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Painting How to Tips
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What is the most important aspect of painting? |
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Preparation is the key in achieving a great looking finished surface. 80% preparation 20% painting. |
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What kind of tape do I use? |
There are a number of types of tape depending on your specific project. 3M is the brand of tape I prefer because they make a variety of great quality tapes. The tape I use the most is 3m's #2080 this is a blue tape. I like it because it works on many surfaces from one-day-old paint, to ancient wood work. This tape rarely does damage to the surface it is adhered to. The tape leaves clean edges and prevents tape bleeding, if applied properly. Down falls of this tape are that it is not very sticky, and is more expensive. - The other blue tape #2090, also made by 3M, is more sticky then #2080 but still has a 14 day safe removal time. It does not leave as nice an edge as the #2080, but is a more affordable tape. Sometimes will damage surface it is adhered to.
- My favorite general purpose masking tape is 3M's #2050. It is great on woodwork, tile, linoleum, and other hard surfaces that are not easily damaged. The tape leaves OK lines and does a fair job not bleeding.
Tip- Remove tape as soon as possible! This will prevent hard to remove tape. Some tapes - especially with sun exposure - bond aggressively to the surface, sometimes becoming impossible to remove. Avoid extended projects with masking tape. These are the tapers that I use on a regular basis, and constitute 95% of our tape consumption. There is such a thing as cheap tape and it only creates frustration. Spend the extra to get good tape and you will be a happy camper. |
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What size of tape should I use? |
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I almost always use 1 inch tape. 3/4 is too small, and the other sizes are too expensive. Owning a 3M masking tape dispenser makes this an easy choice. The masking tape dispenser allows you to use 1 inch tape with a variety of other masking media such as paper and plastic. This allows you to avoid the high costs of wider masking tape. The tape dispenser is a bit of an initial investment, but if you plan on painting more then one room it is probably worth the investment. |
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Are all paints the same? |
Absolutely not. Price is usually a good indicator on what kind of paint you are getting. Interior paints under $20 are usually of lower quality harder and messier to work with, with less scrubbability. Exterior paints under $30 are usually of lesser quality. Interior paint differences are better coverage especially with bolder colors, means less coats, easier cleaner, application, better performance. The amount of VOC's are also a critical factor. VOC's are the toxins in the paint. See the Refuge for Zero VOC Interior Paint. Exterior paints differ in many ways. Ranges of application temperatures are an important deference in Montana. Higher quality paints will generally withstand drops in temperature that other paints will not. Here in Montana where summer night temperatures often drop below 50 degrees, that is extremely important. Better flexibility with temperature change, color fade resistance, bonding properties, coverage, and VOC content are some of the differences. Be prepared to spent up to $60.00 a gallon for high performance exterior paint. Do it right the first time and save future pain. The Refuge also carries Zero VOC Exterior Paint. |
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How much Paint do I need? |
Walls - (Sum of wall lengths x wall height)/average coverage of product. Most paints cover 300 square feet per gallon. Example 4 walls, each 10 feet long = 40 feet multiplied by a wall height of 7 feet 6 inches - 7.5 feet x 40 feet = 300 square feet. Divide the square footage (300) by the coverage of the paint which will also be in square ft. In this case it works out nicely 300/300 = 1 gallon of paint.
Ceiling - Multiply the length and the width of a room. Example a room that is 25 feet by 12 feet = 300 square feet. Then divide this by the coverage of the paint this also will be in square feet. 300/300 will be 1 gallon of paint.
Tip 1- The coverage is for one coat of paint, but most paints require two coats. As most painters will tell you there are no one-coat products just one-coat advertisements. Tip 2- Unless there are a lot of openings (windows and doors) do not subtract this from the square footage. It is good to have a little extra for touch ups. Tip 3- Always refer to the can of paint for actual coverage square footage. |
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Email us your painting questions. |
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