- Color Tips for your room
- Illusions of Space
- Color Marketing Group Predicts Hot Color Trends for 2008
- Decorative Paint History
- Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- Color Trends 2008 According to Rohm & Haas
- What is a Faux Finish Anyway?
- Helpful Tidbits
- Selecting The Right Paint Brush!
- Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- Improve your understanding of Paint through this comprehensive listing of terminology
- In the News
- Color Trends 2008 According to Rohm & Haas
- Illusions of Space
- Color Marketing Group Predicts Hot Color Trends for 2008
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
02/25/2008 - By Courtesy of Rahm and Haas Paint Quality Institute Paint Questions and Answers
BOILED LINSEED OIL
Question
What is the difference between linseed oil and boiled linseed oil?
Answer
Linseed oil is the general term for the oil extracted from flax seed. Raw linseed oil has not been treated, and dries very slowly. "Boiled" linseed oil has additives called "driers" which make it dry quicker.
BARE WOOD STAINING
Question
As a contractor, I do a lot of interior bare wood staining and painting. This goes from doors and trim to even fine furniture. Whenever I use a water based product like a primer or stain, I see fibers stick up from the wood. These sometimes ruin the finished appearance, making it very rough. It is particularly bad with some cabinet woods like walnut or mahogany (whether in an old chair or in new high-priced trim). What causes this and what can be done about it?
Answer
This is called "grain raising." The water in the coating swells the fibers and lifts them. The best thing to do is to "preempt" this by wetting the surface with a wet rag before applying the first primer or stain or clear coating. The water will raise the grain. Then come back in 1/2 hour and sand off the raised "whiskers" using fine (#200 or #220) garnet sandpaper. Be sure to sand only in the direction of the grain of the wood, never diagonally or across it at right angles. Then dust off the surface and proceed with the primer or stain, etc. Now, because of the procedure, very little grain will be raised by the application of the coating.