Why Stabilise?

Why Stabilise?

Proper preparation when house painting is,as with most aspects of life, vital.

An example of this is that the surface to which new paint is to be applied must be clean, dry and in good physical condition. A problem that we frequently encounter when painting houses here on the Costa Blanca is that the condition of the existing paint has deteriorated to such an extent that it presents an almost chalk like characteristic that will part from the substrate when rubbed by hand.

The remedy to this that prior to painting a coat of stabiliser (Fijador in Spanish) should be applied. Fijador is a material that is in part a sealant and part an adhesive which provides a suitable surface for the application of new paint.

Normally we will use the standard water based version of this product supplied by the Jotun Paint Company, however an option that we some times choose when we feel that the substrate is in especially bad condition or that the applied paint is going to be subject to difficult conditions (E.G. on swim pool surrounds) is to use the solvent, penetrating version which is much stronger.

Once this has been completed we can apply the paint confident in the knowledge that there will be no problems with the adhesion and that the new paint will provide a first class protection to the house for many years in the future.

Painting of Gates and Grills (Rejers). The do´s and don´ts.

Now that the temperatures have abated (at last!) here on the Costa Blanca the time is right to undertake the onerous task of painting the metal work on and around your house. So please find below a list of the do´s and don´ts of rejer painting as advised by us here at The Villa Painters based on our considerable experience of this type of work.

 

1. Do used a brand of anti rust metal paint that is manufactured here in Spain (the paint store will advise you) and not the brand that is imported from the U.K. As the viscosity is too high to be effective in the climate here on the C.B.
2. Do rub down all rust spots with a wire brush and also apply a rust inhibitor to any persistent area of rust before applying the metal paint.
3. Do dilute the material by at least 10% with white spirit (aguarras) before painting as this speeds up the working time and improves the finish look.
4. Don´t assume that the best form of coating metal is to paint with “thick paint” as this is a common misconception of most amateur painters. If you wish a thicker finish you should paint a second coat which by using diluted paint which will dry almost immediately will be achievable almost immediately.
5. Do paint with little sponge rollers as it is much quicker than brushed and will supply a superior finish. You can use a small brush to paint the areas that are inaccessible with the rollers
 
6. Do work with some background music playing or with headphones to supply same. You will find that this speeds up production considerably. “Music While You Work” To which I refer you to previous blog re the Transistor Radio
7. Don´t attempt rejer painting in months with an r as it is too hot. Even the beginning os September can be problematic.
8. Lastly do keep reducing the paint you are working with as after only a few minutes the spirit will have evaporated and the paint will be thickening as you work.

Good luck with all of the above and remember that another option to undertaking this tiresome and onerous task is to contract us at The Villa Painters to paint the metal work of your house and marvel at how speedily we complete same and how happy we are at our work.

Also you should be aware that during the winter months we offer this service at considerably discounted prices which allows you the customer to get on with your life and not be bothering with rejer painting.

Wood - A Love Affair

It's hard to beat Mother Nature when it comes to creating beautiful , lasting building materials. Certainly wood, that hard, fibrous tissue harvested from many different trees , is the backbone of shelter construction that has housed humankind for thousands and thousands of years

As a construction material, wood is highly regarded for it´s strength, efficiency, adaptability in use and of course, lasting durability and beauty. Properly cared for wood serves silently and dutifully for several hundred years or more. Yet as tough as it is, once wood leaves the cradle of Mother Nature's care and goes on to its extended life as a building material, someone has to take responsibility. That someone needs to look it over regularly and occasionally apply modern methods of protection to extend wood's productive life span. 

 

We at The Villa Painters know a thing or two about caring for the timber that is so commonly used in and around the homes on the Costa Blanca.

People living in this part of the Spain love the natural look of wood of ceiling beams,  window frames and pergolas and increasingly now, decking around swim pools. However the typical 300 days of sunshine we get here can play havoc, because the sun's UV rays will, over time and without proper re staining, turn wood surfaces black and cause shedding or deterioration to occur.” Furthermore unchecked moisture issues can lead to wood rot, an equally troublesome enemy for wood surfaces.

 

The Villa Painters know how to spot wood threats and how to treat them. We work with our customers to find a balance between the appearance and protection they are comfortable with, and explain the various stain/color finishes, as well as their protective properties.” Clear and transparent finishes are usually preferred, but they require more frequent re staining. Semi-transparent and solid color finishes hide some of the wood's natural beauty, but last longer in the strong sunlight.

We always recomend the products of the Jotun Paint Company and in particular Trebitt wood stains and treatments. A range of products developed and perfected by the Jotun to treat and protect the wooden houses of their home nation Norway. In general, two coats give the best protection. The first cost penetrates the wood for good protection. The second coat bonds well to the first coat, and provides a surface covering that better resists UV and moisture

Never Mind The Quality Feel The Width!

A saying that used to be attributed to some less than scrupulous tailors when trying to pass off suit material that was less than top quality.

The same can be applied to the purchase of house paint. Some house paint companies advertise that the paint they use is "Thick paint...up to 20 times thicker than normal"  to infer that the thickness adds to the quality when in actual fact quite the reverse is the case.

Paint manufacturing companies will thicken "economy" paint by adding chalk which of course is porous and actually attracts water and damp instead of repelling it.
The addition of chalk of course explains why a bucket of such paint will actually be much heavier than the same quantity of a quality product such as Jotun Jotashield which is manufactured with the appropriate chemistry to ensure it´s effectiveness and long life.

Therefore when  choosing a house paint it´s always better to "Feel The Quality and not the Width"

Feeling Blue?

Alan and Haulwen Black certainly were feeling blue when they realised how difficult it was going to be to recreate the colour of the walls of the house and gardens of French Artist Jacques Majorelle  that they had seen and admired when they had visited Marrakech.


So when constructing the sunken gardens adjacent to their villa in Javea a few years previously they had employed a regular painter using regular blue paint on top of less than regular wall render the result being that within a short time the render was parting from the walls and the paint had lost most of it´s original colour and was looking very sad indeed.


Our first task was to remove all the bad render and replace with a good quality waterproof product which would have the correct adhesive properties to remain in place and then we contacted the Jotun Paint Company who recommended that we used one of colours from their extensive colour palate applied to Majestic Plasticised paint which they assured us would both retain the strength of colour required and be extremely water repellent to provide the desired long life.

The results can be seen in the photo on the left.Two years on and still no sign of failing render and the colour just as strong as the day it came out of the tin.


So now the Blacks don´t have the blues.
Just the walls of the sunken garden!

Plaster of paris.



"If you don´t choose The Villa Painters to paint your house you´ll be sorry! Maybe not today or maybe not tomorrow but soon and for the rest of your life!!

As for you and me, well, we´ll always have plaster of paris!"

Painters Trany!

I am frequently asked which piece of our painting equipment I value the most and on reflection I generally reply that for exterior house paint contracts the Honda Motor Driven High Pressure Wash Machine because of its inestimable efficiency and time saving properties when we are cleaning down the walls of a property that has significant issues with peeling and flaking paint and render.

However when it comes to working indoors I, as legions of other painters and DIYers have discovered, that a radio playing in the background aids concentration and speeds up the production rate considerably.

Nowadays of course this music can be supplied by new technology gadgets such as MP3 Players and Smart Phones etc. however back in the day the industrious painter had to rely on the good old fashioned Transistor Radio which was know as "The Trany" for short.

Of course we now live in a world of cross dressers and gender benders and so the word "Trany" has acquired a completely different meaning to a generation not weaned on the music of the ubiquitous trany.

For this reason I am always very careful when asking a young employee if they could "Bring a trany in to work tomorrow?"