skip to main content

Home Decorating

Alternative paints for problem sites

sujiwan_gw 6b MD/PA

13 years ago

After rehabbing room after room of paint failures in an old farmhouse, I have become really leery about product choices. This is a very old farmhouse with lime/silt plaster which had repairs done with gypsum (incompatible) and paints over calcimine, then painting over failed paint multiple times, then using latex over oil type (failure). Basically, a mess where whole walls need to be stripped to the bare lime plaster.

Then there's the woodwork with layers of oil/acrylic/latex over milkpaint. If the paint job isn't cracking open or delaminating in areas, it's thickly painted over lumps and bumps.

I have been investigating environmentally friendly breathable walls using lime paint, casein or distemper on my newly skimmed lime plaster walls.

I've also been contemplating what to do with the woodwork--trim and floors. One option is linseed oil paint. It seems like a good choice for my exterior windows, but I wonder if anyone has used any indoors?

Linseed oil paint is very expensive--not sure why. I note that F&B charges similar per gal @ $125 on line though I don't know what the woodwork paints are made from to justify the price either. Are these F&B for woodwork latex paints?

Has anyone used any of the above products on walls or woodwork that can talk about how well it worked for them?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

Carol_from_ny
13 years ago
You need to talk to the folks on the old house forum. They are experts in old house problems.
sergeantcuff
13 years ago
Hi Sue!

The Old House Forum does not get the traffic it once did - not much help there, unfortunately. Did you try the Paint forum?

(I don't know anything about paints. I have some incompatible layers of paint on some of my woodwork too)

I can only wish you good luck!!!
Maureen
Related Discussions
problem getting the right bulbs - alternatives?
Q
Comments (2)
40W daylight is fine. Cheap "daylights" are generally just 6500K colour, slightly bluer than cool whites, and this is fine. There are also expensive "daylights" which have wider more continuous spectrums intending to mimic actualy daylight and reproduce colours accurately. These are also OK except that they are expensive. Grow lights (GroLux, Plant&Aquarium, etc.) are also fine but tend to be expensive. Some people consider that they get better growth with this type of bulb, but I can't make that claim. If the 34W bulbs don't work well then there's definitely no point using them. At best a 34W tube will produce an equivalent amount of light to a 40W, that's what they were designed for after all. In practice, many of them didn't achieve that when they were first introduced, and 40W tubes are now available that are much brighter. Check the lumens, the 34W will be around 2,800 initial lumens, maybe even less. A good 40W tube should be around 3,200 lumens. Ignore lumens for grow lamps, they don't mean much. Lumens for wide spectrum high-CRI daylight tubes may be slightly lower but that's normal.
...See More
alternative site in PG co
Q
Comments (2)
I have no problem with taking responsibility for swap. Just need feedback on whether we should for a Sunday mary
...See More
Sound Problems on Some Sites
Q
Comments (7)
I've been trying to find a video on http://www.williams-sonoma.com/ so I can see if it happens to an embedded Youtube video... but I must be blind, I can't find a one. :) But they do seem to make use of Youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0leeHDIvNgM) so I wouldn't be surprised if they host them on Youtube and simply embed them on their own site. If that's the case, I would suspect the embedded videos would suffer the same Youtube problem I quoted above. Have you tried un-muting the video? They start out silent/muted for me too, I have to hover over the video and click the volume slider to give it some volume every time I visit Youtube. And will have to until they fix it. Edit: Finally got my eyes to cooperate long enough to find one. :) This video on this page http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/williams-sonoma-smart-tools-kitchen-stand-tablet/ is really this Youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMyytBxvWr0 embedded. Unless I'm missing something, and perhaps I am, it's still a Youtube "mess up", right? This post was edited by chuggerguy on Sun, Oct 6, 13 at 23:03
...See More
Can't "Like" Problem and Alternatives
Q
Comments (45)
Hi Emily, since you are here I wonder if you can mention this to the Dev team to make the page more user friendly. On mobile devices, if I click on a thumbnail of an image or click on Like to see the list of people who liked a post, I will see an overlay that shows the bigger size image or list of Liked users. However, when I close those, the page is refreshed and I was scrolled up to the beginning of the page. This is very inconvenient for a long page with many posts. For example, I open a thumbnail of an image, then got scrolled to the beginning of the page, then I have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to click on another thumbnail. There are many ways to fix this problem. One of the ways is using Ajax so the page position stays the same, no page refreshed. Your Dev team can use whatever method that they think will work best. Thanks Emily. Helen
...See More
Jody
13 years ago
I am using F&B for the woodwork in my 105 yr. old house and just LOVE it. I am using Lime White, which is a very soft white (not stark white, which I seem to have now).

It goes on beautifully and does not show brush marks. I have also used it for my exterior doors this past summer and it was so much better than the BM paint I had used before it.

Covered Red (Picture Gallery Red) in two coats and it looks great. With the BM exterior paint, I used a grey primer and 2-3 coats of red and it looked terrible (on wood doors).

I think you would be very pleased with the F&B for your woodwork.

jody

Related Stories

STAIRWAYS 12 Fresh Alternatives to the Carpeted Staircase

By Between Naps on the Porch

GROUND COVERS Native Alternatives to English Ivy, Japanese Pachysandra and Periwinkle

By Curtis Adams

These shade-loving ground covers are good for the environment and say something about where you are

MATERIALS Materials Workshop: Polycarbonate — a Low-Cost Alternative to Glass

By Eric Reinholdt, Architect

Looking for something lighter, stronger and less expensive than glass? Multiwall polycarbonate may be a good option

GARDENING GUIDES Garden-Friendly Native Alternatives to Overplanted Exotics

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

There are lots of gorgeous, wildlife-friendly native plants ready to make an appearance in your garden

KITCHEN DESIGN 5 Stunning Alternatives to the Tile Backsplash

By KitchenLab Interiors

Try Stone Slab, Glass, Steel, Concrete or Beadboard Above the Kitchen Counter

KITCHEN DESIGN Your Kitchen: 10 Great Alternatives to Granite Counters

KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS Kitchen Countertop Materials: 5 More Great Alternatives to Granite

By Kathryn Peltier Design

Get a delightfully different look for your kitchen counters with lesser-known materials for a wide range of budgets

BEDROOMS Headboard Alternatives to Make a Dull Bed Divine

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

Take the adventurous route with twigs or splurge on a high-end rug. All of these unusual headboards show creativity and catch the eye

KITCHEN DESIGN 10 Gorgeous Backsplash Alternatives to Subway Tile

By Vanessa Brunner

Artistic installations, back-painted glass and pivoting windows prove there are backsplash possibilities beyond the platform

REMODELING GUIDES The Hidden Problems in Old Houses

By Matt Clawson

Before snatching up an old home, get to know what you’re in for by understanding the potential horrors that lurk below the surface

Sponsored

More Discussions

Prepping House to Sell, Need Opions

13

Sending an SOS-Pls help decorate my shelves.

10

Backsplash - changing grout color

24

How to arrange these furniture

13

decorating help

5