I was talking to a potential client and they told me about a San Francisco restoration artist who’s created a line of ornamental plaster (cartouches, scrolls, onlays, medallions..) They will be using one of her Cartouches on the front of their San Francisco home. Her name is Lorna Kollmeyer. She’s got a great website! Check out lornakollmeyer.com
An interesting thing about the new Glidden Stores. Over a decade ago, Several US paint brands (Fuller O’Brien, Sinclair, and Glidden among them) were bought out by the international giant ICI (Imperial Chemical industries). Former Fuller Obrien/Sinclair locations were converted into ICI/Dulux stores. Dulux is an internationally available brand of paint, produced by AkzoNobel (formerly Imperial Chemical Industries). The brand name Dulux has been used by both ICI and DuPont since 1931 and was one of the first alkyd-based paints.
I’ve always liked the ICI/Dulux line, because they have large resources, big r&d dollars, and many product choices from which to cherry-pick a great line of paints.
Funny thing is; after over 10 years, Americans still don’t recognize the ICI name brand, and so they’ve changed the name back to Glidden, for that warm, familiar name recognition (or so I heard: Perhaps AkzoNobel just wants to distance themselves from their old moniker). In any case, be aware that when you buy Glidden, it is backed by a longstanding, international company with great r&d and the resources to put out a truly solid, dependable product line. Check out their web-site!
I’d like to mention a neat product called prepLESS by Global Encasement, Inc. http://encasement.com. PrepLess was designed to “encapsulate” lead and asbestos, and it sticks, holds, breathes and stretches, making it a very tenacious and durable coating (according to the manufacturer). We first applied it to a badly weathered (chalky, crackled, peeling) stucco exterior, and later tried it on trashed T111 siding. In both cases, the adhesion and build was phenomenal. My only concern is that it may be too flexible to go under conventional coatings, but so far, so good. Now for the description:
“PrepLess” was designed and engineered to meet the needs of the hazardous materials abatement industry. PrepLess in liquid form is a milky white color that when applied dries clear yet remains tacky to the touch. It is known as a bridging encapsulant for abatement of asbestos containing materials and lead based paint. PrepLess penetrates and softens deteriorating lead based paint. It’s tremendous adhesion properties can help to reattach loose and flaking paint back onto the substrate, which reduces or eliminates the generation of hazardous waste associated with hazardous materials. PrepLess is a waterproof yet breathable coating with superior water vapor transmission and does not allow water to be trapped under the surface of the coating which is a common reason for coatings to crack and fail. With 4000% elongation PrepLess expands and contracts with substrate movement caused by the rise and fall in climate temperatures and seismic vibration. PrepLess contains no VOC’s or ODS’s making it a super-compliant architectural green coating.
Global Encasement has an array of great products including roofing coats, rust encapsulants, and lead/asbestos abatement products.
We recently used XIM Peel Bond’s Trim Magic, a low VOC, high-build primer, recommended for smoothing out rough surfaces including crackled paint and T 111. We used it on a peeling stucco substrate to help blend the patches. We found that the product leveled well, and formed a smooth, flexible, low-lustre film. Recommended dry film thickness is about 15 mils, or 10 times the thickness of conventional primers!
A description follows:
(Peel Bond) is a unique, ultra high build, water based, bonding primer/sealer. It will bond-to and seal a wide rangeof construction materials. It can reduce the cracking and peeling of the top coat paint by remaining flexible over the life of the paint.
It is not a complete substitute for all surface preparation and allsurface conditions.
Product Use: Trim Magic is an ideal penetrating prime coat for wood, plywood, hardboard and T1-11 siding, especially for trim and sills. It also is an excellent primer for other architectural construction materials including: stucco, brick, aluminum, galvanized metal, fiberglass, PVC plastic and PVC siding, and previously painted surfaces.
Top-coat with latex or elastomeric paints only.
Note: Trim Magic will not reattach loose or peeling paint. Trim Magic will not resolve underlying moisture problems inherent in or behind the substrate.
To get our hands on this product in the Bay Area, we contacted Janco Inc, a wholesale distributor in Berkeley (jancopaintsupplies.com), and they set up a sale through East Bay Paints.
For those seeking an eco friendly solution to stripping paint; I just heard about a soy-based paint stripper made by franmar chemical. A description follows: “Want a better way to remove paints, urethanes, acrylics, epoxies, and enamels without the back-breaking work of sanding and chiseling? Made with 100% American Grown Soybeans, SOY Gel does all that and more”. I have not yet used this product, but it came highly recommended from a Berkeley client! Visit: franmar.com
As of April 22, 2010, The US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) requires that all renovations, repair or painting projects (RRP) that disturb lead-based paint (pre-1978 housing) must be performed by Certified Firms, using Certified Renovators and other trained workers. To become certified, renovators must take a course, and their firms must submit an application and pay a fee.
All renovators working on affected projects must supply owners and occupants with the pamphlet “Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for families, Child Care providers and Schools” Certified renovators also must train their employees, post signs, inspect for cleanliness and keep records. These rules don’t apply to owner/builders.
In San Francisco, painting contractors already must follow strict lead-based paint removal guidelines, but the RRP Certification is a Federal (EPA/HUD) requirement. Unfortunately there seems to be very little public awareness on this issue (despite extremely stiff penalties for non-compliance), and my guess is that most contracting firms are as of yet un-certified (we are!). More information can be found at www.epa.gov/lead
Last year we painted the exterior of “Pet Camp”, a pet-boarding facility in San Francisco. The exterior of this building is (factory painted)corregated steel, and there was a fair amount of visible rust. We needed a product that would handle the rust, without the fumes or mess of traditional “red-oxide” rust converters. We researched on-line and found “1 Step, The Rust Killer”, by Interstate Products, Inc. (store.interstateproducts.com). A description follows:
“It quickly kills rust and neutralizes it completely. Water based “1″ STEP rust converter works by a chemical reaction to eliminate rust and covers up to 500 sq. ft. per gallon.
Features:
Non-flammable-low VOC; Water based treatment; Dries Clear; Approved for use on all non-food contact surfaces; Protects against future corrosion; Non-toxic and emits no harmful fumes; Easy to use; May be top coated with paint; Eliminates and kill rust dead”
I had some concern about the adhesion of this product to a factory-finished surface, and I was also crossing my fingers on the rust issue. I am happy to say that IPI “1 step” stuck just fine, and a year later it’s still holding strong, with no rust visible. A side note: “1 step is a bit of a mis-nomer, as it’s best to apply two coats.
On our latest exterior project the owner chose Sherwin Williams’ “Duration”. It’s a great (if pricey) product! SW claims one coat coverage, due to “Duration’s” thicker film. I’m skeptical, as I feel that two coats help to fill any pin-holes or misses from the first coat. So, we’ll be applying two coats.
Had it been foggy or forecast for rain, we may have used Sherwin Williams “Resilience”. With MoistureGuard™ technology, “Resilience” cures in about half the time of most conventional exterior paints. “Resilience” also has excellent hide.
It’s springtime in San Francisco and the great weather is back! We’ve been painting on 11th Avenue, and after a ton of prep, we’re ready for the finish coat!
We removed a ton of loose paint using scrapers and heat, then sealed the bare wood with a slow-drying alkyd primer. On one area where the wood was really beat-up and soft, we applied a coat of Zinsser’s “Peel-stop”. We don’t really use this product to prevent loose paint from peeling, but we have found it to be a great (eco-friendly) solution for hardening a soft wood substrate prior to priming. We’ve also used this product on soft, punky cedar shakes and it worked great! Creating a solid, sound substrate is key for getting primer and paint to stay put.