Preparation and Taping
Here’s the good news…using Caromal Colours® materials can cut a lot of the prep time. Why? It’s the quality of our materials. The genius that invented our materials knows that quality materials, working time and convenience are the most important elements to a successful project. So, the only things we ask is that you follow our instructions. This insures good working time and a beautiful finish that will go off without a hitch!
Prepping and taping the surface could take up to ½ of your overall project time.
But it will insure a good, clean and lasting professional look.
Preparing a Wall…
Seal the Spackle or mud with a primer or latex paint preventing “flashing” or an uneven sheen in your finish.
Real plaster surfaces require an oil-based primer.
Be sure to use paintable Spackle or caulk when preparing a wall for paint.
The Wallpaper Situation…
One of our most frequently asked questions related to surface prep is “can I put a painted finish over wallpaper?” Perhaps you can answer this question yourself given the right information.
A painted finish is only as good as the surface it is on. If your wallpaper fails…comes loose…has seams…that could create a problem with your finish.
If you strip your wallpaper, be sure you have removed all the glue before applying a basecoat to the surface. If you did not get all the glue off you may see “crackle” in your basecoat or notice that a basecoat will not adhere to the surface in those areas.
Tackling Furniture…
Caromal Colours® Basecoat bonds to almost any surface making the surface prep for all furniture a breeze. The days of endless sanding and stripping are over. Just be sure your surface is clean and dry. Repair furniture as needed using paintable materials such as caulk or fill.
Taping your project…
Once everything is prepped and cleaned and dry it’s time to tape. We recommend a good quality blue painters type tape and recommend avoiding masking tape for any project.
Caromal Colours® also has a wonderful professional type tape gun that combines a roll of non-adhesive paper to your painter’s tape for extra protection of your ceilings and floor surfaces. We couldn’t do a single project without one of these.
Getting the edge…
The crisp edge, that is. That is all about what we call burnishing.
Cutting up an old credit card or a similar tool and pushing on the edge of the tape where it is to be painted easily achieves this. Burnishing will prevent the paint or glaze from “bleeding” under the tape or any material from getting where you don’t want it to be.
Your surface can never be too clean or too dry to receive your finish.