Real Estate Investor · Cabot, AR · Member since 2014 · 70 posts · 38 votes
I spent many years as an industrial/architectural paint sales rep. I feel like I could answer and have probably dealt with most issues you encounter so please feel free to shoot me a message if I can ever help you out!
There is a lot that goes into making a pure white paint oddly enough and each company has their own proprietary blends therefor really none will match perfectly. There are also hundreds of shades of white, which seems crazy but is true.
its supposed to be just standard ultra pure white, why wouldn't white match...
You don't paint much, do you?
There is no such thing as "standard" between brands. Each company makes their own proprietary blends, and they name them whatever they want. Company A may have a color named "Brick red" that is completely different from Company B's color "Brick red". "Standard ultra pure white" is no different.
Hi Dan, was hoping you could help me out. I am trying to refinish some cabinets in a rental I just bought. They are heavily coated with an ugly paint. I'm wondering if I can just sand down, clean and prime. Or if I should strip them first, then sand, prime and paint. Also what type of paint would be best for a kitchen cabinet? Thank you!!
@Luis Capriles I would have to know a few things before I could give you the correct answer. Do you know what the currently have on them? Lacquer, oil, latex, etc? Generally spec homes have cabinets painted with a semigloss oil for durability, it's also just as common for them to have lacquer on them. If it is an ugly or funky color that could mean someone covered the original top coat with a latex or caulk paint trying to mimick a faux finish? I will tell you my all time favorite cabinet finish is probably Pittsburg Paints (PPG) "Breakthrough".....it is a water borne acrylic. They dry fast, can be sprayed or brushed, adhere to just about anything, are super durable, and over all give the lacquer sprayed finish minus all of the harsh chemicals and thinners. Either way, it's tough to tell you weather you should strip them down then sand/prime or just go right to sanding and priming without knowing how they look. Being a rental I figure a real good sand/prime/prep/finish should be just fine :) I hope this helps!
What is myth of using all semi-gloss paint in rentals? I realize that semi-gloss is more washable, but what I have been told is kinda ugly. My painter friend recommended a low satin sheen looks nicer and has good durability. Any thoughts?
@Kurt K. I'm not sure what the reason behind the semi-gloss in rentals is but I do believe the fad has finally gone away. I have seen TONS of rental units sprayed ceiling to floor with beige or some other neutral color semi glass paint....and it was horrible! It was like you were inside of a balloon. It seems that these days you can just buy a good quality satin or eggshell and they offer the same if not better durability. Most of the time use eggshell on all of my walls, flat on ceilings and if I use any semigloss it is on the trim work and doors (but not always).
@Kurt K. yes indeed! Lots of "Greystone" light gray colors.....which I really like. And tons ...and tons....of "Toasted Almond", a nice beige color. Those are to very nice colors that people like and if you are using the same paint each time they tend to touch up pretty well.
Hi dan Thanks a lot! Appreciate it thats what I will go for. Unfortunately I'm not really sure what they used. It looks like it has been painted multiple times. I think probably by the previous owner. The entire house has a different color in each room. They were an artist :) The house is in pretty bad shape though...
I will check that paint out! Thanks again. Awesome thread.
Hi Dan. Sprayed a Zinsler 123 primer onto a painted wall in a manufactured home I'm rehabbing. This was my first experience with a sprayer and yeah, I did learn a few things. I didn't backroll and I really wish I would have. :( Anyhow, in the one room, it looks horrible. Moisture or something is bleeding through the primer. Would you know what caused it? and how to fix! I've attached a few pics...Thanks!
@Jeremy M. Ouch! Just to clarify, that is interior wood paneling correct? It looks like it is a perfect combination of not cleaning/prepping the walls before hand and apply a very heavy first coat. And you are correct, the sprayer is just the applicator while the roller (back rolling) is used to smooth the paint out and finish the process. Those old panel walls hold tons of surface oil and dust so it's always best to clean with TSP before priming to make sure the surface is ready to adhere the primer. I would more than likely chemically remove and scrape the extremely bad areas, then take a pole sander to attempt to even out the other problem areas, and then would just roll a few coats to finish it out. Is this a rental property or a flip house? Sorry this happened! It's pretty common with old interior paneling
It's the drywall/paneling used in modulars in a rental I'm rehabbing to get back on the market.
I'll scrape, clean and roll it and see what we come up with. I discovered it is very easy to get too much primer on this type of wall with a sprayer. The covering doesn't absorb much at all. Still kicking myself for not bankrolling. Would've made my life much simpler!
Hi Dan, I have some handicap and light post bollards that need to be re-painted. I guess the last guy used parking lot striping paint and it really looks awful. I did some research and everything seems to point to enamel paint. I was wondering if this was true? If so, would a regular paint brush/roller and a bucket of yellow enamel paint do the trick?
Dan Ward thanks for taking the time. I have 2 questions. First, bought a house with 2 cranberry aluminum clad windows. What's the best way to paint them white?
Second, I would like to spray the gutters also white which are faded brown. I have a gravity feed 20oz spray gun was going to use If possible. I have a 1.4 tip and a 1.8 for it. Again what type of paint?
Thanks again
@Dan Ward@Andy Luick Just hoping to keep this thread alive. I just painted my first rental and didnt do that great of a job but it will do for a first time.
Im onto the second one now and have some issues...
I have a closet and hallway that has wallpaper thats been painted over. From what I have been reading I just have to take the time and get it all off. Then I can skim coat or patch and sand, and prime, then paint. Is this pretty much my only option here: I have bin primer; sealer. Will that do the job:
The house is very old, 100 years. It has some awesome old woodwork. But it is extremely beaten up. Ive seen some videos and it looks like I should clean, degloss, scuff sand, rub a wiping stain on, and then put a laquor on top or two coats.. Do you have suggestion on product or process: It is quite a dark stain.
Ive also seen a video where someone just touches up by rubbing stain on. I tried that and it doesnt look great. Hard to match the color and texture as well.
This is such great info on here and I could ask a million more questions. Every time I go to the big box store I see the different types of primers and their applications. I see different quality brushes and rollers and their functions. I see the different swatch books and am overwhelmed by what colors to choose. And sheens... UGH!
Do you think its possible you could write an in depth article on paint for BP that covers all of those questions and more? It would be fantastic to have an article to go back to time and time again to refresh my memory on how to prep and paint paneling or what to do with sealing in wall paper or stains or smoke or what have you. Perhaps its makes too long of an article?
@Chris Sukala Holy Cow! Sorry I'm just responding to these few posts....I didn't receive a notification that anyone had commented so I do apologize. I can only image most of the issues are solved now and I hate that I wasn't much help.....Chris on the windows the best bet is to tape off the windows to protect the glass, give the man a light sanding, and use a brush to apply a paint that's ad hears to the aluminum. Oil, latex, etc.....each kind will offer different brands for superiority but just make sure that it adheres to aluminum which there isn't a good number that do not. I would probably use BreakThrough a water borne acrylic because it applies like a latex and dries to the durability of an oil. And regarding your tip for the spraying of gutters I would have to say it is dependent upon the spray rig, the paint being applies, and what area you are working with. Sometimes it's just as easy to hand paint the gutters with a nice brush to avoid any over spray.
@Steven J. I could definitely write an article for the BP community. I will look more into that and possibly put out a short series of articles to allow an in depth but also organized coverage of painting issues and solutions. Maybe even a quick FAQ section also?
@Joe Ebanks Hey Joe, I apologize for the late reply! First, the hallway and closet that you mention have wallpaper than has been painted over. Are you working to totally redo the house? 99% of people will tell you to take the wallpaper down, I agree but I will also tell you that if it's an old house that wallpaper was more than likely put up correctly (sized as they call it) and it WILL NOT come down easily. No amount of chemical, water, scoring....will make it an easy task if it is like many other old houses with old expensive wall paper put up. So, I would plan on it being a chore to deal with. Other wise yes, take it down...skim coat the walls....primer...paint. The bin primer/sealer will work. The sealing aspect of it is incase there were any lifts in the sheetrock paper, it would glue them down.
Second, the wood work....this will not be difficult once you have the technique down pat. So first you will want to find a board somewhere that you can practice with (maybe from a linen closet or something) because the key is the wood you are applying the stain to. I promise I have matched a thousands oil base stains and when one is sampled on white birch then applied to a 80 pine it's totally different. Either way, take down a sample board...clean and degloss it ...give it a light sanding....apply some wood conditioner (helps keep the stain even across the surface) and let it dry for 15 minutes or so. Then apply some "Jacobean" stain....I generally used PPG Olympic stains so if you can get this it you will be a happy camper. I love the "Jacobean" color because it is dark but has a perfect balance of red, black, brown, and yellow....so you will be able to play around with one or two coats to see if it matches closely enough or you will see that it needs some more black colorant, etc. It will take some messing around to get perfect but once you do it is a time consuming but easy /fun project. I sure hope this helps!
I read some articles about using PPG Breakthrough to paint floor to ceiling tile in my bathroom. Any feedback? We've unfortunately got a bathroom with 100% tile, except for the ceiling. We probably won't paint the floors or the shower area, only the part that should be tiled, but would like suggestions either way. We aren't looking for this to last forever, as I know that painting tile isn't ideal, but just something to make it tolerable until we have the money to fully renovate.
@Jay Granger PPG Breakthrough is pretty awesome and I have used it to paint just about everything! A proving factor that it works on floors is that it is hot tire resistant which is very uncommon for anything other than epoxy. It will work well for what you are needing with the bathroom being 100% tile, I will say I would not view it a extremely long term option. Just make sure you clean the tile very well before you paint, also....Breakthrough dries SUPER fast so running or drips shouldn't be an issue. I'm going to drop a link for a local guy here in Arkansas that's does some crazy good work with spray on epoxy for bathroom and kitchen refinishing....it's a nice example of what you could do when you are looking for the long term fix.