Painting Help

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I am painting my basement and have a mantel and some trim to paint, all of which have previously been painted. I want to end up with a nice smooth finish and I want to get some advice on the best way to achieve this. Should I use latex or oil-based paint? Also, what would be the best way to apply the paint, roller or brush? Any other advice will gladly be accepted as well. Thanks.

Michael
 
michael, to repaint sucessfully you`ll need to clean the surface TSP works well, then lightly scuff with 180-220 paper...unless you know what the previous coating was i`d prime with a good primer then use a good quality paint that`s compatable with your primer.....an additive called "flotrol" helps the paint lay down.....for trim and the like a high quality brush is pretty important.....tod
 
Can you even buy oil based anymore? The borgs don't seem to carry it. Maybe a real paint store would. Best way to get smooth is at least three coats with light sanding in between, last coat thinned down a bit, 75%-50% paint. Its kinda hard to do with latex, as the paint stays rubbery and tends to gum up your sandpaper (use about 320 or 400 between coats), and its a bit difficult to know what to thin with (maybe ask if you go to a real paint store). Its always a good idea to scuff the old paint before starting, maybe once or twice over with some 100 grit. No need to go down to the bare wood if the paint is sound, just trying to make a bit of a tooth for the new paint. Those little foam rollers are nice for detail work, though I still find I reach for a good quality synthetic brush most often. The cheap ones tend to shed, but something in the $5-$10 range is what I like. Clean it by rinsing with water first (assuming latex paint), then when it looks clean but still rinses with your paint color, wash thoroughly using warm water with lots of dish soap. Once you rinse all the soap out, most or all of the paint should be gone. I also like to do a final rinse with denatured alcohol, as it tends to keep the brush from getting stiff when it dries.

John

Flotrol! I forgot about that stuff. Better than thinner in oil based paint, not sure if its compatable with latex though.
 
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