Finley and Marlboro Blues

Here are a bunch of pictures from a recent repaint.  This is the job that I spoke about in my last blog concerning using paint samples which you can view here. As you can tell from the pictures, this was a fairly big job..a lot of the joint compound tape had to be removed and replaced.  I use Fibafuse which claims to be 70% stronger than paper, and has the added advantage of being porous.  This means that air bubbles under the tape, which can happen with paper, are not an issue.

Benjamin Moore Regal Select Finley Blue was used in the bedroom and Benjamin Moore Aura Marlboro Blue was applied in the bathroom.  Both were done in eggshell.  Advance white was applied to the trim and Benjamin Moore 508 ceiling paint, which is an ultra flat pain, was applied to the ceiling in the bedroom.  Aura eggshell white was put on the ceiling in the bathroom.

Why Sand?

At a recent job the client that I was working for wondered out loud why the walls in the house looked so bad--the paint came off very easily.  I asked her if she had sanded before she painted. She said no. 

The purpose of sanding is to create a surface for the new coat of paint to grab on to.  The only time that it really is not necessary is when painting over flat paint, but even then I sand just for extra piece of mind--except on flat ceilings of course.

At another job, i was working on a stairwell and the paint on the skirts was peeling off very easily.

Oil paint was not sanded before painting with a latex paint

There really is only one solution to this problem: scrape, wash, sand, clean of dust and paint.  I could have just sanded and painted.  However, the substrate, the old paint that I would have been painting over, was still unstable--it was not adhering properly.  And the new paint would not look good long.  One ding, which is easy on stairs, and the peeling would start up again.

Luckily there was only a little bit of scraping to do.  Imagine if I had en entire wall, or many walls that this was happening.  An, easy repaint will quickly become very expensive.

A few pictrues from a recent border removal and repaint

A little Zinsser Diff, a lot of elbow grease, a couple coats of Benjamin Moore Seagrove in Regal Select matte, and the room has a whole new look.

Painting Azek

Azek plastic is becoming a very popular alternative to wood on many home improvement jobs, repair jobs, and new construction.  The reason--it lasts longer than wood.  Since it is plastic it does absorb water and thus does not rot, which is often a major problem with wood.  This is especially true with north facing walls of houses.  Almost every time that I see wood on a home that should be replaced before I paint I recommend to the Home Owner that they use Azek.

However, If you choose to have your contractor use it on your next project, and you intend to paint it, then you must consider that any paint that goes out it must be 100% acrylic and have a Light Reflective Value (LRV) of 55 or above.  This means that most dark colors are out. Usually LRV can be found on paint fans.   I am assuming that the reason for this is that if the paint absorbs too much light it will lead to the paint heating up, which will then lead to paint failure. 

Azec, which is white, does not have to be painted.  However, it is the only way to cover the nail holes and make the edges of the Azek that has been cut look nice.

So, if the trim on your home is painted black or brown and you decide to use Azek for a repair of rotten wood, you will have to change the color of the rest of the trim to make it match the new lighter color that will be needed to paint the Azek.