Assignments

could you please give me some advice on how to remove a paper boarder from an emulsioned wall without removing some layers of emulsion. the boarder is stuck on with boarder adhesive.

thanks dave.

A.1001

Dave

All I can say is try a steam stripper. It sounds like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut but some of these border adhesives are very strong. Just take it easy and do not keep the steam stripper head on the wall for too long. Hope this does the trick.

Fred

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Q.1002. GROUND COAT FOR GRAINING

Hi Fred,

Im reading a book on graining tecniques, and Buff is used a lot in varying tones as a ground colour mainly Wulnut on a B.S 0800 chart what would come close

Thanks.

A.1002

Hello Stephen

I do not know which reference you are using but if you are looking at a British Standards 4800 (BS4800) chart then the buff colour would be BS 08C35, it is used a lot as a base for Oak. Some advise try looking at polished woods and pick out the palest colour and when imitating use that pale colour as the ground coat.

Fred.

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Q.1003. BLACK SHADOWS ON PAINTED WALLS

Hi.Hope you can help.

Iam in the process of paintig newly plastered flats and a massive stairwell.All the walls were first coated with whits emulsion, then a coat of magnolia.Now i am finishing off with another coat of mag.The problem is that when you look along or up the walls there are black shadows resulting in what looks like a mess.Iam rolling out in metre sections and have tried both short and medium pile rollers (Hamilton).Some of the walls are 12 feet high so its difficult to roll quickly.I just don't seem to get a good flat finish. Any ideas and advice

Kevin

A.1003

Kevin

This is a new one on me, black shadows, unless the new plastering is uneven which these days, and I am not criticisng your plasterers, is not uncommon. You never said if you thinned the first coat of emulsion if not it could cause uneven absorption. Interior lighting can play tricks on the eye, try and view your work in daylight only.

Hope this is of some help Yours Fred Biddulph

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Q.1004. Antique Slate Fire Surround with marbleized paint effect

Hello,

We have purchased the above, which needs the marbelized effect restoring. Do you have any information as to how to do this or who could offer this service perhaps? We're in South Cumbria.

Regards

Paul

A.1004

If the painted marble effect is not flaking off then carefully clean with a soft cloth and soap and water. if it has started to peel then it needs to be completely removed and the marble effect redone. Although I show a slate surround I have restored myself I do not say how it was done. If you look on my site under sienna marble a similar technique is used for the slate fire surround. The marbling colour is more transparent and the colour will be the same as those on the slate at the moment, take a photo! Marbling is not everybody's cut of tea so if you want have a look in the local press, speak to friends, look on the internet for someone local. You're after somebody with specialist decorating skills - check the local college.

Hope this will help some Fred

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Q.1005. PATTERN STAINING

I wonder if you can help?

After lining the living room walls, my husband then painted them a pale yellow colour. The result was brilliant, but now, some years later, there are dark lines showing through in a pattern which resembles the edges of the breeze blocks underneath the plaster. Is this a common problem? What should we do to prevent it happening again now we want to re-decorate?

Marianne

A.1005

Marianne

You almost had the reason for this problem when you mentioned the word pattern. It is in fact known as 'pattern staining' and occurs because there is a difference of temperature between the breeze block and the mortar joints.

The blocks contain many air holes and are warmer than the more dense cement joints. Warm air in your room, which carries fine particles of dust, is attracted to the colder parts of the wall, in this case the mortar, and over a period of time a pattern of the joints will appear.

The solution. The first and most expensive is to inject the cavity with insulation, this work must be carried out by a qualified installer. Or you could line the wall with expanded polystyrene before normal decoration, but do not forget, expanded polystyrene is highly flammable. Decorating the problem area more often may be your solution, or using a different colour.

Hope this goes some way to solving your problem.

Fred Biddulph

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Q.1006. AM I BEING RIPPED OFF?

Hi, I currently run a small local pub, we are having it decorated, the decorator has told me that the ceiling needs zig and dab ,( the ceiling is currently red but is going to be white ) could you tell me what this is as i am being charged an extra £95 for this,

thanks

eileen

A.1006

Eileen

Thanks for your email. You've got me intrigued, I like to think I know pretty well all there is to know about decorating ( the truth is, I know I don't) But zig and dab, as long as it's not a wind up, it could be a colloquial saying from your area, where ever that is. On the other hand, if the ceiling is in sound condition and it's just a colour change from a strong or very deep red then it will need an extra coat or coats. If it's stained with nicotine, and it will if it has not been decorated since well before the smoking ban, then this will have to be removed and sealed before normal decoration, but this again should have been included in the original estimate. Any contractor who starts adding on extras after the start of the job is a bit suspect. Hope I have been of some help.

Fred

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Q.1007. GOOD PREPARATION IS ESSENTIAL

I am redecorating flat which is normally let before readvertising for new let .I am having problems with the bathroom which tenant had changed colour from white to a sort of magnolia colour .I intended to change colour back to brilliant white .I had put two coats of emulsion on walls and ceilings.each coat was allowed several days to dry before applying next one .However the previous colour was still showing through today which is 3 days after I did the second coat. I attempted to do the third coat and to my horror found that when I was rollering or brushing the paint on it was actually dragging the 2 previous white coats in lumps and exposing the previous colour .Can you please advise me as to what is needed to stop this problem recurring.

Thanks Rob

A.1007

Rob

Sounds a like the surface hasn't been prepared correctly.

If it's taking longer than two hours to dry then it could be condensation on the walls. The cure for that is open windows and doors to allow for circulation of air. When all the walls are dry prepare by sanding with medium glasspaper and dust off. Apply emulsion (that is if you are using emulsion) in the normal way.

If the roller is pulling the previous coats off the surface then it could be the walls have previously been painted with gloss paint. Gloss painted surfaces must be roughed up (the shine taken off) before applying emulsion paint. You can do this by sanding with coarse glasspaper and washing with sugar soap.

If it's oil paint, gloss or eggshell, you are using then it could be grease or soap deposits on the surface, if so then the surface must be washed with sugar soap to remove all contamination before painting.

It could be that preparation wasn't done last time it was decorated and with you now applying a new coat system the roller is pulling the old paint completely from the wall, if this was the case then you would see it coming off in medium to large strips. Preparation can be messy here but washing with sugar soap should get most of the previous paint off the wall.

Good luck!

Hope this has been of some help for you.

Fred

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Q.1008. BROWN STAINING

Dear Fred,

I got your e-mail from the decorating website.

I am trying to paint a ceiling that is covered with tongue and groove pine boarding, apparently varnished with a sort of chestnut brown colour. I have applied two coats of Dulux white emulsion but there is brown staining bleeding through the coats. Do I have to seal it or is there another solution? If I have to seal, what do you recommend?

Best Regards,

Mervyn

A.1008

Mervyn

You can get water staining on a ceiling if there has been a leak from above but this sounds like Nick O'teen. Before painting it is best to wash with sugar soap to remove nicotine stains. But you can paint the stained area with normal oil based undercoat and when dry give it another coat of emulsion. Hope this has helped in some way.

Fred

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Q.1009. MARBLE EFFECT FIRE SURROUND

Hi Fred, please help.

We have a huge slate marble effect fire surround and it really doesn't look good. It over powers quite a small room. I love original features but feel I have to do something to make the surround more attractive.

Can I get rid of the marble effect with chemicals or should I use a specialist paint as I would like it to be a simple feature of the slate. I can paint it white as a last resort but feel this is a step to far although I like the look. Please help.

Many thanks Jason

A.1009

Jason

First take pictures of what is left of the marble effect on the slate. The effect has been produced with oil paint and if it has started to flake or peel off then the only action is to remove all of it and start afresh. I am presuming the effect has been created in panels and can be reproduced in the same style. To remove the existing work, and so as not to damage the easily damaged slate, do not use scrapers or solvents. Rub the surface down with wet or dry abrasive paper. This is the same paper that car body repairers use when spraying car bodywork. Use a 240 grade to start and finish with a 320 or even a 400 grade and use plenty of water so as not to scratch the surface. Once this is done and the surface clean and smooth redecoration can commence. Apply several thin coats of oil based eggshell black and when dry marble the panels as they were before, or if you are not up to it, get in touch with a local decorator to do it for you. Or, you can paint the surround in what ever colour you wish, perhaps picking out the panels in different colours of your choice.

Hope this helps in some way,

Yours Fred.

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Q.1010. A RECIPE FOR SCUMBLE GLAZE

I found your web site, not sure if I can write and ask just willy nilly, but was wondering if you had a good recipe for oil based and acrylic scumble glaze.

I live in Kenya and you cannot buy these off the shelf here.

Thank you

Tara

A.1010

Tara

You can certainly ask willy nilly, I haven't herd that expression for a long time. I might even give you a willy nilly answer.

For the oil scumble you willy need one part raw linseed oil of any type or perhaps boiled oil, two parts turpentine or turps substitute and a small amount, 10% to 20% of the whole mixture, of terebine dryers or if you are using boiled oil then just a very small amount. I use just that mixture when creating marble effects but some people add melted bees wax to make a scumble.

For the acrylic scumble you willy need the paint and propylene glycol, that is what is in the manufactured water based scumble found in the shops. But you can make your own - the paint and glycerine, synthetic or natural, or a material you can buy in a chemist called KY jelly, that's the same as synthetic glycerine.

Hope this helps Yours Fred Biddulph

Q.1010. A RECIPE FOR SCUMBLE GLAZE. Part 2

Dear Fred,

You are such a star, thank you so much for the info…

Will go out tomorrow get what I have to and mix it all up!! One more thing – sorry – how much glycerine to paint do I use?

Thanks so much again

Tara

A.1010. Part 2

Tara

Just do it willy nilly, sorry I think I've done enough of that one don't you?

You will have to do a little experimenting.

If you are using tube acrylic colour then squeeze out one inch of the colour and mix some glycerine, try that for creating your effect, see if it dries quick enough, hard enough. Then if not experiment again until you get it right. Make notes of your amounts.

Fred

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