Ashley Asks:

I am painting my walls from a dark blue to a very light lavender. I have completely and evenly primed my walls with a white primer first. If I use two coats of paint, how much will the color change? I'm worried it will come out darker and/or richer, and I don't want either of these. How likely is it that I can get away with one coat? The brand is Glidden, if that helps.

Dukes Painting's professional opinion:

Ashley, It is very unlikely that you will get complete coverage over white primer in just one coat, no matter which paint brand you are using. You shouldn't worry about color change with two coats of paint. Adding layers of the same paint won't affect the color or richness of the final product. It will only affect the coverage. Two coats is desirable in most cases.

We know that hiring a painting contractor isn't always the best option. If you are going to paint a ceilling yourself, here are few tips from the professionals at Dukes Painting and Repair.

Its a good idea to paint the ceiling first.

If you are painting the entire room you should paint the ceiling first. When painting a ceiling it is inevitable to have drips and splatter. If you aren't painting the walls as well you will need to cover them with plastic or be prepared to wipe up any splatter immediately.

Popcorn Texture

That "great" invention from the 70's that seems to be nothing but an eyesore now. If you have this kind of ceiling in your house, I am sorry. Painting these can be tricky. If they have never been painted before, it is easiest to rent a sprayer for the job. Or you can buy a cheap sprayer from an home improvement store.

If you try to roll this stuff, there is a good chance that it will just fall off the ceiling. It will stick to your roller, and if it isn't adhered well enough it may just fall off in big clumps. Not to mention how difficult this stuff is to brush (cut in). You will find that a sprayer will save you lots of time and money. Remember to mask the walls with painters plastic.

Use a flat paint on the ceiling

Traditionally ceilings are textured because it is very difficult to get them completely smooth. Working overhead is a pain and construction professionals have found it easier to just texture the ceiling to hide the imperfections.

This is why ceilings are traditionally painted with a flat paint. Flat paints hide imperfections. White or light colors hide perfections as well. They also have the added benefit of making the room feel larger.

If your room is already large and you want to make it feel more cozy, feel free to experiment with darker colors on the ceiling.

Choose the correct roller for the job.

If you've decided to roll your ceiling, make sure to select the correct roller cover for the job.

When painting textured or rough ceilings, use a larger napped roller. 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch nap will work best. The thicker the nap, the faster your job will be.

When painting smooth ceilings, use a a short napped roller. Sometimes a 1/2 inch nap will do the trick, but you may want to opt for a 3/8 inch nap for really fine work.

I always recommend a "white" roller cover. Every manufacturer makes this type and calls them by different names. They are most often described as "woven fabric" or "woven fibre" roller covers and are almost always white in color. This type of roller is superior because it doesn't shed. Cheaper roller naps will leave hairs in your finished work.

Hire a pro if you need help

And as always, if you need help, you can contact us for a free consultation and estimate.

Question:

I'm in the process of modernizing my house a bit and would like to know how to remove popcorn ceiling texture.  I want to get rid of the 70's feel in the house. 

Answer:

Removing popcorn texture is relatively strait forward and a quite simple technique.  However, it can be labor intensive so be aware that it will take longer than you think.

Most of the time, when a house is built, the texture is applied and then never painted.  If this is the case in your house, you are in luck.  All you need to do is put down a copious amount of plastic and tarps to protect your floor, then spray the ceiling with water from a garden sprayer.  Work in small sections and don't over wet the ceiling. You want just enough water to loosen the texture but not enough so that it will soak into the drywall. Once the texture is wet, you can easily scrape it down with a mud knife.  

If your ceiling has been painted before, the water won't help very much, you just need to scrape away at it with a 6 inch mud knife until the texture comes off.  This will be quite labor intensive.  Another option is to use a random orbital sander and just start sanding.  You willl have to experiment to find the technique that works best for you. 

After you have scraped the texture off, and let it dry completely (at least 48 hours) you can go back with a sander and smooth everything out.  Then you can apply your new texture or skim coat the ceiling for a nice flat finish. 

Paint the ceiling and you are finished. 

If you need help with this project let us know as our painters are experienced with this task. 

Question:

I am planning on painting my bathroom, however it is covered in hideous wallpaper.  What steps do I need to take in order remove it without damaging the wall behind it?

Answer:

This is always one of the major obstacles to interior painting contractors. And there is quite a bit to know before you begin.  

First you must realize that there are 2 different types of wall paper: paper faced, and vinyl faced.  These are exactly as they sound.  The vinyl faced wall paper has a plastic feel to it, and is impermeable to water and other solvents. Luckily this type of wall paper has been out of style since the 70s and is found in fewer and fewer home. 

Additionally there are couple of tactics that you should take to remove wall paper.  The first thing you should try is to just peel up a corner of a sheet and try to slowly remove the top layer of paper.  If you are lucky this top layer will come off in one sheet leaving a layer of thin backing paper adhered to the wall with paste.  This usually happens with expensive wallpapers.  The cheap papers will usually tear off in little strips or not at all.  

If the paper comes off in one big piece like described above, you are in luck.  All you have to do is remove the top layers, then spray the remaining backing with a wallpaper paste dissolver like DIF (found at any home store or paint store).  Once the backing is completely soaked, it will easily come off with a large scraper or knife. 

If, however, your paper face rips in little pieces you are in for a bit of a job.  Determine if the paper is vinyl or paper faced.  If it is vinyl faced you will have to score the entire wall will a wall paper score tool.  This will poke tiny wholes into the wall paper face and allow the remover to soak into the backing.  If it is paper faced, proceed with the next step. 

Using a garden sprayer or spray bottle, soak a good sized section of the wall with wallpaper remover.  As soon as you apply the remover, put a sheet of painters plastic film onto the wall.  The liquid will adhere the plastic to the wall.  The purpose of the plastic to hold the remover on the wall and to keep it from evaporating.  The worst thing that could happen at this point is for your remover to evaporate.  This would cause the glue to reset and stick harder than before.  

Let the remover soak into the wallpaper for at least 30 minutes.  Continuously check to see if the paper is loosened.  Add more remover to the wall if it starts to dry out.  

Caution:  If you let the remover soak for too long, it may seep into the drywall and loosen the drywall paper from the rock.  This will result in serious wall damage and will make a lot more work for you in repairs. You need to let the remover soak just long enough to loosen the paste.  

Once the paste is loosened, just scrape the paper off with a mud knife.  Be careful not to gouge the walls though, as this will create more work for you.

Now that you have the wallpaper off, you are not quite ready to paint.  If you paint now, the remaining glue will cause major problems with the paints adherence. The paint will likely fish-eye, and flake off the wall.  You must wash down the walls with a solution of wallpaper glue remover and water.  Then when this is finished. You must prime the walls with an oil based wall primer. Killz will work perfectly.  After all this you can fill any gouges or chips and then you can paint as normal.  

If this sounds like more than you bargained for, let us know.  Our skilled painters have the experience to do this job right the first time and will probably save you money and time.