Skip's Painting
member: bergen county mastercraftsman paint and paper association
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House Painting
"Prepwork"
The painting industry has changed a lot over the last 25 years. Latex, water-based paints have always been the most popular for wall painting, but recent improvements in acrylic paints are making the latex products out-of-date. Muralo Company was one of the first to develop the acrylics, using "waterborne" technology, and as far as I am concerned, their semi-gloss trim paint is still superior to anything else on the market today. Acrylic paints are easy to work with, resist fading or yellowing, and are advertised as being "absolutely scrubbable." As a measure of their standing in the paint industry, Benjamin Moore recently converted their entire Regal line of wall paints to an acrylic-based formula. If I had my choice, I would use Benjamin Moore Regal flat or matte finish on every wall I paint, and Muralo's semi-gloss on the trim.
If you would like more information on acrylic paints, or would like to borrow an acrylic color fan, please call me at (201) 406-3933. I also have the latest color fans from Benjamin Moore, if you would like to see the complete assortment of colors available in their line of latex, oil, or acrylic paints. I feel that Benjamin Moore has the best line of colors, but I have also used Sherwyn-Williams, Glidden, Ralph Lauren, and Behr paint, and wouldn't hesitate to use them again, if they have the color you are looking for.
Most of the time, woodwork, doors, and windows look best with a glossy or semi-gloss trim paint. There are three basic options to choose from: 1) latex semi-gloss paint (over a primed or previously latex-covered wood surface), 2) an acrylic semi-gloss (for easy cleaning), or 3) an oil-based semi-gloss, or high gloss paint. The oil paints are being phased out of the market at this point, and will probably not be available at all in the future, except for industrial use, but acrylic paints are a good alternative to the oils (which have traditionally been used for trimwork). They are highly durable, resist chipping and fading, and can be easily cleaned or scrubbed without wearing through. They dry much quicker, leave very little odor, and will not fade over the years. Some oil-based trim paints tend to yellow with age, but acrylic paints will not.Most of my work is straightforward painting, but there are three areas that I specialize in beyond the usual requirements of a good paint job: 1) new additions, trimwork, or windows, where I can "start from scratch," and be responsible for the way things look from beginning to end, 2) repairing cracks in ceilings and walls in older homes, which is fast becoming a lost art, and 3) removing and replacing wallpaper.
Repairing cracks, especially in old plaster walls and ceilings, is not as easy as filling them with spackle. That seems to be a common practice, but it's been my experience that spackle alone will not hold, and that the cracks will return within a year or so. In order to do the job properly, the cracks have to be scraped out and filled with patching plaster first. It makes sense to use the same material when repairing any surface, and spackle or joint compound is not as effective when repairing cracks in a plaster wall or ceiling. The objective is always to have the finished area blend in with the old surface in such a way that the two are indistinguishable.
As far as wallpaper is concerned, removing old paper can turn out to be the most difficult part of the job. Sometimes, the paper is so old and stubborn that a lot of patience and effort is needed to get it off the walls, which need to be properly cleaned and primed before applying new paper or a coat of paint. Old paste is very difficult to remove, and it's not unusual to find that there are cracks in the plaster, or problems with the sheetrock, that need to be repaired once the paper is removed. I have even come across situations in which the paper was pasted directly to unprimed sheetrock, and the sheetrock paper itself came off with the wallpaper. These are things that require extra time and effort, but for the most part, an average room can be patched and ready to cover in a day or two. I always size or prime my walls before hanging paper, just in case there is any "bleed-through" of the old paste, and to insure that the paper will adhere to the surface. It is also the best way to prevent any future problems when it comes time to remove and replace the existing paper with something new.
Another aspect of painting that used to be a specialty in itself is window glazing. I once worked on a private greenhouse in Connecticut, where I had to replace a large number of broken window panes. It was an old wooden structure, so there was a lot of glazing involved, and I grew to like it. If you only have one or two windows that need to be glazed, it's no problem for me to fit them into my schedule.
As for my "crew," I generally work alone. If a job is too big for me to handle on my own, I can recommend someone else or sub-contract other painters to work with me. I am a member of the Bergen County Mastercrafstman Paint and Paper Association, and it is not unusual for us to work together on the same project.To schedule an estimate, email me at skipvanlenten@fastmail.net, or call (201) 406-3933.
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