Seattle remodeling - Paints and coatings cont.

Feb

19

Seattle remodeling – paints and coatings cont.

Posted by: KEKeever | Comments Comments Off

Aside from painting, staining and finishing wood and drywall there are many more substrates that will receive paint and/or coatings in any given home remodeling project. Steel, aluminum, concrete, concrete block… The key is to select the right paint or coating for the job. Using the wrong paint or coating in your home remodeling project can be catastrophic to final results. A paint designed specifically to stick well to concrete may not be the best choice for painting your steel deck railing. Paints and coatings aren’t a one size fits all home remodeling project product. The factors that drive a decision on what product to use in a home remodeling project are: What’s the color and or/sheen desired? What’s the substrate? How durable does the finish need to be to last an adequate duration of time. Is the product you are considering un reasonably harmful to the environment? An example for a Seattle remodeling project might look like this: Imagine a steel railing on a 2nd floor Juliet balcony. The owner might want to use the most durable coating possible to avoid having to work off a ladder and repaint when the coating fails. This might drive the owner to consider powder coating. However powder coatings don’t have quite the color the owner wants. So because the owner of the Seattle home remodeling project values durability over getting the exact right color, powder coating is selected. The best resource when navigating the murky seas of paints and coatings for your Seattle home remodeling project is to talk to the paint and coating manufacturers as they know the most about the use of their products.

Seattle Remodeling - Paints and Coatings

I don’t want to get into colors.  We’ll leave that up to the designers.  Paints and coatings in most home remodeling and quality custom home construction is a fairly simple affair.  The most important thing to consider when talking paints and coatings is surface preparation.  Surface prep typically consists of cleaning, sanding, caulking, filling and priming.  The best Seattle remodeling contractors will take the time to make sure surfaces that are to receive coatings are kept clean and undamaged during construction.  Priming is not always necessary for the finish coat you might be considering.  However if the surface is not primed when that is a requirement for the finish coat, problems will certainly arise.  Some new paint products out have the primer built into the finish for a single coat application.  At this time I have not heard if durability is an issue.  Personally I would let someone else be the guinea pig on the new paint products and if after 5 or 10 years of home remodeling contractors using the product if the product is still on the market and making people happy, then try it out.  More and more home remodeling contractors and quality custom home builders are using pre primed material for elements that are slated for painting.  Not only does this save a step in the paint process but it also protects the unfinished material from the elements during construction.  Not everything can be bought pre primed but for exterior elements it makes sense to pre prime or even pre finish when you can here in Seattle.  More on paints and coatings next week.

Walls and ceilings are usually part of a Seattle remodeling project of any size.  Both walls and ceilings have the potential to have, finish trim, electrical devices and plumbing fixtures so choosing the appropriate finish materials for the room is important when planning your Seattle remodeling project.  In other words, having painted drywall walls and painted drywall ceiling with wood box beams in a shower isn’t a good idea and if your Seattle remodeling contractor suggests otherwise, it’s time to re-evaluate.  I’ll go over drywall finishes first.

Seattle Remodeling Contractors – Drywall finish levels.

There are 6 levels of drywall finish.  Out of levels 0-5, only 2-5 really get used in practice.  Level 2 is what most remodeling contractors call “fire taped”.  The drywall is basically unfinished but has been taped at all it joints and fasteners have been covered.  This level is usually used in remodeling a garage, mechanical room or where the fire rating of the wall needs the assembly but the drywall will not be the visible finished material.  Level 3 is us textured drywall.  The drywall is finished to a level where there are still imperfections that are visible.  Then the drywall is then textured which hides the imperfections.  Level 4 and 5 finishes are both for smooth wall applications.  Level 4 is a fairly flawless finish but does not treat the entire surface of the drywall where level 5 coats the entire surface of the drywall making it more appropriate for high sheen paints or other finishes.  Level 4 is the most common when looking at a smooth drywall finish in a home.   Most Seattle remodeling contractors will match the existing drywall finish unless it’s all new or will all be demolished.  So the wall or ceiling paint or coating determines the level of drywall finish and the level of drywall finish affects the cost.  Thus it is helpful to let your Seattle remodeling contractor know the finished look for each room to be able to get real pricing.  More on walls and ceilings next week.