Finishing

Ok, so the topic of waterborne paints generates lots of inquiries here at the site, through our social media network, and at the many live events and training workshops where we demonstrate them. There is much confusion, frustration and downright fear about how waterborne paints work. This is compounded at times by the general misinformation […]

Meeting budgets and schedules is a timeless problem for painters, which keeps us all accumulating fine finish tips. In new construction or commercial work, we often enter critical project areas just as all the sub trades are scrambling to finish. Sometimes the living spaces sequence near the back end of the project, and they often […]
This write up is intended to allow readers to see the Festool Surfix oil kit through the eyes of professional finishers who have used it in some depth. The written aspect of this review serves as an overview of the Surfix system as a whole, while the two accompanying videos specifically feature the application […]
Update: Arborcoat Review Published in APC How We Tested Benjamin Moore Arborcoat August 2011: The initial application of Arborcoat on our log cabin restoration project is nearly complete. Meticulous preparation of all wood surfaces set the perfect palette on which to apply the stain system. We are filing away our stain application process notes and […]

A very cool blast from the past. In 2009, we did a series of makeover projects with designer Stephen Saint Onge for Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I just stumbled across this on Youtube. This project was cool because it was one of many test projects for our Benjamin Moore Natura Review. The BHG projects […]

I’ve been asked by alot of builders, on my day job and through online communities, about the new waterborne trim paint technologies. There is a lingering misperception that oil is the only good trim paint. This was fed for many years, in fact up until about the past five years, by the reality that latex […]

Our review of Benjamin Moore’s Natura interior line in APC mid-2009 came after many months of pre-launch testing. The introduction of this waterborne product seemed to be met with some confusion from paint contractors. It quickly became one of our favorites, and, we suspect that many contractors ended up feeling the same. Since then Natura […]
Hybrid Coatings? The auto industry isn’t the only one that has been experimenting with hybrid technologies in recent years. It’s been a transitional time in the paint world as well. Many of the changes taking place are driven by tighter regulations that government is placing on paint manufacturers to create products that are lower in […]
Our maiden voyage into product review for print publication took place back in ’07, timed with the much ballyhooed launch of Benjamin Moore’s Aura interior line. This was the first generation of Gennex and color lock, and a whole new experience for painters. We tested Aura on a small residential interior repaint, and it was […]
Want More Topcoat in your life?