Painting 101 - FAQs exterior painting

Can I paint my garage floor?

 

You betcha! There are different options available. The concrete floor should be cleaned thoroughly and if possible acid-etched. Even though it is possible to paint with a latex Porch & Floor paint, this will not be suitable for your garage floor if you park your car there.... the latex paint is prone to being picked up by car tires, so a better alternative is an alkyd paint or an epoxy tough acrylic paint, available from Beautitone.

Should I use paint or stain?

 

If you have bare, unprimed wood our paint experts recommend stain. It is, just like paint, available in latex or alkyd and also has the option of being semi-transparent or solid. A semi-transparent stain will show the grain of the wood, whereas a solid stain will cover the product like paint would. There is no priming required to apply stain to bare wood and it will nicely sink into the substrate, offering good protection agains the elements.

If you have primed wood or metal, masonry or vinyl you need to use exterior paint, available in latex or alkyd.

 

What is the ideal temperature for exterior painting?

 

Not too cold and not too hot... Even if you are anxious to get your outside projects started after the winter, the temperature should be above 10 deg.C. for several days. If paint is applied in low temperature it will not dry properly and tend to crack and flake. Oddly enough, the exact same thing will happen if you paint when it's too hot outside. The particles of the paint will not fuse properly to form a uniform paint film.

For painting in warm weather, the following rule will guarantee good results: never paint in direct sunlight, and if whatever you are painting feels warm to the touch - it's too warm to paint!

 

Can I paint my siding?

 

Yes, you can! For both aluminum and vinyl start by washing your siding thoroughly, using TSP. Rinse and/or powerwash and let dry completely. Priming is only required in spots where you have bare aluminum. For both types of siding, use a high quality acrylic paint and paint in light colors. Dark colors are not suitable for the climate in the Merritt area - the UV rays of the sun will break down the colorant and the color will fade quickly.