101 Helpful Painting Hints

Written by Christopher Wager

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Welcome to my newsletter page, here you will find more useful information about painting. Plus posted questions & answers from readers. If your projects are big or small all of your questions are welcome.

Welcome back! August is the month for doing those outside painting projects. August also means hot weather. In fact it means really hot weather which can make it a challenge to do even small projects. One way to work around this problem is to start early in the morning before the temperatures go up. However, keep in mind that cool nights can lead to dew forming on surfaces. There cannot be any dew on anything we want to paint.  Trying to paint an already wet surface can lead to coating failure down the road. So, the best time to start is after the dew has evaporated and before early afternoon.

The main problem with painting in hot weather is that the paint dries too fast, due to air temps and the surface temperature. Which means the paint doesn’t have the time it needs to penetrate into the surface, it just lays on top.

In addition, as you paint throughout the day the water in the paint is evaporating, making the paint thicker and harder to put on. Not to mention extreme hot weather causes the filament in the brush to go limp and fan out.

If you must paint in hot weather, be sure to do it in a shaded area, working in direct sunlight only compounds the problem. On the other hand, painting too late in the evening can lead to leaching on the surface, which are white streaks in the paint due to dew forming on the surface before the paint has had a chance to dry. It’s not something that would lead to coating failure; however, it doesn’t look that nice and you will have to repaint the area.  

FYI, within the last year Ohio has passed a new law stating that exterior oil-based paints will no longer be sold. Bad news for us, however, we can still buy the all important oil-based primers.

Remember keep those questions coming. We will do our best to get you the answer you need.

This question comes from a man in Leetonia, Ohio who asks, “Which is better stains or paints for the outside of my house?”

This is a good question. The answer depends on a few things, such as what is on your home right now? As with any repaint project we must first know what we are painting over. Making the mistake of painting over an incompatible coating can be expensive and time hungry. Second, we need to remember a stain is a low sheen finish, almost flat, where paint comes in many finishes. Over time a stain will fade and chalk away, paint will want to peel and flake. Also, there is a longer period between recoats with paint than a stain. A good place to start is your local paint retailer about the different products they offer, specific to your needs.

If you would like a signed copy of our title, just e-mail us and we will be happy to see that you get one at marked discount over the retail price.  

Next month in the HPH newsletter we will be talking about painting spouting and foundation walls and begins our piece on finishing decks.  Keep your questions coming. Happy Painting.