Blog
San Francisco Painting Contractor Notes: How to Apply Gold Leaf
(Newel Post with a coat of "sizing") (A layer of gold leaf applied...) My team of professional painters is often asked to apply gold leaf to Victorian exteriors. Here are some tips: First off, I choose patent gold leaf, which means that the gold is actually lightly adhered to the removable tissue pages for easy gilding Read more...
Ornamental Victorian Plaster in San Francisco
I was talking to a potential client and they told me about a San Francisco restoration artist who's created a line of ornamental plaster (cartouches, scrolls, onlays, medallions..) They will be using one of her Cartouches on the front of their San Francisco home. Her name is Lorna Kollmeyer. She's got a great website! Check out lornakollmeyer.com
Glidden Paints
An interesting thing about the new Glidden Stores. Over a decade ago, several US paint brands (Fuller O'Brien, Sinclair, and Glidden among them) were bought out by the international giant ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries). Former Fuller Obrien/Sinclair locations were converted into ICI/Dulux stores. Dulux is an internationally available brand of paint, produced by AkzoNobel (formerly Imperial Chemical Industries). The brand Read more...
Zero VOC Encasement Products
I'd like to mention a neat product called prepLESS by Global Encasement, an encasement product for covering lead and asbestos. PrepLess was designed to "encapsulate" lead and asbestos, and it sticks, holds, breathes and stretches, making it a very tenacious and durable coating (according to the manufacturer). We first applied it to a badly weathered (chalky, crackled, peeling) stucco exterior, and Read more...
High Build XIM Primer
We recently used XIM Peel Bond’s Trim Magic, a low VOC, high-build primer, recommended for smoothing out rough surfaces including crackled paint and T1-11. We used it on a peeling stucco substrate to help blend the patches. We found that the product leveled well, and formed a smooth, flexible, low-lustre film. Recommended dry film thickness is about 15 mils, or Read more...
Eco Friendly Paint Stripper
For those seeking an eco friendly solution to stripping paint, I just heard about a soy-based paint stripper made by Franmar Chemical. A description follows: "Want a better way to remove paints, urethanes, acrylics, epoxies, and enamels without the back-breaking work of sanding and chiseling? Made with 100% American Grown Soybeans, SOY Gel does all that and more". I have Read more...
EPA Lead-Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting rules
New EPA RRP Rules regarding lead paint take effect April 22, 2010
Low VOC Rust Converter
Last year we painted the exterior of "Pet Camp", a pet-boarding facility in San Francisco. The exterior of this building is factory painted corrugated steel, and there was a fair amount of visible rust. We needed a product that would handle the rust, without the fumes or mess of traditional "red-oxide" rust converters. We researched online and found "1 Step, Read more...
Painting in San Francisco with Sherwin Williams
On our latest exterior project the owner chose Sherwin Williams' "Duration". It's a great (if pricey) product! SW claims one coat coverage, due to "Duration's" thicker film. I'm skeptical, as I feel that two coats help to fill any pin-holes or misses from the first coat. So, we'll be applying two coats. Had it been foggy or forecast for rain, Read more...
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