The Incredible Shrinking Man

Posted on August 1, 2013August 6, 2019

Last week I went to the doctor. It was nothing serious–at least it didn’t start out that way–it was just a routine visit. Kind of a maintenance thing. However, in the course of this “maintenance” visit, I was made aware of potentially life-changing information: I’m shrinking. At an incredible rate.

See, when they called my name and led me out of the waiting room, they brought me to a little corner of despair where they keep the scale and the wall-mounted “how-short-are-you-now?”-o-meter. I hate both of these devices and particularly dread this part of each doctor’s visit.

As was usual, they started with the scale. Now, normally, this part is a little awkward because while I’m not obscenely overweight, neither am I what you might call “fit”. With the right clothes on, I look fine (if you squint), but if you really take a look . . . well, it’s not necessarily flattering. At any rate, normally, when I climb onto the scale, the nurse clicks her tongue, shakes her head and makes a notation on my record. Probably something about too many donuts.

However, this time, I was actually excited to get on the scale. Oh, it’d been 2 years since last I stood on that little device, but I knew my weight was down. In fact, I was willing to bet I was about 11 or 12 pounds lighter than last time. And so, with that confidence in my back pocket, I hopped onto the scale and waited for the digital numbers to stop ticking. And sure enough: they showed a weight loss from last time of about 12 pounds.

The nurse, with a bit of surprise (and, I thought, disappointment), noted this in my record, even commenting on the fact that I was significantly lighter.

She then motioned toward the equipment on the wall–the “how-short-are-you-now” o-meter. “Stand over there. Back against the wall, head up straight, heels against the wall, chest in . . . “

I complied. Back straight. Eyes forward. Legs together. Chin rigid, strong. And let me tell you: I felt TALL.

She manipulated the equipment, sliding the little measuring bar until it hit the top of my head. “Does that feel about right?”

“Yes.” I was confident. Cool. Collected. And why not? I was 12 pounds lighter than 2 years ago. More fit than ever. And, did I mention that I felt TALL? I can’t describe the feeling any better than that. I just felt TALL. Normally, I feel just the opposite. Normally, when I stand up in the office where I work, I find myself eye-to-eye with people who are still sitting. I’m not joking. I work with such tall (some might say average height) people that I routinely spend every day feeling as if I’m about 12 years old among a gathering of grown-ups. Normally, that’s the case. But not that day. That day I felt TALL.

And then the nurse spoke up: “5 foot, 6 and 1 quarter.”

It was so matter of fact. A veritable non-event for her. But that short, er, simple declaration, that reading of the scales, was world-shattering to me.

I was trying to process whether or not I’d heard her correctly when the import of the measurements hit her. Her face split into an eager smile.

“Ooooh! This is interesting!” she said, looking over the papers in her hand, flipping back through years and years of notes. “Did you know that just 2 years ago you were 5′ 7″ Just 2 short years ago! Did you realize that?”

I half-nodded since I was still processing the results.

“And did you hear that you are now 5′ 6 1/4″?”

I nodded again.

“You know what that means, right? You know that means you’ve Shrunk, right?” (I’m certain she used the word in the capitalized form for effect.) “You know that means you’ve Shrunk at least 3/4 of an inch in just 2 years! That’s amazing!”

She made a couple more notes in the book and then turned around to lead me to the room where I would wait until the doctor came. However, after taking a couple of steps, she turned around and looked back at me. She tilted her head to one side and stared for a long second or two before smiling and shaking her head.

“3/4 of an inch in two years! Wow! If you keep shrinking at that rate . . . well . . . ” She trailed off, turned around and continued on her way to the examination room with me trailing along behind. Like a small child who needed a sticker and his mommy.

She showed me into the room and closed the door as she left. And there I sat, my little legs dangling off the chair, just short of the floor by about 3/4 of an inch. And while I sat there, I did math in my head. And I realized that if I continue shrinking at that rate, by the I’m sixty-four I’ll be 4′ tall, probably 180 pounds, and I’ll need a ladder to get into my car. I’ll need a booster seat at restaurants and I’ll have to have one of my kids reach things off the top shelf of the refrigerator for me. I’ll have to sit on phone books at work so I can reach the computer keyboard, but in so doing, I will move my feet farther from the floor. I’ll have to . . . .

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door and the entrance of the doctor. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least now we could get on with the business at hand. The maintenance check up. We could infuse the situation with some professionalism, this doctor and I. We could put away all this talk about shrinking and we could discuss important things like . . . .

“So,” the doctor broke into my thoughts as she flipped through some papers on a clipboard. “So, it seems you’ve shrunk almost 3/4″ in 2 years!” An amazed whistle escaped her lips. “You know how amazing that is, right?”

Yeah. I’ve heard.

Stenciled Dresser Project

Posted on February 4, 2013August 6, 2019

Finding and old piece of furniture–something that’s seen it’s better days–and breathing new life into it with a little paint and some creativity is easily one of my favorite do-it-yourself projects. I love it because it’s usually inexpensive (if you’re a smart shopper), doesn’t take much time, and the results can be dramatic.

Today, I want to highlight and recommend a simple project we discovered on a great decorating blog called “Sophia’s Decor“. (Check it out sometime–you’ll thank us later!)

This is a simple project that anyone can accomplish. Please head to Sophia’s Decor for some great pictures and more detailed comments about the project. But to quickly summarize:

Here’s What You Need:

A piece of furniture to paint (this is important)
Paint (main color and stencil color)
TSP
Sandpaper
Paint Supplies
Stencil or Projector

Here’s What You Do:

	Start by scuff sanding your furniture piece with some 120-150 grit sandpaper. This doesn’t need to be a complicated, lengthy, arm-breaking, sweat-producing sanding job. You’re basically just dusting over the piece to dull the previous finish so your paint will bond.
	After the scuff-sanding, wash the piece down with a TSP and water mixture. This will remove the sanding dust and will also help to clean away any surface contaminants that might be left from cleaners and so on.
	When the piece is completely dry, apply your main color. Brush or roll it directly onto the furniture piece without a primer. (If you plan to distress it, it’s important to skip the primer step.)
	Once the piece is painted (it may take one or two coats depending on your color), go ahead and distress it. This is a bit of an art project and takes a little bit of thought. It’s not complicated, but you want to be careful to create an authentic distressed look without going too far. Carefully run your sandpaper over the edges of the drawers and the top and the legs and you’ll notice that very quickly you cut through to the wood beneath. Work around the spots that would see normal wear over the years: the drawer pulls, edges and so on. Continue like this until you’ve achieved the look you desire and then wipe the piece clean with a damp rag.
	When it’s dry, it’s time to apply the stencil. This part will take some planning and some thinking and some searching to find just the right graphic. In this case, the blogger at Sophia’s Decor used a projector to display the image on the dresser and then she traced it with a pencil, using an off white paint to fill in the lines. You could also accomplish the same affect if you found a stencil to your liking.
	However you put the design on, let it dry a couple days. Once it’s dry, the last step is a light sanding over the letters. (Don’t work too hard with this sanding or you’ll remove too much of the lettering!) The goal here is to lightly distress the lettering and give the piece an aged look.
	At that point, you can leave the piece as is, or, if you prefer, you could apply a light, single coat of polyurethane in a low-gloss or flat finish. A solvent-based polyurethane will yellow slightly over time, so be aware of that before you top-coat anything that’s white!

Overall, this project will take you a couple days from start to finish–though most of that time will be just letting it dry in between paint coats. It’s fun, easy and, because the furniture piece is small compared to the room it is eventually placed in, you can experiment with colors that might be too strong for the walls.

If you try something like this, or have a project you think turned out really well, please post a pic on our Facebook page here. We love to see what you’ve come up with!

Basement Floor Paint: The Options

Posted on December 13, 2012August 6, 2019

Painting a basement floor is a great way to improve your home without dropping a lot of money. However, while the project isn’t complicated, there are a few things you should know. First off, as we wrote here, you first must make sure that your floor is even a candidate for paint. If you’ve done that and you’ve determined that your floor can be painted, the next step is to determine which floor paint to use.

There are many options out there, but you should be aware of fancy packaging and vague marketing promises. The box may “say” that the paint wears like steel. It may highlight the fact that the paint is an epoxy. But understand that not all epoxies are the same. And that marketing claims can sometimes be made based on a “best case, controlled-environment, scenario”. (They’re also quite subjective–as some marketer’s idea of what steel wears like is not necessarily what you think steel will wear like!).

So with that said, let’s discuss a couple options we have at RepcoLite when it comes to basement floor paint and let’s compare these to the standard kits you see at the Big Box Stores. Hopefully this will give you the information you need to make an informed choice based on your situation.

LATEX SINGLE-COMPONENT FLOOR PAINT

This is a very basic floor paint and offers a number of benefits. Single-component latex floor paints are incredibly easy to use. There is no mixing, no catalyzing, no “open time” or anything along those lines. Simply stir or shake the container before use, pour out, and roll on.

These paints apply easily, usually cover quite well, and best of all, they dry very quickly and with very low amounts of residual odor. There are no dangerous fumes to deal with and there’s no concern regarding turning off pilot lights and furnaces. Also, single-component latex floor paints like RepcoLite’s AquaTred floor paint are usually more inexpensive than other basement floor paint systems.

On the downside, these paints are probably the least durable of all floor paints. Yes, a lot of the durability of a particular product is directly related to proper surface preparation, but still, latex single-component paints are best suited for areas that receive only light to moderate foot traffic. If you’re painting a work room or some other area where you’ll be using (and potentially dragging) equipment across the floor, this might not be the best option for you.

BOTTOM LINE: In comparison to other “Big Box” epoxy systems, these paints are a little less durable. However, they compensate for this however by offering you ease of use, a quick dry time and a great price. However, if the room you’re working in is simply a storage area or a lightly trafficked laundry area (and you’re looking to accomplish the job quickly, inexpensively and with little or no residual odor) this might be perfect.

SOLVENT-BASED SINGLE-COMPONENT FLOOR PAINT

The second option RepcoLite offers when it comes to basement floor paint is our Urethane Floor Enamel. Like its latex counterpart, Urethane Floor Enamel is relatively simple to use. No catalyst is required, no “open time”, and so on. All you need is the paint itself, a quick stir or shake, and you’re ready to go.

These paints apply well, self-level beautifully and offer much better absorption than a latex would. The added urethane in RepcoLite’s product provides dramatically increased durability over other “solvent-based” floor systems. This added fortifier makes Urethane Floor Enamel nearly equivalent in durability to those Big Box Epoxy kits–at a much lower price.

Urethane Floor Enamel is suitable for moderate to high foot traffic floors and will even hold up (once they’re cured) to dragging and sliding of small equipment (bench saws, small cabinets, etc.).

However, there are some drawbacks. First and foremost, as is the case with any solvent-based product, there is an odor. Also, you will have paint fumes to deal with. You will need to ventilate your room well while working and after you’re finished. Turning off pilot lights and furnaces is also important. And, speaking from sad experience, if you have a gas clothes dryer, you MUST make sure the fumes are entirely out of the room before using it. (If you don’t, all the clothes you or your wife dries will end up smelling like Kerosene and your wife will make you rewash them. And will remind you about this experience for the rest of your life.)

BOTTOM LINE: These paints are a great option if you can’t or don’t want to work with an epoxy coating. They’ll provide great durability for almost every basement application at a fraction of the price of the more expensive (and often less durable) epoxy systems. They do, however, pack a bit of a wallop with paint fumes, so be sure to ventilate well.

CONCLUSION

Painting a basement floor is a great project. It’s inexpensive, can be accomplished in just a few short hours, and will make a world of difference in your basement. However, finding the right product can seem tricky for those who aren’t familiar with paint and all the new technologies out there. If you’re considering the project, don’t just pick up a floor kit at a Big Box Store and roll it on! Take time and head to a RepcoLite near you for some straightforward advice and information. We’ll help you find the best product for your job and we’ll walk you through the proper steps to make sure the product lasts for years to come! (And if you’re nowhere near a RepcoLite, head to a reputable paint dealer in your area.)

Concrete Floors: Is My Floor Even a Candidate For Paint?

Posted on November 27, 2012August 6, 2019

All concrete floors are different and many variables are at play. Some floors are composed of bare concrete. Some of this concrete is old, some new. Some old concrete floors are clean, others are dirty. Some are dirty, others are filthy. Still other floors are painted. Of those, some are holding up beautifully and others are peeling like a summer sunburn.

All too often, folks wander into a Big Box Store on a weekend and just happen to spot a gallon or a kit of “Floor Paint”. They read the can and are informed that after applying two simply coats of this paint to their floor, they’ll have a beautiful, showroom basement.

Some buy into this idea and consequently buy the paint. If you’re curious how their project ends, head to the websites of any of these stores and check out the reviews for their floor paint. Eight times out of ten, the reviews are bad. And almost 100% of those bad reviews are the result of people painting floors in the wrong way, without the right prep. Some are even the results of people painting floors that should NEVER have been painted in the first place.

So, all that to say, before you rush into a paint job on your basement floor, be aware that there’s a level of great deal of information and understanding you need to be able to tackle this project successfully. No, it’s not complicated. Yes, anybody can do it. But it DOES take a few extra steps that you’re not likely to be hear about at your average Big Box Store.

Is painting my floor even an option?

As we mentioned above, some floors are simply not cut out for a paint job. There are certain situations that simply preclude the option of painting.

If you’re wondering about your floor, work your way through the following steps for the following scenarios:

1. YOUR FLOOR IS BARE CONCRETE (Old or New)

A. IS IT CURED? The starting point with bare concrete is to determine whether or not the floor has cured for at least 60 days. If it hasn’t, wait until it has. If it has cured for anywhere from 60 days to 50 (or more) years, proceed to “B” below.

B. TEST FOR MOISTURE: Duct Tape a 2 x 2 sheet of plastic to your floor, secure the edges of the tape to ensure a tight bond, and let it sit for 24 hours. After the 24 hour time frame, pull up the plastic and examine it: is there condensation visible? Has the concrete in that spot darkened? If so, you still have moisture in the concrete and should let it continue to dry. If your concrete is old and still exhibits a moisture problem as evidenced by the plastic test, you should reconsider painting that floor. It has a moisture issue and will definitely result in paint failure. In short, if your floor is old and still exhibits a moisture problem, it’s NOT a candidate for a paint job.

2. YOUR FLOOR HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN PAINTED

A. IS THE PAINT PEELING? Examine your painted floor: is it peeling or flaking off in relatively large quantities? Some peeling or chipping can be expected, but if you’re seeing large scale failure, that is an indication of a deeper problem. The problem could be a surface contaminant that was painted over or, more likely it’s a moisture problem in your concrete.

1. IS IT A SURFACE CONTAMINANT PROBLEM? If the peeling is relatively localized–a few large areas–it COULD be a surface contaminant. One option would be to clean those spots with a household detergent, let them dry and then proceed to painting (we’ll discuss this in a later post). However, be aware, that this is no guarantee. The peeling paint could be caused by a surface contaminant, but it could also be caused by moisture (see below). And, even if it is a surface contaminant, it’s very likely that it’s in more places than just the spots you see now. You could clean up and fix those spots only to find, within a few months, other spots starting to let loose and peel. This is frustrating and is one of those perfect examples of why the proper prep work is so important! If the first steps are done incorrectly–especially on a floor–ALL subsequent work is affected!

2. IS THERE A MOISTURE PROBLEM? While the peeling you see could be a cause of a surface contaminant, it’s much more likely it’s a moisture problem. Moisture can work through concrete in any number of ways, but the important thing to realize is this: if you’ve got excess moisture coming through your concrete, for whatever reason (unless the floor wasn’t allowed to cure 60 days), it’s virtually impossible to fix. Painting over the cement will temporarily make it look good, but the moisture will eventually (sometimes sooner, sometimes later) push that paint coating off.

3. CONCLUSION: If your painted floor exhibits peeling on a large scale, it’s likely not a good candidate for a paint job. However, since it’s painted, you will likely want to at least throw a new coat on there. Go ahead and scrape off as much loose paint as you can, wash the floor and rinse it well (we’ll discuss this step in a later post). Then you’ll be ready to paint. Just understand that your previous paint didn’t bond for a reason and it’s very likely the new paint will eventually peel as well.

B. THE PAINT IS NOT PEELING AND IS IN GOOD CONDITION: If your previous coating is holding up well, all you’ll need to do is give it a quick wash, a good rinse, and some time to dry. Then it’s time to paint.

As I’ve mentioned multiple times in this post, we’ll dig into the washing, rinsing and drying steps in a later post. This first one was meant to help you determine whether or not your floor was even a candidate for a paint job. If it’s not, think about carpet or tile or maybe just leaving it alone. If it is, look for the next part of the discussion tomorrow.

7 Tips When Staining Poplar

Posted on November 19, 2012August 6, 2019

Very often when folks are at the lumber yard picking out wood for a particular home project, they choose Poplar. The reason is because it looks beautiful in its unstained, natural form and it’s very easy to work with. It also can be less expensive than woods like Cherry. And so, many homeowners pick up Poplar and then go to work trimming out their kitchen or living room or building a bookcase or two.

Now, Poplar is an absolutely perfect choice if your plans are to prime and paint your wood. Poplar is what we in the paint and stain industry refer to as a “paint-grade” wood. This means it’s perfectly suited for a paint application. That “paint-grade” classification also means that Poplar is not ideal for staining.

Poplar is technically a hardwood, but it’s one of the softer ones. This means it will take stain very unevenly. Stain soaks in and usually looks blotchy and lifeless, dull and generally not all that visually appealing.

Folks who choose Poplar with the intention of staining it to make it look like their more expensive Cherry cabinets face an uphill struggle. If that’s you, here are some tips that may help! (And just to be clear: these tips aren’t meant to be read as step-by-step instructions. For instructions, bring your wood to any RepcoLite or Port City Paints store and let us see what you’re doing and tell you the best way to get there. The tips below are just that–tips. Things to do and be aware of!)

TIP 1

If you’ve got the option, don’t choose Poplar if you’re going to stain the wood. I know this isn’t really a tip to help you stain your Poplar, but it’s still the best advice I can give to start with: don’t sink a lot of money into Poplar if you’re hoping for beautifully-stained end results. Oh, you can get a beautiful finish out of Poplar, but it’s not as easy as staining a wood that’s better-suited for stain, like Cherry, for example. So, if you’ve got the option, avoid Poplar for staining. If you don’t–if money’s an issue or if you’ve already purchased the Poplar–read on…

TIP 2

If you haven’t already picked up your wood, start by choosing the darker Poplar. Poplar generally will come in various shades: white, a darker yellow or almost grey tone, and then something much more green. Usually people resonate toward the white Poplar because it looks the cleanest. Unfortunately, the whiter the wood, the softer it usually is–and the softer it is, the more blotchy the stain will look. Darker Poplar generally has a denser grain and will take stain much better. If you have the option, choose the darker wood.

TIP 3

Save your scraps! When you work with the wood, save all the cut-off scraps. Use these as samples when it comes time to test your stain (or when you need a stain match). One of the key mistakes when staining wood is failing to test your stain ahead of time. You don’t want to apply stain to your trim only to find out then that the stain or your system for applying it doesn’t get you the color you want. Instead, test the color and the method on your scraps until you’re comfortable with the process and are sure that the stain color is correct.

TIP 4

Bring those scraps into RepcoLite for a custom stain match. Now, you may be tempted to balk at this step, but if you’re working with Poplar, this is a no-brainer. Sure, you could pick a wood stain off a shelf in some store and hope for the best, but why? If you bring a sample of your wood and a sample of the color you want to RepcoLite, Port City Paints or Snyder Paints, we’ll create a custom stain for you and also work out the process that’s necessary to get you there. THIS IS ESSENTIAL! Any store can give you a stain, but it takes a place with some expertise to be able to explain and walk you through the actual process of applying it–the various products you might need, the steps you should take and the time you should allow between each one.

On some easy-to-stain woods this may not be as critical, but with Poplar, there are a lot of variables–a great number of different application techniques that can be employed to get your color. We’ll work with your wood, figure out what must be done, and then give you the details so you can produce the correct look in your home. So bring the scraps to us and let us help.

TIP 5

Be aware of a product RepcoLite manufacturers called “Softwood Sealer”. This is a wood conditioner that is applied before you stain and which serves to seal up the porous wood to minimize or eliminate the blotchy appearance. This sealer is applied with a brush and then wiped off with a rag. It can be left to dry anywhere from 15 minutes to 24 hours depending on how porous the wood is and what type of look you desire. If you have your stain custom-matched by RepcoLite, we’ll tell you how long to let this sealer dry before you stain. If you don’t, and you’re flying solo on this project, make sure you use those sample boards from step 3!

TIP 6

Purchase a wiping stain or a gel stain–not a penetrating stain. Wiping stains will give you a little more control over your color and penetrating stains will simply soak in too quickly and too deeply (even with the softwood sealer), producing a blotchy end result.

TIP 7

Finally, (to repeat): sample, sample, sample! Use those cut-off scraps from step 3 and test your stain until you’re comfortable with the process and the method.

Staining Poplar isn’t easy–the nature of the wood is constantly working against you, making it tough to achieve a beautifully-stained finish. But, with that said, you can still accomplish a great end result. It just takes a little more work and a little more know-how, but it can be done! And once more, let me encourage you to stop out at any RepcoLite, Port City Paints or Snyder Paints store (Indiana) for expert advice! We’ve been helping people do this for years–let us help you!

Paint Screw-Ups Anonymous

Posted on November 15, 2012August 6, 2019

“My name’s Dan and I’m a recovering Prep Work Skipper.”

If there were support groups for those of us who consistently mess up paint jobs, that’s how I’d introduce myself every week.

See, I do a lot of things right when it comes to a paint job. I take the time necessary to pick the colors I really want (usually). I amass the necessary tools before I start. I buy quality materials and paint. I do many things right.

However, what I routinely screw up is this: I skip or skimp on the prep work. Every time. It’s like an addiction. An addiction to skipping prep work. I mean really, that’s got to be one of the dumbest sounding sentences I’ve ever written, but it’s the truth: I hate prep work when I paint and so I skip it. And then, inevitably (and by inevitably, I mean ALWAYS) it comes back to bite me. Inevitably (always).

And so I’m turning over a new leaf. From here on out I’m going to make the following changes to my painting methods and practices:

RESOLUTION NUMBER 1

I will no longer simply roll around or over the nails that are stuck in my wall. This usually messes up my roller, creating a weird divot that repeats over and over on my wall, frustrating me; or, it creates drips on the wall or floor that I don’t find until after the paint has dried. And that always makes me profoundly sad. From now on, I will remove those nails ahead of time.

RESOLUTION NUMBER 2

I will patch the nail holes left in my wall when I implement Resolution Number 1 above. And I will patch them with the proper spackling compound AND will let that compound DRY before I try to SAND it. (Because I’ve tried to rush this and sanding only partially dried spackling results in results that make me profoundly sad.) To give myself the proper time to accomplish these spackling and sanding tasks, I will have to tackle this aspect of the project ahead of the day that I plan to paint. This will require planning and discipline, and I resolve to practice both.

RESOLUTION NUMBER 3

I will no longer tell myself that my walls are clean enough and do not need to be wiped down before I paint. I will accept the fact that I do not regularly clean the top corners of every room and that even though I style myself as a clean and tidy person, there is a good chance that random cobwebs may be there. I will take the necessary 20 minutes to wipe away those cobwebs so I don’t end up rolling into them later with paint and then spreading them over my walls.

RESOLUTION NUMBER 4

I will no longer let myself believe that “scuff sanding” is a great idea, but that I really don’t have time to do it right now. I will take the necessary 10 minutes to scuff sand a dresser before I prime and paint it. I will scuff sand my woodwork before I paint it. I will scuff sand all shiny surfaces EVEN IF I’m using a primer that says “no scuff sanding necessary.” I will remember that there are no shortcuts.

RESOLUTION NUMBER 5

I will no longer do everything else right–buy the right paint, buy the best tools, choose the right colors–only to screw the project up by skipping the prep work. I will admit that an extra hour or two is worth all the extra work and frustration and money I’ve cost myself through the years by skipping prep work. I will do the proper prep work, no matter how boring it is, so that my project looks as professional as possible when I finish. In short, I will no longer convince myself that certain prep-work projects are worthwhile, but that I simply don’t have time for them. I will make time for prep work precisely because it is so worthwhile.

Those are my resolutions. I’ll probably screw up from time to time, but I’m going to give it my best shot from here on out. How about you? Anyone else out there who routinely skips the prep work stage only to be burned in the end? Anyone else out there ready to circle up, admit your addiction to hating prep work, and start the recovery process? The recovery group is open….