# Interior Painting



## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

I'll be priming and painting the entire inside of my house within the next couple of weeks and have a couple of questions.
1. What is the best brand of painter's tape.
2. Some of the walls are paneling and will be painted over. Do I need to prep them in any way? 
3. Should the paneling get primed also or just paint?

Thank you for any help.

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## Bonz 54 (Apr 17, 2005)

My daughter had her own painting business while she was in college. I used to help her on weekends on the big jobs. For tape I would suggest the green "Frog tape". It does help with nice clean lines. Paneling usually has some sort of finish on it. I would suggest wiping it down with de-natured alcohol and then a good primer. We used Behr primer alot because we could get it 5 gallon buckets. You can get it at Home Depot. FRANK


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

That green "Frog Tape" is OK and works pretty well, but I prefer the 3M blue tape. It's pricey (about the same as Frog tape though) but worth it. They make two different types of the blue tape. One is a little cheaper but the better one is just under $6/roll. It had "edge lock" and is for multiple surfaces. It's a little thinner and smoother than the cheaper blue tape. The edge lock gives you a good clean line when removed. 

As far as the paneling goes, I'd wash it down with some hot water and some Dirtex mixed in. It works very well. Let it dry and then I'd hit it with a coat of Kilz 2 (water based stain kill). Then put on your finish coat(s). It should work fine.


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

I agree with JP on the Blue painters tape. It sticks a little better than the Frog tape, which is similar to the Blue delicate tape. Make sure whatever you are taping is clean and dry. After taping, I run the side of my 5 in 1 tool along the edge to push it down and really help it stick.

You will definitely need to prrp the paneling. If not, the wood will bleed through.

I will go a step above JP and use Odorless Kilz (oil base) on something like that. It stinks using the oil, but it seals and stainbocks better than any acrylic.

I'd pole sand the panels before priming, prime, pole sand again, and paint.

If you are painting the panels any other finish color other than a white, I'd get the Kilz tinted gray. It will cover much better on your final coats than a white primer will.


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Buy quality paint. The cheap stuff will have you doing several coats.


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## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

Thanks for all of the help! 

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## STICK in the eye (Dec 26, 2008)

I like Ben Moore paints


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

STICK in the eye said:


> I like Ben Moore paints


Can't go wrong there 

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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

Already lots of good suggestions. We just did some painting at our cottage up north and several of the rooms had paneling. As I have seen what happens to paneling thats not properly prepped and as much as I hate to paint I'd suggest to apply a little overkill on the prep work to make it sticks and covers well so your not having to do it again in the near future. 

Our process was to sand the paneling, wipe down with some water/TSP then did first coat of primer (*we used KILZ acrylic/latex - no smell and easy water clean up and quick drying), sand/scuffed it then dis a 2nd coat of primer, let dry then did a quick scuff before painting. For paint we may have gone overboard but used the HD Behr premium (egg shell finish) with primer and it turned out great.


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## Big Reds (Oct 14, 2007)

I second the scuff and prime technique for the paneling.
As far as tape.... never use the stuff. A quality 2 1/2" angle brush such as wooster brand and a steady hand is all you need.
For trimming out around windows, doors and ceiling..... sureline paint edger.
Paint brand.... Graham paint. If you can afford it get the ceramic line of Graham paint.
Been painting for over 16 years. Just one of the aspects of my company.


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## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

Thank you all again! I'll be doing the sand/scuff method as suggested on the paneling. Haven't decided on type or color of paint yet, but appreciate the ideas. Stay cool if you can! 

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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

Coming from someone who absolutely despises painting I'll second the good brush for cutting in and trimming. I've done the tape thing and if given the choice I prefer to cut in with a good brush. Buy the one you think is way too expensive or overpriced and it will save you time and give you a great line and finish. You won't be sorry you spent the extra money. 



Mr. Botek said:


> ......Haven't decided on type or color of paint yet, but appreciate the ideas. Stay cool if you can!


Again, coming from someone who dislikes painting more than spending the only a day off of the week with his mother in-law I'll share some more of my painting experiences to hopefully lessen yours. Gloss finishes shows every little imperfection in the surface you are painting. IMO flat is just too bland, egg shell or satin gives a nice warm finish. 

Here's a link to some definitions of the different paint finishes:
http://www.painter-pros.com/finishes.php


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## Mr. Botek (Mar 15, 2011)

I was thinking egg shell or satin all along.
A brush won't seem expensive if I'm spending zero on tape 

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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

I know what some are saying about a good brush and a steady hand for cutting in. If you're experienced and have a very steady hand, you CAN get good results cutting in that way. But it takes a lot of time and experience to get good at it. For the once in a while painter, you're almost surely going to get better results if you tape. 

Another issue with getting a good clean looking line at the ceiling is the color of the walls. If you're going with a bright white ceiling and a deeper colored wall, you're going to have to have an extremely clean and straight line to make it look good. If you've got a bright white ceiling and are painting the walls a creamy off white color, the line is a little more forgiving and won't stand out as much. 

When it comes to window sashes, I don't bother to tape the glass. With a good angled brush, I can paint up to the glass fairly well and get a good line. If I do get a little paint on the glass, I don't worry about it. I have a nice 4" wide razor scraper and I let the paint dry and just a quick swipe with that scraper and you've got a nice clean straight line.


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