A Happy Spring Day to you all.

And speaking of Spring, many of us are turning our thoughts and efforts to spring cleaning and painting.

I have received some e-mails recently that address many of the questions that a lot of you seem to have, so I thought that I would share them with you:

From Jonathan:
I have some scuff marks on some latex painted trim; the paint was sprayed on 3 years ago, and needs to be touched up. What do I need to do? Do I sand, and will I need to prime it first.
Thanks

Jonathan,
Thank you for your e-mail.
Touching up scuff marks on trim, especially water based paint that is only 3 years old, is usually not a problem.
Most latex trim paint does not cover very well, so it is a good idea to try and remove as many of the scuff marks as possible; sometimes warm soap and water will do the trick, and sometimes a little light sanding is needed. Just make sure not to sand into the wood beneath the paint; if you do, you will need to apply a light coat of primer before touching up the color.
One issue that you might have is the texture that is on the molding, due to the paint having been sprayed on originally. Because latex paint does not flow out as well as an oil piant, there is usually a slight pebblely texture to the surface. When you apply the touch up paint, brush it on lightly with long, light strokes, feathering the end of each stroke into the original paint. This will blend the new paint into the old, and keep any difference in sheen or texture to a minimum.


And, of course, no collection of e-mails would be complete without a question concerning masking:

From Karen:
When painting walls some of the paint go onto the freshly painted ceiling. What is the best way to clean off the darker color from the lighter ceiling?

Also, I painted a dark wall before an abuting lighter colored wall with adjoining corner. Paint bled thru tape and corner is very irregular. Everything I've read explains that you should paint light wall first. Well i didn't so what can I do now to fix the corner.


Karen,
Thank you for your e-mail.
One of the most common problems that homeowners face when painting is the bleed under that they get, even when using high quality tape. The best way to prevent this is to always seal the edge of the tape first, with a clear finish, white primer, or a clear or colored painter's caulk.
But when you do get a bleed under problem, you can still use the sealed tape technique to solve that problem.
Let's start with the ceiling line:
Using your 3M blue tape, tape off the walls next to the ceiling. Next, using some of the wall paint, seal the edge of the tape. Let this dry, then brush over the darker color with the ceiling color. (You may have to brush on a couple of coats of the lighter color in order to cover the darker color). Let dry overnight, then carefully pull the tape. (You may have to use one of your break-away knifes to lightly score the edge, so that it doesn't pull the paint). You will then have a perfectly clean, sharp line between the ceiling and the wall.
Now, as far as the corners go, I find that it really doesn't make much difference whether you paint the dark color first, or the lighter color. Since you already have painted the walls, treat the corner just like the ceiling line: Mask off one of the wlls, then seal the edge with that color. Let it dry, the then paint over it with the other color. You should now have a straight, clean corner.


So get down to the paint store, and let's get those Spring Projects going!
And remember "Paint is cheap; paint is fun; and if you don't like it you can always paint over!"

Glenwood Sherry
That Paint Guy