Thomas Interior Painting - Technical Questions

Thomas Interior Painting  since 1989 has specialized in interior painting of walls, wood trim, wood staining, wallpaper removal, mold/mildew treatments, and ceilings of residential, commercial, multi-family, new construction, condos, professional offices and non-profits in the Greater Boston area. Call Tom at 617-212-1100 with your inquiries.

The following are some of the most common customer technical questions.

Which is better: oil or latex paint?

In the vast majority of applications - latex. Latex paints sales today dwarf those of oil for one major reason - performance. Virtually all major paint manufactures spend their research and product dollars on latex paints. Hence, their performance in such areas as leveling, hiding, mold/mildew resistance, washing and color palettes improves every year.

We recommend latex paints for all interior and exterior painting finishes - especially Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams.

Oil paints are now generally used only in special applications: industrial, smoke/soot blocking, exterior priming and direct to metal exterior steel/iron fencing.

For more information visit: Benjamin Moore.com ( contractors tab; products/specs tab; problem solver tab)

Is eggshell a color?

No eggshell is one of 5 generally used sheens or finishes of manufacuters.

The lower the sheen the duller the finish. Generally, lower sheen levels are less expensive and more suitable for low traffic areas.

Here's a good rule of thumb for deciding on sheen finishes applications.

Flat: Low traffic areas such as ceilings walls in living/dining rooms. Leaves a burnish mark when washed or rubbed hard. Touches up well.

Matte: Lower traffic wall areas such as living room/dining rooms. Can be washed. Muted look on walls. O.K. to touch-up.

Eggshell: Mid-use traffic areas such as kitchens, baths, family rooms. Can be washed. Higher glare on walls. More difficult to touch-up.

Semi-gloss: Usually found in trim applications for doors, windows, molding throughout the house/office/apartment. Washes well and resists hard impact. Difficult to touch-up.

Gloss: High use/impact areas such as kitchen cabinets. Washes very well. Touch-ups not so well.

For more information visit Benjamin Moore.com

WHO MAKES THE BEST PAINT?

There are many fine paint manufactures. In the Greater Boston area, we prefer Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams because we constantly use their products in a variety of applications and know how they will perform.

Of course there are others in the marketplace such as Home Depot's Behr and Lowe's private label. We have used a variety of their lines and feel they come up short against our preferred supplier for quality and performance.

CAN LATEX BE USED OVER OIL?

Absolutely and the converse is true also. We recommend sanding between coats of trim paint especially latex over oil. Oil has a harder finish and the sanding cuts the old finish allowing the new topcoat a sure bond. We also recommend sanding between higher sheens like semi-gloss or gloss over each other dull the previous finish ensuring a stronger top coat bond.

CAN I PAINT OVER MOLD/MILDEW?

You should not paint over mold/mildew. Treat and eliminate before painting.

Mold and mildew usually thrive in poorly ventilated, damp surfaces and can be removed by cleaning the surface with one part household bleach mixed with four parts water. This removes most of the surface mold spores. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water and be sure to dry the area after cleaning. The area is now ready for painting.

How can mold growth be discouraged?

Increase ventilation in enclosed areas with fans, vents, humidifiers or natural light.