DIY steps to Stucco Repair

How to repair stucco?

Stucco is made up of an aggregate, a binder and water, which is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings and even as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture. It is used to cover less visually appealing construction material like metal. Concrete, clay or brick, etc. Making simple repair in stucco is not a difficult job. Read more to know more!

If stucco is in good shape, it is one of the most attractive construction material. It is relatively reasonable, looks good and last for years. Stucco is very strong and therefore stands up well to create an effect. But, it is brittle and therefore can crack or break off in chunks. Repairing it is very important because even a crack in a home’s stucco exterior can cause moisture and the deterioration of exterior walls.

Below are the DIY tips to repair stucco. Have a look and try them yourself to repair the cracks or holes in your stucco.

1. Match colors:  Over the years, the stucco on your walls looses its color, so probably your new patch won’t match it. For this, you can buy a coloring pigment to add to your stucco mix to match it with the existing color. Now, mix small batches of stucco and add some pigment to the mixture. Put it on a piece of cardboard and let it dry. You will have to try different amounts of pigment till you get the desired color.

2.Prepare the surface: It is important to prepare the surface on which the stucco is to be applied. Therefore, chip away the loose pieces of the old stucco using a mason’s chisel and hammer.

3.Repair the mesh: To repair the damaged wire mesh under the stucco, cut a new piece to fit into the opening and fasten it in place with galvanized nails.

4.Apply the Stucco:Mix a batch of stucco patching compound and fill it in the opening of the wire mesh using a trowel.

5.Finish the surface: Slide a piece of board to set and smooth the patch surface level with the surrounding wall. Try to match the pattern of the surrounding wall using your “finishing” tool, while your new stucco is still slightly moist.


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The Most Common Paint problems

Paint not only adds color to your home, but also adds life to it.If you are facing paint related problems, the reason can be, either your house is too old or it may be from a poor paint job.

If your house is painted properly, especially the exterior of the house, it is imperative to long term care of your house. The quality of the painting and its life highly depends on how perfectly the painting task has been accomplished.  Also, the paint material, temperature, painting surface, etc. also affects the painting and may lead to various painting problems in the future.

Below are listed few common painting problems along with the ways to treat them. Have a look!!

1. Alligatoring:  In alligatoring, the surface gets many wide patterned cracks with the appearance of alligator scales.  This may cause due to applying a very hard coating of paint like alkyl enamel, over a more flexible coating like latex primer. Also, applying the topcoat before undercoat dries,also cause alligatoring of the paint.

To solve this problem, first scrap the old paint from the surface completely. Then, apply the coating of a high quality, water-based primer and then painting it with a top quality, water-based paint. Apply the paint only after the primer coat dries up.

2. Cracking/Flaking: When the dry paint film starts splitting through at least one coat, leading to the complete failure of the paint, it means your paint is facing the cracking or flaking issues. Early on, the problem appears as hairline cracks; later, flaking of paint chips occurs. It may cause due to:

• Using low quality paint that lacks adhesion and flexibility.
• Over thinning or spreading the paint too thin.
• Painting under unsuitable climatic conditions like hot or windy climate, that makes the water based paints dry too fast.

To overcome this problem, level all uneven surfaces with exterior spackle, sand and clean it with a garden hose for removing all dust particles. Do not forget to remove all loose paint with a scraper for larger areas, before leveling.

Contact Fortune Restoration to know more about other painting problems.

Painting Problems and How to Fix Them

Painting demands lot of efforts and as such you want to get the perfect results. This information will help you learn about common paint problems and solutions to resolve them.
Painting home is not an easy job! It would be great, if all you had to do to achieve a perfect, lasting paint finish was to apply the paint. But, in reality, this is not so. A variety of factors come into play that can affect the results of your painting job like quality of the paint, the condition of the surface to be painted, cleanliness of painting tools, weather or climate, etc. These factors, unfortunately causes various painting problems.

Below are some common painting problems along with their solutions. Have a look:

1.Blistering: Paint blisters or bubbles occur when there is loss of adhesion between the paint film and the underlying surface. Possible causes can be:
• Painting a warm surface in sunlight
• Applying oil based paint on wet surface
• Escape of the moisture through exterior walls

If blisters occur, first scrap the surface to remove the blisters and sand the surface. Use a high quality water-based primer and repaint with a high quality water-based paint.

2. Chalking: In chalking, the protective moisture seal is lost due to the loss of adhesion and flexibility. It can be caused due to the use of a low-cost, highly pigmented paint or using an interior paint for exterior painting.
To solve the problem, first chalk the surface as much as you can and then rinse thoroughly with a garden hose. Repaint with a good quality exterior coating.

3.Lapping: It is the appearance of a denser color or higher gloss where wet and dry layers overlap during paint application.It is usually caused due to the failure of maintaining a wet edge while painting. The possible solution can be to maintain a wet edge while you paint. This can be achieved by pointing towards the unpainted area and then back into the just-painted area. This will leave a smooth, uniform appearance.

If you face any such problem with your paint, try these solutions and you will get them cleared off!!

Tips for removing paint stains from walls and floors

Decorating your home for the festive season sounds great. Everyone is busy washing, painting their homes in beautiful colors. Getting painted each corner of your home perfectly in lively colors is a bone-breaking task, believe me. This job not only requires a very good sense of colors, but a great deal of patience, too. Choosing a perfect color tone for your home and then paining your walls flawlessly is something not an ordinary man can do. So, it is always suggested to hire experienced painting contractors in Lincoln Park, who not only save your time, but also your efforts and money.

Once the paint job is done, and then comes the most important task which we call as aftermath of painting, i.e. stains. However, a professional painting contractor always ensures not to stain objects lying around in the home, but it’s practically impossible. So, we always need to be prepared for some cleaning job. This task, as well, needs to be taken very seriously, because if you don’t know the right method of removing rigid stains, then you surely will end up spoiling the surface. So, you need to follow these easy stain removal tips to ensure your household objects don't fall prey to the home improvement regime.

• Floor - If your floor has asphalt, cork, linoleum or vinyl tile, then take a damp piece of cloth and wipe the stain immediately. Cover it with a rubbing alcohol compress for some time. Then wipe the area with cloth dipper in ammonia. Rinse the area with lukewarm water.
• Wood - Wipe the affected area immediately with sponge dipped in warm water, dry it and wax the wood.  
•   Brick – Wipe the stained surface with paint remover and dry it. Try to remove the stain using a wire brush and rinse the affected area with clear water.

·       One thing that you need to take great care of while removing paint stains is try to try these methods vigilantly; even a small amount of negligence can cause damage or discoloration of the surface. 

 

How to choose perfect paint colors for your bedroom

It always feels great when you see your favorite color around you. Be it your favorite dress or walls of your home, it has to do something with your favorite color. Color plays a very vital role in one’s life. It speaks much about your outlook, taste and personality.

You will feel more energetic and lively if you are surrounded by fresh and beautiful colors, whereas right opposite if your walls, clothes and everything else around is draped in dull, boring colors. As your day starts right from your bedroom, so walls of this room has notable impact on your psyche. So you should paint your bedroom walls in a color that breathes life in you and your room. But it does never mean that you pick a bucket of sharp yellow color and start painting your bedroom walls simply because it’s your favorite color. There are specific guidelines that need to be followed. 

 Before getting your room painted in your favorite color, you need to consider the fact is if you want a light airy or a dark and cozy ambiance inside your room.  And second and the most important element is age of the occupant. If you are planning to paint kids’ bedroom, then a colorful mural or bright colors can work like a charm. It not only gives your kid’s room a personal touch but also leaves a space for creativity. If you are an adult, then you (needless to say) need more romantic and sultry appeal inside your bedroom. Rose red and warm brown shades with gold tone can bring a touch of luxury and warmth of love to your bedroom. Accent wall can be the perfect for dark colors whereas other walls can bear comparably lighter shades in order to give more cheery look to the room.

Sharp shades of purple color are great for teenager girls’ bedroom. It not only stimulates brain activity but also adds a feminine touch to the room. These are just a few suggestions that you can work upon while getting your home painted, however Fortune Restoration - a renowned named in painting contractors in Lincoln Park - can suggest you numerous similar suitable color patterns that will make the most significant space of your home even better.