Before you paint
Project guides
The questions worth answering before you buy, from Home In Progress, RepcoLite’s podcast.
Epoxy Flake Garage Floor (Before and After Pic) by Decorative Concrete Kingdom · CC BY 2.0 · Cropped to the before floor. Before you coat a garage floor.
The right finish starts with the floor you have. Here’s what to think through before you pick up a roller.
Needs Paint by Allen McGregor · CC BY 2.0 · Cropped. Can you paint latex over oil-based paint?
Yes, with the right prep. Find out what’s on there, take the shine off, and prime with a bonding primer.
Lingen bunker wall by Frank Vincentz / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cropped. What’s the white powder on your basement walls?
It’s salt that water carried through the wall. Stop the water before you paint, or the paint can come off with it.
Stained Wood Deck Texture by Shadowmeld Photography / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped. Will your deck stain soak in or sit on top?
Stain that soaks into the boards fades over time. Stain that dries on top can peel. The weather and the prep decide which one you get.
Stained ceiling by Quinn Daedal / Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Cropped. Why do stains keep coming back through the paint?
Water stains, smoke and the tannin in woods like cedar can bleed through paint. More coats of paint won’t stop them. A stain-blocking primer is made to.
