Go Back  British Expats > Living & Moving Abroad > USA > The Trailer Park
Reload this Page >

Home and garden projects

Home and garden projects

Old Apr 8th 2020, 9:24 pm
  #1576  
BE Forum Addict
 
zzrmark's Avatar
 
Joined: Apr 2014
Location: Lauren's Co. SC by way of Palmetto, Florida
Posts: 3,265
zzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond reputezzrmark has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by Steerpike
Quick wall painting question. I'm about to repaint a room. I have two choices;
1) do all the 'brush work' first, on all four walls (along the ceiling edge, around windows, doors, switches, etc), then (perhaps the next day) do all the roller work.
For a professional look, it is quicker and far less hassle to remove the covers from all switches and put them back after you've painted, with a steady hand you should be able to roller around the edges without splurging paint over the actual outlet.
zzrmark is offline  
Old Apr 8th 2020, 9:39 pm
  #1577  
Thread Starter
 
Pulaski's Avatar
 
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,397
Pulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by zzrmark
For a professional look, it is quicker and far less hassle to remove the covers from all switches and put them back after you've painted, with a steady hand you should be able to roller around the edges without splurging paint over the actual outlet.
Good catch, I missed that! .... Better still, while you have the face plates off, run them through the dishwasher - they will come out as clean as new.
Pulaski is offline  
Old Apr 9th 2020, 2:45 am
  #1578  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Steerpike's Avatar
 
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,091
Steerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by zzrmark
For a professional look, it is quicker and far less hassle to remove the covers from all switches and put them back after you've painted, with a steady hand you should be able to roller around the edges without splurging paint over the actual outlet.
Oh, I wouldn't dream of NOT removing the switch plates! The brush-work I'm talking about is around windows, along the ceiling line, down two wall lines (I'm actually not going to do the entire room), and along the baseboards.

What I'm actually doing here is 're-painting' a wall in nominally the same color, but - I've given up trying to match the original paint so I'm going to simply paint the entire section. When I moved in, they had big formal window coverings ('curtains'/'drapes') that I found far too depressing, so I removed them all and patched lots of holes. They had the original paints in the garage but ... didn't match (only slightly off, but noticeable). I then bought a new can of the same paint (it was a 'named' color) and touched up with that - and it STILL does not match properly. So ... given that I have time on my hands, I'm choosing to redo the entire wall.

The reason for not doing all the walls is that this room is, in part, one of those 'open to the second floor' rooms ... half the room has 24' walls, and I'd have to get some pretty serious ladders to get up there - and a dose of nerve that I don't know if I possess! It's painting along the ceiling line that intimidates me - there's a temptation, once you are all the way up the ladder, to reach over as far as you can so you don't have to keep moving the ladder ... and I know myself ... I'll push my luck!

Steerpike is offline  
Old Apr 10th 2020, 2:35 am
  #1579  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Steerpike's Avatar
 
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,091
Steerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Hmmmm ... I did all the brush work Wednesday, then did the roller work today. There's a distinct difference between the two; the brushwork looks lighter in color. I"m guessing this could be one of two things:
1) I'm using flat paint (totally flat) and what I'm seeing is the difference between surface textures from brush vs roller
2) I did not mix the paint well enough, such that the first task (the brush work) is a different color from the roller work. I had the paint 'custom mixed' on Sunday, and I'm only using 1 can (so I'm not dealing with can differences), so I ASSUMED the paint would be still well mixed from the store on Wednesday and would not need a heavy stirring / mixing. So the brush work was done, pretty much, straight from the can without a stir (I did shake it, as I recall). Today I gave it a good stir and then poured into the roller tray.

I still have half a can left so I will stir it well, and re-do the brush work one more time and see if that fixes it ...
Not sure if this provides enough subtle detail or not ...




Steerpike is offline  
Old Apr 10th 2020, 12:17 pm
  #1580  
Thread Starter
 
Pulaski's Avatar
 
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,397
Pulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by Steerpike
Hmmmm ... I did all the brush work Wednesday, then did the roller work today. There's a distinct difference between the two; the brushwork looks lighter in color. I"m guessing this could be one of two things:
1) I'm using flat paint (totally flat) and what I'm seeing is the difference between surface textures from brush vs roller
2) I did not mix the paint well enough, such that the first task (the brush work) is a different color from the roller work. I had the paint 'custom mixed' on Sunday, and I'm only using 1 can (so I'm not dealing with can differences), so I ASSUMED the paint would be still well mixed from the store on Wednesday and would not need a heavy stirring / mixing. So the brush work was done, pretty much, straight from the can without a stir (I did shake it, as I recall). Today I gave it a good stir and then poured into the roller tray.

I still have half a can left so I will stir it well, and re-do the brush work one more time and see if that fixes it ...
Not sure if this provides enough subtle detail or not ...
Hmmm, I have had that problem, though usually not quite as pronounced as what you have, per your picture.

Texture could be part of it, and a brush or pad tends to put paint on much thinner - and I have usually blamed a thin paint layer, and found that the problem is mostly solved by painting again. There is IMO no chance that the paint separated from the pigment enough over night to make that much of a difference, it is more likely that it was never fully mixed in the first place - and I think I have had less of a problem when I paint the edges from the same tray Mrs P is rollering from.

One other thing, the colour of paint changes a bit as it dries, and you might find that by the time you're reading this that the colour difference is already much less than in the picture.

Last edited by Pulaski; Apr 10th 2020 at 12:20 pm.
Pulaski is offline  
Old Apr 10th 2020, 3:26 pm
  #1581  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Steerpike's Avatar
 
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,091
Steerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Hmmm, I have had that problem, though usually not quite as pronounced as what you have, per your picture.

Texture could be part of it, and a brush or pad tends to put paint on much thinner - and I have usually blamed a thin paint layer, and found that the problem is mostly solved by painting again. There is IMO no chance that the paint separated from the pigment enough over night to make that much of a difference, it is more likely that it was never fully mixed in the first place - and I think I have had less of a problem when I paint the edges from the same tray Mrs P is rollering from.

One other thing, the colour of paint changes a bit as it dries, and you might find that by the time you're reading this that the colour difference is already much less than in the picture.
Sadly, we are now 20 hours later and the color difference is still there. I think this was a case of me foolishly not stirring the paint. Oh well, I shall re-do the borders today and report back.
Steerpike is offline  
Old Apr 11th 2020, 4:57 pm
  #1582  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Steerpike's Avatar
 
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,091
Steerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by Steerpike
Sadly, we are now 20 hours later and the color difference is still there. I think this was a case of me foolishly not stirring the paint. Oh well, I shall re-do the borders today and report back.
Well, that was it! I simply need to mix the paint. Wow, that's a lesson learned. I noted, earlier, that the first thing I tried to do with the new can of paint was to simply touch up some areas where I'd repaired holes. Those 'touch up' spots did not match at all, leading me to think I needed to repaint the entire wall. Now, I'm wondering, had I simply mixed the paint well in the first place, I would have been fine with the touch-ups! I had always assumed that a can of paint, 'machine mixed' by the paint store, would remain well mixed for quite some time. Never again will I make that assumption!

Which now makes me wonder ... I tried touching up another area months ago; the can was very clearly labeled by the previous owner as 'kitchen ceiling' and a recent date; but the paint dried obviously lighter and I simply assumed the can was mis-labeled. But thinking back, I didn't really mix the paint that well. I have a tendency to shake paint cans and try to avoid stirring, because for minor touch up, you lose more paint on the stirrer than you use for the touch up! So now I'm going to mix the hell out of that paint and try one more time!
Steerpike is offline  
Old Apr 13th 2020, 5:26 pm
  #1583  
BE Enthusiast
 
newadventure's Avatar
 
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 384
newadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond reputenewadventure has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

I spent the weekend like a giant mole, digging what looked like random holes and trenches in our front yard. I was attempting to resurrect our irrigation system, which has not been used for at least the 4 yrs we have been in the house. First task, find the inline valves (finally found by tracing pipes back towards the house). Then locate sprinklers - 5 out of 6 found. One still AWOL. Then fix leaks. 3 done so far, another 2 that i know of and presumably 1 more that is preventing the final sprinkler head from popping up. The ground is pretty much pure sand here and would be easy to dig through if it weren't for the many tree and shrub roots that are everywhere. What fun
newadventure is offline  
Old Apr 13th 2020, 6:00 pm
  #1584  
BE Enthusiast
 
Joined: Mar 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 455
TexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

I finally started seeing some germination yesterday on some new lawn that I dug up, prepared and seeded last weekend.

I'm hoping to see a bit more growth this week before laying down the starter fertilizer next weekend
TexanScot is offline  
Old Apr 13th 2020, 6:01 pm
  #1585  
BE Enthusiast
 
Joined: Mar 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 455
TexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by newadventure
3 done so far, another 2 that i know of and presumably 1 more that is preventing the final sprinkler head from popping up.
I went through this recently and discovered 7 extra heads that I never knew existed, each of them evidenced by wet patches that started appearing as the water pressure increased with each head that I fixed.

It was something of a mission to get it all done, but I'm glad I invested the time in the end.
TexanScot is offline  
Old Apr 13th 2020, 6:49 pm
  #1586  
Account Closed
 
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 0
scrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by TexanScot
I finally started seeing some germination yesterday on some new lawn that I dug up, prepared and seeded last weekend.

I'm hoping to see a bit more growth this week before laying down the starter fertilizer next weekend
Are the storms hitting you right now? Rain?
scrubbedexpat097 is offline  
Old Apr 13th 2020, 6:51 pm
  #1587  
BE Enthusiast
 
Joined: Mar 2017
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 455
TexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond reputeTexanScot has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Somewhat.

No tornadoes or massive hailstones, but some sporadic downpours which should help minimize the sprinker run-time for a day or so.
TexanScot is offline  
Old Apr 13th 2020, 7:17 pm
  #1588  
Account Closed
 
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 0
scrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond reputescrubbedexpat097 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by TexanScot
Somewhat.

No tornadoes or massive hailstones, but some sporadic downpours which should help minimize the sprinker run-time for a day or so.
Silver lining Hopefully nothing worse will come along
scrubbedexpat097 is offline  
Old May 8th 2020, 5:23 am
  #1589  
Lost in BE Cyberspace
 
Steerpike's Avatar
 
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,091
Steerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond reputeSteerpike has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

How to best paint a raised-panel door?

I have a door not unlike this one:


Which I want to re-paint with a regular indoor latex paint. I've only ever done this once or twice before, and when I've done it, I've started out painting the 'recessed' panel parts, then moving on to finish the inside panels, and finally doing the outside 'flat' parts. The problem I've run into doing this is that by the time I'm ready to do the outer 'flat' parts, the paint used to paint the inner recessed parts of the panels has started to dry, to the point where brushing the new paint tends to 'drag' the drying existing paint, leading to obvious marks which then need sanding out (on non-final coats) or ... living with them if it's the final coat. Is there a way to better handle this? Of course one can try not to get any paint from one 'area' into another area, but that's not possible to avoid in all cases. I think I've tried using a roller and doing the whole thing at once, side-to-side, but using a roller ends up with excess paint in the panel recesses that is hard to deal with. I will, of course, be laying the door flat so at least I have gravity on my side. Part of my challenge is I'm doing this in AZ where it is 80 degrees inside my home and 15% humidity, so paint is drying fast! I wonder if I should look into some sort of drying inhibitor to keep the paint more fluid so that when I have to paint up against an existing (already drying) section, there's less of a clash... ? Spraying would be ideal but that's not practical for me.
Steerpike is offline  
Old May 8th 2020, 12:52 pm
  #1590  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Jun 2015
Location: Near Lynchburg Tennessee, home of Jack Daniels
Posts: 1,379
ddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond reputeddsrph has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Home and garden projects

You could try a roller on the raised parts. Quickly paint those parts first in a few minutes then before it dries use a brush to paint the recessed edges.
ddsrph is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.