Journal
Notes from the shop.
Plain, useful writing on paint, preparation, and the coatings work — what makes a finish last, and what makes one fail.
Articles
- Why paint peels off stucco — and what holds
Most of the homes I paint in Southern California are stucco, and most of the failed jobs I get called out to look at are stucco too. The causes are a short list, and the paint is rarely on it.
- Best time to paint a house in Southern California
We can paint outside here almost year-round, which is exactly why so many exteriors get done at the wrong time. When I would book yours, and what I watch besides the calendar.
- Why the same paint job costs $3,000 — or $23,000
The same house, the same paint, the same result — quoted at wildly different prices. After years in this trade, here is the honest explanation, and how to find the painter who prices like he means it.
- How long should exterior paint really last?
When a finish fails in five years, the problem almost never started with the paint. The case for treating ten to fifteen years as the standard — not the exception.
- Why preparation decides a paint job
The difference between a finish that lasts and one that fails is mostly invisible — it happens before any paint goes on.
- When ordinary paint isn’t enough
Some surfaces, and some conditions, ask more of a finish than standard paint can give. Knowing the difference saves you a repaint.
- Lead paint in older buildings: what to know
If your home or building predates 1978, lead paint is probably somewhere under the surface. Here is how it is handled safely.
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