Ok so here’s the deal.. Brand X claims that their paint is ‘NO prep’! You buy it, slap your paint on, and days later, it scratches off. But they said no prep, right? ‘No prep’ is truly a myth, because your finish is only as good as the foundation you are applying it on.
Some paint companies that claim ‘no prep’ don’t take into consideration that everything you do to a piece before painting it is considered ‘prep’. It sounds so much better to not have to do ANYTHING to a piece before painting it, right? And let’s face it, if you were just starting out and didn’t know any better, you would be drawn to whatever is easiest! Some paint companies bank on that.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are paints out there that have AMAZING adhesion properties! If you use one of those and are happy with it, great. But for me personally, I choose to prep every piece. My reputation is too important to me to take any chances. So for me, every single piece is thoroughly cleaned. I’ve had pieces come to me ‘looking clean’ but the truth was on the rags. Looks can be so deceiving!
Check out this pair of chairs! One has been cleaned, one hasn’t. Can you tell which one?
I asked this very question in my group, and most of the answers were ‘the right one is clean!’ Well, I put the bottle of Krud Kutter on the clean one, and sorry, friends, but it was the one on the left. The clean one looks no different than the dirty one, except, check out the grime left on the rags after cleaning!
After my piece is clean, I do anything from lightly sanding it, to sanding it all the way down (if I haven’t stripped it). Then after sanding I clean again to get off any dust!
So to sum it up, ‘no prep’ doesn’t really mean ‘no prep’. Some companies don’t require sanding, primer, etc. But if you really want a nice, durable finish, take the time to prep each piece. There’s no sense in making something beautiful only to have your finish fail you (or your customer) later down the line!
Come back next week when I show you how I prep my pieces and share with you some of my favorite products for the best prep!
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