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Frequently Asked Painting Questions

How do I know if my home really needs painting?

You can know with certainty that your home needs painting if you can see bare masonry or wood, your paint is peeling or cracking, if you can rub your finger on the surface and you can see chalky residue, and if you can see gaps or cracks in the caulking around windows, doors and trim.

How do I maintain my interior painting job?

Interior painting typically gets dirty from hand prints around switches and knobs, marks on hallways and walking areas, in kitchens and in bathrooms. Always initially clean the surface with a mild detergent with a sponge or a soft cloth and only resort to harsher cleaners if absolutely necessary. Alkaline cleaners can dull the sheen or gloss of oil based paints and abrasive cleaners will burnish nearly any paint and will dull the sheen of all paints. Washed surfaces should be rinsed thoroughly because the residual cleaner can interfere with adhesion of paint applied later if necessary.

How long will my exterior painting job last?

Generally exterior paint jobs will need to be redone every 5-10 years. Stucco tends to last longer than other surfaces as it has little expansion and contraction. It is best not to put off your exterior painting until the house or building is peeling badly. When it gets to that condition it will end up costing you more in preparation time and possibly dry rot repair work. If you have put it off or acquired a home or building in bad condition, do yourself a favor, go the extra mile in prep work and ensure that thorough surface restoration is completed prior to painting. This requires more time and money, but it is necessary to have a long-lasting job.

What is latex and alkyd paints?

Latex paint can be thinned and cleaned up with water. Alkyd paint is a synthetic resin paint that is an oil base.

Can you apply latex paint over oil base paint?

Generally you cannot if the oil has a sheen. You can if the oil base is a flat. You can however apply oil over latex on both interior and exterior painting applications.

What can I do to paint oil base over latex?

Paint a barrier coat of oil base flat primer on interior and exterior surfaces. You can also sand and rough up the surface to aid in latex paint adhesion.

Can you paint over mildew?

Yes you can, however, it’s not advisable. Mildew will grow into the finish coat of paint. Mildew is a living organism that can feed on all types of surfaces. You can kill mildew by washing with a mixture of household bleach and water with 1 quart of bleach added to each gallon of water.

I have an area that continually peals no matter how much I prep and prime. What could be the cause of this?

Typically this is caused by your home or building being under ventilated.