With the spring here, and everything getting so beautiful and cheerful
outside, when we look at our drab homes, it may be time to paint.
Whether you choose a professional or decide to do it yourself, you
should always be involved in choosing the right paints. I've spent
hours removing the wrong ones from homes; its a waste of my time and
their money. In the long run if you get off to a good start, your
home will look perfect, and stay that way for a long time.
Just as a house can't stand on an improper foundation, paint can't
either. Choosing the right undercoat is more important than the
quality of the paint you use. The right undercoat will make the
difference between having a beautiful, long-lasting finish or a temporary
paint job that will only last a few months. Undercoats or primers
are for stabilizing and sealing, and sometimes treating various imperfect
surfaces. A chalky or powdery surface will not hold paint, but if
these areas are treated with an undercoat such as Tambour's Super
Bonderall, Finnigan's Stabilizing Solution 2000, Ace Primer-Sealer-Stain
Killer, or BIN Primer, they can hold paint for a long time. These
are generally clear or white pigmented but can be tinted to match
whatever top coat of paint you will ultimately use.
The greatest test to know if you really need a primer is to see if
the paint is cracking or peeling. Put a six-inch strip of masking
tape on the wall and after two or three minutes remove the tape and
check if paint particles are on the tape; another test is to rub the
wall with a damp rag. If the wall is cracking or peeling, or if you
notice particles on the tape or the rag has paint on it, you need
to prime the wall. If you are in doubt, it is always best to use a
primer.
Newer construction usually needs primer. ACE Primer in the USA and
Tamborfill in Israel are designed for new drywall and will properly
set the surface. Specialty primers for preparing aluminum, plastic,
Formica, steel, and even hides and leathers are also available. (For
example, one of my earliest memories was as a child helping my grandfather
paint a whale and dinosaur bones in The Museum of Natural History
in New York. There were no commercially available paints or primers
for this, so he mixed his own, something many other professional painters
still do to this day.)
There are primers for areas that had been oil painted previously and
now water based paint will be applied. Among the best are the synthetic
primer from Tambour, Ace, and Finnigan's, and BullsEye 123. A word
of caution: It is very important to follow the instructions and to
thin these correctly before use or they will not do their job properly.
If you or your painter is not using the right primers, then the job
at best will only be temporary. I've seen homes with the best paints
applied, but someone forgot to apply the proper undercoat and entire
rooms started flaking and peeling. This later cost the homeowner a
fortune to remove all the improperly applied paint, replaster the
walls, undercoat, then paint. Just skipping one little step can really
ruin all the work. And, unfortunately, this sometimes takes four months
to a year to show up, so when speaking to your painter's references,
specifically ask them if he even used a primer. Other excellent, specialty
undercoats are also available from local companies and imports (which
can be found on the Internet). One of my personal favorites is the
BullsEye 123 from Zinsser Paints in New Jersey.
The types of paints commonly available are: whitewash, latex (or emulsion),
acrylic, polyurethane, lacquer and specialty paints. Whitewash is
recommenced for ceilings because it is not washable and will allow
moisture to pass through (which is very handy if your upstairs neighbor
or the roof has a leak your ceiling will not show much damage).
Latex and acrylic are plastic paints that are usually washable. Latex
is primarily used indoors and acrylic is for the exterior, but this
is not a hard-and-fast rule. Some of the best interior paints include
the Sherwin William's Interior Paint, Wallmart Interior, and ACE Royal,
these names are available in the USA, England and Israel. These are
available in acrylic and can be used for the outside as well as inside.
Polyurethane is an oil-based enamel and is primarily used on doors,
windows and metal. The lacquer paints can also be used as the polyurethane,
but are an older technology and don't last nearly as well. This, unfortunately,
includes the Israeli Superlac paints preferred by Israeli painters
for enamel and metal surfaces. The preferred choice for painting metal
(bars) is Grainville and Hammerite from the U.K., and Rustoleum from
the USA. Besides being very rust-resistant, they give the nicest finish
available. Recently in Jerusalem, we painted the Ramban Shul. The
metal work by the Aron Hakodesh was very dull and dingy. We painted
it with Hammerite, and afterwards used a high gloss varnish. Now it
sparkles.
With the best undercoats and the best quality paints, you are on the
way to a terrific-looking home. One that will last a long time.
In Israel, Mrs. Anonymous asks, My house has an old- fashioned
oil heater with a chimney. The old chimney which was made of concrete/asbestos
was mostly replaced by an enamel chimney but some pieces of the old
asbestos chimney remain. Also, two covered balconies are `roofed'
with material which is asbestos or cement/asbestos. These roofs are
old and exposed to outdoor elements and are therefore not in such
great condition. Could you recommend how to remove such items?
You are right in being concerned that there is asbestos in your home.
However, asbestos is dangerous in an uncovered form and possibly cancer-causing
in powder form. There are very few if any qualified contractors worldwide
who can remove asbestos safely. The best course of action would be
to paint these items with a quality undercoat and top coat paint.
While doing so, wear a breathing mask / filter for both organic and
inorganic compounds (the packaging should list asbestos as items it
would filter, never believe the sales clerk for something not written).
Also your hands and head should be covered, and afterwards dispose
of all your worn clothing. If the area they take up needs to be better
insulated, cover these areas with your new roofing material. Under
no circumstances should anyone not qualified remove such items do
so. Never drill or sand asbestos.
Today's Do It Yourself Hint: If you have any hi-tech equipment such
as computer, microwave, CD player, digital telephone, etc., attach
them to the electric current via a voltage spike (or surge) suppressor.
When the electric company changes from one generator to another, there
are sometimes slight surges of power which could damage this equipment.
The spike suppressors are relatively inexpensive and available at
any electronics or computer retail shop.
Yosef Krinsky, a third generation craftsman, is the CEO of Walls R
Us House Painting, Inc., Jerusalem Division. He can be reached
at (02) 585-9559; common mail POB 27355, Jerusalem, Israel; email
at wallsrus@hotmail.com. Homeowners (renters too) are invited to email
their questions for a somewhat quick reply. He will publish names
of individuals who ask for advice unless they explicitly request to
remain anonymous. The whale he painted in New York is still there.
