Hey ltd, and all the ships at sea (am I dating myself or what??) The learning curve, if your are the least bit creative, and I know you all are, is...nil! I hadn't a clue when I bought the airbrush, not the slightest idea how to use it. Since I was not going to be attempting to do fine art with it and intended to use it more as a fine spray painter than anything else, all I had to learn was how to make it work for my purpose. The principle that makes the airbrush work is a vacuum, in my opinion. On the lower level you have a bottle of paint, connected through a tube on an upward angle to a conical tip which is attached to the airbrush handle above. Through this handle, compressed air is forced directly out over the top of that conical tip creating a vacuum thereby drawing the paint up and out the tip! Make sense? So, the thicker the paint, the higher amount of compressed air it will take to draw that paint out of the bottle. Since I use exterior latex, as I said before, I just wing it, pour about 1/2 the bottle with paint, add about 1 Tbs. of water and an equal amount of Bonding Agent (optional). Stir or shake it up well. Again, in my opinion, the more power your compressor has, the better. I never did the math and don't know the psi on mine since the dials, although they look good, don't work, but I have been using this system for the past 2 years and the airbrushes haven't complained a bit. I think the airbrushes just demand whatever air they require - like any air tool, the compressor stores the rest and cranks up when reserves are low and everyone is happy. Cleanup time is minimal with water-based latex of course. Tell you what, when you get all set up,email me your phone number and I will call you and walk you through it. The only variable, once you have your paint thinned a bit, is how to adjust the nozzle. It is easier than you think. Hope this has helped! Amanda

Your description of orange peel texture leapt out at me but I was confused by your comment that some people have it on their walls, as if on purpose. My recollection was that it was a very bad sign. So I googled "orange peel paint". Apparently it can be a popular wall finish or a defect. I couldn't find anything like the info I found years ago, don't know if I'm using the wrong words or if the terminology has changed. Oh, I just tried again and one website also calls it fisheyes. Is the smell fading? That was the other thing about the problem I remember. Orange peel texture and persistent odor. Aha, yes, they're now calling it solvent-popping. If that's what it is I'd be sanding it very thoroughly. Good luck.

You WILL see every nail pop, drywall seam, gouge mark, and roller mark with a gloss paint. There is no way around it, experienced painter or not. It's not a function of the painter, it's a function of the paint, and more importantly the prep work behind the paint. A surface has to be 100% flat, and it helps if it's sprayed. You can do a short nap roller with Floetrol added to the paint, but that doesn't work as well on a ceiling as it does a vertical surface. Gravity just works against you with the paint "settling out". Over time, ceilings usually also develop a very slight droop between the joists where they are fastened. That slight droop isn't that noticeable when the surface is non reflective, but just increase it's reflectivity and you'll spot it immediately. It's exceedingly rare to have a ceiling so flat and smooth that you won't notice all of these issues when painted in even a semi gloss finish. And if your ceiling isn't perfect, getting it that way will cost a lot of extra time or money. It may not even be possible at all in some cases.

It depends: Is there a significant color change? Is the new color significantly lighter or darker? Is the wall well sealed? Is the color a "clear" pastel color or a dull color with organic pigments such as lamp black or raw umber in them ( in general, dull colors cover better)? Are you using one of the premium guaranteed one coat paints with higher white and tint pigment content? You are never wrong to prime and paint, or two coat, but it often is over kill. If your labor, time and money allow, go ahead and humor yourself. Paint manufacturers encourage priming and paint or two coating, mainly because it improves the chances of a good outcome, especially from amateurs who often don't have a clue about good painting techniques and don't buy quality equipment. Of course, they would love to sell you the additional paint and primer materials! A couple years ago, I re-painted my master bedroom, changing the color from a mossy medium green to a relatively light beige. I used one of the premium one coat paints, and frankly had my doubts if it would cover in one coat. At the then age of 72, I really did not want to have to do the room twice, as it has 12 foot vault ceilings and wall closets that I had to climb on top of. I was pleasantly surprised! It looked great in one coat! Granted, I was going over a quality paint. I was using quality equipment, and, I have been doing this professionally for over 60 years ( my father and grand father were painting contractors). Remember, all generalizations, including this one, aren't worth a damn!