There’s a lot to know about lead paint before you start renovating an old house. Lots more than I can cover in one post and rather than trying to search through years of archives, I thought it would be helpful to create a resource page dedicated to helping you work lead safe in an old […]
I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about lead paint, so I wanted to try to address some of those questions to make folks feel a little safer in their old homes. If you live in a house built before 1978, you need to know how to test for lead paint, especially if you have […]
Today’s question comes from Jacques: “What would you recommend for plaster walls and wood trim/mouldings on a 90 year old house? My wife and I are planning on having kids, so we’d like to get the house lead free in a safe way.” Jacques, in a 90-year old house you’re not as likely to have lead paint […]
Lead paint and lead poisoning, as it pertains to old houses, have long been a lightning rod of controversy. Some people even refuse to own an old home due to fears of lead paint. But lead paint may not be the national health concern you’ve been told it is. I’d like to start by saying […]
Guest Post by Wade Myer – Wade grew up under the watchful eye his father, a contractor, who taught him the tools of the trade. Even though he can swing a hammer with the best of them, he’s always been drawn to the written word where he can frame sentences rather than walls. Currently he writes […]
I’ve painted more exteriors in sweltering weather than I care to admit. After years of slathering on the best paints money can buy, prepping like I’m auditioning for a “Surface Prep Olympics,” and throwing in mildew-resistant additives like they’re magical fairy dust, I still find myself battling one nasty little intruder: mildew. It’s like getting […]
There are so many paint scrapers on the market it may be hard to decide which one is right for you. As a restoration contractor who has spent countless hours scraping paint and has employed over a hundred of craftsmen who do the same, there are very few scrapers that make the cut for me. […]
When it comes to giving your home a fresh look, painting the exterior can make a significant impact. However, before you dive into your painting project, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of the costs involved because depending on the house those costs can be considerable. In this post, I’ll explore how to price […]
Old hardware is just like everything else in an old house, covered with decades of paint. Antique hardware can be some very attractive and beautifully crafted pieces of art that is well worth restoring. If you want to remove paint from hardware, you don’t want to just start scraping the paint off with an old […]
Painting metal can be a unique process that is sometimes very similar to wood or drywall and sometimes extremely different. The key to success is knowing the right prep and paint for the right application. Just like there are a plethora of different paints in the world, there are a ton of different types of […]
Which one should you get? The debate between buying a heat gun or an infrared paint stripper is a question a lot of folks have been asking these days as this new technology has begun getting more attention and, it’s one worth asking if you have a lot of paint to strip particular lead paint […]
Painting brick, whether it’s the whole exterior of a house or just a fireplace is a big decision and in many cases a permanent one. Painting brick is one of the most controversial topics in home repair, and painted brick is notoriously difficult and often times impossible to completely strip of paint. My goal with […]
