Polished plaster touch up

Performing a touch up on a polished plaster wall, can be a huge challenge.  If the area is small enough, it can be masked using this technique below.  Previously, we’ve discussed the “touch-up” subject before; once on touching up a hole on a wall and more recently, how to touch up a cracked strie. Here’s […]

IDAL 2014 Fort Worth, TX

I’m back from a successful trip to this year’s IDAL 2014 trade show and event in Fort Worth, TX.   We were celebrating IDAL’s 30th year as a non-profit organization for decorative painters. I taught 3 classes: 1-day hands-on Faux Marble for baseboards, 1-day hands-on Woodgraining for baseboards, half day demonstration on preparation, protection, and touch-ups […]

Sanding

Who loves sanding?  Not me!   Probably nobody really loves to sand, which is why this crucial step gets skipped or done with partial effort.  Maybe your client won’t notice how sanding between steps has effected the overall decorative finish, but if you’re a professional, you should be able to see and feel the difference. When […]

Dusting Brush

On every job, there is always a dusting brush.  Even the smallest touch-up job requires a tool to properly dust and prepare a surface.   This is a visually thankless step of the professional painter, but absolutely crucial.   I demand that my entire crew understands the importance of dusting immediately prior to any wet application. We […]

Acetone

Acetone is a colorless and flammable solvent.  It is used mostly for printing, dry cleaning, and nail polish remover.  It is very smelly and powerful. In decorative painting, common uses are: A cleaning agent for brushes (use a cloth wet with acetone to clean dried paint).  Do not soak brushes in acetone for an extended […]