Aqueduct Paint Technologies Inc., (APT) recently announced EVOpaint™, which is being marketed as “the first and only ONE-COAT paint™.” A couple weeks ago, my eyes were starting to glaze over as I roamed the vast painting aisles of the 2012 National Hardware Show, something that’s known to happen after walking by one too many booths with more paint brushes on display. My disdain for painting is no secret, so anytime I spot something that might ease the pain of painting I get a little giddy. When I read the words “one coat” on the EVOpaint booth, I had to know more. [click to continue…]
Painting
I feel as though I spend a large portion of my time desperately trying to remove stains, usually to no avail. So, it’s kind of a treat to be writing about applying stains instead. If anyone knows a thing or two about exterior wood stains and their proper usage, it’s the folks at This Old House. (God, I wish they’d show up at my house for a few days to jump start things around here.) Thomas Baker has written a really informative article, which discusses everything from the different types of wood stains on the market, to maintenance methods necessary to counter the effects of weather conditions such as sunlight/UV rays, water damage, and rot, to how to clean and re-stain your deck. The article references a line of eco-friendly wood stains too. If you have questions about wood stains, it’s worth a read. [click to continue…]
Faux paint techniques are a cool way to make something look like something it’s not. You can make simple drywall look like it’s stone or stucco, or as if there are leaves embedded in it, and so on. But, faux painting isn’t just artsy and decorative. No, it can also be used to hide all sorts of imperfections and is an easy out for people like me who don’t want to be bothered with filling, sanding, mudding and re-taping or any other unpleasant, repair related tasks. [click to continue…]
Back when we first purchased our house, one of my first projects was to strip several decades of paint from a door. I did what most people unfortunately do in that situation, I went to my local big box store and bought a can of typical methylene chloride paint stripper. I observed what I thought were proper precautions: long sleeves, thick gloves, eye protection and a respirator. I kinda admit it seemed like overkill at the time, until I noticed some pain on my arm. That pain turned out to be my burning flesh. It seems a drop of stripper snuck past my long leaves and decided my skin was just as suitable to dissolve as old paint. That was the last time I used methylene chloride, and I vowed to find a slightly less flesh-consuming option in the future.
We were recently sent the VersaSpin 360 for a follow-up review and I was the lucky recipient of this Lazy Susan-esque tool. In our first review of the VersaSpin finishing turntable, Marc discovered that the VersaSpin was great for painting all sides of an object and sharing a Chinese food feast with everyone at the table. The only downside was that the VersaSpin could only hold 100 pounds, which would probably heave under my usual Chinese food order (especially if Ginger Beef was in play). What’s great is that the VersaSpin 360 now handles 200 lbs, enough to cover anyone’s Kung Pao Chicken addiction (oh, and a number of chores around the home). [click to continue…]
