Summer Sensations...

reto. "Folks want to paint over
that, but the most important
thing to do is wash the area well
with a commercial mildew wash
or a quart of bleach in a gallon of
water. That will kill the mildew;
then rinse the area well and the
paint will last a lot longer than
if you just paint over it."
Primer is necessary before
you paint with either oil or latex
if you're painting on new wood,
or wood that has been scraped
down. Mildew areas should also
be primed after preparation.

PROPER APPLICATORS

The brush is the most com-
mon applicator, especially for ir-
regular surfaces, such as stucco.
Rollers can be used, but not eas-
ily on narrow siding. And some-
times you might want to use a
power sprayer.
"Good brushes pick up paint
well and put it down well. Cheap
brushes don't pick up as much
as better brushes," said Segreto.
"A customer has a lot easier time
painting with good quality paint
and good quality applicators."

COLOR CHOICES

As for colors, "there are al-
ways perennial favorites, but
we're also seeing strong region-
al palettes today," said Claudia
Hagen, associate paint buyer for
Sears. "We're going away from
very light-colored 'field' (prima-
ry) colors to midtone field colors.
And we're seeing a whole lot of
excitement in trim colors — teals
and brilliant reds for front doors,
for example."
The "Heartland Palette" that
Sears presents for its exterior
Weatherbeater includes a Desert
Sand field color with accent trim
colors of Cornfield and Regal
Green; Smoke Pink-Beige with
New Wave Gray and Mountain
Forest; Mushroom Beige with
Patagonian Sand and Mountain
Blue.
For areas along the Eastern
Seaboard, the "Seabreeze
Palette" offers Nantucket Blue
with Georgetown White and
Manitoba Gray; Graystone with
Cobblestone Cream and Elder-
berry; Provo Cream with Ver-
mont Green and Charcoal Gray.
The "Sunshades Palette" in-
spired by the Southern states
shows such bright combinations
as Peruvian Peach with Sand
Drift and Charcoal Gray; Colo-
nial Cream with Antique White

Rollerbiade

and Regal Green; Sun Shadow
with Coastal White and Aqua Fi-
esta. The choices are mind-bog-
gling, and today can even be
rendered via computers.

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HOW MUCH YOU'LL NEED

How much paint you'll need
largely depends on what kind of
surface you'll be painting. Stuc-
co takes much more paint than
regular Masonite siding, for ex-
ample. In general, the more ir-
regular the surface, the more
paint you'll need. It will also de-
pend on whether the surface has
been painted before or sealed
with a good primer.
As for what it will cost to
paint it yourself, consider these
standards: About 400 square feet
is average coverage per gallon,
though more porous or irregular
surfaces will average as low as
250 square feet per gallon. Us-
ing Sears' Weatherbeater as a
gauge, which costs about $16 a
gallon, and assuming the aver-
age exterior paint job takes
about 8 to 10 gallons, the do-it-
yourself job will cost from $200
to $300.
In that amount is a lot of
sweat equity, however, not to
mention other factors such as
dropcloths, scaffold rental, mask-
ing tape, brushes and any other
materials you may need.

Ready to Roll!

cDongkontast

r

Srortitaus

HIRING CONTRACTORS

"Painting your home can be a
very rewarding experience, but
it is time-consuming and te-
dious," says Lester.
"Before you decide to tackle
the painting, ask yourself the fol-
lowing questions:
• 'Do you have the time and
patience for the job?
• 'Do you have the skills to do
the quality job you demand?
• "Do you have the physical
stamina?"
If not, then hire a profession-
al painter, but understand it will
cost you several times the above
estimate. And Lester also ad-
vises that you make sure they
carry workers' compensation and
liability insurance.
"Ask for references from oth-
er jobs they have done and spec-
ify the masking and dropcloth
requirements to protect your
property."
Your property will be im-
proved either way you go.
Priscilla Lister is a writer for
Copley News Service.

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❑

Bloomfield Plaza • Telegraph at Maple • Bloomfield Hills • (810)626-9500

STYLE • SUMMER 1995 •

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