Home and Family

Prep for Success: Avoid Paint Failure and Increase Service Value

What’s the expiration date for paint?

If improperly applied, or applied after hasty or incomplete preparation, the lifespan of paint will be short. Painting contractors know that using quality products on properly prepared surfaces and using professional application techniques is the only way to get the most out of a coating.

Cut corners on any part of the process, and you risk paint failure and decrease the benefits that a coating offers for your structure.

Avoid Paint Failure: Choose Quality Products

Paint, like most material goods, comes in high and low grades. Cheaper paints cannot offer the same performance characteristics found in more expensive brands of paint. A painting contractor can help you select paints that have the right pigments, binders and additives that will give you the best performance for your building. The right high quality paint for the job is less likely to experience paint failure than a cheaper paint.

Avoid Paint Failure: Choose Proper Prep Techniques

Ask any professional painting contractor for the number one thing that helps prevent paint failure, and proper surface preparation is the most likely answer. The pros know that the time and effort you put into preparing the surface will directly affect that paint job’s performance. Cleaning, blasting and other procedures allow paint to bond with the surface.

Poor surface adhesion is behind a host of paint failure issues, such as peeling and flaking. By making sure that a surface is optimal for paint adhesion, a painting contractor is helping you avoid paint failure.

Avoid Paint Failure: Use Professional Application Techniques

Every paint manufacturer lists a coverage guideline for each of their products, which is usually expressed as the square footage covered per gallon at a set thickness of application. The coverage guidelines are what the manufacturer recommends to get the most benefit from the product. Failing to put those coverage guidelines into practice invites paint failure.

Professional painting contractors follow coverage guidelines because they know that cracking and flaking, a type of paint failure, can result from stretching a coat too thin. When a painting contractor is making an estimate, the square footage that is to be covered is factored into the costs of materials for the project. Cutting corners on the materials budget may result in serious problems with cracking and flaking later on.

On the other side of the application issue, laying it on too thick may result in a different type of paint failure called alligatoring. Another cause of this type of paint failure is not letting a coat dry properly before applying more paint. Consistent application and good dry times are needed to insure a quality finish.

Extend the lifespan of your coating by asking for suggestions to avoid paint failure at your facility. Your painting and coating contractor may have more advice to help your facility stay looking great.

As a result of the “green living” movement, Low or Zero VOC paints are becoming more mainstream. If you’re gearing up to paint your baby’s nursery, here’s what you should know about these new paint alternatives.

Traditional Paints
If you’ve ever painted a room in the past with traditional paint, you probably had to open the windows because of the strong odor. Traditional paints contain volatile organic compounds also known as VOCs. VOCs are comprised of a variety of chemicals that can adversely affect your health. In fact, according to The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VOCs can trigger eye, nose and throat irritations, headaches, nausea, and a loss of coordination. Significant exposure may even lead to problems with the kidney, liver and central nervous system.

Many people mistakenly believe that once their paint is dry and the smell is gone, the chemicals are too. However VOCs tend to concentrate indoors and may persist in the air long after painting is finished. To decrease this risk, consider choosing a non toxic paint for the nursery and other rooms in your home as well. There are many benefits to using non toxic paints including:

• Easier clean-up with soap and water
• Easier disposal options
• Less odor during application and usually no odor once the paint is dry
• A shorter waiting period to safely occupy the room
• Significant reduction in toxins released into the air

Non toxic or Natural Paints
These paints are produced by a variety of manufacturers and come in several options. Many of the paints are now available at mainstream home improvement stores as well as at local specialty paint stores. As with many eco-friendly products, there are no official federal guidelines regarding labeling, so VOC standards may vary by manufacturer. Consult the paint labels or ask your in-store paint specialist for clarification if you have questions. You can also look for paints that have Green Seal certifications.

Types of Non toxic Paints

Low VOC: These paints use water instead of petroleum to carry the paint. To be considered Low VOC, a paint may only contain 250 grams of VOC per liter. Likewise, varnishes are limited to 380 grams of VOC per liter. However, many reputable paint companies offer paints with even lower VOC levels. Look for Green Seal Certifications.

Zero VOC: These paints still contain VOCs but are limited to less than 5 grams of VOC per liter.

Natural Paints: These safe paints are made solely from natural ingredients, including substances like water, clay, chalk, plant dyes, natural latex and even milk and beeswax. You can search for natural paints online.

Decorating a baby nursery can be a loving way to prepare for your newborn’s arrival. If your plans involve painting the walls, choosing non toxic or natural paints is great way to reduce potential household toxins and give your precious baby the gift of healthy indoor air.

Learning how to become a good oil painter is a difficult undertaking. In fact, it is more than likely one of the most difficult painting mediums to master. Things like color mixing & theory, perspective, techniques and materials can really intimidate a beginner artist.

So how do you get the most out of your oil painting and become a more accomplished artist?

You must make it a point to learn the fundamentals of oil painting, practice often and have an enormous amount of patience.

You must start with the fundamentals of oil painting first. You cannot expect to produce Rembrandt quality paintings in the beginning. In fact, the first paintings you produce will probably be a lot worse than you may have anticipated. Frustration will more than likely come into the picture (pun intended). They key is to learn from your mistakes and do not let them defeat you.

So what are some of the fundamentals of oil painting? What information should you study and learn first?

Below are some topics of interest that you should definitely study further when you have time:

LEARN HOW TO DRAW

You will be amazed at how much learning how to draw will help improve your oil paintings. In fact, years ago art students were not even permitted to pick up an oil painting brush until they learned the fundamentals of drawing. My advice would be to find a few good books on drawing fundamentals and start there. Drawing is an art form all by itself and you should not be expected to master drawing as an art form, unless you want to of course.

Here is an excellent book to help you learn drawing fundamentals:

“The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence” by Betty Edwards

COLOR THEORY

You MUST learn about color theory if you plan on producing quality works of art. If you don’t understand how colors work, then you might as well hang up your brushes now. There is much to learn about colors like temperature, hue and intensity and how colors interact with one another. This is a very important aspect of oil painting and must not be overlooked.

Here is an excellent book on color theory:

“Exploring Color: How to Use and Control Color in Your Painting” by Nita Leland

PERSPECTIVE

Learning about perspective will teach you how to translate a 3-dimensional world onto a 2-dimensional canvas or other support. Learning perspective is a necessary ingredient toward producing convincing oil paintings.

Here is an excellent book on perspective:

“The Art of Perspective: The Ultimate Guide for Artists in Every Medium” by Phil Metzger

MATERIALS

Materials to an oil painter are like what a guitar is to a guitarist. A guitarist cannot play without his instrument nor can he play without understanding how his instrument works. Your painting materials are your instruments. They are what enable you to express yourself, so learning more about them is pretty good idea. Get to know the different kinds of brushes and what they do. Know your paints. Not all colors behave the same. Some are more transparent or opaque than others. Know your supports and the difference between them. The list goes on.

Here is an excellent book for learning more about oil painting materials:

“The Oil Painting Book: Materials and Techniques for Today’s Artist” by Bill Creevy

TECHNIQUES

There are a myriad of oil painting techniques that you can utilize to create your paintings. So much so, that it is beyond the scope of this article. Techniques like wet on wet, glazing, alla prima, knife painting, etc. should all be explored. Working with various techniques will help you develop your own unique style.

Here is a great book on oil painting techniques:

“The Encyclopedia of Oil Painting Techniques: A Unique Step-by-Step Visual Directory of All the Key Oil-Painting Techniques, Plus an Inspirational Gallery Showing How They Can Be Put into Practice” by Jeremy Galton

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS

Masters like Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Rembrandt van Rijn , Johannes Vermeer and many more, were all able to successfully translate our 3-dimensional world onto a 2-dimensional surface in such a way that it grabs the viewers attention and keeps it there. Their paintings engage the viewer and bring them back time and time again to look some more. Why? What is it that these paintings have that make them so popular? Well, one way to find out is to study them. If at all possible, make it a point to visit a museum as often as possible and study the works of the masters. Find paintings that grab your attention and draw you in. Then, when you have time, try to find books and other resources on those artists so that you can learn more about them and their techniques. When you are ready, pick a painting that you are quite fond of and try to reproduce it.

Here is a great book on learning from the masters:

“How to Paint Like the Old Masters ” by Joseph Sheppard

The search for better ways to use green products, methods and technology leads facility managers to painting strategies that not only consider the welfare of the environment and incurs lesser costs, but at the same time still maintain high quality paint performance.

Some of these paints and coatings practices are the application of a second coating that not only requires little surface preparation, but guarantees longer life to the building and stronger protection against daily wear-and-tear. Another is proper paint storage and disposal to extend usefulness of paint for future projects. Another is the careful measurement of the area to be painted so that only the right amount of paint will be purchased, eliminating the cost of extra and unused paint. Lastly, there is the use of recycled paint as a greener option.

Recycled Paint

Recycled paint offers cost-saving opportunities and lesser dangers to the environment while still providing quality finish to buildings. Any water-based and latex paint can be recycled. For latex paints, recycling is done either through re-blending or reprocessing.

Re-blending involves re-mixing the paint and screening to eradicate any solid materials to improve consistency. Only neutral-colored paint and coatings can be re-blended, hence they are more appropriate to projects such as undercoating, graffiti removal, or exterior painting — where aesthetics is not an issue.

Reprocessing includes the addition of new components to the recycled paint, making the paint available in more tints and a wider range of applications.

For recycled paint sources, facility managers often turn to paint and coatings dealers who have passed certifications standards. The Master Painters Institute offers certification programs to recycled paint manufacturers.

Benefits of Recycled Paints

Some of the major benefits of using recycled paint and coatings are lesser hazards and zero waste disposals that lessen the danger to the environment. Another benefit is lesser costs due mainly to lower expenses, zero waste disposal costs, and lower transportation costs (because recycled paint is produced locally).

A performance and price comparison of recycled and non-recycled paints confirmed the economic and environmental viability of the former. The case of the Portland Water Bureau who used 100% recycled paint to re-paint their water tanks resulted to 75% lesser costs and generated cost-savings of $3,500 for the project.

Challenges in Adoption of Recycled Paints

One of the main problems in the adoption of recycled paint and coatings is the linkage gap between recyclers and users. To strengthen this link, the Internet has been used as a medium to bring recyclers and their markets together. Governments like the state of Michigan also sponsor an online directory listing for recycled materials.

To market recycled paints and coatings further, the EPA allied with environmental agencies and conducted a performance comparison of recycled paints and ordinary paints. The results for recycled paint were generally positive, such as its good performance in metal surface applications, user satisfaction and willingness to reuse, strength and resistance to various environment conditions, and cost benefits. Minor constraints such as wood surface non-adherence and color match problems were encountered.

Painting contractors know that paint and coatings play a crucial role in the green building trend sweeping the nation today. Because of the decline in construction brought about by the financial crisis, the green building idea is taking root and getting wider attention from construction stakeholders who not only appreciate a non-polluting and environment-friendly method of construction, but also welcome the significant cost reductions to construction projects.

The construction industry’s interest in green building projects challenges paint manufacturers and their raw material suppliers to ingeniously produce environment-friendly paint products and materials that comply with environment standards without sacrificing quality performance. The products are now populating the market, ready to be used by painting contractors in many facility projects.

Environment-Friendly Paints and Coatings

The result of paint manufacturers’ paint reformulation efforts is apparent in the wide array of green paints that painting contractors can chose from. One product is a result of many years of polymer research leading to a new and improved latex paint that eliminates the use of toxic solvents. Without the inclusion of such harmful solvents, air quality is maintained during and after painting application projects, protecting painting contractors and building tenants at the same time.

The presence of VOCs or volatile organic compounds is also a major environmental problem in regular paints. VOCs are harmful materials to the environment, polluting the air and causing health risks to humans. To address this problem, paint manufacturers make it one of their stringent goals to develop new products that contain little to zero VOCs.

Another coating innovation is the infusion of water-repellent characteristics to external coatings, resulting in a “self-cleaning” feature wherein dirt and water particles simply slide off the painted surfaces, leaving the building surface clean and impervious to soiling and the effects of the weather. The building surface remains dry and maintains its color over longer periods of time.

Green Raw Materials

Raw material suppliers have also been busy researching and formulating green materials. A new line of emulsion polymers, for instance, help paint manufacturers develop low-VOC and low-odor paints without the aid of detrimental coalescents.

As with paint manufacturers, raw material suppliers are determined to lower VOC in paints, hence a wide variation of low-VOC raw materials have emerged, from zero-formaldehyde solutions and neutral-PH wet-state preservatives, to multi-purpose additives and dry films that meet the standards for green paints.

Suppliers take VOC compliance to innovative levels with green ingredients designed for all types of coating applications, as well as shorten the application and drying time of paints, to the benefit of painting contractors and building residents. Biocidal products that contain almost zero organic solvents are also another area of enhancement, allowing paint to be manufactured more safely and easier to apply by painting contractors.

Green Building from Green Paint

Almost-zero VOC solutions that are less-harmful during paint manufacturing, application, and post-application are of paramount importance not only to paint manufacturers and raw material suppliers, but also to painting contractors, building owners and tenants. Even minute traces of VOCs must have no place in paint solutions to comply with green standards and ensure the building’s viability and sustainability.

The demand for green buildings is driving painting contractors to use only green paints and coatings. In response, paint manufacturers and their suppliers develop eco-friendly paints made out of environmentally-safe materials. These layered responses allow for a successful implementation of the green building trend to most commercial and residential facilities in the country.