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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Professional Trim Painting.

Q: How do I paint trim professionally?
A: Generally speaking, you shouldn't try, but depending on the scenario here are some tips.

If you are going to paint previously stained woodwork you should really consider hiring a professional.  There are a lot of steps to take to ensure the primer and top coat adhere.  It is time consuming and smells bad.  I've written previously about it but generally speaking, it should be done by someone who has done it many times before.  If done well, you can make stained oak look great.  If rushed, you will regret it.
With that said if you have previously painted trim work and just want to brighten up, you can use a product by the name of "Advanced" by Ben Moore.  I like it because the luster of the finish is like an oil and it lays down much nicer than a lot of the latex enamels.
Prior to the top coat however, you should take these minimum steps.
1.  Scuff the surface.  Use a medium purple sanding sponge.  It should chalk the surface.
2.  Vacuum the surface.  Use a brush on the end of the hose.
3.  tac cloth the surface right before brushing on the paint.

Nick Dettinger-  Complete Custom Painting LLC
651-336-0561 cellular

White Bear Lake Painter.  Interior Painter.  Exterior Painter.  Painting Company Twin Cities.  Twin Cities Painter.  Painting Company Twin Cities.  Painting Company North East Metro.  Deck Staining.  Fine Finishing.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

The right prep for painting a ceiling.

Q:  Should I use plastic or tarps if I'm prepping to paint a ceiling
A:  BOTH:  Read Below.

If you're getting ready to prep and paint a ceiling and want to protect the flooring you should take a few simple steps.  1st:  use painters plastic on all furniture, the tops of cabinets and carpet.  2nd: Use tarps on any wood or tile surfaces.  Generally I recommend using tarps on surfaces that are slippery (in either case be careful).  I personally buy the plastic backed tarps or thick woven tarps which are a little more expensive but block any spillage.
What tends to happen is paint splatter from the roller falls down and as you walk around some of it will stick on your shoes.  Make sure you prep the area so you are always walking only in those areas where you have something on the ground (or outside).  Then take your shoes off before moving to those areas that are not protected.
I see a lot of ceilings that have roller marks in them, un-matched texture, roller lines (because they were rolling too long or pressing) and then we get called in to fix the mess.  We appreciate it.
Specifically with texture repair, I am consistently asked to fix areas that were butchered by someone that didn't know the correct way to do it and didn't have the experience.
Painting a ceiling correctly is not as easy as you may thing, and there are more steps than you think.  If you are going to tackle it though.  Take the time to prep the area correctly by covering everything,...everything.
Call Nick at Complete Custom Painting
651-336-0561 cellular

Twin Cities, MN Painter  


 Here on the carpet and the couch we used plastic.
Here we used tarps on the carpet and taped off the on the brass.  In this picture the painter is rolling to the left of the fan but when we roll above the fan we take some painter plastic and throw it over the top of the fan blades.


Saturday, December 8, 2012

How to make sure my painted walls turn out perfect

Q:How to make sure my painted walls turn out perfect?
A: Read Below.

There are a few steps you'll want to take to make sure your walls turn out well when your painting.
1.  Make sure you see everything:  A professional painter should ALWAYS make sure any surface they are going to paint is well lit.  If you can't see an imperfection, you'll likely miss correcting it.


Here you can see we use a 3 stage light and a small light to carry around on an extension cord.  The large light move from wall to wall and the smaller light acts as an inspection light.
2.  Skim the wall in 2 stages.  Once before the prime coat and once after.  Also sand the entire wall.
3.  Use a primer:  There are a lot of reasons why, yes, even though almost all acrylic paints now advertise "prime and paint in one," there are aspects to a primer that perform independently from paints that claim to prime and paint in one step.  Especially when mud is involved (and should always be involved.)
4.  Make sure you are using appropriate techniques.  There are a lot to expand upon here.  You can discuss it further by calling Complete Custom Painting LLC
651-336-0561 Ask for Nick