I'm a new member ... great site ... lots of time and money saving tips!!! Doing significant renovations on my own ... not afraid to figure things out as I go, ask questions, etc ... very committed to quality ... Here's my current project ... 1960’s split level 3 types of material to paint (not including shutters, wood soffits , etc.): - brick - on front of house only … the one story portion + the bottom of 2 story portion - overlapping 12” slats made of composite material typical of the 60’s (masonite?) - concrete block - bottom half of one side of house Former owner painted brick … very inconsistent coverage … some is fully painted … some has somewhat spattered look. Pressure washed a test area with professional pressure cleaner, careful not to damage the brick … not worth money and effort to remove existing paint … so need to paint over ... biggest concern is retaining as much depth and texture in the brick as possible 1. Do I need to prime … since some bricks are fully painted and others seemed to be intentionally painted in a spattered manner? If so, any recommendations. What about priming the slats and cinder block? 2. Current paint on brick is an orangish-red “brick” color. I’m covering with either a dark olive or medium-dark gray… I think either one will give substantial coverage. Any concerns? 3. The concrete block is now a pale yellow … it will be painted same dark color as brick … I assume the brick and block will take the color basically the same … but since one is now dark and the other is now light, I’m not sure what to expect. 4. The slats (now white) will be painted a contrasting moss or light grey … one small area of concrete block at bottom to match. Again, I anticipate no problem … do you? 5. Any products/brands to stay away from? Any you specifically recommend? I’ve heard American Tradition has been rated highly by somebody (?) but also some conflicting info. I’m doing the job myself … probably with an airless sprayer … money is an issue … but time is money … and more expensive than paint … selling house as soon as renovations are done … I guess I’d rather pay for a decent paint than do more coats. 6. What sheen do you recommend? I’ve gotten conflicting info … the higher the gloss the more durable vs. it doesn’t have that much effect. Normally I’d never paint brick … I don’t like it when it starts to flatten out and lose its depth … but it’s OK if it doesn’t fill in the natural texture of the brick and the mortar spaces too much. … the existing paint doesn’t seem to do that. How much does sheen effect this? I’m thinking in the middle… maybe a satin? 7. I read something that implied you pressure clean BEFORE scraping. Any prep tips? If there’s a book or resource you want to refer me to, that’s great. I just couldn’t find anything that directly addressed all these issues … especially how to retain as much texture and depth in the brick as possible. Thanks so much for any guidance offered!!! (sorry so long! ... but wanted to give all info upfront) m.e.

I am so glad to have found this site! I am redoing a very small bath, pulling up disgusting carpet, already took off wallpaper, now left with holes where towel bars, nail holes were, etc. Here are my questions What is the best to patch holes with? Bin or Kilz? Do I prime baseboards and trim also after sanding out the nicks and dents? Do I sand the walls also? Do I wash all walls and trim after I bleach? The bath has no fan, so I am having one put in, do I need to let it dry for a certain amount of time before I paint? Do I need to strip the one cabinet before I paint, and can I use the same paint as the walls? Can you paint sinks? A question as the sink is blue, not a bad color, just totally 70's. Maybe better to replace. Vinyl or ceramic tile for a bathroom floor? Very small area. I am doing this myself as my husband is NOT the handyman type, and does a terrible job because of a lack of patience. I am thorough, and want it to look nice. Thank you!