Painting

My father was a painting contractor. In my younger days I spent an ....."unnatural" ....amount of time scaping and painting. So, if you are like me, painting is one of those chores that gets put off - and off, and off - until your significant other puts it in the form of a demand. There are so many facets of painting that there is no way to cover them all in one post.

Since many of us live in older homes, I hought it would be appropriate to address a common painting problem common to older homes - dealing with old wallpaper.

First and foremost we must always remember that prep work is the most important part of any good paint job. The type of preparation is governed by the type and age of the surface you're painting over and the type of paint you're applying. Always use drop clothes to cover flooring and furniture and remember to remove outlet and switch covers.

We have two choices. We can paint over the old wall paper or we can remove it. If the old wallpaper is attached well to the wall you may elect to paint over it. If it is loose and bubbled off of the wall in areas, it is more practical to remove what we can. In the case of most older homes, this wallpaper will be applied to plaster walls rather than gypsum board drywall.

What ever way you choose to go, it is advised that you go over the walls you intend to paint and remove all nails, screws, etc., that may have been used to hang things such as pictures.

If we choose to remove the old wallpaper, we go to our local paint store and buy something called a "paper tiger". A paper tiger is a small handheld rolling device that you move over every section of the wall that puts small holes in the wall paper. Next you apply a mild chemical, such as "DIF", that attacks the glue beneath the wallpaper through the holes left by the paper tiger. This makes it easier to scrape the wallpaper from the plaster. Following the maufacturers recommendations, we then scrape the old wallpaper from the wall, getting down to the plaster as completely as possible while still wet with the DIF. Once this step is complete, we allow the wall to dry after which we sand the wall lightly to remove any paper, etc., left stuck to the wall. Pay special attention to those areas in corners and around window and door trim. Choosing to remove the old wallpaper adds a significant amount of time to the job but is often the best choice. It may well be the only acceptable method if the wallpaper is in bad shape or the existing wallpaper is "flocked" (having a velvet pattern) or raised.

If we choose to leave the old wallpaper and paint over it, the aforementioned process will obviously not be necessary. The following step applies to both options.

The next step is known as "Freezing". It is important to know that wallpaper will absorb water and wallpaper glue is water soluble - it dissolves in water. Freezing is a process by which we apply a water proof film over the wall to prevent the water in latex based paint from permeating the wallpaper and dissolving the glue underneath. It also seals any stains caused by the glue itself. If you skip this process, you will end up with wallpaper that falls off of the wall as you are painting. You will also end up with dark brown stains in your finished painted wall. This is a mess and can ruin your day.

I choose to use "Kilz" oil based stain sealer. I have tried others but none compare to oil based Kilz. Apply Kilz in the same manner you would regular paint. Cut in corners and around windows, doors, and baseboards with a brush and roll the flat walls with a roller. Kilz does, however, have a very strong odor. Use only in a well ventilated area or use an appropriate respirator.

After the Kilz is dry, we can begin working with joint coumpound. You will need a 5lb. bucket of joint compound, a putty knife, a pan, and a 12 in. broadknife. these things are available at Lowe's or Home Depot and are relatively inexpensive.

If we left the walpaper in plave we will use the putty knife to fill nail holes and the 12 in. broad knife to cover the wallpaper seams with THIN coats of joint compound. Remember this tip: It's easier and faster to take the joint compound off with a broad knife while it's wet than it is to sand clumps off after it dries. Use long, thin coats of joint compound so that there won't be much sanding later.

If we removed the old wallpaper, there will be a very porous plaster surface left behind. We will need to cover the entire wall with thin laters of joint compound. This will fill all holes, pores in the plaster, and low spots inherent in plaster walls. Remember - long thin coats of joint compound.

After this step has been completed, we must sand the joint compound to take out ridges or clumps we left behind when we applied it. Use a sanding sponge and go over every inch of the walls we are to paint. Once you are satisfied with the smothness of the wall we are ready to apply primer and paint.

Priming is an important step. Use a high quality latex primer tinted to a color that best matches the finish paint. Apply it the same way you would the finish paint. Use long uniform strokes with the roller from top to bottom, being careful not to leave behind roller marks as they will be visible in the finished product. Also, be sure to brush out any runs that may come from your brush as you cut around windows and doors.

Two coats of finish, or top coat paint is advisable. Apply it in the same manner as you did the primer listed above.

This is a relatively easy project that can be completed by most homeowners. The finished product can be personally rewarding and will change then entire atmosphere of the room. I have included a few videos below to help answer any questions you may have. As always, if you have any questions drop us a line on our e-mail or give us a call. We'll be glad to help you out.