01_175330 ffirs.qxp 10/17/07 8:22 PM Page i DO-IT-YOURSELF Pa i n t i n g FOR DUMmIES‰ by Katharine Kaye McMillan,PhD, and Patricia Hart McMillan 01_175330 ffirs.qxp 10/17/07 8:22 PM Page i DO-IT-YOURSELF Pa i n t i n g FOR DUMmIES‰ by Katharine Kaye McMillan,PhD, and Patricia Hart McMillan 01_175330 ffirs.qxp 10/17/07 8:22 PM Page i DO-IT-YOURSELF Pa i n t i n g FOR DUMmIES‰ by Katharine Kaye McMillan,PhD, and Patricia Hart McMillan 01_175330 ffirs.qxp 10/17/07 8:22 PM Page ii Painting Do-It-Yourself For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447, fax 317-572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used with- out written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associ- ated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 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THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2007936467 ISBN: 978-0-470-17533-0 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_175330 ffirs.qxp 10/17/07 8:22 PM Page iii About the Authors Katharine Kaye McMillan, PhD, is a social cognitive psychologist who writes do-it- yourself decorating advice in her online Design Doctorcolumn. She is the coauthor with her mother and mentor, Patricia Hart McMillan, of Home Decorating For Dummies, 2nd Edition, Glass Tile: Inspirations for Kitchens and Baths,Sun Country Style,and House Comfortable.Where the Pros Live,her weekly feature series on how trendsetters and tastemakers really design for themselves, runs weekly in the Palm Beach Post’s “Florida Home” section. She is a contributing writer to Florida Design, the leading internationally distributed decorating magazine. An expert in masculin- ity and self-concept, she teaches psychology at private and public colleges in South Florida. She appears on national and regional television shows, talk radio, and trades her do-it-yourself design secrets at home shows nationwide with Patricia Hart McMillan. Patricia Hart McMillan was Interior Design Editor of 1,001 Decorating Ideas(later Home), one of the first dedicated do-it-yourself magazines with a multimillion reader circulation in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. She became Remodeling Editor of Home Mechanix Magazine,whose do-it-yourself readers included semi-professional and professional carpenters, painters, paper-hangers, floor-installers, and plumbers. On at least one occasion, she hung wallcovering for publication! As Editor in Chief of 20/20 Magazine,she helped launch a retail shop design series entitled Blueprint for Success,which continues. Private decorating clients include some “household names” as well as newlyweds with big dreams and small budgets. She’s author and coauthor of eight books and at work on four more dealing with interior design, con- temporary architecture, architectural glass tile, and historic houses and gardens. Her trendspotting articles and profiles of nationally known designers appear in newspapers, magazines, and online. 01_175330 ffirs.qxp 10/17/07 8:22 PM Page iv Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Contributors:Judy Tremore, Traci Cumbay, Brenda Brink, Kevin Funkhouser, Jamie Funkhouser, Jenny Zahm, Luke Funkhouser Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Composition Services Senior Project Editor: Alissa Schwipps Senior Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier Layout and Graphics: Shelley Norris, Kathie Rickard Copy Editor: Sarah Faulkner Photography: Matt Bowen Editorial Program Coordinator:Erin Calligan Mooney Anniversary Logo Design:Richard Pacifico Senior Editorial Manager: Jennifer Ehrlich Proofreaders: Jessica Kramer, Linda Quigley Editorial Assistants:Joe Niesen, Leeann Harney, Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC David Lutton Special Help Cover Photos: Matt Bowen Elizabeth Rea, Tracy Barr Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan,Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings,Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey,Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey,Director of Composition Service 02_175330 ftoc.qxp 10/17/07 8:23 PM Page v Contents at a Glance Introduction.................................................................................1 Part I: Preparing for Your Painting Project.....................................5 Chapter 1: Gathering What You Need........................................................................................................7 Chapter 2: Readying Your Room and Surface.........................................................................................27 Chapter 3:Making Necessary Wall Repairs............................................................................................49 Chapter 4: Brushing Up on Painting Basics............................................................................................59 Part II: Painting Walls Like a Pro................................................83 Chapter 5: Faux Finishes with Shapes and Patterns..............................................................................85 Chapter 6: Faux Finishes Using Glaze....................................................................................................111 Chapter 7: More Fun Decorative Techniques.......................................................................................151 Part III: Covering Other Areas of Your Home ..............................165 Chapter 8: Coating Ceilings and Floors.................................................................................................167 Chapter 9: Turning Your Brush to Trim, Windows, and Doors..........................................................181 Part IV: The Part of Tens...........................................................201 Chapter 10: Ten Tips for a Practically Perfect Paint Job.....................................................................203 Chapter 11: Ten Tips for Picking the Best Color..................................................................................205 Index .......................................................................................207 02_175330 ftoc.qxp 10/17/07 8:23 PM Page vi 02_175330 ftoc.qxp 10/17/07 8:23 PM Page vii Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................1 About This Book.........................................................................................................................1 Conventions Used in This Book...............................................................................................2 Foolish Assumptions.................................................................................................................2 How This Book Is Organized.....................................................................................................3 Part I: Preparing for Your Painting Project....................................................................3 Part II: Painting Walls Like a Pro.....................................................................................3 Part III: Covering Other Areas of Your Home................................................................3 Part IV: The Part of Tens.................................................................................................3 Icons Used in This Book............................................................................................................4 Where to Go from Here..............................................................................................................4 Part I: Preparing for Your Painting Project .....................................5 Chapter 1: Gathering What You Need.................................................................................7 Assembling a Painter’s Toolbox...............................................................................................7 Tools for safety.................................................................................................................8 Tools for prep and repairs..............................................................................................9 Tools for basic painting.................................................................................................12 Tools for decorative painting........................................................................................17 Tools for cleanup............................................................................................................22 Extras worth considering..............................................................................................22 Narrowing Down Your Paint Options....................................................................................23 Deciding on latex or alkyd.............................................................................................24 Selecting a paint sheen..................................................................................................24 Determining How Much Paint You Need...............................................................................25 For walls..........................................................................................................................26 For floors and ceilings...................................................................................................26 Chapter 2: Readying Your Room and Surface..................................................................27 Safeguarding the Area..............................................................................................................28 Removing Scrubbable Wallpaper...........................................................................................31 Repairing Peeling Paint on Woodwork and Trim.................................................................34 Stripping Paint from Wood Trim............................................................................................36 Repairing Woodwork and Trim..............................................................................................38 Filling Nail Holes in the Wall...................................................................................................40 Cleaning Surfaces.....................................................................................................................42 Priming Baseboards, Molding, and Trim...............................................................................43 Applying Sealer and Primer....................................................................................................45 Chapter 3:Making Necessary Wall Repairs...................................................................49 Repairing Cracks in Drywall...................................................................................................50 Repairing Holes in Drywall.....................................................................................................52 Repairing Cracks and Small Holes in Plaster........................................................................54 Repairing Popped Nails...........................................................................................................57