Lombard House Painters Say That Preparation Is The Key
When you hire Lombard house painters, you’ll observe that they spend a great deal of time preparing to do their job. In fact, once they actually get started, the painting will seem to go quickly. That’s because painting contractors in Lombard know that the proper preparation and tools are the key to a great paint job.
SURFACE PREPARATION
If you have ever wondered why your paint job peeled off, it could be because the surface you painted was not properly prepared. There are a lot of things that can keep paint from sticking to the surfaces you paint.
Dirt is the number one culprit for peeling paint. If the surface you are painting is not clean and dry, the paint will just soak into the dirt. It won’t make the dirt stick to the surface, it just makes the dirt heavier so that after you are done, it just flakes off. Dirt must be removed from any surface you are going to paint. When you’re painting indoor surfaces, check the baseboards and raised panel doors you’re going to paint. They should be clean before you apply a fresh coat of paint. Dirt accumulates on any horizontal surface, and on many vertical surfaces.
Moisture is another reason paint will peel off of a painted surface. If you have washed the area to remove dirt and grease, let it dry. Moisture on the surface will immediately make the freshly applied paint slide off the surface, making your painting efforts wasted. Just about the only exception to this is the use of oil based paint on exterior locations. If you live in humid areas, and the wood trim or siding seldom dries out entirely, oil based paint will be a good solution to protecting the surfaces.
Grease will also keep paint from sticking to a surface. This is the most common problem in the kitchen, or anywhere in the house where people smoke. The tar emitted from the smoke that comes out of the end of the cigarette coats surfaces in the areas where you smoke. This grease and tar will not allow paint to stick to the surface, leaving a marred finish as the paint dries. It may look ok at the time you paint it on, but as it dries, it will separate, drawing back from the greasy areas.
Loose paint should be removed. Paint is not glue, and you shouldn’t count on a new coat of paint to make the old, loose flakes stick back to the surface. It won’t work, and your new paint job will look awful. All loose paint should be scraped off of the surface, leaving a solid surface to which the new paint can adhere.
All surfaces that are going to be painted should be thoroughly cleaned, with degreaser if necessary. A light sanding may also be necessary to give the surface a little “tooth” for the new paint to adhere to.
Another aspect to preparation is priming. Often, people see no need for the application of primer because the surface already has paint on it –that should be all the primer they need, right? However, primer is an important element of the properly prepared paint job. Any surface that has been stained, whether by grease that has been removed, by mildew, or by peeled paint, must be primed before it’s painted. The primer will adhere to the bare or damaged surface, and the paint will adhere to the primer. Any areas the still have a layer of old paint firmly adhered will not need priming, but bare places will need a thorough coat of primer. The only exception would be if you are going over latex paint with oil based paint, or vice-versa. In this case you will need to prime the entire surface.
Pristine Painting and Decorating has a well-established tradition of quality workmanship, and has met the painting and decorating needs of dozens of clients in the Dupage County, Kane County, McHenry, Schamburg, and Montgomery areas. Contact Pristine Painting and Decorating on their website, or call them at 63-546-5528 to hire quality painters.