Warning, I'm not much of a painter, so the following questions are very basic. I have a brick home with a covered front porch, open in the front. Lately, the ceiling paint has started to crack, and some of it is falling off. I'm assuming the ceiling is drywall or greenboard, but it could be plywood (I haven't gotten up on a ladder to check it out.) The house is approximately 40 years old. My questions. Do I just need to sand all of the paint and sand off the loose chunks? Should I... Read more ..read more

Anyone know the max moisture level in wood to successfully paint? I need to make a repair on a spot on the porch I'm painting and one option is replace a board with a treated board but I know a lot of treated lumber is pretty wet. I thought I could take my moisture meter with me and see if I can get one dry enough to paint. Option 2 is a patch job which I did in another spot but I didn't like the result so much. It would have turned out better had I replace the whole board. I guess option 3... Read more ..read more

I have an outdoor metal spiral staircase that leads to a roof deck. Had the entire staircase and railings professionally painted one year ago because of areas of rust. Supposedly rusty areas were prepped, primed with bare metal primer and painted. Rust is starting to come through the small platform at the top of the staircase that connects with the concrete deck. See pic. Note surface is not flat but has small "bumps". There was 2 year guarantee so painter says he will fix this area... Read more ..read more

This is the window of the small house I have purchased few years back. Location is in extreme temperature variance -40 (winter) and +40 (summer) year round, which I believe might have contributed to the condition such as peeling of paint. I am thinking to repaint. Any suggestion on paint that is resilient on extreme weather such that I mentioned above ..read more

Googling around for advice painting a melamine vanity cabinet I find pretty much all advice consists of two things: 1) Paining melamine is tricky. 2) Do the exact steps of any quality paint job (clean, sand, prime, paint). Many add to use a high bond primer (Stix, Bulls-Eye, etc) but that's about it. The door and drawers are raised panel so getting a brush-mark free finish will be a challenge. I don't have a paint sprayer so I am wondering if cans of spray paint might be my best bet. It... Read more ..read more

The treads and risers are all oil base stained, and as you can see in the riser's image, they match the floors on the main level. So, now it's time to coat with a satin finish. Being old school, I've always felt oil/oil is best, but what do I know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The stairs go down to the basement so they are not subject to heavy traffic besides dogs. I usually use a Polyurethane, so interested in opinions about alternatives or specifics while using the best. Thanks for your time ..read more

About 20 years ago, I put latex solid color stain on my new garage's T1-11. There is no peeling, so I thought about use on my paint-throwing house trim. The paint on wood trim boards on my house tends to peel in a few years. The horizontal fascia boards at the bottom of the asbestos shingle siding are the worst, but even window trim and upper fascia peels. Moisture and sun are suspect, but I can't find the cause. I think, but am not positive, that ithe low wood problem is because the tar... Read more ..read more

Yesterday I scraped popcorn ceilings off in my bedroom. Wondering what type of paint I need to use now. Can I use general purpose interior wall paint for painting ceilings? I've got a couple of cans in the basement. Or ceiling paint is a must here? By the way, what brand do you recommend? Thanks ..read more

Some years ago, I knocked together this little plywood shelving unit to sit between the washer and dryer. I don't recall what paint I used but I know I selected something I thought would be resistant and clean well. The orange and purple stains tell me the laundry products were stronger than the paint. Any suggestions for a finish on this thing ..read more

I'm looking for an item made of metal but I can't find it in the color I want. I know there are paints for metal, but I don't want the paint to wear off: although the item will be kept inside it will get touched a lot. Is there a special type of paint I need to buy? Or a coating or something ..read more