Well its summer so it must be painting season.  I’m going to give you a few tips that will save you time and money.  And then you can share that knowledge with your neighbor.  A lot of people ask me, “Is there lead in paint today?” and the answer is NO.  So never give that a second thought.  Another question that people ask “Can you paint over oil with latex paint or oil based paint over latex?”  And the answer is yes.  People stress over that when they buy an existing home and don’t know what is on the walls or cabinets.  Don’t stress- remember this little hint- you can paint latex over oil or oil over latex you just can not paint over a shiny surface.  So it’s not the kind of paint, it’s the surface of the paint.  If you don’t take the gloss off the paint, after a few months- it will just peel off in strips.  One time a painter came to my house and painted some doors. I told him to use a primer on the doors and he said he did, well about a month later I noticed some scratches in the door and on close inspection noticed that there was no primer on the door.  I don’t use that painter any longer.  The primer to use is one made by Coronado Paint Co, and it’s called “Grip and Seal”, it’s a latex and has little or no smell.  The nice part about a latex paint besides being an easy clean up is that it dries in 20 minutes and you are ready to paint.  I know you ask, why not just sand?  Well if you have ever sanded walls, woodwork, or cabinets- you will know about all the dust that can coat every thing.  You will be cleaning that up for months.  So why sand, when all you have to do is prime?  Now after priming, you are ready for paint.  And when it comes to walls always use a flat paint- any imperfection in the walls will stand out like a sour thumb if you use anything else.  And all walls have imperfections.  Coronado’s “Tough Walls” is the paint to use when repainting the walls, and cabinets.  It’s scrubbable!.  But always let your paint cure for about 72 hours before taking a sponge to it.  On the cabinets “Tough Walls” comes in a gloss, and for cabinets – the higher the gloss the tougher the finish.  “Tough Walls” is latex so you have easy clean up, little odor, and dries in 20 minutes.  Oh one more little tip.  There are 5 walls in a room- that’s right the ceiling.  No more white ceilings- wrap your wall color on to the ceiling for a real cozy feel to the room.  Paint the molding a shade darker in the same family color.  I know that you see magazine where the molding is paint light- they do that to showcase the molding for the magazine so you can see it.  But in your home- go darker on the trim and doors. 

Now to the e-mail…..

Question:  There are birds that land on my light next to the front door and make a mess.  I don’t want to hurt them but I wish that they would go away. 

Answer:  Just put a little Bye Bye Birdie and bingo no more birds.  It’s a sticky caulking that they don’t like to land on – so they will just move on.

Question:  Johnnie- I bought a house that has wallpaper in every room.  I don’t want to take it down, but if you say I have to, so that I can paint I will.

Answer:  Nah, just prime the walls with Coronado “Grip and Seal” and then you can paint.  Just give it 2 coats so that nothing will bleed though.

Question:  I want to clean my deck.  I wanted to hire a handyman to power wash the deck (he is not cheap).  Then I want to stain it. Do I have to seal it?

Answer:  I know a lot of people tell me that they power wash there deck to clean it.  I like to use another product called “EZ Deck Wash”.  You just put it in a pump up sprayer and in minutes your deck will be clean.  After spraying the deck, then give it a quick sweep with a broom and then rinse with clear water.    Now you are ready to stain.  Use the same pump up sprayer and spray down the deck.  Use a good stain like “Super Deck” or “Cabot” and then you are done.  Just keep a roller handy in case you put too much stain on and it puddles.  Roll that puddle out- it will remain sticky if your don’t. 

Got a question for Johnnie? Tune in to Johnnie's radio show Saturday mornings on KTSA (5500 AM) from 9-11 or call 828-8907. Reach him on the web at www.AcmeLumber.com.