A Shade Above The Rest
Don't Make These Mistakes while painting.
Common painting mistakes that can ruin the longevity of your paint job.
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Poor spot repair can leave you project looking uneven:
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In addition to priming bare wood, be sure to feather-in repairs so that surface differences don’t show through as bad. Apply two coats to the entire area to lessen color variation and paint mill variations.
Note: Behr and some other high end paints act as there own primer and work well over oil and latex. So if your not sheer of the product on your project try Behr's new technology. Does not block stains but will work in most areas as it's own primer plus you can go over oil base paint without oil priming for a beautiful, durable finish.
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Painting over mildew, mold and dirt is a bad idea and can make the product fail:
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Treat mildew and mold on any type of siding with a solution of one part bleach to three parts water before you start painting. (Note: Always add water to the bucket first, then carefully pour in the bleach and cover nearby plantings. Leave the bleach-and-water solution on the siding for 5-10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Next, wash off mildew and any remaining dirt with a detergent solution. Let siding dry thoroughly; this can take a few days or up to a week or more depending on weather conditions and the condition of the surface being power washed.
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Replacing or repairing cracked boards:
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Though you can sand rough spots and fill gaps, cracked or split boards they should be replaced, not repaired. Otherwise water can get in. Then the paint may crack as the damaged board expands and contracts or blister as water vapor tries to get out.
However, if replacing areas of your home or business are not in your budget, there are some really good wood fillers and 55 year caulking that if filled properly can expand up to two inches and make long lasting repairs.
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Painting a test area is a good idea not only for looks but for adhesion tests:
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Deciding between shades and considering changing colors, maybe we can help just take a look at your color selection page, and pick out some colors you like, then paint a sample area with each color. That way you can see how each one looks before you paint, and you won’t regret your color choice. One more thing to consider is the sheen. Stucco and older projects will look much more even and you will see less imperfections that if you were to use a gloss. For more information on sheens visit our page about the difference in the sheens of paint.
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Pay attention to the weather:
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Days with temperatures between 35 and 90 degrees and little or no wind are best, but it's not always practical for exterior painting, so with this in mind try not to paint in direct sunlight, and never paint in the rain or when water is on the surface. If you think about it, the product your having us paint has to let the moister out and the dry from the inside out witch can cause the paint to fail or peel. For Interior painting the the Temperatures between 55 and 85 are executable, however the project space should be conditioned to the temperature that it will stay, from drywall on to create and idea painting environment.
Properly store and dispose of your left over paint:
Transfer extra paint or stain into a container, label it, and seal it tightly to prevent any air to get in or evaporate, which can affect quality, color, and consistency. Keep paints out of the cold(preferably ant room temperature). Many areas will allow you dispose of latex paint with your trash if the paint has dried. A inexpensive way to dispose of paint is to add a bit of cat litter to help dry the paint or go to your local paint store to get paint hardener to dispose of your left over paint properly.