Some folks got through this winter as dry as diet popcorn. Somehow they dodged the ice dams that re-routed melt water to flow against gravity and under our roof tiles and into our houses. If you are one of these people pay attention to what you are doing because you are living right. Keep it up. The rest of us got wet-some a little, some a lot. If you got a little wet then this article is for you. If you got a lot wet, well I apologize but I am only a painter. Here’s what you do.
Forget all about the water stains until spring. This will allow the walls time to dry out. Think of them as battle scars and remember that May is only a couple dozen Yankee games away. If any paint or sheetrock or plaster has come loose because of the moisture you can dig it out and smooth the whole thing over with fiberglass mesh and joint compound. If nothing has peeled and all you have is a big, ugly water stain then get a can of stain killer from the paint store and roll two coats over the discolored area. There are spray cans of the stuff as well. Just be aware that a fine misting of over spray will look bad on your furniture. Cover everything. The stain killer is necessary because water stains will bleed through regular latex house paint. Zinser makes a product called Bullseye. It is water based, easy to use and doesn’t smell as awful as some. It works great. Stains will look like they are coming through it but they get trapped in the paint film. Magic. Paint it over and you’re good to go. If only every battle scar was that easy to erase.
Have fun painting.
By Joe Adami, Local Painter. Email any questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 914-980-7216
