harrison, who coordinated the show house project. “Teri has a great eye for feminine detail.”

And he’s thrilled to report that the makeover was so successful that the house, which had languished for so long on the market, has sold, with new owners completing the purchase papers this week.

Most of the showhouse designers kept their rooms true to period, decorating with antiques or traditional pieces and dipping into a palette of earthy Benjamin Moore historic paint colors.

But Harrison chose a different route for his designated space, doing the expansive living room in a style he describes as “a more modern interpretation tweaked for today’s lifestyle.”

His design makes a splash with contemporary art, Asian accent pieces and 44 yards of coral silk draperies that frame a series of tall windows. Several overlook the front porch where black-stained wood chairs by Moon Valley Rustic Furniture of Clarkston invite guests to pause and sit a spell.

Other living room conversation pieces include a massive, 400-year-old Chinese wood door-turned-table that sits on a Tibetan silk rug, and a neo-classical temple cabinet whose creased mahogany sides echo the columns on the front of the house. A mural in the adjacent entryway also references the exterior columns, adding interest — as does a clutch of walking sticks — to the sprawling hall-space.

Hanging from the living room’s 14-foot ceilings are two turn-of-the-19th-century Waterford crystal chandeliers that likely graced the home when a young, mail-order bride from Ireland was married there. Homeowners learned of the nuptials when she returned many years later to visit the site of her wedding.

Marble mantelpieces in the living and dining rooms also share a bit of U.S. pioneer history. Shipped from Italy, they traveled through the Great Lakes and then on horse-and-buggy flatbed over dirt roads to the village of Clarkston.

A wood beam from a onetime barn on the property adds a rustic touch to the kitchen, where Clarkston designer Pam Bytner’s granite-topped island, built-in range, bespoke cabinets, expanded pantry and display shelves breathe new life into the house. A square antique oak table with comfy, modified wing chairs in the breakfast nook offers views of Mill Pond.

The dramatic dining room by Lauren Brasile Interiors of Ortonville features an old-style square-inlay wood floor and custom-made, black-stained oak sideboard; it’s fronted by a silver charger and topped with a silver tea service and candlesticks. A brocaded gray duvet cover doubles as a tablecloth on a French-style beechwood table set with black crystal, white china and silver accents.

From the tastefully appointed nursery and hallway reading nook to the gentleman’s parlor and beyond, the show house brims with many other creative touches and design surprises guaranteed to inspire visitors and put them in touch with fresh ideas, designers, resources and trends, Harrison says.

“We’re a little outside the typical Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills (design) core,” he observes. “This house showcases new talent that people familiar with other show houses have not yet experienced. Visitors will find we have a very vibrant design community out here.”

Cladding that improves energy efficiency and minimizes maintenance

Foundry premium vinyl siding is cast from real cedar to lend
authenticity, but it never needs painting or staining, according

Memo to the three little pigs: You now have more exterior cladding
choices for your houses. And, they sure beat sticks and straw.

Although the National Association of Home Builders says the majority of
new houses in the Midwest are still clad with brick, wood or vinyl
siding, the “other” category is gaining on these favorites.

Two forces are at work here, says Stephen Melman, director of economic
services of the NAHB. “One, home buyers want their houses to be
low-maintenance,” he says. “Two, they want environmentally friendly and
energy-efficient materials.” So, while brick holds it own among buyers
who can afford its steep price tag, other earth-friendly choices such
as fiber-cement siding increase their market share.

Although it didn’t even appear in the NAHB statistics until 2005,
fiber-cement siding had 8 percent of the market in the Midwest by 2008.
It appeals to wood lovers because it resembles wood, but doesn’t
require repainting. Made of cement, recycled fly ash and wood fiber, it
is a green product and has warranties as long as 50 years.

Now, though, some contractors are abandoning fiber-cement siding for
the new kid on the block, LP Building Products’ SmartSide. Like
fiber-cement, this engineered-wood siding has a wood-grain surface,
does not require repainting and is fungus-resistant. It comes in
traditional clapboard profiles, plus shingle, board-and-batten and
stucco-like panels.

“With the LP product, you have longer board lengths, so there’s less
chance for water infiltration, and it just looks better,” says Libertyville-based
home builder Brad Meyer. “Cutting it doesn’t require special blades.
And, it generates regular sawdust, unlike the cloud of cement and
silicone dust from fiber-cement that bothers the workers and neighbors.”

For wood zealots, EcoVantage makes a new type of wood siding called
EternaClad, available in clapboard or tongue-and-groove. It is wood
that’s thermally modified to resist moisture, rot, mildew and insects.
You can stain it or let it weather naturally.

While vinyl siding is not new, it has entered a second generation,
reports Melman. “Used to be, it was pretty noisy inside a vinyl house
when it rained,” he recalls. “But the product improved in strength,
sound-proofing and energy efficiency.” Some brands, including
DuraPlank, are insulated sandwiches of vinyl, foam and air pockets.

At the same time, vinyl siding manufacturers have added colors to their
formerly drab lines of beiges and grays. This suited Patty Egan of Northbrook,
who used a deep-green version of Ply Gem’s Variform insulated vinyl
siding to clad her house when she added a second floor. “It adds a
layer of insulation and gives us the wood look without having to paint
it,” she says. “We’re all about maintenance-free!”

For home buyers who like the shake shingles that clad Long Island
houses, but don’t want wood upkeep, some manufacturers offer non-wood
facsimiles. The Foundry, for example, uses shake-shingle molds to
create the authentic-looking imperfections on its vinyl siding. Unlike
its wooden counterpart, it is fire-resistant, doesn’t shrink or crack
and comes with a fitted, foam backing.

Style Crest makes rounded vinyl siding for a log-cabin look. For an
unconventional façade, it offers WildSide Exterior Cladding with a
camouflage pattern.

Synthetic stucco got a bad rap in the 1990s, when some contractors
installed it incorrectly and mold grew between the walls. Whole
subdivisions ditched the stuff. Now, this finish is worth another look.
Installed correctly, this finish can create an energy-efficient and
sound-proofed house that requires minimal exterior maintenance.

At the high end of the housing price ladder, stone still rules, at
least as an accent. In fact, in the NAHB’s 2007 Home of the Future
report, home builders predicted that stone will reign in upscale homes
for the next 10 years.

“Stone costs three times as much as brick, so rarely does a buyer want the whole exterior in stone,” says Steve Lecas of Frankfort-based Gander Builders Inc. “Typically, he wants stone accents on a brick or fiber-cement house.”

But today’s buyer doesn’t want the same-ole-same-ole stone, adds Lecas.
“Instead of the typical Midwestern stones like limestone, they want
something different, like bluestone from Pennsylvania.”

For the look of stone for a fraction of the price, consider
manufactured stone. Manufacturers, including Owens Corning, have
expanded their product lines. Made of Portland cement, aggregates and
iron oxide pigments, it doesn’t require the brick base that real stone
needs because it weighs less. Contractors attach it directly to the
houses’ substrates.

Lecas’ favorite product for the brick-and-stone fan club is PastelCote
from Boral Bricks. This heavily cobbled brick comes with an acrylic
finish to give the house a “been here for 100 years” look. For existing
brick, Boral sells ReCote finish.

If the clapboard Colonial bores you to tears, check out some of the new
forms of cladding that give a house a sleek, modern look, while
providing energy-efficiency.

EcoClad from Klip Bio Technologies LLC, for example, is a 50/50 blend
of wood and bamboo fibers, plus recycled paper. A co-polymer resin
gives these 48- by 96-inch sheets a scratch-resistant finish. Choose a
matte color for an industrial look or a wood grain for a furniture-like
appearance.

Another option for wood lovers who prefer modern architecture, says
Chicago architect Paul Florian, is Parklex Facade, which are
high-density, stratified-timber panels made of paper and resins.

“Parklex is a warm contrast to our metal roof,” says Florian client Tim
Goodsell, who used it to clad the addition to his 1880 Chicago cottage.
“We chose it because we like the way it looks, but the zero maintenance
and the energy-efficiency are pluses.”

Although the Midwest falls behind hurricane-prone regions with concrete
choices, we are catching on, says Jim Baty, technical director for the
Concrete Foundations Association. Concrete exteriors fall into four
basic types:

The removable concrete form (RCF) is a solid, monolithic, wall-and-roof
shell with no joints. It can be clad in brick or siding, or coated and
used as the exterior. The insulated concrete form (ICF) is similar to
RCF, but must be clad.

The Panel System comes precast (built in a plant) or tilt-up (built on
site) and has joints. “Erect it and, voila, you have a house,” says
Baty. “You can add cladding or coat it, but typically it’s coated.”

The autoclaved eerated concrete (AAC) system is like building a house
with Legos, says Baty. Lightweight, porous, concrete blocks are usually
clad with stucco. This is more common in the South, though, because it
doesn’t perform as well in our climate and is difficult to insulate, he
adds.

For pictures of concrete houses, Baty suggests visiting concretehomescouncil.org or cfawalls.org.

Overall, says Baty, concrete is a durable, sustainable product that
makes an efficient house. It may cost 10 percent more than
stick-framing, says Baty, but your concrete house could be the last one
standing after a tornado.

Sometimes ya Just have to bleach, srub and paint…EVEN if its vinyl Siding. Just get it really clean and use a high end exterior acrylic Enamel. DO NOT USE OIL BASED PAINT – Spackletweet

Do-it-yourselfer Q&A – Home & Garden – Ledger-Enquirer.com

Q. The vinyl siding on our house has many small black spots that we understand are caused by a fungus in mulch. How can we remove these ugly spots? -M. Haaser

A. A great deal of research has been done on the widespread and damaging artillery fungus, which sprays spores on any nearby surface and often originates in rotting hardwood mulch. Some experts say the only practical way to remove the tar-like spots is by laborious scraping, but there have also been reports that it can be removed by some cleaners. I can’t recommend some of the cleaners used (such as oven cleaner and automotive wheel cleaner) because I think they would cause more damage.

However, a few cleaners might work and are worth a try, although any of them should be tested first in an inconspicuous place. Vigorous scrubbing will also be needed with any cleaner.

A leading possibility is Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Another is a solution of one part chlorine bleach and 1/2-cup TSP heavy-duty cleaner (sold at paint stores) to three parts water. Simple Green spray cleaner is a third possibility.

If you must scrape, use a single-edged razor blade or a razor-blade scraper (sold at paint stores). Small brown stains often remain after scraping; these can sometimes be removed by scrubbing with a detergent. In severe cases, priming with an oil-based primer and painting can restore the siding.

Infected mulch must be removed, of course. Penn State researchers studied 27 mulches, and concluded that the most fungus-resistant was large pine-bark chips. Cypress mulch was also rated highly. Marble chips and other inorganic mulches work well.

Unfortunately, most insurance companies no longer cover mold damage, but you should contact your insurance agent to make sure.

Home Improvement Painting Tips: How to Spray Paint Your House – Amazines.com Article Search Engine

When painting the exterior of your home, you may want to consider renting an airless sprayer. Painting your house with an airless sprayer can save many hours of labor, produce a more consistent finish, and reduce the amount of paint needed to do the job. However, if you decide to paint with an airless sprayer you will want to follow a few rules and tips.

First, when spraying the exterior of a home, you must take extra care in the masking process. The concussion of air coming from the spray-tip is sufficient to push aside insufficiently secured paper/plastic masking. In addition, the spray of the gun-tip may push well beyond the main stream of paint, thus coating unprotected areas adjacent to the targeted area. For best results, mask completely everything within five or more feet of the areas you intend to paint. In short, you should completely cover all windows, doors, decks, AC units. Additionally, remove any objects, such as plants, BBQ’s, lawn furniture, etc. from the immediate area. Rest assured, the time you will save by spraying, as opposed to brushing and rolling, will more than make up for the amount of extra labor you put into masking/prepping.

Second, you must back roll any and all trouble areas. The reason that spraying your home can save on material is that you can use less paint to cover most areas. Typically, a sprayer can achieve a better-looking coverage with less paint than a roller can. However, in problem areas—places with raw wood, areas where the paint has peeled, cracked wood, etc—back rolling is necessary (look for our tips on Back Rolling).

Finally, it is important to maintain the proper pressure of your spray paint stream. Essentially, you want to have the pressure (psi) going through the lines of your sprayer to be just enough to avoid uneven paint lines from appearing. Lines occur in your spray paint pattern and can leave visible lines in the finish. Moreover, with insufficient pressure, the spray does not cover as consistently. It is also important to avoid too high of a pressure (psi), as this will cause a greater amount of overspray, and waste paint.

If you are intimidated by the thought of renting an airless sprayer, don’t be. With care and patience, anyone can learn to use a Paint Spray Machine successfully.

Home Improvement Painting Tips: How to Spray Paint Your House – Amazines.com Article Search Engine

When painting the exterior of your home, you may want to consider renting an airless sprayer. Painting your house with an airless sprayer can save many hours of labor, produce a more consistent finish, and reduce the amount of paint needed to do the job. However, if you decide to paint with an airless sprayer you will want to follow a few rules and tips.

First, when spraying the exterior of a home, you must take extra care in the masking process. The concussion of air coming from the spray-tip is sufficient to push aside insufficiently secured paper/plastic masking. In addition, the spray of the gun-tip may push well beyond the main stream of paint, thus coating unprotected areas adjacent to the targeted area. For best results, mask completely everything within five or more feet of the areas you intend to paint. In short, you should completely cover all windows, doors, decks, AC units. Additionally, remove any objects, such as plants, BBQ’s, lawn furniture, etc. from the immediate area. Rest assured, the time you will save by spraying, as opposed to brushing and rolling, will more than make up for the amount of extra labor you put into masking/prepping.

Second, you must back roll any and all trouble areas. The reason that spraying your home can save on material is that you can use less paint to cover most areas. Typically, a sprayer can achieve a better-looking coverage with less paint than a roller can. However, in problem areas—places with raw wood, areas where the paint has peeled, cracked wood, etc—back rolling is necessary (look for our tips on Back Rolling).

Finally, it is important to maintain the proper pressure of your spray paint stream. Essentially, you want to have the pressure (psi) going through the lines of your sprayer to be just enough to avoid uneven paint lines from appearing. Lines occur in your spray paint pattern and can leave visible lines in the finish. Moreover, with insufficient pressure, the spray does not cover as consistently. It is also important to avoid too high of a pressure (psi), as this will cause a greater amount of overspray, and waste paint.

If you are intimidated by the thought of renting an airless sprayer, don’t be. With care and patience, anyone can learn to use a Paint Spray Machine successfully.