Every time Kara ask me to write a blog I struggle and struggle to try to come up with something you all will want to read. Well I have exhausted all my own ideas. So I decided instead of guessing, I would let you all tell me what you want to read about, kinda like Dear Abby. If this idea catches on I will have to upgrade my picture and get a sweet glamour shot to include with my post.
You all can ask whatever you want, but I will probably only answer questions related to DIY, Construction, Furniture, Basketball and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge (I promised myself I would stop watching when I graduated college).
Don’t be afraid to ask big questions. I will try to cover short easy questions, but ideally I would like to provide you with enough guidance to take on projects that push your boundaries a little bit. A LITTLE bit, if you don’t own a drill don’t ask me how to build a deck, but you could ask me what anchors work best to hang pictures in drywall. If you are pretty savvy let’s take on a bigger challenge. If it is something I don’t know I will do my best to point you to some great resource and get you headed in the right direction.
I am hoping to be like Jim. Jim is a retired plumber that works at one of our local Home Depot’s. He doesn’t work at the one closest to us, but I make special trips to all the way across town to see him. First off he is nice enough to take extra time to talk to me. With all the knowledge and experience he has not only does he answer the questions I ask, but he answers all the questions I didn’t know I needed to ask. I was going to make a recommendation for Home Depot, because they used to have a great feature on their site. When you would search for the closest local stores in the details for each of the stores they had a list of “Pro Specialist” or something like that who were retired tradesmen in their department. I would look at theses and then call the store to see if they were working to make sure I could ask my questions to someone who was qualified to answer, but alas they do not include such useful information on their site anymore. So Sorry.
I thought this would be good enough for a post, but Kara thought I should give this idea a test run. When I was moderating some of her comments, I found this one:
Since she commented on our How to paint Wood Floor post, I assume she has already read our advice there, but if you haven’t it is a good place to start.
Well Carlee, I like your plan. If it were me I would go with an oil based paint. It is getting harder to find since a lot of stores are promoting Low or No VOC. As far performance goes, latex paints have come a long way, but personally I still prefer the look and durability of oil based. If you want the wood grain to show through I would skip priming. If you don’t mind losing some of the wood detail a primer will help with adhesion, but you should be fine without it.
When I first started painting I hated using oil based paint because it seemed so hard to clean, but if you go ahead and buy some paint thinner or mineral spirits, clean up is a breeze.
The oil based is going to put off significantly more fumes. If you were painting a piece of furniture that you could take outside and paint fairly quickly you might be able to skimp on a mask, but with an entire floor inside you will absolutely need a legitimate mask/respirator.
I don’t think you should have any problems covering the stain since you plan on using black, you might need more than 2 coats if you choose to go with a lighter color. When doing multiple coats of an oil based paint be sure you wait at least the recommended amount of time between coats and sand/clean before if needed. Otherwise it may seem dry, but if it is not totally dry, the solvent from your second coat will mess up the finish of your first and leave a rough surface. If you are going to use a brush, because you are doing squares, be aware of your brush strokes. You want to make sure they are as long as possible and going in the same direction.
When you tape off your squares I would spend the extra money on the green frog tape. I think it is your best bet to prevent paint bleeding under. Sometimes we use caulk or the base color to seal the blue tape, but since you are painting over stain that isn’t really an option.
I would definitely use a polyurethane to seal it. On the white floor in our post we couldn’t use a oil based product because it tends to yellow/amber, but that shouldn’t be an issue with either the stain or black paint. An oil based product will be cheaper than just as durable as what we used.
My final and best advice is do a sample. If you have some extra flooring, can find a closet, or any other inconspicuous area that won’t show as much test out your process. Even if you have throughly researched your process and have a good idea how it is going to work, TEST IT! It may seem like a waste of time and material and this time it might be, but I guarantee it will save you big at some point. I always always recommend test runs. Since you will be doing small test area and won’t be using lots of materials or supplies you can experiment with a few different ideas at once and figure out what works the best for you in your situation. If you run into problems you can figure them out when the stakes are near as high. It will help give you confidence for the real deal.
I think that is all I have for this specific topic, but let me add one general painting suggestion. If you go to start a painting project and have some questions, go to a paint specific store for answers. I have USUALLY found the employees at Sherman Williams and other paint only stores to be far more knowledgeable than those at the box stores. Just last week I had show employees at both Lowe’s and Home Depot that they could mix Sherman Williams paint colors just from the name or number. If they tell you they can’t don’t even argue with them find someone else, because they can.
I hope that wasn’t too much information and you all enjoyed this idea. Start sending me your questions. I would love to have some questions from husbands. Kara and I love working on projects together and trust me, we know how much better things are when we both have a good understanding of how things are going to work. I would love to try to answer any questions and help make that process more enjoyable for all of you. Try to include as much information as possible and any pictures that might be helpful. Hopefully other readers will be able to benefit from these answers as well.
OK, I just have to say, I LOVE RIVALS! Who cares that we’re out of college. It’s still awesome. I’m rooting for Roy Lee and Mike Mike since the only Real World I’ve ever watched is the Vegas one, lol
Oh yay. So, I bought an old metal wash tub at a flea market. I’d been eyeing it for months and finally bought it. It’s attached to metal legs and wheels. I bought it wanting to turn it into a kitchen island/cutting board.
I guess my first question is do you know any good places to find a thick piece of butcher block (cheap would be best)? It measures about 19.5″ with rounded corners. I think a thick, dark butcher block would look kind of cool attached to the metal. Would butcher block be the best way to go? Any ideas of something else that would be cheap would also be awesome!
I also think it would be awesome if I could attach the wood with hinges so I could hide things inside the basin. What would you recommend for the hinges since it will be going on metal and wood?
Thanks a ton if you decide to respond to this!
Dear Tim,
I am newly in the market for a paint sprayer that connects to an air compressor. I haven’t even looked at them at all, but I know I want one. I would also like to purchase it from Home Depot, because I recently got s gift card for my birthday from there. Any input you may have would be very helpful! Thanks so much.
-Nikki
A) Do you have an unmarried brothers? Because you’re awesome.
B) I’ve got old asphalt siding shingles on my home’s exterior. There are mismatched patches in some places and some of them have lost bits and pieces (pics available at http://thereddollarhouse.blogspot.com/2011/07/is-this-what-buyers-remorse-feels-like.html). Until I can afford the shingle-like vinyl siding I want, I’m thinking of using a paint sprayer to unite the color. My ulterior motive is that my neighbor might trim his landscaping if my house looks better. The view is incredible, if I could just see it.
Thanks! Heidi
TheRedDollarHouse.blogspot.com