How to Fix up an Amateur Paint Job

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One of the most frequent themes in home repair and decoration is painting. Just go into your local hardware store and you'll see how much is dedicated to paint - from the brushes to the cans, to finding the ideal mixture of a paint color for your room. So when your home has an amateur paint job in one of the rooms, it definitely sticks out. How can you paint like a professional without paying professional prices for an expertly-crafted paint job in your favorite room?

If you want to paint like a professional, you'll have to prepare like one. This separates the professionals from the amateurs. If you want to put up a professional paint job in your home, start with preparing by removing light switch and outlet covers, removing other hardware that can get in the way, removing fixtures that can get in the way, and taping off the edges that you can't quite get rid of. Preparation for your paint job is crucial, so make sure you don't slack here. Once you've done a good job preparing for a professional paint job, you'll find that the rest of the job feels as easy as "connect-the-dots."

After a first-rate job of preparing the room for painting, it's time to put on the first-rate paint itself. First, put on a coat of primer if you feel like you need it. Let the primer dry - and make sure that you've applied the primer to all of the areas you plan on brushing and rolling paint onto. With the primer ready to accept your paint, start working from the top-down: start with the ceiling, move to the walls, and then handle areas such as the finishing paint near windows.

As you paint, make sure to be generous with your paint, but consistent. Don't slop paint on and spread it around like it's jelly; instead, just be sure to do a thorough job. Being thorough is exactly what separates an amateur paint job from a professional job, so be sure that you follow through on this point.

Be sure to let your paint dry before you evaluate it. You might find that your paint job is great and ready to go! If it needs another layer of thickness, apply another coat and let that dry. Once you're finished, put the room back in its original order and enjoy a fresh coat of paint and the new color you've applied.

Photo Credits: Patrick Goossens

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Posted by Fix Handyman on October 22, 2009 in Handyman, House, How to Fix

How to Fix Pine that Won’t Shine

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Furniture is often made from pine wood, which is a soft wood that can deteriorate over time. Even if the pine furniture you own was once shiny and new, it might not take very long for it to lose that luster. If you want that fresh pine look back, however, it may be as simple as following a few steps. Here's how you can fix the pine that won't shine in your house.

As is often the first step when attempting a repair, you're going to want to clean your pine out first. It may seem unnecessary, but dust and debris can often get in the way of cosmetic home repairs. After all, you won't want to paint over a pebble, would you? That's why you'll want to make sure that your pine is clean and hopefully clear of debris before you get started.

The key to restoring the "shine" to pine is in the solution you'll be applying next. This will probably require a trip to the store, so make sure you have your list ahead of time:

• Soft soap (1/4 cup)
• Mineral oil (1 cup)
• Pine oil (1 tablespoon)

You're also going to want to make sure you have a cup of warm water handy. To mix up this solution, start with the mineral oil and pine oil first. Once they're mixed together, stir in the soft soap and the water. (By the way, if you're curious about what soft soap means, a liquid soap will do just fine).

Now that you have your solution ready, put some of it onto a cloth - you don't want to use it all up right away. Generously apply the mixture via the cloth onto the pine wood, but make sure that none of it drips or coalesces, as this is too much. In fact, once you're done, you can take a dry cloth and pick up extra solution that you applied.

It will be important to make sure that your solution doesn't only touch the surface of the wood, but seeps in as much as it can. You can't control this; you can only make sure to apply an even amount of the mixture onto your pine wood. Let it dry out and take a look at the pine later so that you can evaluate how well the solution worked.

It might be possible to fine pine solutions pre-made for you at a hardware store or other outlet. Before you go shopping, try to call around and see if a store has some stocked so that you can pick one up.

Photo Credits: Nature form furniture

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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 31, 2009 in Furniture, Handyman, How to Fix