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Tony Isgrove's
Painting & Decorating Specialists
2/89 Whiting Street, Artarmon 2064
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Tel: 02 9437 1997
Fax: 02 9437 1447
tony@paintanddecorate.com.au
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Interior painting » Preparation guide
Time spent in preparation is never wasted. All your effort can count for very little if the surface does not provide a sound base on which the paint can adhere. Professionals find that preparation can take up the total job time, especially if it's been a long time since the last paint job. To avoid lengthy preparation, freshen up your paintwork before the surface deteriorates!
The following simple steps may seem fairly unexciting, but they will ensure that you are happy with the results for years to come.
Checking
Look for signs of any problems with old paint peeling, flaking, cracking, chalking or blistering. These suggest repair work is necessary. Loose or faulty surfaces should be removed to create a sound, smooth, clean and dry base for painting.
Cleaning
If your surface is sound, with no flaking or peeling, the next step is cleaning, Wash it down will with sugar soap, remembering to follow the directions on the pack. This will remove grease, smoke stains and dirt to give you a good, clean surface to paint. Wash walls from bottom upwards, to prevent runs from marking the existing paintwork.
Mould
To remove mould, use a hypochlorite (household bleach) solution rather than sugar soap. Dilute 1 part hypochlorite with 3 parts of clean water to make the solution. Wear gloves and goggles to protect your skin and eyes. Apply the solution with a thick scouring pad to lightly abrade the surface and ensure physical removal of stubborn areas of mould growth. Leave the solution on the surface for 1X minutes, then wash down thoroughly with clean water. You may have to repeat the process in severe cases. |
Stripping Woodwork
If your old painted woodwork is showing signs of peeling, or if it's heavily layered, it should be sanded or stripped back to a firm base before repainting. The most common methods of stripping are using a heat gun or chemical stripper.
Using Chemical Stripper
Read the directions on the pack and follow them carefully, these chemicals are not particularly user friendly! Wear gloves and eye protection, open doors and windows for ventilation and keep any children well away.
The one step or new generation paint strippers usually give the best results. Scoring the surface will help the stripper penetrate layers of paint.
Brush on a liberal coat of stripper and let it stand until the paint begins to blister. Do not let it dry out or it will harden and become difficult to remove. Remove the softened paint with a scraper. Depending on how many layers of existing paint there are and the type, you may have to repeat the process several times. Finally, neutralise if necessary according to pack instructions and sand smooth.
Using a Heat Gun
Today these are reasonably economical to buy and simple to use. Never use a heat gun after using chemical stripper in the same area, as the chemical residue may vaporise or ignite.
To use, flow the hot air from the nozzel over the wood until the paint just begins to bubble freely, overheating can make the paint sticky and scorch the wood. Gently remove the softened paint with a scraper. Repeat the process if you need to, then sand any residual paint back to bare wood or a firm base.
Be careful using a heat gun near flammable materials. When using it close to glass, use a sheild attachment or hold in a piece of metal to protect the glass from the very hot air flow. |
Removing Wallpaper
Depending on the type and amount of wall covering you wish to remove, you may choose to do it entirely by hand using a remover solution, or rent a steaming machine.
Newer vinyl wall coverings can often be peeled off dry hand. Any backing paper residue can be readily removed by sponging on warm water and scraping it off. Other vinyl and traditional wallpapers may be less co-operative. It's up to you whether you use a remover, which contains wetting agents to help soften the adhesive, or warm water. Try warm water first!
Cover the floor with a cloth and apply the solution liberally with a large sponge until the adhesive is softened. This may take several applications. Carefully scrape off the paper and as much adhesive as you can. If the paper was hung over unsealed plaster or wallboard it may be difficult to remove without damaging the plaster. Scrub the walls to remove the adhesive residue. Finally, rinse with clean warm water and let the walls dry completely.
You can also consider hiring a wallpaper 'steamer', available from most hire centres and many larger hardware and paint stores. Instructions are provided with the machine. |
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PH 02 9437 1997
