Ask Danny | Ep. 3: Answers on All Things Painting

Ask Danny | Ep. 3: Answers on All Things Painting
In this episode of “Ask Danny,” Tracey Amadio offers her tips and tips for painting.


In Episode 3 of “Ask Danny,” portray pro Tracey Amadio shares her tips and tricks for getting the best paint position. 


Tracey Amadio of Porch Daydreamer
Tracey Amadio, a.k.a. the “Queen of Portray Everything” is passionate about painting! (Courtesy Tracey Amadio)

About Tracey Amadio

Tracey Amadio is passionate about painting. She utilizes knowledge from her home improvement occupation to train Do it yourself tasks, dwelling style, and portray approaches on her web page Porchdaydreamer.com.

Tracey’s enthusiasts have crowned her the “The Queen of Painting Everything” since there is nothing at all she will not paint!

Her superpower of shade memory and prolonged historical past of color trend investigation is mixed to locate the perfect paint colors for you.

Her mission is to acquire the ache out of painting and decorating with her effortless-to-have an understanding of tutorials.

Tracey was named a 2021 Superior Residences & Gardens Stylemaker and her get the job done has been highlighted in HGTV, Far better Households & Gardens, Superior Housekeeping, State Living, Apartment Remedy and more.


Open paint cans of white, blue and green on a wood background
Shade pigments, additives, resins and carriers identify the value of paint. (annastories)

Paint Rates

Why is some paint substantially extra high priced than other brands and types?

Tracey: Price tag matters… to a stage.

Many home owners only focus on the paint shade and never imagine about what’s blended in with the color pigments. Resins, additives and carriers — like drinking water and oil — are critical components that will make paint more high-priced. 

Increased-quality pigments and resins will make the cost go up, but you are going to have much better coverage. The middle price tag level is the most effective solution to decide on. 

Remember: Quality perception is dictated by the human being who’s making use of the paint. A professional may well want a thinner paint since they’ll be employing a sprayer, but a home-owner usually would like a thicker paint for the reason that they’ll be covering a wall with a further color or painting a piece of furnishings. 

Paying out a very little excess on that better paint is heading to give you an much easier software and fewer brush strokes. Also, the paint will dry to a improved, a lot more long lasting end.


Hands holding up a sample of paint color swatches against a wall of paint swatches
Selecting a paint coloration can be overwhelming. Obtain an item to begin your shade palette and perform from there. (Feverpitched, Getty Illustrations or photos)

Picking a Coloration

Can you offer some guidance on how to opt for a paint color?

Tracey: When choosing a paint coloration, get started with the coloration you want to base your palette about. It could be a piece of cloth, a rug, a plate, just about anything that allows you hone on to the shade you want.

Just take it to the retail store with you to select the correct paint. Also foundation it on the amount of light-weight in the home, if it a darker much too decide on a  lighter paint color and sop forth.

I have a free information you can down load. 6 simple measures to picking a paint colour.

Also, think about the lighting in the room you are portray. If you have a dim place, lighter paint, if you have a mild space, you can go with a darker paint shade, a mid-price paint is likely to be finest for most persons.  

Soon after you have an notion of what color you want, obtain a foam board and paint it with samples so you can shift it all around the space to see if it will do the job for you. 

Get your time determining right before you choose a shade. See how the shade samples glance at various periods of the working day. 


Hand painting wall trim with a paintbrush
A satin or semi-gloss sheen is very best for trim and molding. (JodiJacobson, Getty Illustrations or photos Signature)

Deciding upon Sheen

What are the various types of sheen, and how must you select just one? 

Tracey: I used to do the job at a paint desk, and I would often see the “deer in headlights” seem when I requested what sheen a man or woman needed. 

Sheen issues! It is really a lot more crucial than shade. 

There are 5 forms of sheen: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss and substantial-gloss. To establish what sheen you have to have, look at the space or project you’re portray.

If you are portray a ceiling, you want a reduced-reflective paint to conceal any imperfections, especially where by the joints match up. A flat sheen is most effective for this. 

For walls, you want a larger sheen, like eggshell. Cooking splatters and accidental spills take place, so you have to have a finish that’s washer-friendly. 

When you scrub a flat paint, it burnishes it and would make it shiny. Flat paint is excellent for touchups but not for substantial-targeted visitors spots exactly where you have to have scrutability and longevity.

The higher the sheen, the more challenging the paint will be when it dries. I usually advisable satin, at least, or semi-gloss for trim and molding. These sheens are nonetheless wipable but they’re a lot more resilient, so they’ll stand up to scuffing and jarring. 

I do not propose a substantial-gloss paint. The a lot more reflective a paint is, the more flaws it is heading to present. It is also really hard to utilize, so I would depart that to a qualified.


Paint brush swiping deep blue paint over faded blue paint on a wood wall
Exterior and interior paint cannot be interchanged. Always paint the outside of your dwelling with a paint rated for out of doors use. (Susie Hedberg, Getty Images)

Exterior Painting

What temperature is very best for painting a home’s exterior?

Tracey: Most of the time, exterior paint simply cannot be utilized in temperatures underneath 55-50 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to paint outside when there’s minimal humidity and the temperature is reasonable — in between 55-75 levels Fahrenheit. 

Paint has a ton of h2o in it, so the far more water in the air, the extended time it will get the paint to dry. Allow yourself 3 sunny times, if achievable, for the paint to dry.

When painting your home’s exterior, only use paint that’s rated for exterior use. Since exterior paint has to deal with temperature modifications the moment it is dry, it’s fortified with particular resins and pigments for exclusive durability. It can extend and contract to a degree that inside paint are not able to.

The very best paint for exterior use is acrylic latex. I steer distinct of oil paints for the exterior. Oil paint isn’t uncomplicated to clear, and if you are applying a white oil paint, it will yellow over time simply because of the oil in it. 

Now, there is oil-enriched enamel paint that is h2o-based mostly, so it’s simple to cleanse with cleaning soap and drinking water like acrylic latex. This paint has oil molecules suspended inside of it, and as it dries, all those molecules activate to act like oil paint. The conclude final result is a surface area that’s difficult and tough with all the gains and flexibility of latex paint. 


Black and green plastic outdoor furniture around a fire pit
Refresh plastic outside furnishings with a new coat of paint. (Jonathan Cooper/Pexels)

Painting Plastic

How do you paint plastic out of doors home furniture?

Tracey: I get a dual method to painting plastic furnishings. Utilize a bonding primer spray 1st, then include it with a typical spraypaint. 


Paint droplets on a beige carpet
(travellinglight, Getty Pictures)

Even Experts Make Problems

Tracey: Even however I’m a paint skilled, I from time to time go on line to see what other people today in the painting environment are undertaking. 

About a 12 months back, I resolved to paint my stair risers, which had been stained and seriously polyurethaned. 

One blogger encouraged liquid sandpaper, and I imagined that could help you save me a step. I taped off the risers, used the liquid sandpaper and then painted on prime of that.

When the paint was continue to moist, I pulled the tape off at a 90-degree angle. A entire piece of movie peeled right off the stair riser, and the full career was ruined! 

I learned a difficult lesson: Believe in my intestine and go with what will work. Use a deglosser, then use a bonding primer, then apply the paint.

My paint has stayed put and is vacuum-cleaner evidence as effectively!


Power sander sanding a wood board
Sand away any imperfections prior to painting wooden. (3 Echoes Material Studio)

Tracey’s Strategies

  • Never dismiss proper area preparation. If you do, the paint will occur off. Get the area pleasant and cleanse and sand any failing regions.
  • Use stain-blocking bonding primer if painting in excess of a stain. If you really do not, the stain will increase up to the area and build shade inconsistencies.
  • Pay awareness to the re-coat time. A ton of persons imagine dry time and recoat time are the identical. Generally, recoat time is extended than dry time. If you never wait the proper volume of time proposed by the maker, the paint will adhere to by itself and never fully dry. You close up with definitely tacky, sticky paint which is pretty much unattainable to deal with.  

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