Quality Products and Tools are Essential for Your Staining or Painting Project in Kalamazoo
Besides using quality paints, primers, and other products, the professional painters in Kalamazoo at Platinum Painting Services use proven technical tools of the trade while onsite in order to ensure we’re painting and staining in a way that is the most effective at providing the best looking paint or stain that will also hold up to time and weather. From our experience, we have seen problems arise time and time again when painters, yes even professional painters, do not use the necessary tools at every job. In this post, we will look at two tools of the trade we rely on – the moisture mete and wet mil thickness gauge.
Moisture Meter
The moisture meter is used to take moisture readings on surfaces that are cracked or seem suspect in order to determine if there are problems with mold or other issues that come from moisture. This tool is used to measure the moisture of the surface prior to a coating application. The meter measures moisture in percentages and provides an exact reading. At Platinum Painting in Kalamazoo, we use the moisture meter for the following services:
Deck staining: Every deck we stain’s moisture level is measured by our moisture meter. If you have had problems with stain fading quickly, the reason may be because the wood (although seemingly dry) was too wet when stain was applied.
Painting: Whenever we see signs of moisture damage, we use the moisture meter to ensure the moisture level is below 13% before we apply primer or paint. If you apply when it’s above 13%, you risk the paint not sticking and peeling or bubbling.
Wet Mil Thickness Gauge
This gauge is used to measure the thickness of wet paint as you are painting. If the paints too thin, you’ll waste time with multiple coats and if it’s too thick there could be dripping or sagging. It’s important to note that all paint manufacturers want paint coverage to meet their quality standards and evidence of proper paint application will reinforce all warranties.
