One favorite of DIYer's since this is easy to accomplish as long as:
- you know the proper preparation of surface to be painted (most important!)
- have the set of tools like brush, rollers and tray, sanding papers, masking tape, stepladder, paint sprayer etc.
- you have properly selected the type of paint finish to be used (paints designed for indoor and outdoor applications)
Most available paints now a days just requires mixing before use, except for two component paints with catalyst that you need to mix both in their required ratio.
Sample of 2 component paints mix ratio:
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| image from daviespaints.com.ph |
BASIC THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE PAINTING
1. Surface Preparation
- most crucial stage, as failure to do this properly will cause your paints not properly adhere and may peel off in the long run even if you have the right mix/paint sequence application or high quality paints used.
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| image from budgetpainters.ca |
- so make sure surface is free from dirt or dust, oils, rust and other foreign matter that may affect your paint adhesion.
- keep surface clean and dry prior to paint application
2. Paint Selection
- different paints are designed for a specific type of surface material such as wood, concrete, masonry, steel, plastic etc., though some paints may be applicable to different materials would be a good practice to check its specifications.
- choose paints that is intended for your project if indoor or outdoor type, as some paints are made only for indoor use and vice versa.
- decide what type of finish you want to achieve if "semi gloss", "high gloss" or "matte finish" as paints are designed differently for this purpose.
3. Paint Sequence
depending on the type of surface to be painted if new surface or from existing paints to be repainted, check paint specifications for proper guidance.
- in general Primer (2coats) - Top Coat (2coats) *
- for added protection Sealer - Primer - Top Coat *
- others Primer - Undercoat - Top Coat *
Sealers can be used as substitute if no primer available before applying top coats, or directly applied to substrate followed by primer then finish with topcoat.
Some paints comes in as primer/sealer as one, and some topcoats requires no primer and act as primer/topcoats as one.
Other alternatives for bare concrete walls is application of waterproofing before application of paints (waterproofing - primer to topcoat).
4. Paint Thinner/ Reducer
Use only the recommended thinner or reducer as per specs to adjust viscosity of paint for better application to avoid unnecessary reactions that may affect your paint performance and adhesion.
- water-based paints: use water as thinning solvent
- oil-based paints (ex: BOYSEN Quick Drying Enamel): use BOYSEN Paint Thinner
- epoxy paints (ex: BOYSEN Epoxy Enamel): use BOYSEN Epoxy Reducer
- lacquer products (ex: BOYSEN Automotive Lacquer): use BOYSEN Lacquer Thinner
sample only:
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| paint thiner or reducer compatinility |
Skimcoat over Waterproofing?
Depending on brand of skimcoat and waterproofing to be used as one brand may recommend only the compatible waterproofing to a particular skimcoat followed by the desired paint finish while other brand requires the other way around.
Exterior wall application:
- Boysen = skimcoat (K201 + cement) - waterproofing (Plexibond + cement) - paint application
- Davies = waterproofing(Plexitite + cement) - skimcoat (Mondo SK1 + water) - paint application
- Buildrite = skimcoat (Tofil 801 + water, or Tofil 802 ready to use) - waterproofing (Sapal RTU) - add tinting color
So check first with your supplier and product specification to start your painting works right.
Sample Sequence:
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| sample reference only |
Once you are done with all preparation and paint selections is to know how many buckets or liters of paints needed for your project.
How to estimate number of paints needed is to check the specification of paints on its container as it has included a "theoretical" square meter coverage area for that amount of liter.
To use this information simply measure the area you wish to apply paint with, and divide with the specified coverage area to get the number of paints "approximately" needed.
Sample:
A 4m x 3m wall to be painted is 12sqm , say your 4 liters of paint coverage is 25-30sqm area
More or less you can say that for a 12sqm area you can have at least 2 coats application to be safe from the given coverage of 25sqm and if you go beyond 2 coats you will be required to add a liter or 1 pint whichever is available to cover the extra 6sqm if done in 3 coats.
