Painting: General Prep Instruction for Various Surfaces (April 04)
Instruction reprinted courtesy of Author Linda Savell, Instructor of One-Stroke Painting

Mailboxes
Clean the mailbox with damp paper towels or a soft cloth dampened with water and vinegar.

Allow it to dry completely before painting.

I suggest Folk Art Enamels for painting, but regular Folk Art Acrylic paint can be used.

Seal the mailbox with a non yellowing sealer. (This is important for the white mailbox but any outdoor sealer will work for the black mailbox.)

Terra-Cotta Pot
Clean the terra-cotta pot with soap and water. Let it dry thoroughly.

Keep in mind that the moisture of the paint is absorbed quickly by the terra cotta, so you need to work fast when applying the basecoat.

When done with pot make sure you apply a clear sealer, such as a water seal product or you can buy Terra Cotta Pot Sealer.

It is very important to seal the hole in bottom of pot also.

Terra-cotta pots are porous and will absorb water if not sealed. If moisture gets in behind the painting it will cause the paint to peal. If you intend to plant directly into a painted pot, coat the inside of the pot, as well as the outside.

Put at least 2 coats of sealer on the finished pot to protect your design.

Wood
Here's how to prepare unfinished wood to achieve a smooth surface:

Sand, use tack cloth to remove sawdust.

Apply one coat of wood sealer. LET DRY!

Apply second coat of sealer, LET DRY...and sand again.

Apply first coat of basecoat color. LET DRY!

Apply second coat of basecoat color. LET DRY!

Lightly sand with fine grit sandpaper.

With wood, each time you apply something to it, you raise the grain, and you must smooth out the surface again so that your brush will glide smoothly across it...lots of prep for unfinished wood.

Corkboard
Spray a sealer on the corkboard with a light coating of matte varnish. (Two light coats are better than one).

This leaves the surface open enough to accept tacks but helped to seal enough to ease the application of paint. Now the surface is ready to accept paint. It might be necessary to use the floating or blending gel to allow the paint to flow on.

Placemats
Paint the design on the placemat.

Let the paint cure for 24 hours and then put 2 coats of PRISM water based varnish on after. It is water-resistant and it is a satin varnish.

Be careful when using sealers. Some will make the plastic place mat sticky and you can't do anything with it.

Fabric
Wash and dry the garment or item according to manufacturer's instruction before painting. This will remove sizing.

DO NOT use fabric softener.

Iron garment so it is smooth. If an item is never going to ever be washed, such as a lampshade, there is no need to prepare it in this manner.

Use a shirt board form inside the garment so you'll have a firm surface.

Use masking tape to fasten excess fabric to the back of the shirt board, out of your way.

Load your brush with Folk Art Paint. Dip the tip of the brush straight down in the Textile Medium. Return to your palette and work medium into the brush. Repeat this step every time you feel that your brush is getting dry. If your fabric is very porous, you may need to do it every stroke. DO NOT follow the instruction on the Textile Medium bottle when painting the One Stroke Technique -- if you do, your strokes will be very muddy.

When painting large design elements (a full rose, fruits, etc.) basecoat the area with the principal color then double load your brush as usual.

Let painted garment dry 24 hours. Place a pressing cloth over painted design. Iron 30 seconds over pressing cloth with iron on highest appropriate setting for fabric.

Wash again after heat setting garment.

Ceiling Fan Blades
Just wash the blades very well to make sure there was no greasy residue on them.

Then just rub some fine grit sandpaper over the surface (all over) enough to penetrate that slick surface.

One Stroke as usual and spray Krylon on whole blade front and back.

Vinyl and Plastic
Try misting the area you will paint with a spray matte (dull finish) sealer or Krylon. Paint the project, and then mist it with a spray varnish that most closely matches the finish of the unpainted part (such as a vinyl photo album cover). Use satin varnish if it has a lightly shiny finish or high gloss if the finish is really slick and shiny.

Floor Cloths
Use Gesso or latex water base paint. End results are the same. Two coats on top and one coat on bottom are sufficient. Alternate coats. One coat on top, one bottoms one top.

Paint design as desired

Your finish is important. Use a water base poly. Apply eight to ten coats. This adds a finish that will protect your floor cloth for years.

Clean with a mopping of mild detergent and water. There are also backings that you can purchase to keep the "slide" factor to a minimum.

Canvas totes and aprons need no priming. Priming will add stiffness and it would make it kind of hard to walk around in that apron! Treat aprons and totes as you would if you were fabric painting.

Go for the vinyl flooring. Buy remnants Home Depot, etc.

Try to find them with blocks on them as this gives you a ready-made grid to cut. Cutting: use scissors. Just too easy.

Now paint to your heart content. No priming, just paint.

If using as a floor covering or rug, be sure to do extra coats of poly to protect from foot traffic. You can use it for placemats also, cutting any size or shape you choose. Rectangles, ovals, flower shapes, birdhouse groupings.

Gourds
Make sure the gourd is clean and has been disinfected with a bleach solution. Sometimes if they are bought at a local farm they are moldy and dirty.

If it is already cleaned, just paint it!

Don't have to worry about removing the insides unless you are making an opening in it for a birdhouse and even if you make it into a birdhouse, the birds like the stuff inside.

If you are making a decorative birdhouse and want to remove it, just drill the opening and use a rod of some sort to knock it loose and then shake it out. It is very time consuming and aggravating trying to get it out though. Make sure that if you are going to use it as a functional birdhouse that you drill a few drain holes in the bottom so the birds don't get flooded out.

If you think it has mold spots on it, like black spots put on a coat of Kilz to seal it then paint. This should prevent the mold from coming through your paint

Glass
REMINDER!!! Be careful with things that are used around food because many paints are not appropriate to come in contact with food.

Clean all pieces with rubbing alcohol or wash in soap and water and rinse in water, vinegar mixture.

Use Folk Art Enamels on the glass. When using FA Enamels you will not need to use the Glass and textile medium. When project is complete let cure for 21 days or place in oven and turn oven to 350 degrees, do not preheat oven. When temperature reaches 350 degrees, let bake for 10 minutes and then turn oven off and let it cool in the oven until glass is cool to the touch.

Tin
There is little prep required for tin. Just wash well in soapy water. Rubbing alcohol works too.

Avoid vinegar since that makes tin rust.

Make sure item is dried completely. From there, you can just paint away.

If you want to basecoat the whole thing, use a spray primer (Rustoleum or something for metal) in a color you like.

For Rusted Tin make sure you get all the dirt off, just wash and let dry - air dry, don't wipe. Spray a light coat of sealer on the object so the rust won't get into the paint. After the sealer is dry, then you can begin to paint. After you paint your design then spray your sealer on.

Slate
Wash the slate in dish soap and hot water and let it dry completely. (Use a hair dryer if you are in a hurry).

Basecoat and let dry (the hair dryer trick works here too). Then paint.

Do not use water on the brush when painting slate... just the Folk Art paints.

Seal with Mod Podge or sealer when done.

Paper Mache
No preparation, just paint right on surface.

Seal them with sealer both on the inside and outside to protect them from moisture.

Candles
Clean with rubbing alcohol. Seal the sides of the candle with Mod Podge. Paint on your design and seal again with Mod Podge.

Expensive candles are harder to paint. The more color and scent they have, the more oil is in the wax and it makes the paint float.

On darker colored candles it is harder to get a clear color from the paint.

Forget the mediums. Straight Folk Art paints works fine.

DO NOT USE WATER while painting.

Finally do not use as much pressure on a candle as on other surfaces.

Painting: Just remember to use a light touch. Sponge on a background to save time. Let that dry, and then paint the design over it.

Let dry for 24 hours, at this point be very careful handling the candle as the paint may still peel off.

Seal with another coat of Mod Podge.

Stepping-Stones
Use a smooth concrete stepping stone.

Brush top and apply white primer, following manufacture's instructions. Let dry.

Basecoat with wicker white. Let dry.

FINISH: Using a sponge brush apply outdoor varnish or polyurethane.