Painting and Choosing the right Sheen for the Project

Sheen, is how shiny or dull the paint finish is after it is dry.  There is a Sheen spectrum, with Gloss (shiniest) being at one end of it and Flat (dull) being at the other end.  In between the two of these there are a variety of other Sheens, which I mostly use when painting.   The entire Spectrum is as follows starting from the dullest to the shiniest: Flat; Satin; Eggshell; Semi-Gloss; and Gloss.

Here are some important tips when choosing which Sheen will work best for your project.  The shinier the Sheen the more scrubbable or the abilitiy to clean the surface that has been painted.  This means that it is much easier to clean a surface that was painted with Semi-Gloss Sheen than would be a surface that had been painted with a Satin Sheen.

On the other hand, the shinier the Sheen the more flaws in the surface being painted stands out.  This means that a wall that has been painted with a Gloss Sheen will have more of its imperfections stand out as opposed to that same wall being painted in a Flat Sheen.  Imperfections in a wall can consist of scratches, inconsistencies in wall texture, dents in the surface, improper repairs, etc…  If these items are painted with a Gloss Sheen any light sources will reflect off of this Sheen and make any imperfections stand out from the rest of the surface.  The shinier the Sheen, the brighter the room will become depending on the amount of light emitted from a light source.  Be careful because the shine or reflection from the light source can be bothersome to you eyes. 

My recommendation for a home is to paint the interior walls with either a Satin or Eggshell Sheen.  I have found that these Sheens are ideal on the walls because they are easier on the eyes, while at the same time, do not highlight the imperfections in the wall as readily and allow for some cleanability.  I recommend a Semi-Gloss Sheen for the doors,baseboards, doorcasing , and other woodwork because I want these items to standout.   These items also have a tendency to get dirty more readily and I want to have the ability to clean them better.  I only recommend a Flat Sheen when painting the ceiling and rarily ever use a Gloss Sheen on any surface.  

On the exterior walls, I recommend the same as the interior, a Satin or Eggshell Sheen.  I have seen houses that have been painted in a Gloss Sheen that have been unbearable to look at without Sunglasses.   For the exterior doors and trim, soffits and fascia, I use a Semi-Gloss Sheen.   You can also use an Eggshell Sheen on these items due to the amount of light emitted and reflected from the  sun.

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Don’t Paint That Stain! (Ceiling Stains)

Unfortunately, it is probably going to happen.  Our roofs are going to develop a leak, which will eventually create a stain on the ceiling.  I know you will be tempted to try and paint it white, hoping that it will blend in with the rest of the ceiling.  Don’t Do It! 

The alternative to painting the stain, is to bleach it!  It is best to notice a stained ceiling as quickly as possible and to find the source of the leak in the roof and get it repaired.  If the stain is small approx. 6″x6″ bleaching it, is a great option.  I recommend diluting the bleach with water and putting it in a small spray bottle.   You can obtain a small spray bottle at your local Building Supply Store in the cleaning supply section or even at your local grocery store for less than $5.00.   After you have mixed the bleach and water in the spray bottle, you will want to get as close to the stain as possible when spraying.  Be Careful, it is possible to end up bleaching items other than the ceiling.  I usually move any furniture that may be in the area and will put down a tarp or newspaper on the floor to protect it.   As a another necessary precaution, I will hold an empty receptacle (bucket) directly below the stain as I am spraying it.  Depending on how dark the stain is, it may take several bleach applications.  For some stains it has taken me around a dozen applications.  It may sound like a lot of effort, but not nearly the amount of effort it would take to paint the entire ceiling. 

There are several exceptions to this.  Paint over the stain only if you still have the original ceiling paint that was used on that particular section of the ceiling.  If you have the original ceiling paint, great!  Prior to applying this original ceiling paint, I would recommend using a stainblocker LATEX paint like Kilz Brand or Zinsser Brand and apply it only to the stain.  You may need to use several applications of this stainblocker paint.  Once the stain is hidden behind the stainblocker paint, use the original ceiling paint to touch up the area. 

If you don’t have the original ceiling paint and the stain is on a small section of a ceiling (closet or small bathroom), you can paint the entire ceiling.  Use the stainblocker paint and follow the procedures above to get rid of the stain.  You can use the stainblocker paint as your finished ceiling color or you can purchase Interior Latex Ceiling Paint to paint over the stain and the rest of the ceiling. 

Paints never match up completely, next time you go to your local Building Supply or Paint Store look and see how many shades of white there are.  As a result, sometimes you do ultimately have to paint the entire ceiling and should be used as a last option. 

So don’t paint it, bleach it!

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All these Paint Cans!

Whenever we go into our garage, it is staring at us, we try to put them in cabinets but we end obtaining more and more of them.  What are they? They are the paint cans that we have collected over the years.  It is time to take back that corner of the garage or that cabinet.  Chances are, many of them are no longer needed or unusable.  What do I mean by no longer needed?  Most of our homes are older than 20 years old, meaning that we have probably already painted over that original paint.  Unusable? If the paint is older than 5 years old there is a chance that paint is no longer usable.  This would depend on how air tight the can was sealed from the last time we used it. 

Now that we have determined that the paint is either outdated or unusable.  What do we do with it?  Paint is not that easy to dispose of and should be disposed of properly.  Paint can be thrown out in your curbside garbage collection only if it has completely hardened.  It can take a long time for paint to completely harden even after leaving the lid off.  I have tried this before and it has taken months.  I was only succesful at accomplishing this with less than a quarter gallon.  Your local paint store does sell an additive that will speed up this process and I recommend it.  Another way to dispose of the unwanted paint is to call your local Garbage Removal Company.  They sometimes have local dropoffs or the local dump will taken in hazardous waste.  

Now that we have removed those old and unused paint cans, put that cleaned out corner in the garage to good use.  It can now be used for all those old clothes you’ve been meaning to donate. 

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