Home Repair Guide

November 2007

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Stucco Patching Compound
Hang Heavy Mirrors
Painting Raised Panel Doors
Washing Paint Brushes and Rollers
Restoring a Paint Brush

Stucco Patch

To repair damaged and crumbling stucco, make a compound of 1 part portland cement, 3 parts fine sand and enough water to make a thick paste. If you need to match the natural color of your existing stucco because it's not painted, look for a sand color that's comes close and vary the ratio slightly until you mix the color you want. To see the final color of your stucco mix you will have to let it dry completely which will take 24 hours or more, so you may want to mix a small amount of paste to start and let it dry before deciding on the right ratio of sand to cement to achieve the desired color.

Mix your stucco paste thick enough to stay on a vertical surface without sagging. If you make a mistake and make the paste too thin, mix more portland cement and sand together and then add it to the paste to thicken it. Once it is mixed the paste will be workable for about an hour.

To make stucco repairs remove all loose material from the damaged area using a putty knife or similar tool. Then use a stiff brush or broom to remove dust and wet the surface with a spray bottle or compression sprayer of water. Apply the stucco paste while the surface is wet and shape it to match the existing finish. As the new patch sets and cures keep it wet with the water sprayer soaking it 3 or 4 times a day for three days. This will prevent cracks from forming as the stucco drys.

Hang a Heavy Mirror

If you want to hang a very heavy mirror or similar object on a wall you will need to fasten heavy duty picture hooks or screws to wood framing. This may make it impossible to hang the mirror where you want it –in the center of a wall for instance– because a stud is not located in the proper place. To solve this problem use a piece of finished lumber like a 1x3 to support the weight.

First locate the two studs on each side of the center point of your hanging and cut a piece of 1x3 long enough to overlap each stud a little. Choose the height you want and mark the studs an inch lower than the hanging point. Hold the 1x3 level at this point and attach it to the studs using 2 or 3 inch drywall screws. Paint the wood strip to match your wall color. Let it dry and drive your picture hooks or screws into the 1x3 at the center point.

Painting Raised Panel Doors

Raised–panel doors can be hard to paint without leaving brush and drag marks in the finish. These marks occur when the brush touches partially dry paint as you try to blend the different parts of the door together. Use this technique to get a smooth paint finish on your raised–panel door.

The parts of a raised–panel door are pictured here and include the rails, stiles and panels. The door rails are the cross members including the top and bottom as well as the cross pieces dividing the middle. The stiles are the pieces that run vertically including the small pieces between the panels and the two long pieces on the sides. They run from top to bottom of the door to tie the rails, center stiles and panels together. The panels are the inset squares or rectangles. Panels fit into a groove cut along the edge of the rails and stiles.

The door panels are designed to float in the frame as the wood expands and contracts with the moisture and temperature changes in the surrounding atmosphere. Over time this movement can cause the paint film to crack along the border of the panel. Many people make the mistake of caulking these cracks. The best way to fix this problem it to fill the gap with more paint, not caulk. Caulking the crack will only create a cracking caulk problem that will be more unsightly than cracking paint. If you have cracking caulk around the panels in your raised–panel door, you should scrape it off before repainting.

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Prep and Paint the Door

Remove the door handle to make painting easier. Prep the door for painting by sanding with 120 sandpaper. Start at the top and sand in the direction of the arrows. If you're repainting over latex paint, sand very lightly. If you're too rough with the surface the paint will peel, not sand. Brush or vacuum the dust off the door. To remove all the dust use a tack cloth to thoroughly wipe the surface. This is a good idea if you're using an oil, alkyd or high–gloss paint because these will show any dust in the dried finish.

Start at the top when painting raised–panel doors and paint each part before moving to the next. Work quickly to finish each part so the paint doesn't dry before you can paint the adjoining parts. Start with the panels and paint them all before moving to the rails. Next do the rails and small inner stiles together. Paint them all from top to bottom and finish the door by painting the long outer stiles. Along with the long stiles also paint the edge of your door. If you are only painting one side of the door, paint the edge that shows from that side when the door is open. For example, if you're painting the outside of a door that opens into a room, paint the edge with the hinges.

Brush the panels, pushing the paint into the corners and edges around the border and then spread it out in a smooth coat following the direction of the arrows. Let the paint overlap onto the surrounding rails, stiles and the center of the panel. Next do the center of the panel, applying the paint with back and forth strokes to cover it completely and then smooth the coat out stroking up and down with a semi–dry brush. Let the paint overlap onto the border and finish the panel by stroking out the border several times with a semi–dry brush to pick up all the excess paint. Runs will develop at the corners of the panels if all the excess paint is not removed.

Do all the panels and then go back to the top and paint the rails and short, center stiles. Blend these two parts together by painting the short stile first with vertical strokes that smooth out the lap marks from the panel and overlap onto the rail. Then paint the rail with horizontal strokes blending the lap marks from the stiles and panels into the horizontal strokes on the rail. Move down the door painting these interior pieces until all the rails and small inner stiles are painted. Return to the top of the door and paint the edge and then down the two side stiles to finish the door. Blend all the overlap marks from the rails, panels and edge into the vertical strokes on the outer stiles.

Washing Paint Brushes and Rollers

You can clean latex paint from brushes using a kitchen or bathroom sink. To wash rollers you'll need a utility sink. The splatter that comes from a thorough cleaning of rollers will be too messy for the kitchen or bathroom.

Wash a brush by first scraping it on the side of the paint can to remove all the excess paint. In a sink, use a small plastic bucket or food container to collect a couple of cups of warm water. Bounce the brush bristles against the bottom of the pail water several times until the water is saturated with paint and then dump the water out. Rinse the pail and collect a couple more cups of warm water. Bounce the brush several times in the fresh water and then dump it. Repeat this process until the water remains clear after bouncing the brush. Shake all the water from brush bristles by hitting the handle against your shoe several times or spin the handle back and forth between your palms to throw the water off.

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To clean latex paint from a roller first scrape all the excess paint from the nap using the side of putty knife. Remove the roller from the arm and slip it onto a roller spinner. Hold the roller under a stream of warm water until the nap is saturated. Hold the roller vertical and spin it so the water is thrown against the side of a deep utility sink. Saturate the nap with water and spin it out again. Repeat this until the water coming from the roller is clear.

Pull the roller off the spinner and set it on edge on a piece of newspaper or a paper towel to dry. Stand brushes with the bristles up in a paint bucket or coffee can until dry and then flex the bristles to soften them. Washing your paint tools in this way will help them to last for many years of service.

Brush Restorer for Latex Brushes

If you don't clean your latex brushes thoroughly you will probably have a build up of dry paint in the bristles near the ferrule –the metal band holding the bristles to the handle– making the brush very stiff and hard to use. After several times letting paint dry in the brush the bristles will become too stiff to be usable at all. This can become very expensive if you do a lot of painting and use professional quality brushes. To restore your abused brushes try this process.

Set the brush bristles down in a plastic paint bucket. Add hot water to fill the bucket to just over the ferrule. Pour in a cup of liquid laundry detergent and turn the brush back and forth gently a couple times to agitate. Let the brush sit in the water for three days, agitating a couple of times a day. At the end of the three days pour off the soapy water and wash the brush as described above. Set the brush with the bristles up to dry. If this doesn't do the trick try soaking the brush again for another three days.

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