Ask Danny | Ep 10: Painting Like a Pro With ‘The Wall Wizard’

This week, I’m chatting with portray professional Brian Santos, a.okay.a the “Wall Wizard.”

Brian is a fourth-generation portray contractor, creator of best-selling residence enchancment books, and has toured for greater than 25 years together with his “Wizard Workshops” that empower audiences with easy suggestions, tips, and strategies for profitable residence enchancment tasks.

He has shared his experience on nationwide TV, together with “Good Morning America,” “At the moment,” and HGTV’s “Sensible Options,” in addition to on TLC and the Discovery Channel.

Brian can be the Director of Schooling for Contemporary Coat Painters, the one function of this sort inside any portray or residence enchancment franchise.

Brian was introduced on to the Contemporary Coat Painters group to coach and share his data of the trade and enterprise possession throughout the trade to new and established franchise homeowners.

Go to thewallwizard.com for Brian’s portray suggestions and reference books and freshcoatpainters.com for his skilled recommendation. 

Greatest Spray Portray Methods

What are among the suggestions you’ve realized through the years when working with spray paint?

Brian: One of the best spray portray tip I may give is to learn the directions. I do know it’s quite a lot of info in tiny print, nevertheless it’s the important thing to your undertaking’s success. Listed below are a couple of extra suggestions:

• Put together correctly. Don’t spray within the solar, clear the floor appropriately, and be sure to maintain the can appropriately on the proper angle.
• Shake the can. It takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes to get the rattle inside to start out transferring. That is essential for completely mixing the supplies and aerosols so the paint sprays appropriately.
• Use a twig paint deal with. It snaps excessive of the can, and while you pull the set off, it’s like a gun. It depresses the spray nozzle and places out the fabric appropriately. 
• Apply two skinny coats of paint as an alternative of 1 heavy coat. This prevents any runs and drips, and likewise permits the chemical substances to evaporate sufficient to permit the second coat to bond appropriately. 

Excessive-Quantity Low-Stress Sprayers

Inform us extra about excessive quantity low strain (HVLP) sprayers and among the functions they work nicely in.

Brian: I like these items — HVLP sprayers are nearly like airbrushes. What they’re designed to do is atomize the fabric and you may management the move and strain. 

One of the best one I can suggest is the Wagner Flexio 3000 HVLP Paint Sprayer*, which is out there at Residence Depot. It has a set off and a dial so that you can alter the strain, plus it has a corded and cordless possibility. 

*That is an affiliate hyperlink. If you are going to buy this product, we are going to earn a small fee at no further price to you.

For the DIYer, that is most likely among the best instruments you’ll be able to have, however it’s a must to keep it and clear it often. 

Right here’s a tip for cleansing it: Put about three drops of cloth softener per quart of water within the sprayer and flush it out. This helps clear the sprayer between coats and lubricates the within. 

Portray a Fence With an Airless Paint Sprayer

What do you suggest for portray a fence? 

Brian: An airless paint sprayer is nice for portray a fence.  You’ll be able to sometimes discover them at any software rental heart, and what I like about renting them is that they’re maintained. Plus, in the event you had been to exit and purchase this, it could price you wherever from $500-$1,200. 

When renting one, make sure you get one which has sufficient quantity move on your undertaking. And whilst you’re on the software rental heart, ask an worker for an illustration so you’ll be able to see methods to correctly function it.

Like I mentioned earlier than, at all times learn the directions and ensure the sprayer is primed appropriately. 

Correctly clear the fence earlier than portray. Use a backyard hose and a cleaner to take away any algae, grease, grime and oxidation. The paint is barely nearly as good because the floor it’s bonding to. 

You don’t want to make use of any primer as a result of fence stains are designed to penetrate into wooden fiber. There are additionally clear coatings, semi-transparent stains and stable stains that homogenize to even out any irregularities. 

The vital factor is to maintain transferring and backbrush alongside the way in which. Spray the paint or stain on, then have somebody go along with a brush behind it and work that paint or stain into the floor. It will be sure that the paint or stain bonds appropriately. 

Portray Kitchen Cupboards

What are some suggestions for householders who’re contemplating portray kitchen cupboards?

Brian: Changing kitchen cupboards can price you as much as $20,000, so portray is certainly cost-effective.

A paint job is barely nearly as good because the floor you’re getting ready, so first, ask your self if you wish to see the grain in your cupboards or not. All woods have a grain, and if the floor isn’t prepped at present, that grain will present by way of. When you don’t wish to see any grain, name knowledgeable to do the job.  

For the DIYer who desires to do some refreshing, listed here are the usual working procedures on methods to do it:

• Clear the floor of the cupboards. Moist sand the cupboards with a Scotch Brite pad and an alkaline cleaner known as Easy Inexperienced HD. It will break down the grease and calmly sand the floor on the similar time, eliminating quite a lot of mud. 
• Degrease the floor of the cupboards after cleansing. Rinse the floor with 91-proof rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is a pure degreaser and deglosser. It evaporates and forces out the moisture that could be within the wooden. It will create a sterile floor that’s prepared for primer.
• Prime the cupboards. The kind of primer to make use of depends upon if it’s a lacquer-coated or painted floor. Take a drawer face or a part of the cupboard to a paint retailer and ask the skilled to see what kind of floor it’s, and so they can suggest what kind of primer to make use of. Apply two skinny coats of primer and calmly sand between every coat with 300-grit sandpaper.
• Spackle and caulk between the 2 coats or primer. You probably have floating cupboards, don’t caulk between the floating panels. The wooden must increase and contract with the traditional humidity in the home, so caulking could cause the cupboards to crack.
• Lastly, apply two even coats of paint to the cupboards.
• To guard {hardware} on cupboards, use rubber cement. After portray, you’ll be able to peel it off.
• If that you must reset {hardware}, significantly hand pulls, use Bondo, not wooden filler. When you slam the cupboard, the wooden filler plug might come out. 

Frequent Errors

What’s the greatest mistake householders make when tackling any paint undertaking?

Brian: Not getting ready a floor appropriately. And likewise, not defending different surfaces. It’s wonderful how the paint will splatter in the event you’re spray portray, or mud will waft by way of the home. 

Create a containment system, and ensure to place a brand new filter within the HVAC system after you’re executed to minimize mud spreading all through the home. The extra you’ll be able to include and management, the higher outcome. 

Additionally, clear between steps. That’s the place quite a lot of mud and particles can get right into a paint undertaking and the outcomes are inferior to they might be. 

Brian’s Recommendation

“Wizards Work Moist:” It’s essential to do the whole floor whereas supplies are moist. Have somebody slicing in as one other particular person is rolling paint to maintain that moist edge so the colour is constant. 

Additionally, in the event you’re portray with a curler, the final stroke you do needs to be in the identical route, so that you get the right sheen and the precise impact with the colour. 

Additional Studying