Decorate Your Door! (Master Bedroom Door Makeover)

September 22, 2014

I have a roof to finish, a yard to put it, a house exterior to paint, and what am I spending my time doing?
…decorating a door.

Yes, as part of my stairway remodel (that I was supposed to finish in February), I decorated my master bedroom door at the top of the stairs.

The before was nasty! There was still food dribbled down the door from the previous tenants toddlers. Lots of dirt, the 110 yr old door handle had some paint on it. The door also had a gold deadbolt, since the top floor used to be a one bedroom rental…. Read More

DIY: How To Paint A Car Like A PRO

September 16, 2014

Follow these six steps to create an awesome paint job for your vehicle – these steps will ensure that you do a fantastic finish. Let’s get started!

Step One: Prep

Photo credit: Seidner’s Collision Centers

As with any paintjob, proper preparation and a clean surface is crucial to obtaining great results. Before any bodywork is done, make sure that the vehicle is completely clean. First, wash the car with warm soapy water. After the car is completely dried, clean with Sherwil Clean surface cleaner by wiping on with a cloth then immediately drying-off with a clean cloth.

Step Two: Body Repair

Photo Credit: Daily News Dig

A quality paint job begins with great body preparation and attention to detail. Before applying our Sherwin-Williams Body Filler, sand the area using a sandpaper with a range between 40-grit to 80-grit to guarantee proper adhesion; followed by shaping body filler to the contours of your car.

Finish, sand and feather-edge surrounding areas with 180-grit sandpaper, then sand areas with 320-grit sandpaper to avoid seeing scratches in your work – this technique also straightens the bodywork of your automobile. Apply Acylic Primer (1K) or Ultra Fill II colour primer (2K) surfacer as defined in Step 3.

Step 3: Prime

Photo credit: Popular Mechanics

All good paint jobs are the result of patience and quality time. To avoid re-sanding your automobile; apply primer surfacer within 24 hours of bodywork. If any bare steel is exposed from the bodywork process, make sure you spray a medium coat of etch primer over base metal areas. This provides a top adhesion to the bare metal and durable corrosion resistance. Allow your etch primer to dry for at least 30 minutes before recoating.

With a HPLV / gravity spray gun, set the gun pressure to 20 – 25 psi or five – seven psi at the cap with a fluid tip of 1.4mm. Apply two to three medium wet coats allowing three to seven minutes flash time between coats. When applying the primer surfacer, avoid applying one heavy coat as it is better apply several medium coats. The priming process gives that smooth, durable foundation we all love.

Step 4: Colour

Photo credit: Thaddäus Zoltkowski

Sherwin-Williams has the colour you need for your next vehicle painting project. Our Dimension® Automotive Finishes come in convenient pint, quart and gallon cans with a mix ratio of 1:1; meaning one part colour to one part Sherwin-Williams Dimension ® DR734 Reducer. This enhances colour and metallic consistency.
Before spraying, use a rag to remove loose particles of dust, dirt and lint that would ruin your paintjob. Apply base coat in a horizontal direction, overlapping each pass with by 70%. Repeat three to four coats until desired colour is achieved. Allow 20 minutes before clear coating.

Step 5: Clear coat

Photo Credit: Mustang Monthly Magazine

Before applying your clear coat make sure the basecoat is ‘finger-slick’ (dry for at least 30 minutes). Use a tac rag to remove any foreign objects and over spray.

For the clear coat use our Dimension ® Pro Multi/Overall Clearcoat DC5020 to enhance your vehicle’s resistance to chips and scratches. Mix clear coat with Dimension ® DM656 hardener and Dimension ® DR734 Reducer to specific ratio. With a gun pressure of 50 – 55 psi and fluid tip of 1.3mm; apply two coats of clear allowing five to ten minutes to flash between coats.

Step 6: Buffing

Photo Credit: My Journey With Candida

There might be imperfections arising from your clear coat application. (dust nips, runs and orange peel).
Depending on the imperfection the following steps might be used:

Sand using sand paper between 1000-grit to 2000-grit.

Apply rubbing compound using a buffing pad.

Apply swirl mark remover using a pad.

Now that the work is finished, your friends and colleagues will envy your new paint job!

If you have a question about paint. ASK HOW. ASK NOW. ASK SHERWIN-WILLIAMS. A technical representative will assist you.

Barbican FC are MidSeason Champions in Sherwin-Williams Women’s Premier League

September 14, 2014

In the Sherwin-Williams Women’s Premier League mid-season playoff on Saturday at Stadium East, Barbican defeated GC Foster four goals to one. Rushell Bryan and Tashana Vincent from team Barbican were the stars of the match.

GC Foster was the early aggressor pushing for their team to break the hold that Barbican has on the competition, but their efforts were dampened when Tashana Vincent from Barbican scored the first goal in the 25th minute. The celebration continued three minutes later, after teammate Rushell Bryan scored the second goal of the match.

Despite their best efforts the champions failed to increase their advantage at the halftime whistle. On resumption, the women from Spanish Town came out a more a determined group and three minutes inside the second half Melicia Bryan beat the goalkeeper from outside the box; reducing the deficit in the 48th minute. However that was GC Foster’s first and only moment of celebration as in 56th minute Vincent copped her second goal to make the score 3 – 1.

Barbican continued the domination streak as Bryan got her second goal 11 minutes later, ending the mid-season finals at four goals to one!

Despite a mid-season loss for the GC Foster FC, Coach Kirk Brooks continues to be proud of the women from Spanish Town.

“We have to work on our mistakes. I’m a bit surprised that we made four goalkeeping errors, nonetheless it was a good game, we just have to pick up the pace from there,” says Kirk Brooks, GC Foster coach.

While happy with the win, Barbican FC coach Charlie Edwards says there are weaknesses that needs to be worked out,

“Yes we scored four goals but we shouldn’t have allowed not even one goal to be scored on us, so it’s back to training and improving strategy,” says winning coach Charlie Edwards.

This marks Barbican’s unbeaten run; 42 games dating back to 2012.

Proper Painting Gear Makes Exterior Painting Easier

July 2, 2014

Now that we’re in the late stages of the exterior painting season, it’s time to gear up for those final projects that will get your home winter-ready. Short of repainting your entire house, maybe you need to replace and paint some trim, or simply want to add a new punch color to your front door. Whatever’s on your agenda, you’ll need the right “gear” to do the job. Here are some bare essentials:

1. Scrapers. Used to remove loose and flaking paint from previously painted surfaces. A wide scraper speeds work on larger areas, but you may also need a smaller scraper to work in tight spots.
2. Sandpaper. Essential for “feathering” rough edges smooth where you’ve removed flaking or peeling paint. It’s helpful to have several….Read More

2014 Paint Color Forecast: Shift Into “Neutral”

July 2, 2014

As we gear up for the painting season, it’s becoming clear that neutrals will drive color fashion this year. Grey, in particular, but also white and off-white, will be among the most popular interior paint colors and favored hues for home furnishings. Shades (and tints) of grey – ranging from grey-taupe all the way to silvery tones – are expected to be especially hot. No wonder: The versatile neutral is a sleek and sophisticated color option that adds refinement to any interior.

New lines of wood furniture will be rolled out finished with tasteful grey wash, and grey fabric will be seen on everything from seating options to…. Read More

Summer stylings: Getting ready for your summer paint project

July 1, 2014

Thinking about sprucing up your home for the summer? Painting and the preparation for painting can be a time-consuming and tedious task, but no worries. We’ve come up with a few summer painting ideas and tips for the summer to energize and add some character to your home.

1. Choosing the right colour – Go bold and bright this summer with colours that are vibrant and will be sure to wow your house guests. Vibrant colours are the trend this summer so try out the reds, greens and yellows. If you’re not one to make a bold move by using bright paint colours, then another trend that you can definitely rock this summer is the use of pastels and neutral colours such as grey and brown. This way, you can always have a pop of colour in the room with your decor accessories. Try our Colour Visualiser tool to help you choose the right colours.
2. Whether you’re thinking of painting outside or inside the home, the right paint colour should coincide with the room and the room style that you plan to paint. Decide on what rooms you want to paint and move from there. Many homeowners often neglect rooms such as their bathrooms or their kitchens when they take on a paint project. This summer, why not take a step outside of your comfort zone and try something different with your bathroom. You will be the envy of all your friends.
3. Here’s a fun idea, just for the children. The kids will be on summer vacation and will more than likely be home more often. Why not make it more fun for them by dedicating an area (a wall) of your home as their arts and craft section. You can utilize our Sherwin-Williams Dry Erase Clear Gloss Coating. Put this clear coating over any wall and instantly transform it into writing and drawing area for kids. Kids can use any erasable marker to write or draw on walls as often as they like as markings can be removed using a dry cotton cloth or dry eraser. No mess guaranteed.

Alongside choosing the right rooms and the right colours, you should be mindful of these quick tips to ensure that your paint job comes out perfectly.

1. Avoid rushing to put on a second coat of paint. Double the dry time in hot humid weather before second coat application.
2. Hydrate and rehydrate. Drink lots of water because you will sweat a lot. Also, don’t attempt a major paint project if your health is not up to par.
3. Allow sufficient time for the coating to dry (approximately 1.5- 2 hours) before sunset. This helps to eliminate “dew striking” a new film and creating an uneven sheen.
4. Be mindful of maintenance of your home when thinking of your summer paint ideas. If you plan on using bright colours, bear in mind that this means your walls will attract dirt marks easier than other colours.
5. Be sure to prepare all surfaces to be painted beforehand, gather the right tools to be used and everything should turn out perfectly.

Happy Painting!