Whenever possible, I use spray cans to apply both the primer and finish coats. For the finish coat, use an exterior rust-inhibitive enamel that’s compatible with your primer. Coat the areas that rusted, and any bare metal, with a rust-inhibitive primer. Then dust off and wipe down the surfaces with a tack rag. I find a medium-grit flexible sanding sponge comes in handy for this step. Follow that with a scuff-sanding over all surfaces to ensure good adhesion. A modest scrubbing with a wire brush is usually all it takes. What’s the best way to go about this?Ī: John Dee replies: With metal railings, the first thing to get rid of is the rust. Q: I’d like to repaint the black metal railings on my front stoop. Watch This Old House plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey revive an old painted radiator: How to Paint a Cast-Iron Radiator Repainting Metal Railings With a little-or a lot-of practice, you’ll be apply coatings like a pro. HVLP stands for high-volume, low-pressure and delivers a very controlled spray pattern. If you have a lot of radiators to paint, consider renting an HVLP sprayer and do them all at once. It is available in individual spray cans, too, but it’s more expensive to purchase this way. High-heat enamel is available in white, which can be tinted to match many light colors, and black. If there is no rust, then brush or spray on high-heat enamel directly to the bare metal. What can I do?Ī: If there is any residual rust on the radiator, you can spot prime with red-metal primer, then top coat with brush-on high-heat enamel. I am getting ready to refinish three more rooms and am in dire need of assistance. Some of the radiators are very large, and the finish is already chipping. We have stripped the radiators several times and tried various paints the last try was spray paint but to do one small radiator it took more than eight cans. The problem: We are unable to find paint for the radiators and pipes that will withstand high temperatures. Q: We have a Victorian house with a very efficient steam heat system that is relatively inexpensive for the size of the house. See All About Kitchen Cabinets for additional advice Painting Radiators Check with the cabinet manufacturer to see if they recommend a particular humidity level for your house, which you can keep relatively constant with a humidifier. The cracks will probably be more noticeable in winter than in summer because heat dries everything out. Still, maple is about the best wood you could have chosen for painted cabinets because of its stability. Some cabinet suppliers warn clients about this in advance, and even require them to sign a waiver saying that some cracking in the finish is likely. A painted finish, no matter how good or how carefully applied, just can’t keep up.Įvery species and grade of solid wood behaves this way, although cracks are more noticeable on light-colored cabinets than on dark ones. The pieces expand and contract at different rates with changes in humidity, since wood movement is much more pronounced across the grain than with it. They occur wherever there’s a joint between pieces of wood with grain running in different directions: for example, the joints between stiles and rails on the doors or the face frames that surround openings. What do you think?Ī: Norm Abram replies: Hairline cracks are unavoidable in wood cabinets, top-of-the-line or not. But I think the cracks are unsightly and don’t believe this is normal. The kitchen company that sold them to me said that the cracks were normal, as they were smaller than the thickness of a piece of paper. Q: I redid my kitchen with top-of-the-line painted maple cabinets, but there are cracks between the stiles and rails of the new cabinet doors. See Secrets of Smooth Brushwork and All About Interior Paint for more tips Cabinet Paint Cracks Back-priming takes a little more time at the start of a job but saves a lot of work in the long run. Back-priming, as it’s called, helps keep the wood from taking on water, which minimizes expansion and contraction and prevents moisture from migrating through the wood. This works nicely for both interior and exterior work.īut if painting isn’t practical, we’ll make sure to at least prime exterior trim on all sides before installing it. To save time, sometimes we’ll install trim that’s been primed and painted with one coat, then fill holes and sand lightly before putting on a finish coat with the trim in place. Wouldn’t it be easier to paint the trim first, install it, then touch it up if necessary after installation?Ī: Tom Silva replies: Touchups always show, so that’s not really the best approach to take. Q: I’ve noticed in most This Old House projects that the trim and millwork are installed primed but unpainted.
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