Questions tagged [paint]

For questions regarding the paint product itself, including selection and maintenance.

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4 votes
6 answers
100k views

How can I repair a poor drywall taping job?

For my first-ever drywall taping attempt, I (predictably) messed up. Taped the walls (three coats), then added primer (two coats) and semi-gloss Behr paint (two coats). Reinstalled my lighting and ...
Xuor's user avatar
  • 189
49 votes
10 answers
257k views

Doors are sticky and noisy when opened?

For some reason, the doors in our house make a very loud "unsticking" sound when you open them. It's almost as if the paint isn't cured, since the sound seems to come from the contact area around the ...
Jeff Atwood's user avatar
43 votes
9 answers
674k views

How can I paint over mold to prevent it from coming back again?

The source of the leak has been fixed, however the old mold keeps showing though the new paint.
Walker's user avatar
  • 6,219
31 votes
9 answers
235k views

Can I paint or seal a very moist basement floor to make it waterproof?

My basement has a slight dampness issue, where if I leave things on the floor they will get wet. There are no leaks and no standing water, the moisture seems to be wicking up through the concrete. I ...
Tester101's user avatar
  • 132k
14 votes
15 answers
3k views

What is your top tip for painting?

Simple really - add your best tips for painting (a room, that is). Ideally one tip per answer for ease of voting.
11 votes
1 answer
13k views

How to remove/clean black mold?

What is the best way to remove black mold from wood? Specifically, the mold on my back porch is black mold. Is the best option to use something like Kilz over it?
warren's user avatar
  • 951
6 votes
2 answers
11k views

How can I remove paint from an indoor brick wall?

I have a red brick wall that was painted. I need to figure out an easy method of removing the paint without damaging the brick. Are there any tried and true methods? One thing to remember is that ...
Joe Phillips's user avatar
  • 2,266
12 votes
5 answers
10k views

How can I paint over a ceiling after there's been a leak?

We had a leak in our upstairs bathroom, about 2 weeks after we had a new ceiling put up and painted in the room below. It wasn't a major leak, but it caused quite a wide line to show up on the ceiling....
Jaymz's user avatar
  • 305
2 votes
1 answer
661 views

Are these cracks small enough to paint as gap fill or do I need to caulk?

House is ~25 years old and several owners in. Do I need to do any sort of filling of these cracks with a paintable caulk or is thin enough I should just paint over it again? /Cheers
TEEKAY's user avatar
  • 351
2 votes
3 answers
41k views

How to remove water based wood stain splashed onto painted surface

How do I remove the water based wood stain from my kitchen wall. I got some on my kitchen wall while I was staining my kitchen cabinets? I tried to remove my using soap and water on a sponge. It did ...
Alice's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes
2 answers
447 views

How do I paint over unpaintable silicone?

So I stupidly used unpaintable silicone to seal my bedroom window... On the inside. How can I paint over this unpaintable silicone? (GE brand).
Haney's user avatar
  • 211
1 vote
1 answer
747 views

How can I match the wall color after dent fixing?

I used to have a couple of small dents in one of my walls (the walls are plastered brick if that matters). I covered them and the wall is now smooth. However the main issue I have right now is the ...
Eugene S's user avatar
  • 115
0 votes
2 answers
3k views

How should I paint an exterior door to prevent sticking?

Most quality paints for doors have at least a 5-day full cure time. So how can I paint an exterior door and keep it from sticking to the stop? I mean I could obviously paint it first thing in the ...
Matthew's user avatar
  • 9,837
32 votes
3 answers
217k views

What's the practical difference between "latex" and "acrylic" water dispersion paint?

I see lots of water dispersion paints in shops and they usually come in two flavors - "latex" and "acrylic". The application range and procedure seem the same, they are all relatively safe, don't emit ...
sharptooth's user avatar
  • 9,607
23 votes
11 answers
113k views

What is the proper way to install/paint baseboard?

I've installed some new baseboards, though I'm not really sure I have the right method down. Here's what I do: Paint baseboard Paint walls Cut and install baseboard (using brad nailer and/or liquid ...
gregmac's user avatar
  • 29k
17 votes
6 answers
198k views

Why do I have shiny patches where I touched up paint on my walls?

We recently had some remodeling done and the walls were all freshly painted with Behr Premium Plus Ultra Matte paint. A lot of the walls got marked up from the workers still coming in and out, so I ...
Mary's user avatar
  • 171
17 votes
5 answers
859 views

What precautions should I take before moving my family into a pre-1978 (lead-paint-era) house?

I am about to sign a lease and move with my family, including a 3 mo old and 2 yr old, into a home that was built in 1944. The house is in good condition and has been repainted at least once in the ...
David LeBauer's user avatar
11 votes
5 answers
32k views

Can I mix latex paint into concrete

would like to color concrete mix can I use outdoor latex paint to mix in with the concrete?
Susan Buckner's user avatar
11 votes
6 answers
7k views

Has anyone ever used IdeaPaint?

Someone sent me the link to IdeaPaint which appears to be a paint that turns any surface into a whiteboard. It looks pretty appealing, but I was wondering: Whether anyone here has ever used it and if ...
Zippy's user avatar
  • 585
10 votes
8 answers
107k views

What are the consequences of allowing paint to freeze?

Insulating and heating my garage sounds like a pain. What are the consequences of simply allowing water-based latex paint to freeze in the winter? Is it ruined forever or does it just need tons of ...
ArgentoSapiens's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
12k views

Can I paint over wallpaper glue?

I have a room where I removed the wallpaper in preparation for painting. Surprisingly, the very old wallpaper just peeled right off, leaving behind most of it's glue. I used some wallpaper remover ...
Jon Garvin's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
618 views

Why would you ever use oil paint on new work?

Background: a large steel door at our office was recently painted with an oil-based paint, and we spent the day suffering through the fumes that permeated practically every space in the building. ...
KeithS's user avatar
  • 14.2k
6 votes
6 answers
61k views

How long does latex paint last?

I have several buckets of four-year old latex paint leftover from finishing our basement. Many are still in unopened original containers, in particular, our primary wall paint. I opened one to use ...
Nicole's user avatar
  • 345
6 votes
3 answers
26k views

How do you choose when to use oil vs latex paint?

In what situations should oil paint be used, instead of latex paint?
jlpp's user avatar
  • 1,974
6 votes
3 answers
28k views

What's the fastest way to strip paint off of a piece of installed trim/moulding?

Let's say you have some detailed moulding around several interior doors and you want to strip the paint off with the least amount of labor (time-wise)? How would you go about it? Heat gun, chemicals, ...
jlpp's user avatar
  • 1,974
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

How can I reduce or eliminate flaking from a limestone basement?

I have a 1902 house that was built on a limestone foundation. In the basement, the limestone blocks flake a bit which gets to be somewhat annoying having to sweep/vacuum it up from time to time. Are ...
whatsisname's user avatar
  • 2,425
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

How can you paint tile?

Our bathroom is out of the 70's and the wife doesn't care for the colors. Remodeling is out of the question for now. Is there something I can use to paint over that ceramic tile so we can at least get ...
Mike Wills's user avatar
4 votes
8 answers
11k views

How to safely dispose of latex paint?

So, like most home owners, I have gallons of partially used paint, both from my old place, and old ones from the previous owners here. I want to dispose of these both safely and efficiently (we have ...
Rich Homolka's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
3k views

I'm getting orange peel spraying on oil in high temperatures with an HVLP conversion gun. What's the fix?

I'm not an experienced painter using my gravity-fed HVLP conversion gun yet, and I'm looking for any pros who can give me a few pointers. I'm spraying some cabinets at a friend's house and need to get ...
Karl Katzke's user avatar
  • 7,835
4 votes
1 answer
35k views

How to seal/stabilize crumbling particle board counter top?

I have a typical laminate kitchen counter top which is built of particle board under the laminate. The bottom edge, at the front where it hangs over the cabinets is bare particle board. The section ...
Steve Fallows's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
10k views

Weird orange rust spots appearing in holes on freshly painted basement cinder blocks

I've started to paint my basement with white primer, and on one wall weird orange spots appeared in the holes I had "filled" with the primer. The wall is made of dark cinder blocks which are pretty ...
GCord's user avatar
  • 43
4 votes
2 answers
4k views

How can I strip & Refinish this window frame?

Take a look at the following close-up of one of my window frames. I'd like to strip all the white paint off of it, possibly stain the wood, and finish it with a varnish. I have the following questions:...
maxedison's user avatar
  • 633
3 votes
4 answers
28k views

What primer and paint should I used for a solid-core wooden front door?

I recently purchased a new pre-hung exterior door for my house. We opted for a solid-core Douglas Fir instead of the fiberglass models as the wooden door was substantially cheaper. We want to paint ...
Mike B's user avatar
  • 8,083
3 votes
3 answers
167 views

Painting kitchen cabinets

I am getting ready to paint my kitchen cabinets and need some advice on best way to go about it. what is the best way to prep kitchen cabinets for painting and what is the best way to paint them, ...
kat's user avatar
  • 31
3 votes
3 answers
2k views

How do I remove multiple layers of paint from wooden entrance ledge?

Here's a picture: If I recall correctly I have already tried a chemical stripper years ago and it didn't work. What would be the easiest way to remove the layers of paint all the way down to bare ...
Douglas Edward's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can you remove foul paint in new construction to bare drywall?

I have an art studio built in the back half of my garage that has been unusable ever since we painted. We built new, with drywall, the building is roughly 6 years new. We finally installed the drywall ...
L lipori's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

Would it make sense to peel off paint from peeling bathtub

The paint in our tub has been developing air pockets under it for a while, and this morning a big chunk ripped off. As far as I can see, the layer underneath is undamaged except for the stains. ...
David E Speyer's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
337 views

Best type of primer and paint to use over acrylic paint "mural"

Just moved to a room where 3 of the walls are almost completely painted over in an "artistic" manner. I scraped down the high spots; don't really want to (or think it's worth it) to sand and ...
AmishNick's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
269 views

How can I repair walls where the paint is peeling off the drywall?

The company who built our home subcontracted all the work. The drywall was installed and taped, then they started fixing spots with mud, trimmed, and painted all at the same time. We only realized ...
bahukiba's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
543 views

Any tips for refinishing the exterior trim around my front door?

I had someone powerwash and paint the whole white facade around the front door and foyer window, but by the next season the paint is chipping and peeling off. It’s not wood, it might be some kind of ...
FrancisJohn's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
17k views

Smelly old paint on walls

I decided to paint the downstairs bathroom. A girlfriend insisted on helping and was predetermined on saving me money(so she says, now I think she was trying to sabotage) by bringing me paint that she ...
Emddavis's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
21k views

Should I use heat resistant paint when whitewashing a brick fireplace?

We are going to whitewash our brick fireplace, similar to this picture: What kind of paint do we need to use to accomplish this? Does it need to be heat resistant? Note we are just whitewashing the ...
n00b's user avatar
  • 597
1 vote
2 answers
12k views

What can I do about no VOC paint that stinks after it has dried?

We just painted with brand new, but gone-bad NO VOC paint (Dunn Edwards in a dark teal). It went on smelling like good paint but when it dried it has a chemical sour smell mixed with vomit and dead ...
AJY's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
2 answers
11k views

How to strip paint off cast iron?

I'm looking to refurbish a bench that disintegrated over the years. The bench ends are still in decent shape, but I need to clean off the remaining paint and rust. My main concern is that I don't ...
user25634's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
32k views

Fixing paint situation after using untinted base paint

I stupidly bought a 5-gallon bucket of untinted "deep" interior base paint thinking that I could paint walls white with it. Only after putting about two gallons on the walls and letting it dry did I ...
painter48179's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
25k views

What is the difference between alkyd and enamel paint?

I have read that when professionals build houses, they usually use "enamel" paint for thinks like cabinets and builtins that will be subjected to wear. What are the differences between enamel and ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
  • 6,887
0 votes
1 answer
322 views

Can a brown, loamy wall be whitened with lime paint?

We had a brown wall, consisting of some loam- or clay-like material. (When you touch it, it smells like in the pottery workshop.) We want to paint it white. We cleaned the wall and brushed it ...
Pekka's user avatar
  • 417
0 votes
1 answer
785 views

What can I use as a plywood floor coating in a shed?

I want to find a coating to put on my shed plywood floor to keep water from destroying the wood from rain/snow in winter since it does not seem to dry out on its own. That way I could be wiped/moped ...
Dean's user avatar
  • 169
0 votes
2 answers
5k views

How do I level areas of a wall that had peeling paint removed?

In our bathroom, we have 'thick' peeling paint on a section of a wall. I started to peel off big pieces...and have stopped where it doesn't come off easily. Now I'm left with a wall that is ...
milesmeow's user avatar
  • 5,020