Matthew's Painting - Serving Warsaw, Syracuse, Columbia City and Fort Wayne Areas Blog

Remove Wallpaper Successfully

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:30:34 GMT

I am sure many of you have tried to remove wallpaper and called it quits after too many failed attempts or it it just taking too much of your time. Matthews Painting Company, from Warsaw, Indiana has been removing wallpaper for over 13 years. Try following some of our wallpaper removal procedures and techniques as mentioned below:

Supplies you will need:

1 gallon of DIF Concentrate, NOT Gel!
Garden pump sprayer, any size
Absorbent paper drop cloths with plastic back
6 wide drywall knife, which you might call a large putty knife
5 gallon bucket and sponge
Screwdriver for removing outlet and switch covers
Stanley knife or smaller razor blade knife
Drywall Pan
A fan
Guardz sealer and primer from Zinnser (If drywall gets damaged)

1. First we recommend moving all the furniture to the middle of the room and covering with plastic. Lay down absorbent paper drop cloths with a plastic back to catch and absorb wallpaper removal solution. Take off all the outlet and light switch covers and cover with tape and plastic to keep moisture out. Tape and plastic any phone jacks as well.

2. Next, find a seam on the wallpaper. Using a putty knife, start to pry up the wallpaper seam. If you can start a wallpaper seam and remove the top layer off in its entirety, or at least in large pieces, then continue to do this throughout the entire room before applying any solution. What will remain at this point is a fuzzy paper called backing. It will be white or off white. If you cannot get the top layer of wallpaper off or if the wallpaper just comes off in little pieces, stop. (In some cases the wallpaper was hung before the trim was installed. If you find this to be the case, you will need to carefully use your razor blade knife at a 45 degree angle and cut the wallpaper from around the trim. This works best prior to applying the solution. Another option is to remove your trim, but you would have to have an experienced carpenter handy to reinstall it back for you.)

3. Fill half of a 5 gallon bucket with hot water; you will use this later to remove wallpaper glue. Now mix the DIF solution in your garden sprayer with 1 gallon of hot water according to label directions. Spray down 2-3 sections of the wallpaper or the fuzzy wallpaper backing using a fine mist. Start at the top of the wall and work downward overlapping your spray. Continue to repeat this on the same 2-3 sections until the wallpaper or wallpaper backing will not take anymore solution. You may have to wet these same sections up to 4-6 times to have success in removal. Here is a test; touch the wallpaper or wallpaper backing a couple of minutes after your last application. If your fingers are soaked, then you do not need to re-apply the solution.

4. At this point try to peel off the wallpaper or wallpaper backing. If the wallpaper or wallpaper backing starts to tear, or does not come off at all, repeat the application procedure in #3 above. If it still is difficult to get off, use your 6" drywall knife to scrape and lift the wallpaper or wallpaper backing away. If the backing remains after removing the top layer of wallpaper, or if you have multiple layers of wallpaper, repeat the solution application procedure in #3 above as well.

5. Once the wallpaper and wallpaper backing are off, mist the area of the wall where you just removed the wallpaper from. This step will assist you in removing the glue that is still on the wall. Starting at the top of your wall, start scraping the glue downward with your 6" drywall knife while holding your drywall pan on the wall underneath, so that it is catching any heavy residue of glue. After you have removed most of the glue this way, use your sponge and hot water to remove the remaining residue of glue off of the wall. If you touch your wall, and it still feels tacky, then you need to keep sponging until the tacky feel is gone. Change water often in your 5 gallon bucket and wring out your sponge often. Pay close attention removing glue in the corners and along trim since these places are often missed.

6. Turn on a fan and dry out the room for 1 day. If there is any torn drywall area that expose the brown drywall paper, cut out the loose areas with your razor blade. Next, seal your walls with Guardz primer. This you will brush and roll on. It is a thin product that goes on milky, but dries clear. Now you are ready for drywall repairs and spot priming your repairs with the Guardz. Now you are ready to paint your walls. If you are re-hanging new wallpaper, use wallpaper sizing prior to hanging.

7. If this seems all to overwhelming, call us or contact us on our website and we can give you a quote. We service the Warsaw, Syracuse, Leesburg, Fort Wayne, Columbia City, Goshen, Elkhart, Winona Lake, Rochester, Plymouth, North Manchester, and the surrounding areas.

Professional Wallpaper Stripping,Removal, and Hanging services for Warsaw, Winona Lake, Leesburg, Lake Tippecanoe, North Webster, Syracuse, Lake Wawasee, Goshen, Elkhart, Columbia City, Rochester, Plymouth, Culver, North Manchester, Ft. Wayne, and surrounding Indiana cities. If your area is not listed, please contact us.

Professional Wallpaper Stripping, Removal, and Hanging services for Kosciusko County and parts of Allen, Elkhart, Fulton, Huntington, Lagrange, Marshall, Miami, Noble, Wabash, and Whitley Counties.

Deck Maintenance by Matthews' Painting

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:24:18 GMT

With the number of decks Matthews Painting has pressure washed and stained over the years, many of our clients are unaware of these 4 simple deck maintenance procedures that they can perform themselves to prolong the look and protection of their porch floor or deck.

1. Using a product like Simple Green and Hot water, simply mop your deck floor, stairs, and top of the railing each Spring and Fall, then rinse gently with your garden hose. If you notice black mildew forming on your deck, use 1 cup of bleach in 1 gallon of hot water, and use a pump garden sprayer to mist the deck down. Work small sections at a time and rinse after the bleach solution has remained on the surface 5 minutes. Do not allow the bleach solution to dry on the deck. It is best to apply the bleach solution on a shady or cool day. (If black mildew does not go away, increase the bleach concentrate or leave the solution on a few minutes longer)

2. Do not slide your deck furniture, table, grill, pots or any other heavy items on your deck. If you have to slide deck furniture, adhere plastic knobs or feet onto the bottom of the legs using a 2 part epoxy.

3. Occasionally move flower pots or rugs to a different area of the deck so that the deck area underneath can dry out.

4. When there is heavy snow fall, use a PLASTIC shovel only to remove most of the snow off of the deck. This will reduce the amount of weight on the deck and the snow will melt quicker allowing the deck to dry out. Do not attempt to remove all the snow, or you will start to scrape away the finish on the deck. Never use a metal shovel.

For more information contact us or call 574-834-3575

Professional Deck Staining and Sealing Contractor for Warsaw, Indiana, Lake Tippecanoe, Lake Wawasee, Syracuse, Indiana, Winona Lake, Indiana, Leesburg, Indiana, Goshen, Indiana, Columbia City, Indiana, Rochester, Indiana, Plymouth, Indiana, Culver, Indiana, North Manchester, Indiana, Elkart, Indiana, Fort Wayne, Indiana and surrounding Indiana cities. If your area is not listed, please contact us.

Professional Deck Maintenance and Staining Contractor for Kosciusko County and parts of Allen, Elkhart, Fulton, Huntington, Lagrange, Marshall, Miami, Noble, Wabash, and Whitley Counties.

Ladder Recommendation by Matthews'™ Painting Company

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:37:00 GMT

The Original Multi-Purpose Ladders

Little Giant is the world's finest ladder, combining the strengths of traditional A-frame ladders, extension ladders, stepladders and even scaffolding, all in one convenient package. Matthews' Painting Company, LLC, who services the Warsaw, Syracuse, Columbia City, Goshen, Elkhart, North Manchester, Fort Wayne, Rochester, and Plymouth Indiana areas has three of these ladders and we stand behind them and recommend them to all of our painting clients.

Safety

The Little Giant is designed for safety. Since it's adjustable, the Little Giant can be used safely on stairs, ramps, curbs, piers or other uneven surfaces. And, with the triple-locking hinge, the Little Giant Ladder is sturdier than ever in the extended position while painting up high in or outside your house or business.

Strength

The Little Giant is made of heavy-wall, 6005-T5 aluminum, the very same material used in aerospace construction. So it's ultra-strong while remaining light and portable.

In fact, The Little Giant Type 1A is government-rated to hold up to 300 pounds, but has survived brutal stress testing of up to 1200 pounds with absolutely no structural failure. No, we do not have 1200 pound painters!

Versatility

No other ladder gives you the versatility of a Little Giant. Independent tests prove the Little Giant will replace 60-70% of all portable ladders currently being manufactured. If you are going to paint your home, this is the last ladder you will ever purchase.

Visit their website at http://www.littlegiantladder.com/

Professional Residential Painting and Staining Contractor for Warsaw, Indiana, Lake Tippecanoe, Lake Wawasee, Syracuse, Indiana, Winona Lake, Indiana, Leesburg, Indiana, Goshen, Indiana, Columbia City, Indiana, Rochester, Indiana, Plymouth, Indiana, Culver, Indiana, North Manchester, Indiana, Elkart, Indiana, Fort Wayne, Indiana and surrounding Indiana cities. If your area is not listed, please contact us.

Professional Residential Painting and Staining Contractor for Kosciusko County and parts of Allen, Elkhart, Fulton, Huntington, Lagrange, Marshall, Miami, Noble, Wabash, and Whitley Counties.

Hints On Wall touch up

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:34:03 GMT

Touch-ups on walls and ceilings painted long ago can sometimes create a more unsightly finish than the old paint itself. To avoid this it's important to use the original paint only that Matthews' Painting or your other painter left for you for retouching existing finishes.

It's also important to realize that any white will not match any white. There are hundreds of shades of white paint available from dozens of manufacturers. And what about semi-gloss, eggshell, high-gloss, oil-based, etc. Can these finishes be retouched successfully? As a general rule, flat paint can be retouched the best without "flashing". The other sheens may require you hiring a professional painting company.

What is Flashing?

Flashing is a term used by professionals to describe the obvious difference in finish that will occur when retouching old or shiny paints. Flashing is most obvious when viewing a surface from the side. Look down a wall while standing at one corner of a room. You will see all the imperfections in the surface when light is reflected off it. Any difference in the overall finish is called flashing.

Flashing will also occur when a shiny finish is applied over bare wall patches. Wall repair mud and spackle must be primed with a latex primer before finishing with a shiny paint.

If you suspect that the irregular appearance of your walls is caused by failure to prime wall repairs before applying a shiny finish, coat the spots with flat and then touch up the shiny finish.

Choosing Paint for Touching Up

If possible, always use the original paint. That is, the can leftover from the original job. If the original paint is not available and it is a stock color (a premixed color made at the factory, not mixed at the store) then a new can of the same color may be attempted.

Custom mixed colors will usually not match the original paint. The problem is the accuracy with which the color is mixed at your local store. Different people, operating the same machine, will use slightly different amounts of tint. All it takes is a tiny change in the amount of tint to change the color enough to show on the old finish. Even computerized machines can produce enough of a difference in the mixed color to cause a mismatch. If you must get a new batch of paint, check the color for matching before proceeding with your retouch job.

Fixing Flashing

When you have a flashing problem with your touch-up job, the best solution is to paint a whole wall from one break to another. This "Paint from Break to Break" method will diminish the noticeable difference in the new finish if the color is not exactly right.

A break in a wall is usually the corner but can also occur when trim molding stretches from baseboard to crown molding. The molding breaks up the wall into isolated sections. An isolated section like this can be repainted with a closely matching color and the minor color difference will not be noticeable. Wall corners work well as breaks because the two wall surfaces reflect light differently, making it hard to see varying shades.

Touching Up Flat Paint

Make sure your paint is mixed well before putting it on your walls. Shake the can or stir just before using it. Retouch using a brush on previously brushed areas and a roller on previously rolled areas.

Check to be sure the touch-up is blending well with the original finish. Touch up a small area and wait for it to dry completely. Use a hairdryer if you're pressed for time. When it is completely dry, examine the finish while looking down the wall. If you can see the spot where you applied the new paint, then your touch-up job will not look very good. If this is the case, use the "break to break" method described above to touch up.

Touching Up Shiny Paint

Shiny paints can be the most difficult to touch up. This includes eggshell, semi-gloss and high-gloss, as well as any oil or alkyd-based paints. Even flat oil and alkyd will flash if you try to touch up in the middle of a wall or ceiling. For all these finishes use the "break to break" method to freshen the finish. Original paint or not, the only way to avoid a flashing problem is to do a whole wall.

Touching Up Trim Molding

Trim should be treated in the same way as shiny finishes, painting from one break point to another. Break points for trim are the points where two separate pieces of molding come together as at the corners of a door or window frame. The corners of an individual piece of trim molding can also form a break point between the edge and the face of the molding.

To touch up on a door casing, for example, do the case molding on one side, from where it meets the floor to where it meets the top of the frame. Don't touch the edge of the casing where it meets the wall, just do the face. The touch-up will not be noticeable because the edge is seen at a different angle than the face of the molding.

Dealing with Stains

Touching up the paint is one thing, but stains present another problem. Some stains will bleed through the new coating if they aren't sealed first. Water, ink, cigarette smoke and grease stains will all ruin your touch up job. Use a shellac-based or a stain blocking oil primer or sealer to block these stains before touching up. It may be necessary to do from one break to another when treating stains like this.

Professional Residential Painting and Staining Contractor for Kosciusko County and parts of Allen, Elkhart, Fulton, Huntington, Lagrange, Marshall, Miami, Noble, Wabash, and Whitley Counties.