Next week, Painting in Partnership’s craftsmen will be completing work on a green painting project. Because of the environmental sensitivities of this client, the specs called for only the cleanest of products. For the kitchen’s wall surfaces, we settled on Bioshield’s Clay Paint.

Clay is one of the oldest and safest building materials available. Clay paints create a pleasant room climate because of its breathability and its reputation as an odor reducer.

Sample of Clay Paint Colors

Bioshield’s clay paints are made of naturally occurring clays. Different clays provide color and body for the paint. Clay paints also have other advantages such as low drip and splash factors. Two coats will produce the best result.

In this case, our client wanted more than just a uniform color on her walls. To meet her need for a softly mottled look for her walls, we experimented with stainless steel trowels in the creation of clay paint decorative finishing technique. It consists of rolling one coat of the base color clay paint and letting it dry. We then roll a second of the same color and then, while still wet, we randomly brush on two other colors. Using a trowel, we then artistically blend the three colors for a soft, rich look.

This project is an example of Painting in Partnership’s commitment to our clients’ sophisticated needs for both a safe home environment and good color design.

Follow

“Green” paint products and practices are becoming an integral part of the arsenal of true painting craftsmen. For instance, epoxy wood restoration is one of those areas.

Before Epoxy Wood Restoration #1

In the Northern United States, houses are subjected to an array of punishing climatic shocks that can result in the rapid deterioration of wood surfaces, unless someone keeps a close eye on the maintenance of those surfaces. Window sills, bottom rails of doors and casings are especially vulnerable to the effects of the sun, moisture and snow. Still today, a common attitude is this: If there is wood rot, rip out the old wood!

There are two significant problems with this attutude. First of all, it kills trees and loads up the landfills. Moreover, especially for older houses, the wood being so willingly replaced is actually far superior in quality and durability than today’s woods, which are younger, softer and more porous than the old woods. If you are interested in preserving the integrity of the materials on your house, epoxy wood restoration makes a lot of sense!

After Epoxy Restoration #2

Epoxy wood restoration is not a new concept. However, it use is becoming more widespread. At Painting in Partnership from the Chicago area, we encounter plenty of rotting wood. Our product of choice is Flex-Tec.

I often compare epoxy repair to dentistry. First you clear out the decayed fibers. You then make sure that the remaining cavity is of a shape that can hold the epoxy filler. On occasion, the decay is so extensive that the tooth has to be replaced. In other occasions, epoxy is the perfect solution. Before proceeding with the epoxy work, make sure that the moisture in the wood does not exceed 18%. If it does, let the wood dry out. When the wood is dry, you first use a two-part consolidator to help harden the softer wood edges and create a good bond for the epoxy. You then add the two-part epoxy filler. You then shape the epoxy as desired and allow it to cure completely.

Follow