Is a 50 dollar gallon of paint worth it?

Q: Should you use some of the higher end paints that range from 40 to 50 dollars per gallon in your house?
A: Depends on the surface, depends on your objective, but in most cases, its worth it.

You should avoid spending a lot of money on top coat paints in the following circumstances
1. Vaulted walls that will never be touched and will likely never be dusted.
2. Selling your house.
3. Apartment turn work.
4. Renting your house.
5. Ceilings.

Generally those circumstances call for yearly repainting so it makes sense to use a cheap paint. Or a surface that will never be touched. In the case where the surface is never touched you can use a paint with a high solids content (which generally makes it cheaper) and it will hide imperfections. Use a cheap flat paint and with extremely high "hide-ability," and your high walls and ceilings should turn out nice.

I believe it is worth spending more money on top coat paints in the following circumstances:
1. You generally care for your home and keep it tidy
2. Any type of millwork or cabinetry to be painted
3. Kitchens, Bathrooms, Stairwells and areas where hands touch walls
4. Any circumstance that you want a lower VOC content is a good opportunity to use a few brands in particular that are top quality
5. You are paying a professional and not doing it yourself so you may as well just spend a few extra dollars and not use the cheapest guy only because he is using cheap paint.

In general I am a fan of using the best paints available and generally would recommend steering clear of paints that are extremely cheap.
Moreover, I would strongly recommend using the very best primers in any circumstance where more than one coat is needed.

NICK DETTINGER
COMPLETE CUSTOM PAINTING
651-336-0561 cellular

Keep the roller wet

I was asked by a homeowner why subtle lines appeared in the wall as they looked down it at an angle (the lines were the same width as a 9inch roller).
The reason is because they did not have enough paint on the roller (or on the wall). This happens when the roller is old and dry and some of the paint has hardened and only the paint on the outside of the roller is coming out. This also happens if you have a 1/2 inch roller and you are not loading your roller enough. There is a simple rule that you can follow. Load the roller with paint immediately if it leaves a bare mark and don't press the roller in to the wall. A roller is not a presser. The lines in the wall show up because you may be pressing too hard against the wall and as a result the outside edge of the roller is leaving a wet line (the inside of the roller is getting dry because you are pressing)
I always recommend a 3/4 inch roller if you are using flat, eg-shell or satin sheen (especially flat or eg-shell). It stays wet longer and if you roll through the finish enough you'll get the same finish as a 1/2 inch roller anyway. Save yourself some time, go with a 3/4 inch roller and keep it wet. Clean it well if you plan to re-use it.

Complete Custom Painting
651-336-0561

Peel Away 1 and should you consider insulation when considering painting?

A great way to remove multiple layers of paint on historic cedar is with the peel away system. I was a little skeptical because of the time involved but depending on the value of the house, the historical nature of the siding, and some other variables, peel away is often times a good option.

If it is time to to paint and you have a historic house or beautiful cedar siding with multiple layers then you will probably be faced with the choice of replacing the cedar or painting it. If you decide to paint you CAN make it look new and without flaw. Only by removing almost all of the old coating is this possible but you may consider some other variables.
1. How is the insulation in the house?
If the insulation is crummy and you are faced with the decision of replacing or painting then you may want to consider replacing as the leading option because when you rip off the old siding you can upgrade your insulation (killing 2 birds with one stone so to speak)
2. What is the profile of the siding?
Some historic properties and houses have a 2 or 3 inch reveal on the cedar siding. You don't see this very often because it is extremely expensive to both buy and install. So if you like the look, have quality insulation and don't want to spend a fortune, then using Peel Away followed by a quality paint job could be the best option.
3. Do you have lead based paint? Peel Away may be a great idea if you have lead based paint. Peel away requires the applicator to be fully covered and also meets the requirement of "working wet" which is one of the requirements of using lead safe practices on the job site.
4. What do your neighbors have? If you live on Summit ave and have cedar, and so does every other house, then you will probably not want to switch over to vinyl (I don't think you can anyway) but the general point here is to consider the area.

A quality exterior paint job on wood can last a long time, but you have to be willing to take the time to do it right, use quality products and work with someone who knows what they are doing.

Complete Custom Painting
651-336-0561

Time to maintenacne Sikken on the wood siding or cabin

How to Restore a Sikkens Cabin
When it comes time to restore your cabin and you had previously used Sikkens 3 coat system you should consider a few things.
1st- Note that you already probably have 1 stain coat and 2 top coats of Urethane on the wood. (Thats one coat of Sikkens Cetol 1 and 2 coats Sikkens Cetol 23) and therefore have almost 3 times as much product on then if you would have just used one coat of a semi-transparent oil stain/sealer
2nd- Consider that if you put more of the same product on before stripping it will get darker.
3rd- While you can use Sikkens "Maintenance Coat" on the wood that is not peeling, any area that has peeling or excessive mildew underneath the existing finish will not look new once you use the "Maintenance coat" It will look spotty.

If you consider those things, the correct solution is to Strip those areas that show excessive peeling (from wall to wall) (they are normally the sides of the house that get the most sun) and use the "maintenance coat" on the sides that are not, but have only lost some of their luster.
Sikkens is a great looking product, but needs a maintenance coat to keep it from peeling. If it gets to the point of peeling it is a little harder to strip than a one coat oil based stain (of course because it is 3 coats) but I would strongly recommend fully stripping it anyway because then you won't end up having a bunch of darker and lighter spots all over the wood where some areas that were peeling only have one coat of stain and the areas that were not now have 4 or 5 or 6 or 7........

Call Complete Custom Painting for an free estimate
NICK DETTINGER
COMPLETE CUSTOM PAINTING
651-336-0561 cellular