Painting Questions Sitemap

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Q&A / General Painting Questions /

Can I put a polyurethane finish on slate tile? - I recently started painting slate with spray paints, creating looks similar to cave walls. I was told by a Home Depot person that the slate could be used on a floor if I put a good polyurethane finish on it. Is it possible to do so? Will it last?...
What solution can we use for removing paint spots from our floors? - We just painted our walls and have hardwood floors. Well, some paint spots are on the floors in certain areas. What solution can we use for removing paint spots from our floors?
Is there an easy way to remove seized masking tape from trim? - I used blue tape to mask off the trim before painting, now the tape is stuck to the trim, at the edge that meets the wall, any easy way to get the seized masking tape off?
Is there a recommended time to wait before painting when building a new home? - I'm having a house built. Is there a recommending time to wait before painting? I've been hearing that one should wait for a period of time for nail popping to have occurred before painting, is this true?
Can I apply a clear wood finish over paint for more protection? -
Which chemicals are needed to remove efflorescence deposits? -
How can I tell whether old caulking is silicone vs latex acrylic? - I have serious leakage under a wall of windows. The windows are at least 5 feet above ground. I have removed the inside drywall on the underside of the windows as well as the vapor barrier and insulation to find the problem areas. The outside is a...
How many square feet will a gallon of paint cover? - I am painting about 420 sq/ft. And I only have 3 gallons. Is that enough?
Can I paint the inside of a wood shed in my back yard? - I want to paint the 2 x 4 and inside of the wall and ceiling to a shed in my back yard. To seal out moisture to keep it from rotting out. My son said if I painted it, this would seal out the air so it would cause the wood to rot.
Painting an Older Building - Should an older (100 + Years) brick building be painted during the winter months? Would it be better to wait until spring?
Dried Up Paint in the Can - My paint can lid was left open and the paint is dried up. How can I restore it so that I can use it to touch up my wall?
I dont want paint on my hands. - I buy vinyl gloves but it never lasts!! Also , they usually don't stock extra large gloves... I am allergic to latex.
How soon before you can paint in a brand new house or hang pictures? - In a brand new house is there a time period that you should wait before painting or hanging pictures on the walls?
How to prepare to paint over high gloss enamel? - How do I prepare a high gloss enamel to paint over it with a semi gloss latex paint?
Need to clean squirrel dung from a concrete block wall. - I need to clean squirrel dung from a concrete block wall (interior) before i paint. I have tried pressure washing, greased lightning, clorox and even pain thinner. Do you have a suggestion for removing this nasty stuff?
How much paint is needed? - I am painting a 10x12 room and a 10x20 room. Was wondering how much paint I will need to buy for each room? Can you help?
Volume of Paint & Surface Area - Calculate the volume of emulsion paint to cover an area of wall?
Oxidized Masking Tape - How do you remove oxidized masking tape from oak veneer doors? Is there a solvent I can use?
Mold on bedroom wall. - We have had a continuing problem with mold on 2 of our outside walls. What could be causing the mold?
Acrylic urathane on brass. - I've cleaned a brass surround on a hole-in-the-wall fireplace and the advice on the internet suggests that acrylic urathane seems to be the best lacquer to apply to stop it re-tarnishing. In your experience could clear acrylic urathane also be us...
Epoxy paint inside the drinking water tank. - Can we do the epoxy paint inside the drinking water tank?
Discoloration at the studs. - I moved into my house in 2004. I have just noticed that the great room is showing some discoloration where the studs are....What is it?
Painting over non-paintable caulk line. - My contractor applied a non-paintable caulk to my bull nose tile and the dry-walled wall. What product can be applied to this finished seam so I can cut in a clean edge?
Cleaning roof stains with TSP - Would it be OK to clean with TSP on composite roof around a chimney that has stains?
Fiberglass door mystery. - The bottom half of my fiberglass door turns white and damp in the winter and is weather protected. Why?
Remove an alkyd based enamel paint from carpet. - How do I remove an alkyd based enamel paint from carpet without discoloring the carpet?

Q&A / Painting Tool Use and Care / Tool Reviews /

Edge cutting with Accubrush XT - Has anyone tried and reviewed the Accubrush XT edging system? I shake a lot and have trouble keeping a brush still and am curios if the Accubrush is all it is quoted to be. Thank you
The Right Brush - Would like opinions about this brush. What do you think?

Q&A / Paint Types and Paint Problems /

Why is there a whitish streaked residue on our newly painted black door with semi-gloss black paint? - The house was painted two weeks ago with varying temperatures ranging from upper 30s to 70s. I cannot remember the exact temperature of the day it was painted. When I tried to clean it there was a soapy residue. The painter tried to clean the wind...
What kind if paint should be used on metal? - I painted my metal garage door with acrylic paint and now its peeling.
Low cost paints with low or no VOC in Toronto. - I know Benjamin Moore has a good line of low VOC paints. I have sensitivities to chemicals and would get a headache in a room that is freshly painted, no matter how well vented (windows/doors open). I am looking to buy a new home and may have t...
Painting Problem in Downstairs Bathroom - I primed my new drywall and painted over it red, did not like it so reprimed and painted it purple, however weeks later the red is coming through in some spots, it has turned the walls blue, and there is an unbelievable amount of water/steam stain...
Painting Over Latex Eggshell With a Flat Latex - I'm looking to paint over a latex eggshell finish with a flat latex finish, should I prime first?
Flat Over Semi-gloss - We have bought a new home and all the interior walls are painted in semi gloss paint. We were given some very good quality paint but it is in flat. What do I need to do to the walls before painting? We were told that we would need to sand all wall...
Painting Over Sateen Finish with a Satin Finish - I am painting my bathroom and the first coat is done. It was recommended that I use a sateen finish and I find it too shiny. I want to switch to satin finish and am wondering about painting that straight over the sateen.
Peeling Paint - I painted my house a few months ago and after I painted the base boards the vacuum rubbed against the board and the paint peeled off in some areas. What caused this, I think the old paint is oil and I used latex over it. Did the new paint not adhe...
Using B & Q matt emulstion over B & Q kitchen and bathroom matt emulsion - Hello - we live in Somerset in a property approx. 9 years old and this is the first serious decorating of the kitchen to be done since property was built. Kitchen currently undergoing a face lift with new worktops, new appliances etc and of course...
Painted over spots on my ceilings with new paint over old. - The problem is (so I am told) that the paint job was done over three years ago and the new paint does not blend in and it's quite obvious since I now have a blotch like mark where I ran my paint roller. I used flat wall paint of the same color sin...
Can flat paint be used over eggshell without priming? - I painted my daughter room red. I primed the walls, used two coats of red eggshell and some areas look darker than others. Especially around ceiling, trim and corners where trimming is needed.
Why chalky spots appear on wall? - I recently painted one of my son's bedrooms and months later there are chalky spots appearing in different area of the wall. We used a latex multipurpose interior primer before we painted. This happened a few years ago when we painted this same ro...
Painting With Eggshell - I just painted my living room walls with the best paint Lowes has, latex eggshell sand color. I had to do 2 coats because it looked uneven in area's. Now it has too much sheen and almost looks like semi-gloss. Can I just paint over with flat?
Touch-Up Paint Is Shiny - We recently built a new home, and had the painting done professionally. I wanted the very best paint I could buy, and after doing my research, I decided on Behr Premium Plus. The painter told me how much paint to buy of each color, but when he was...
Semi-gloss over flat? - Will my paint job still look OK if I paint a semi-gloss coat over the flat coats in a dark color?
Re-paint oil base semi gloss paint with satin oil base. - Can you re-paint oil base semi gloss paint with another color oil base without sanding or priming? My bathroom walls and ceiling are painted with alkyd base white semi-gloss paint. I want to repaint it in a Yellow with alkyd base paint in a vel...
Hairline cracks all over walls after painting kitchen. - I had my kitchen painted twice in the last 12 months due to small hairline cracks appearing throughout the kitchen walls. I used a good quality paint and it was also painted by professionals. They said they never seen this happen before. My house ...
Blistering Paint - We are priming first before we paint the bedroom. Some spots are bubbling, we suspect due to previous owner burning candles. Anything we can do to better prep walls in the remainder of the home and fix what we started already?
Paint just peels rite off the walls in my bathroom. - I painted the bathroom and the paint seems like it did not dry or stick. It's rubbery and I can scratch it off with a finger nail.
Paint feels tacky and objects stick to the surface. - I recently painted some Masonite material that had old oil based paint on it. I sanded it and applied latex enamel, with eggshell finish. I did not use a primer. After drying several days, the paint feels tacky and when objects are place on the su...
Paint or Stain - Just purchased this home with pine vertical siding. How can I tell if it is finished with paint or stain? It is a solid red color.
Masonry Sealer Problem - I bought some masonry water sealer from B&Q, there own brand. I cleaned all masonry first then I applied the sealer, but a lot of the brickwork has turned into a milky color after it dried out. Making the house look as if its covered in dust. Is t...
Exterior Paint For An Outdoor Mural - Which exterior paint is best for an outdoor mural at a school? I've heard of C2 Paints with the highest amount of pigment, or on this site you mention Elastomeric paint. The mural is on a brick wall we are covering with plaster/stucco finish. I...
What are the top 3 sealers for Cedar Siding - We have a cabin in Golden Colorado and are pressure washing and sealing it. We would like to know the top sealers that people use in this area.
Using Mixed Interior And Exterior Paint Outside - Is it okay to use recycled paint that is mixed with interior paint for an exterior paint job? My friend gave me free paint that is 50/50 exterior and interior.
Paint On Top of Silicon Caulk - I had a new front door installed. I put KILZ on the pressure-treated wood over the weekend. Last night when I tried to paint (hunter green) the frame areas around the door, I was getting "cracking" in the caulked areas. This morning, I looked at t...
Changing The Color of a Can of Stain - I suppose I'm cheap but I have almost a full quart of Minwax Polyurethane all-in-one stain in a HONEY color...I don't expect to ever need that color again. I now want to stain a Poker table top to a dark walnut or perhaps mahogany... the exact col...
What causes a latex paint to bubble after it is rolled onto the wall? - I did some minor repairs to a room prior to painting, and after wiping the walls down with a damp cloth I rolled the paint on (latex satin finish) and after a short time bubbles appeared in various places. Some were very small, and others may have...
Paint Turns to Powder - I am renovating an old cottage with original walls built with stones and mud with a cement finish inside and out. My problem is the interior paint turns to powder after a few months and falls of the wall, this happens on the lower part of some wal...
Ceiling Paint Slothing Off - I have a new house that was built in 1920. When I went to put new ceiling paint up as soon as I applied it, it started slothing off. My whole house is like this. I scraped all of the old ceiling paint off in one room but my house is so big that wi...
Accidentally used exterior paint on the inside. - The local paint store gave me a gallon of exterior satin latex paint when I asked for interior; I didn't notice until after I painted my living room. This is 100% non-toxic paint, No VOCs at all. Is this okay, then?
Back rolling finish paint. - Should you back roll the finish paint after priming it?
Painting galvanized metal. - Can you mix chain link fence paint with other enamels to paint galvanized metal?
Interior painting with semi gloss. - I went to do touch up with semi gloss paint when I removed the tape (20 minutes later), the paint peeled right off along with the tape---a few spots are done to the drywall, any help would be great!!!! I'm thinking that I need to prime first, rep...
Flood Stain - Has anyone used Flood stain before? Any opinions on it? I'm planning in using to paint previously painted rough cut cedar siding.
Painting over flat paint. - Do I need to prime a flat paint before repainting with an egg shell or satin... also in the bathroom do I need a different type of paint?
I accidently used interior paint outside on wood siding. Will coating it with exterior paint make it right? - Painted it yesterday. I understand interior paint outside will peel and crack withing a year.
Blistering paint after it is dried and then it rains. - The outside wood rail was painted with white latex paint. It dried for two days and then it rained. The paint cracked and blistered. Once the sun came out and dried the paint it looked fine. Every time it rains the paint softens and blisters. How ...
Exterior Paint Peels Off Easily - Two months ago we had our house painted with Sherwin Williams Super Paint. The new paint easily peels off when bumped by a plastic shovel and I can easily peel it off with my nail. What should be done to correct this problem? Does the new paint...
Bubbled paint on exterior walls. - We have sanded back our weatherboard house, then used an oil based primer followed by water based top coat. We are now seeing everywhere we have primed lots of bubbling paint. What is this from and how do we fix it?

Q&A / Paint Types and Paint Problems / Elastomeric Paint Questions /

Elastomeric Paint on Aluminum Siding - I would like to apply elastomeric paint to aluminum siding. Is this possible if I primed the area first?
Problem With My Elastomeric Paint - I had my exterior stucco painted with elastomeric paint, apparently an acrylic blend, in December of 2005. Last summer I began to notice a few small thumbnail sized bare spots with primer exposed on the south sun-drenched wall. A few months later ...
Elastomeric Paint and Moisture in the Walls - Should I be concerned that using elastomeric paint on the exterior of my house may result in more mold inside the house because the paint does not allow moisture to move out of the walls?
Elastomeric on Stucco in Extreme Heat - Live in the Palm Springs area, where it has been 100-115 degrees most every day. I am presuming that one should not apply Elastomeric (over previous Elastomeric on Stucco) in this heat. Is this correct? If so, what is the maximum temperature allow...
Can elastomeric paint be thinned to spray with an airless with a .015" tip? - I have an airless with a 3/8" hose and a .015" tip, the paint calls for a 1/2" hose with a .023" tip. This paint is for stucco, I have wood exterior, last painted approx. 7 years ago.
Will Elastomeric Paint Cure a Water Intrusion Problem - We have stucco buildings in Florida, they are about 25 years old and are experiencing many cracks in the walls which we have been caulking but cannot keep up with as these cracks lead to water intrusion in our units. Will elastomeric paint solve t...
Does elastomeric paint wick moisture from the ground? - I am the Executive Director of a senior housing community in Portland, OR. One of our buildings is brick with a cement foundation/basement (partially above ground, partially below). We want to seal the brick and cement against moisture with siloxa...