Ask Danny | Ep. 3: Answers on All Things Painting

Kim J. Clark
Split image of Danny Lipford and Tracey Amadio
In this episode of “Ask Danny,” Tracey Amadio gives her strategies and methods for portray.


In Episode 3 of “Ask Danny,” portray qualified Tracey Amadio shares her ideas and tricks for getting the excellent paint occupation. 


Tracey Amadio of Porch Daydreamer
Tracey Amadio, a.k.a. the “Queen of Portray Everything” is passionate about painting! (Courtesy Tracey Amadio)

About Tracey Amadio

Tracey Amadio is passionate about portray. She employs skills from her property enhancement occupation to teach Do it yourself jobs, household style and design, and painting techniques on her web-site Porchdaydreamer.com.

Tracey’s followers have crowned her the “The Queen of Painting Everything” mainly because there’s very little she won’t paint!

Her superpower of color memory and very long history of colour development analysis is put together to obtain the excellent paint colours for you.

Her mission is to take the suffering out of portray and decorating with her quick-to-understand tutorials.

Tracey was named a 2021 Better Properties & Gardens Stylemaker and her function has been showcased in HGTV, Greater Residences & Gardens, Very good Housekeeping, Region Residing, Apartment Therapy and far more.


Open paint cans of white, blue and green on a wood background
Colour pigments, additives, resins and carriers determine the cost of paint. (annastories)

Paint Prices

Why is some paint much far more high-priced than other makes and kinds?

Tracey: Price tag matters… to a place.

Lots of house owners only emphasis on the paint coloration and never think about what’s blended in with the color pigments. Resins, additives and carriers — like h2o and oil — are important ingredients that will make paint far more high priced. 

Larger-quality pigments and resins will make the price tag go up, but you will have greater protection. The center rate position is the finest alternative to opt for. 

Try to remember: Quality perception is dictated by the particular person who’s applying the paint. A qualified may want a thinner paint because they’ll be employing a sprayer, but a home-owner generally desires a thicker paint because they’ll be covering a wall with an additional color or portray a piece of home furniture. 

Shelling out a little more on that much better paint is heading to give you an much easier software and much less brush strokes. Also, the paint will dry to a much better, far more long lasting end.


Hands holding up a sample of paint color swatches against a wall of paint swatches
Selecting a paint coloration can be overpowering. Come across an item to start your shade palette and perform from there. (Feverpitched, Getty Images)

Picking a Shade

Can you present some assistance on how to choose a paint coloration?

Tracey: When picking a paint colour, get started with the shade you want to base your palette about. It could be a piece of material, a rug, a plate, anything that can help you hone on to the coloration you want.

Take it to the keep with you to choose the appropriate paint. Also base it on the quantity of light in the area, if it a darker far too pick out a  lighter paint color and sop forth.

I have a no cost guide you can down load. 6 effortless methods to selecting a paint colour.

Also, think about the lighting in the space you are painting. If you have a darkish room, lighter paint, if you have a gentle place, you can go with a darker paint shade, a mid-benefit paint is going to be very best for most men and women.  

Just after you have an thought of what color you want, invest in a foam board and paint it with samples so you can shift it all-around the area to see if it will do the job for you. 

Just take your time choosing ahead of you select a color. See how the color samples glance at distinctive occasions of the working day. 


Hand painting wall trim with a paintbrush
A satin or semi-gloss sheen is most effective for trim and molding. (JodiJacobson, Getty Images Signature)

Deciding upon Sheen

What are the different kinds of sheen, and how really should you decide just one? 

Tracey: I made use of to function at a paint desk, and I would often see the “deer in headlights” seem when I asked what sheen a man or woman desired. 

Sheen matters! It’s essentially additional important than coloration. 

There are 5 forms of sheen: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss and significant-gloss. To decide what sheen you have to have, take into account the place or project you’re portray.

If you’re painting a ceiling, you want a small-reflective paint to cover any imperfections, particularly the place the joints match up. A flat sheen is very best for this. 

For partitions, you want a bigger sheen, like eggshell. Cooking splatters and accidental spills take place, so you need to have a complete which is cleanable. 

When you scrub a flat paint, it burnishes it and can make it shiny. Flat paint is excellent for touchups but not for superior-visitors regions where you will need scrutability and durability.

The bigger the sheen, the tougher the paint will be when it dries. I typically recommended satin, at minimum amount, or semi-gloss for trim and molding. These sheens are nonetheless wipable but they are much more strong, so they’ll stand up to scuffing and jarring. 

I really don’t suggest a high-gloss paint. The additional reflective a paint is, the much more flaws it’s going to present. It is also hard to apply, so I would leave that to a experienced.


Paint brush swiping deep blue paint over faded blue paint on a wood wall
Exterior and inside paint can’t be interchanged. Normally paint the outside the house of your dwelling with a paint rated for outdoor use. (Susie Hedberg, Getty Images)

Exterior Painting

What temperature is very best for painting a home’s exterior?

Tracey: Most of the time, exterior paint simply cannot be used in temperatures below 55-50 levels Fahrenheit. You want to paint outside the house when there is very low humidity and the temperature is average — among 55-75 levels Fahrenheit. 

Paint has a whole lot of drinking water in it, so the far more drinking water in the air, the extended time it will take the paint to dry. Permit yourself a few sunny days, if doable, for the paint to dry.

When painting your home’s exterior, only use paint that is rated for exterior use. Due to the fact exterior paint has to offer with temperature variations when it is dry, it is fortified with specific resins and pigments for exclusive toughness. It can develop and contract to a diploma that inside paint simply cannot.

The very best paint for exterior use is acrylic latex. I steer apparent of oil paints for the exterior. Oil paint is not effortless to cleanse, and if you are utilizing a white oil paint, it will yellow above time due to the fact of the oil in it. 

Now, there is oil-enriched enamel paint that is drinking water-centered, so it is effortless to clean up with soap and drinking water like acrylic latex. This paint has oil molecules suspended inside of it, and as it dries, individuals molecules activate to act like oil paint. The finish result is a area that’s really hard and strong with all the advantages and overall flexibility of latex paint. 


Black and green plastic outdoor furniture around a fire pit
Refresh plastic out of doors furniture with a new coat of paint. (Jonathan Cooper/Pexels)

Portray Plastic

How do you paint plastic outdoor home furnishings?

Tracey: I acquire a dual strategy to portray plastic home furnishings. Utilize a bonding primer spray initially, then go over it with a frequent spraypaint. 


Paint droplets on a beige carpet
(travellinglight, Getty Visuals)

Even Gurus Make Mistakes

Tracey: Even though I’m a paint professional, I sometimes go on the internet to see what other people in the painting earth are doing. 

About a 12 months back, I made the decision to paint my stair risers, which ended up stained and closely polyurethaned. 

One particular blogger advised liquid sandpaper, and I considered that could help you save me a action. I taped off the risers, used the liquid sandpaper and then painted on major of that.

When the paint was nonetheless damp, I pulled the tape off at a 90-degree angle. A complete piece of film peeled correct off the stair riser, and the total task was ruined! 

I realized a tough lesson: Trust my intestine and go with what is effective. Use a deglosser, then use a bonding primer, then apply the paint.

My paint has stayed put and is vacuum-cleaner proof as nicely!


Power sander sanding a wood board
Sand absent any imperfections ahead of portray wooden. (3 Echoes Material Studio)

Tracey’s Ideas

  • Under no circumstances disregard good floor preparing. If you do, the paint will appear off. Get the area good and clear and sand any failing areas.
  • Use stain-blocking bonding primer if portray in excess of a stain. If you do not, the stain will rise up to the area and generate color inconsistencies.
  • Pay out notice to the re-coat time. A lot of individuals assume dry time and recoat time are the exact same. Ordinarily, recoat time is extended than dry time. If you never wait around the right amount of time recommended by the company, the paint will stick to itself and hardly ever thoroughly dry. You conclusion up with genuinely tacky, sticky paint that’s practically extremely hard to repair.  

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