common-painting-problems-and-solutions

Laitance, sapponification, delamination oh my!

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:19:13 +0100

Just to keep my mind fresh and my blog up to date I thought I would include some definitions of some more paint disasters waiting for the uninitiated and unprepared.

Main Entry: lai·tance

Pronunciation: \ˈlā-t^ən(t)s\

Function: noun

Etymology: French, from lait milk, from Latin lact-, lac — more at galaxy

Date: circa 1902

: an accumulation of fine particles on the surface of fresh concrete due to an upward movement of water (as when excessive mixing water is used)

Laitance creates an unstable surface that paint will not adhere to. The only solution is to give the concrete time to cure after being poured. This often becomes an issue with floors that have had concrete skim coats applied.

Per Gliden - "Saponification, the formation of water-soluble soaps, is most often associated with the chemical attack of

an oil-based or alkyd paint by a highly alkaline masonry substrate. Masonry includes new concrete, tilt-up

slab, stucco, plaster, mortar, etc. Alkyd and oil-based paints contain esters that react by hydrolysis and

saponify with alkalis present in new masonry to form water-soluble soaps (PVA latexes can also be

saponified, although to a lesser degree). The alkalinity may be concentrated at the paint/surface interface

by moisture migration from the original mix with water or from external moisture ingress sources. At this

point, the paint film is turned into a soap by this chemical process and becomes soft, sticky and watersoluble.

This condition may be mistakenly reported as poor drying or that the paint is tracking, picking up

dirt or peeling."

Yet another reason to listen to your painter when they advise against painting new concrete or recommend efforts to assess ph and modify it if necessary.

Finally delamination is pretty much what it sounds like - paint peeling off in sheets. But why and where? Often occurs when a substrate was not deglossed. Can also be caused by the sheer weight of multiple coats of paint (like ten). Some more modern paints like Sherwin Williams Duration 'bites' so hard into old paint that it can rip the underlying layer off the wall! It pays to know what to use where. Period.

Painting concrete porches and floors.

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:00:36 +0100

  Recently I completed some work on a basement remodel. Several of my friends and clients were really impressed by the oil finish I applied to the basement floors. It certainly isn't the hardest painting project to undertake but I have some pointers that will make it easy.
  Any time you sheetrock dust is an inevitability. Before you apply a drop of paint you need to vacuum vacuum vacuum. Nest step is washing down floors the day before paint application. Using some TSP isn't a terrible idea either. Proper prep will leave you with a debris free finish and excellent adhesion.
   The final step is choosing the right product. You don't want to put any regular old latex paint on your floor or porch. I really like Sherwin Williams Armor Seal as a waterborne option. If you're looking for bang for your buck Glidden Oil Gloss from Home Depot is a good call. Plan on throwing away your nap. You'll need thinner and/or spirits to clean your brush.
   The floors below were done with the Glidden Oil Gloss previously mentioned. The oil takes some time to cure but the strength and adhesion is worth the wait.

Behold the power of the mini roller!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:23:04 +0100

  This week I thought I would take a minute to comment on the awesome powerhouse of painting - the mini roller. Pound for pound this tool can save a tremendous amount of time for a very low cost.
   Mini rollers consist of a simple frame with no moving parts and the roller itself. Altogether they cost about $5.00 and then you can buy refill packs.
  The rollers come in a a variety of sizes and shapes. Button ended rollers (the cap end away from the insert side of the roller) are designed for cutting in and rolling along trim. I typically prefer a brush to these critters but some painters swear by them. Then there are rollers with nap all the way around the end of the nap. These are fantastic for cabinet and door work as they allow you to roll right into all of the corners. The final important variation is the smooth foam roller. These are not particularly useful for laying down a lot of paint but if you are touching up a sprayed trim job or are just wanting an absolutely smooth finish they are the way to go. The foam rollers are pretty much uncleanable.
   I haven't seen any difference brand to brand on the foam rollers. However on the thicker nap rollers I find the woosters lay the paint thicker and more evenly than the purdy's. Both are very good quality and the purdy colossus rollers do clean up faster but I have to give an extra point to wooster for their contender.

Three tips to get your sheet rock repairs looking great!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:48:42 +0100

Another week, another job. This foray took us to the St. Francis Apartments on NW 21st for an apartment turnover. Upon inspection the ceiling in the bathroom underneath the tub drain upstairs was wet and spongy. Obviously a plumber was going to need to get up there to take a look and that meant opening up the ceiling.

Tip #1 Cut the hole to fit the sheetrock.

Many people are tempted to cut the hole first and then cut the sheet rock to fit. This is actually backwards. You will get a better fit, faster by cutting the sheetrock to the appropriate size and then tracing it and cutting out the existing lathe and plaster or other wall board. Make sure to put an arrow on your new piece to orient it quickly once you're ready to install it.

Tip #2

Use mesh tape for flat joints and paper tape for the corners. The type of putty knife you use is important. I typically use a 3" joint knife to apply the first coat, then a 6" knife to even and thin the joint. Paper joints require compound underneath the paper and on top of it. I prefer the paper for the corner because it folds easily in half to get a crisp joint.

Tip #3
Use mixable 'hot mud'. In this case I applied two coats of 20 minute joint compound. I've found that the mixable 'hot mud' (mud that hardens chemically instead of through the evaporation of water) is easier to get smooth and of course dries more quickly. Don't expect the mud to dry in 20 minutes just because that's what it says on the bag. That's an indication of how long you have to actually work with the compound. When you apply it let it set up 5-10 minutes and then return with an 8-12" knife to gently smooth out the coating. This last step dramatically improves the finish, reduces sanding and increases the chances you will be able to get excellent results in two coats instead of three. Coat 1 and 2 are pictured above.

And as always, the results speak for themselves.

XIM Peel Bond - A quality solution to peeling paint.

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:50:34 +0100

  This past September we took on a 'gem in the rough' project in Northeast Portland in the Alberta Arts District. This city bungalow had cedar siding with heavily peeling paint and an earl grey color scheme that once looked classy and reserved but had taken on a cloudy day aspect with the years of wear and tear.
  Originally the plan was to paint the home back to its existing color scheme following a minor remodel done by Scene Construction that moved the front door from the side of the home back to its original location at the front. On further reflection the homeowner's decided to move ahead with expanding the project to include repainting the entire house exterior in a three tone color scheme.
  The challenge posed by the project was how to overcome the flaking paint without decimating the siding with aggresive scrapers. After pressure washing and hand scraping it was necessary to prime the entire exterior with XIM Peel Bond Primer.
  This particular primer is known as 'high build'. Meaning specifically that it is designed to even out and feather uneven edges as well as improve the adhesion of the underlying substrate. It is not a cure all by any means. It is still necessary to remove as much unstable paint as possible. Average cost per five gallon drum is $160.00. We typically use 15-20 gallons per home.
  Take a look at the results!

Not so common painting problem - The burn off.

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:58:10 +0100

   Recently I was contacted regarding a failed job. The home owner had hired a company to remove the paint from the south side of their home. Unfortunately a neighbor happened to be around during working hours and discovered the company literally setting the home on fire with propane torches. In the industry this is known as the 'burn off'. This technique is no longer used because the heat from open flame is sufficient to release lead as a vapor from the preexisting coating. The correct way to 'burn off' these days is to use infrared heat pans which soften the paint but at a low enough temperature to not vaporize any harmful heavy metals.

   So this is the point at which we came in. After allowing the wood to breath and reaquire any moisture pulled out by the heating process a coat of solid color stain and two coats of Sherwin Williams Super Paint were applied. Naturally the owner was concerned with peeling paint at the windows. The first step was tarping off all of the surrounding area to prevent any flaking paint from remaining on the property. Then the windows were handscraped into buckets to catch as much debris as possible. All tarps were vacuumed off with a hepa vacuum and removed from the site. The final step was to prime the windows with Peel Bond Primer. (More on that product later).

   The real trick was matching the colors. After a few trips to the paint store and going through three different fan decks the colors were nailed down.

Common Painting Problems - Chapter 3 Bleed through

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:35:08 +0100

How many times have you painted a new piece of wood trim, old cedar, water stains, grease or ink that only to see that same stain bleed right back through? I've personally tested how many times it would take to paint a water stain with normal latex paint before it would fail to bleed through. I stopped at fifteen! Latex is unable to handle many common stains.

Follow the punch list below for solutions to the toughest bleed through issues.

- Grease around the oven. Step one is to scrub the walls with comet or any bleach based abrasive scrub with a scouring pad. Rinse the abrasive off with Trisodium Phosphate solution (A degreaser and deglosser). Prime with oil based primer. Paint with latex.

- Water stains, ink, crayon. Prime with oil based primer. If all else fails, you've washed it and primed and primed it again and it still keeps returning you can implement the nuclear option and buy a spray can of dark grey rustoleum. I also use Sherwin Williams Pro Block frequently for spot priming but I have yet to find anything that dark rustoleum couldn't kill.

- Tannin Bleed from your seventies interior cedar shake basement remodel. Once again you have to use oil primer. You can buy Valspar for $30.00 or Kilz for $15.00. It's identical. How do I know this? Well I don't for sure - but I can tell you from experience they smell the same, taste the same, produce no discernable sheen difference when applied next to each other. They're the same. Bin 123 is another good oil sealer, it's $20 per gallon and is slightly better than Kilz. It has superior hiding and isn't quite as likely to drip.

And finally some tips on painting with oil. If you're not a professional painter buy cheap brushes and roller covers. The solvent required to clean them costs more than you are going to spend on the sundries to begin with. And besides, what are you going to do with a left over gallon of mineral spirits anyway? Where some nitrocellulose gloves too. Latex paint will come off of your skin; oil primer will not. Really won't look that great at the office on Monday.

Common Painting Problems Chapter 2 - Getting reds to cover.

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:24:02 +0100

This week we tackled a kitchen remodel overseen by Jason Ring of Scene Construction. The color of choice for the kitchen was a salmon red to replace the existing light yellow.

Red is a translucent color and getting it to cover without showing the underlying color or having the hue effected by it is easy to achieve by using a gray scale primer. Sherwin Williams fan decks will indicate what scale primer on the back of the color as a P1 through P4. These numbers determine how dark the underlying gray should be. If you're unable to get the information from the fan deck or the paint store customer service rep have them add some black tint to your primer. The results will not disappoint. The added benefit is that you won't have to paint the walls five times - only three.

Common Painting Problems Chapter 1 - Mold in the bathroom.

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:13:27 +0100

  This week we tackled a rental turn with some serious mold issues. As is commonly the case, the bathroom ventilation was anemic and led to heavy mold growing throughout the damp areas of the unit. The ceiling directly above the shower is shown below. This bathroom could really benefit from an exhaust fan.

The mold likes to spread on pourous surfaces like tile grout and also on caulking. The caulking throughout the unit had been blackened with spores.



  We started by washing everything down with TSP followed by Jomaxx Mold & Mildew. The Jomaxx is a very strong bleach; wear a respirator or you will feel a little short of breath by the end of the day. Don't forget, the Germans used chlorine gas as the first area effect chemical weapon! Followed up the cleaning with oil primer and a top coat of Miller mold inhibiting Acrinamel. All of the tile was also washed down in like manner and the caulking from the tub surround and pedastal sink was cut out and reapplied.


  This mess has been cleaned up but ultimately the only thing that will prevent this from happening again in the future is an exhaust fan properly installed by a licensed electrician.