A Tinted Perspective

Can I Touch Up a Swedish Finish Floor?

2009-07-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

Many people have what is typically called a 'swedish finish' on their floor; it is known to be very durable and beautiful. But sometimes that floor starts to show wear and in the past there weren't many options - except refinishing the entire thing. This has been one of the biggest drawbacks to the swedish finish approach, it is an all-or-nothing proposition. Also, the chemicals used to make the finish are very strong and for safety reasons only contractors are supposed to apply it.

Today I was working with a customer who has a kitchen floor that desperately needs attention, but refinishing wasn't an option. Luckily, we have a good solution, and I want to share it with you, too.

The product we recommend is Daly's Satinthane. Satinthane is a ure-alkyd, meaning its a combination of urethane and alkyd (modified with oil), instead of the typical straight alkyd. This allows the product to adhere to the existing finish where others can't. All urethanes are not created equal.

KEY POINT!!:
You must open up the existing finish first. This is where most people make mistakes, and this can result in failure, regardless of the top coat product.

We suggest 220 sandpaper or screening paper to 'scratch the back' of the Swedish finish. This gives the new product something to grab onto and helps to keep it from peeling or blistering off. Make sure to vacuum and damp mop any dusty residue. You want your surface to be as dust-free as possible for the best possible finish.

The Daly's Satinthane is applied with an pad applicator, and then you can tip it off with a brush on the edges. 2 coats is best, 6-8 hours between coats, 24 hours to walk on and a couple weeks for full cure. Don't forget to work in a well-ventilated space.

Like any oil finish, Satinthane may amber over time.

The best thing about switching to Satinthane is that going forward maintenance is much easier and it can be refreshed with more Satinthane or Daly's FloorFin. When you get to that point, scuff it up, dust off and apply a thin coat of finish. Done!

Do You Know What Color I Am Seeing Around Town?

2009-06-26T15:41:00.000-07:00

Teal.

Teal!! Can you believe it?
I believe it. It took a loooooong time for it to show up again!

The Tastiest Paint Store in Bellevue!

2009-06-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Window Treatments, Deco Hardware and Area Rugs

2009-06-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

The Bellevue Design Department

2009-06-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

The NEW Bellevue Daly's!!!

2009-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

There Is a Difference...

2009-06-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

... between a handyman and a professional painter.

I am trying to help two difference customers navigate the murky waters of trying to decipher what happened and why 'the painter' is at fault, not the paint.

A professional painter will take the necessary steps to properly prepare the surface being painted. A professional painter will stop and look at the can to ensure it is the correct color. And sheen. A professional painter knows how to box the paint, and not paint in direct sunlight, use the correct primer, proper tools, and on and on and on.

Too many times I have seen customers want to save a few bucks and hire the services of a jack-of-all-trades - but how much are you saving when you have to spend extra time and money rescuing the job? How much more hassle do you go through? How much easier to just have it done right the first time?

Okay. I am done ranting for the day.

Customizable Caulk

2009-06-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

I fielded an interesting question today - and I thought more than one person might appreciate the answer.

In this particular situation, there was some newly installed stained base moulding at the floor. Imperfect walls being what they are, there were very visible gaps between the moulding and the wall.

What to do?

Customizable caulk to the rescue!

With this product you are able to choose any paint color and have it mixed into a caulking tube. How cool is that? You no longer need to be stuck with a beige, brown or white stripe of caulking on your project, you can have "Sea Salt" or "Postal" or even "Fetish" caulking to make all the finishing details complete. Tasty!

What Do I Do With Left Over Paint?

2009-06-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

No matter how close you are in estimating your paint needs, it seems there is always some left over once the job is complete. But what do you do with it?

Pass it on:
You might find you can 'paint it forward' by finding a new home for your unneeded product. FREE is a word that is very effective when you are going the Craig's List route and need to get rid of something. Or maybe there is a small household project that needs spiffing up and your paint can be creatively used in a new way.

If you'd like to keep it for touch-up and future needs, here are a couple tricks:
1. Float a layer of plastic wrap (or even sturdy card stock) on top of the paint inside the bucket before resealing the lid. This keeps a skin from forming on top of the paint.

2. Take it one step further buy cleaning the inner rim of the bucket of any messy paint drips, then stretch plastic wrap across the opening and seal the lid well (pound it down, baby!). Then flip the can over so the top of the lid is now resting on the shelf. This creates a tight seal. Just make sure you have secured the lid firmly... or look out!

When you are ready to repaint again, make sure you remove the plastic. Paint stores usually happy to put your old can of paint on the shaker and remix it for you, by the way.

What if it's time to get rid of some paint?
We like this great product called Paint Hardener. This is amazing stuff. You take your bucket of LATEX paint, sprinkle in the packet of paint hardener, stir it in - and voila - it begins hardening before your eyes.

Once your latex paint is hardened, it is considered inert and you can throw it away in your regular garbage. Remember, it must be dry to toss it out. Leave the lid OFF so the truck drivers can see its dried paint.

If you have the space and patience, you may also leave the lid off your paint bucket and let it air dry. You can also mix in kitty litter to absorb the paint and help speed up the dry time, but paint hardener is especially beneficial when you'd like to be quick and get it GONE. I think of it as one of those miracle products.

You may dispose of OIL paint (also known as ALKYD) by bringing the remains to a hazardous waste collection facility. Again, if you have dried paint, you can throw it in your normal garbage.

Here are a few resources:
In King County, call King County Solid Waste
206-296-4466 or 1-800-325-6265, ext. 6-4466
www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd

Seattlites can call:
206-684-3000

Almost-For-Certain-Probable (We Hope!) Store Opening Date is Set: May 26th

2009-05-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

What a roller-coaster ride it is to relocate a store. Of course, our 'perfect' location required a change-of-use with the City of Bellevue - to the uneducated, that means more permits. Previously, the space housed a Safeway Training Center. Our use is retail, not office, so the changes need to be very carefully addressed.

I never knew it could take sooooo many different permits to get a place remodeled. However, we are almost through that knothole, and it looks like we are getting so close to having everything signed-off that this move might actually happen.

The fire alarm installers (also known as The Major Holdup In The Project) are finishing today, maybe even with their final tests. Then we get the Bellevue Fire Department in for final inspection, then the Building Inspector, then we can close up the ceiling in the warehouse and start moving in product.

Luckily, we are hiring a moving company to help with the project and it's a multi-day gig. I can already tell it is going to be well worth the inve$tment!!!

It look like this Memorial Day weekend will be very memorable for Daly's.

Robin and Christian Hanging with HGTV's Vern Yip

2009-04-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the 2009 Eye On Design event at The Seattle Design Center. Christian was on a design panel moderated by Vern, and we were lucky enough to have had a loooong interview with him about a month ago in preparation for this event for the two publications we write design articles for: 425 Magazine and The Journal Newspapers.

Yes, Vern is as cool and hip as he seems on TV!

The New Lights Over the Front Counter

2009-04-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

View of New Bellevue From Front Door

2009-04-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

We are getting sooooo close!!!! You are looking in towards the new decor department. The wall of shelves you see in the back will display wallpaper books. Next to those will be our color centers for both C2 Paint and Pratt & Lambert paint.

What Makes a Color Work?

2009-04-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met with a color specifier at the (soon to be old) Bellevue store. She was thrilled to learn about our different paint lines and she made a comment that got me to thinking...

She wanted to know MORE about what makes certain colors our 'go-to' colors in the palette. In other words, when we help someone choose colors, we often start off with our favorite shades to help facilitate the process of winnowing down the choices.

But what makes them our favorites, and why do they work?

It's more than a lucky guess, of course. As I am writing this, I keep flashing to C2 Paint's "Labrador". It's yellow. But it's not yellowy-yellow because it possesses a red undertone.

This hint of red pigment keeps the yellow from going too acidic, plus it contributes to uniting the color to other shades, ensuring that 'Labrador' will coordinate with a large variety of hues. And interestingly enough, 'Labrador' is ideal both as an exterior yellow (imagine a yellow farmhouse on the middle of the country with tons of crisp white trim and a deep green or rich red front door) and it plays exceptionally well as a kitchen yellow. Very unusual thaqt a single color can span both directions, when you think about the way a color reads outside compared to inside.

Yet, if you look at it in relation to the color chip rack or fan deck, you might think it's too peachy at first. But get it off the rack, and the color really starts to shine. Of course, there are other great yellows, too! Some of my favorites include: C2 'Moxie', 'Polenta', 'Shine' and 'Sugar Cookie' when you want that pretty pale hue.

When looking at any color, don't forget to try the color in the environment it will be used - ultimately, it's the relationship of your new color with all the other factors that make it work.

Getting Closer to Move-In Day!!!

2009-04-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

It looks like we will be fully functional in our new space by the middle of May. The store is really starting to take shape, and I gotta tell you, it looks GREAT!

The sign was installed on Friday. It was interesting to see the process, of course it had to be raining, poor guys...

Spring Fashion Trend?

2009-04-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

This 'dress' is actually constucted of Antonina Vella "Selene" wallpaper that is covered in a delicate filigree design made from gorgeous glass beads and subtly colored background paper. Tasty! (And yes, you can get it from Daly's!)

To Paint or Refinish? That is the Question!

2009-03-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

I just fielded a great question (the customer was actually referred to us by another paint store!) - in a 1950's house, is it better to strip and refinish the base trim or repaint it?

While there is never a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to aesthetics, the caller had some interesting value choices to ponder.

Would the trim be worth the effort of stripping? Being a 1950's era house, the trim is most likely Mahogany, but not that cheapie 1970's Mahogany we are still trying to erase from memory.

How would the caller determine if it's the good stuff? Remove a piece of trim from as inconspicuous an area as possible, and see what's under five decades of paint. If it's good quality wood, then the choice can be made to remove the paint layers and refinish. If not, no harm done - re-install the trim, patch the wall if needed and repaint.

When it comes to the 'look', which is better? In this case, I'd suggest stripping and refinishing because the caller is painting his walls a pale white. This means the exposed wood trim will add some architectural detailing to a potentially very plain room.

If painting is the option, I suggest a color that adds some depth and richness to the trim. Perhaps a rich mushroom color or even a velvety cream - anything to add some interest without becoming distracting. In very few instances should trim become the room's focal point, but it can go far to add character and interest.

New Magazine

2009-02-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

I received a new magazine today; Decorative Concrete Retailer.
And I thought Daly's was a niche business!

More Input Regarding One-Coat Coverage

2009-02-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

Here is some more feedback on the question of One-Coat Coverage. This comes from Randy, one of our great designers in our Bellevue store. He has a lot of hands-on experience with paint, so his input comes from a user perspective. I think it illustrates why the idea of One-Coat Coverage seems to set up people with unrealistic expectations:

"Hi Robin,
I appreciated your blog post about paint hide. I wanted to comment that there is another flawed assumption behind the idea of one coat coverage. One coat coverage assumes that that the paint will hide in one coat but also that the application is perfect, which is hardly ever the case. It assumes that the painter is putting on a perfectly consistent film with no variation and no holidays. The only time this happens is with spraying.

One example is the many times as a painter I would be rolling out a wall, and the paint looked like it was completely covering only to come back the next morning to find small pin hole sized holidays where the paint film had shrunk back in drying that I couldn't see when it was wet.

The other issue is the performance...thicker paint film means better performance.

The paint industry has shot itself in the foot by putting this idea out there in the first place, creating an unrealistic expectation and disappointment and frustration, though it is what people would like to hear.

Anyway, my two cents.
Randy"

Our New Store

2009-01-27T12:33:00.001-08:00

Here is an exterior shot of the new Bellevue store. Last week was when demo started, so now the space inside is very open (and somehow manages to look both larger and smaller at the same time).
This week, the guys are busy chipping off the old vinyl tiles. We are hoping the concrete is in good enough shape to stain and polish... keep your fingers crossed!

Our Most Recent 425 Magazine Issue

2009-01-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the cover shot of 425 Magazine - of which Christian Ursino and I regularly write a design column. This issue (as you might guess by the cover) has a bridal focus and our article specifically addresses combining two separate households into one.

One of my favorite tips that we share is that we give you permission to let go of items that no longer suit you - even if it's a family heirloom! It can be a bit scary to let go of something that other family members have placed great import upon, but if it doesn't work for your new life, it's okay to let it go to another home.

We love writing for 425 Magazine, it's beautifully designed and focuses on Eastside living.

Is There Such a Thing As One-Coat Coverage with Paint?

2009-01-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation the other day with a customer who had expected the paint he had purchased to cover his walls in one coat. His frustration and disappointment got me to wondering: is there really such thing as one-coat coverage?

Here at the store, we generally steer people from this concept. The quick answer is that while one coat may 'look' like it covers, that second coat is where the magic happens. The second coat gives you a thicker film build, which means you have more of that color for the light to reflect from.

But I wanted to dig a little deeper. So I contacted Tom Hill, president of C2 Paint and general paint chemist wonk, and asked him for some more clarification. Here is his input:

One Coat Hiding in Paint

To try and simplify this, hiding in paint is determined primarily by refractive index and absorption properties of the pigments used in the paint formulation.

Light passing through a media is refracted (bent) depending on the
refractive index of the specific media. The refractive index of air is
1.0008. Light is essentially not bent in air. The refractive index
of titanium dioxide is 2.7. The only material with a higher refractive
index than titanium dioxide is diamond. A pigment with a higher refractive
index hides better than a pigment with a lower refractive index. The
refractive index of bright yellow colorant is 1.4 and thus a color made from
primarily bright yellow colorant and zero titanium dioxide does not hide very
well.

We use Titanium Dioxide as the prime hiding pigment in paints because
it has the highest refractive index of the pigments available for use to produce
a white color. However, there is a practical limit to the amount of TiO2
one can use in a gallon of paint. Increasing the amount of TiO2 beyond
this practical limit actually reduces the total hiding of the paint.

At this practical limit…with reasonable volume solids, PVC and dry film
thickness…we expect hiding to be at a minimum of 98% but less than 100%.
The definition of one coat hiding in the paint industry is 98% coverage over a
black and white contrast ratio chart. To increase the hiding of a white
base from 98% to 100% we must add a color pigment that absorbs light as well as
refracts light. The pigments that do this are black, yellow oxide, red
oxide, burnt umber, etc. Once there is a sufficient loading of these
pigments plus white true one coat hiding can be achieved. The colors are
all muted and earth tones but they will cover in one coat.

An interesting side note is that adding bright yellow or bright red to
a white base will reduce the hiding of that base. These pigments do not
absorb light and their refractive index in significantly less than TiO2 (1.4
versus 2.7). The blend of these two pigments yields a refractive index
that is less than that of the untinted base and thus poorer in hiding.

Conclusion, in normally formulated paints (i.e. proper PVC…volume
solids…and film build), one coat hiding is not possible to achieve unless the
paint is tinted with a light adsorbing pigment.

I hope that clears it up!

It Must Be the Benite!

2008-11-25T15:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Herb Paulson, president of Daly's, celebrated two milestones;

1) 60 years at Daly's

2) His 80th birthday

All we can figure is that it must be the Daly's Benite running through his veins. For years he's been telling us what a great product it is... maybe he's right!

Recognize Anyone?

2008-11-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

This set of cartoons was used in the late-80's/early-90's as part of our marketing.
The top row were staff from our Seattle store, the bottom row were from Bellevue. Interesitngly, a number of these folks are still involved in the industry (and a few of us are at Daly's!).

Color Consultant Humor

2008-11-25T14:49:00.000-08:00