Wooden Staircase

up for anything

How hard is it to make a relatively cheap one, or does anyone know of a carpenter/handyman in and around Kilkenny or within a reasonable radius of Kilkenny who could knock one up? I've been getting ridiculous quotes for even a bog standard wooden jobbie.:(

eta: In a brand new house is it really necessary to size the walls before painting? We're painting it all white and it will be some sort of extremely washable paint considering all the sticky fingered children we have.

kadman

What sort of prices are you being quoted, and for what spec. Remember whether you choose mdf , or white oak, the labour content , and methods are identical. Material cost may be 15E's a cubic foot , as compared to 65 E's a cubic foot for oak.

There is no such thing as a bog standard stairs. Maybe you mean straight flight. Post up the specs , and your preferred level of finish, and I might be able to point you in the right direction.

Sure I might even do it meself , if your quotes are as rediculous as you say;)

kadman

Wertz

"Size" the walls? Sizing is what you do to bare walls prior to papering them.

If you mean prime the walls, then yes it's generally a good idea to put on a thinned out coat of matt emulsion on your walls, especially if you're going to be painting them in white and even more so if you intend using a sheen finish.

up for anything

Thanks, Kadman but it looks like our carpenter is now willing to make us stairs out of red deal (he says it'll give a better finish than white deal) with open treads and post and rail bannisters. Just to clarify though, by bog standard I meant plain and also cheap ie ordinary pine. Ours is a few steps then a half landing then the rest of the steps are straight up. (I'm not good at description as you can tell from that.:D) Hopefully, it will work out ok. He made the stairs in the garage and all I'm looking for is the same thing with a better finish to the wood.

Wertz, most of the paint shop assistants I've spoken to have said to size the walls before painting otherwise the new plaster will soak up a number of coats of paint before it begins to take. Only one guy said to use a matt emulsion (and he said nothing about thinning it) before using a 'soft sheen' paint on top to make it washable.

Wertz

Onto new plaster work or drywall, you should apply a thinned mix...roughly 15-20% water....putting straight paint onto an absorbent surface is liable to leave brush strokes and roller marks and an "orange peel" on the walls/ceilings, as it dries too quickly. A thinned out coat will also absorb into the plaster better and provide grip for any sheens you use.

You'll find a lot of paint shops want you to buy paint...not thin it out.
Maybe some of those assistants are suggesting priming the walls with PVA? I'm not a fan of that method...doesn't provide enough grip and you still have to put on 3 coats of your colour (especially white) to kill the substrate...

up for anything

At last a man who knows what he's talking about.:D Thank God, I was planning on going to a couple more paint shops tomorrow to see could I get a majority verdict on what to do. By PVA, do you mean wallpaper paste thinned down? If so, yes, that is what they suggest. I just want to get the paint up there as quickly as possible and in the best way possible considering that it's going to be mainly me, who has never painted before, doing it all.

Any advice as to the best washable type of paint... most of them in the shops do seem to agree on 'soft sheen'... I have four very sticky fingered childer who also seem well able to get footprints on walls as a well as crayon, biro, and pencil on walls. How many coats do you think I'll need to do to get a decent finish? I also have to stain and varnish the skirting and architraving... any pointers there? Also do you get a better finish from spray varnishing the doors rather than using a brush and is it possible to hire the kit to do it yourself once the doors are hung?

Sorry for all the questions but I haven't a clue how to go about it all.:(

cltt97

PVA is a bonding liquid. Best to go with the diluted matt emulsion. Get a good roller to paint, best way of getting on paint. You'll need a brush for corners and above skirting boards and below coving. You'll prob have to use a brush for the skirting, too, depending on it's shape. Don't put too much varnish on straight away, it will start running off and you'll get a teardrop effect. best to put on a thin coat and then do it again. Not sure about spraying doors when they're hung... Hopefully someone else can advise...

Wertz

Wait wait wait....these guys were suggesting putting wallpaper paste on fresh plaster prior to painting?? Christ of almighty...paste is the LAST thing you want under emulsion. Don't mind them...in fact laugh at anyone that suggests that...that method is only to prepare fresh walls for papering.

Okay so you want a white shiny washable finish. I too prefer soft sheen; silk is too shiny, washable matt is expensive and difficult to apply.

Before you do any of that, you'll want to prime/seal your woodwork. As a DIYer just use some varnish thinned out with 20% white spirit, brush it well out (ie don't put it on too thickly). [edit] Just noticed you want to stain prior to varnishing; be SURE to stain first...add a little less thinners and apply as above.
Allow it to dry fully (16hrs) and then mask up all your skirting and architrave. Take care doing this, making sure the tape is firmly stuck and not out onto the plasterwork or in too far on the wood.

Now the walls. First apply a thinned out coat of white matt...make sure the paint is mixed thoroughly. Cut in (brush) your room(s) out first, taking care at the masking tape (it's a guide more than a license to slobber paint everywhere), then use a roller to kill the walls. Try not to overload the roller and roll out the paint you apply as evenly as you can, working back over the surface to avoid "rolling lines".
Allow this coat to dry (4-6hrs) and then fill any cracks/nail holes/imperfections with polyfilla, allow that to dry fully and sand smooth.

Wash out all your equipment so as not to contaminate the soft sheen with the matt.
Apply two coats using the same method as above, BUT on the final coat, take each wall at a time. This is to ensure you keep a wet edge between the brushwork and the rolling. With the soft sheen you can afford to apply a little more than what you did on the priming coat.

Two coats should be enough to obliterate the plaster....but only if you use decent paint. I prefer dulux or perhaps premium quality fleetwood. Avoid cheap paint, lower pigment content and you end up having to apply extra coats; a false economy.
Lastly lift your tape ASAP. You may need to run a sharp blade to break the "seal" where the paint has run onto the skirtings.

Now just sand down your wood work using sanding sponges/pads on the mouldings. Fill nailholes with matching wood fillers. Dust off the wood. Apply 2 (or more) coats of straight varnish, making sure to brush it out.


As for your doors? I prefer brushing over anything...spraying is quick and smooth but it's messy and complex if you don't know what you're at and if you f*ck up your doors, it's a lot of hard work to get them right again.
I actually rather the brushed finish; it's thicker, warmer and has character (once you avoid runs ). Under no circumstances apply varnish with a roller without laying it off with a brush. I suspect you have 6 panel pine doors....a 2.5 in brush is your best bet IMO. Take off the handles for a neater finish.
I'm sure you can hire a sparyer if you so choose, but it's messy and difficult as I mentioned.

up for anything

Thanks very much all of you for your advice. It's been really helpful. Spent the day doing the first coats... and am knackered now.

May I just ask, Wertz, what you mean by:

Under no circumstances apply varnish with a roller without laying it off with a brush.

What is laying it off with a brush? The doors are four panel pine doors - is a 2.5in brush still the best bet.

Two more questions if you don't mind.:D

What is the best brush make... I paid what seemed like a small fortune for the cutting in brushes only to spend my time picking hairs out of the paint on walls. I don't mind paying big money for the brushes if it means I don't have to do that especially when varnishing.

Also, I was intending to stain them before varnishing but when speaking to the chap in the paint shop he suggested that as an amateur I would be better off using a clear varnish. He said this would lend the white deal a bit of colour anyway. Is this true?

Avns1s

up for anything wrote:

Thanks very much all of you for your advice. It's been really helpful. Spent the day doing the first coats... and am knackered now.

May I just ask, Wertz, what you mean by:



What is laying it off with a brush? The doors are four panel pine doors - is a 2.5in brush still the best bet.

Two more questions if you don't mind.:D

What is the best brush make... I paid what seemed like a small fortune for the cutting in brushes only to spend my time picking hairs out of the paint on walls. I don't mind paying big money for the brushes if it means I don't have to do that especially when varnishing.

Also, I was intending to stain them before varnishing but when speaking to the chap in the paint shop he suggested that as an amateur I would be better off using a clear varnish. He said this would lend the white deal a bit of colour anyway. Is this true?

Clear varnish will put a little colour on your doors.

When varnishing doors, I have used a small roller about 4 inches wide. Its made for varnish and gloss paint I think. Just used the 2 inch brush for cutting in the bevelled parts of the panels. Put the coats on very light and it'll come up a treat. Mine did. You couldn't tell that they weren't sprayed. Very quick too.

up for anything

Thanks for that. By the ways the doors still haven't been hung and the skirting board/architrave is still in pieces on the floor... would it be easier to paint all of them flat or prop them up against the wall?

Wertz

Against a wall.

As for laying off? Anytime I roll anything oil based be it with a short nap roller or a sponge roller, I'll drag the brush through it afterward to gett the strokes all going the same direction...there's something very "spongy" I find about oil based clears or glosses when taken straight from the roller and aloowed to dry...a soft bristled brush leaves a far finer finish as far as I'm concerned...but then again I've a vested interest...