Prepping your home for sale? This expert ‘Nailed It!’
During a staging consultation, I walk with the homeowners to offer suggestions on how to prepare their house for sale before putting it on the market. When questions come up, the best way to find the solution is to ask an expert. If I can’t answer it, I’ll find someone who can.
This column provides the answers for questions from recent consultations. The expert to answer them is Corinne Courtney, owner of Nailed It! Hardware Corp. on South Street in Washingtonville (496-3755).
Q. How do I unify a walkway that has been repaired?
A. A great solution for the walkway would be Benjamin Moore low-sheen Floor & Patio paint; premium quality, quick-drying, epoxy-modified acrylic low-sheen latex floor enamel. One coat covers most previously painted surfaces that are in fair condition. It is good for new or old applications and gives a smooth, uniform finish. All floor enamels can become slippery when wet. You can add Anti-Slip Aggregate or clean play sand to the paint. It’s an easy application.
Q. What color would work for a cement walkway?
A. As for color, in this particular instance and for those looking to maintain conformity but not alter the look of the pavement, I would choose a color within that family. Benjamin Moore has 2 colors: Sidewalk Gray (a little blue) and Cement Gray (a little purple). My personal favorites are Storm Embers #1466 and Cumulus Cloud #1550, from their classic collection.
Q. What about creative spaces outdoors?
A. This same product is great for transforming outdoor areas. Benjamin Moore Floor & Patio is available in any Benjamin Moore color. You can paint a faux rug on a patio floor; create activity areas for the kids such as hopscotch, box ball, checkers, chess, etc. The possibilities are endless. Just remember to add some sand or an anti-slip additive.
Q. What product do you recommend for wood steps in a garage? Is Restore a good product to use?
A. Restore is a product made by Rustoleum that is a water-based coating that is 4 times (Restore 4x) or 10 times (Restore 10x) thicker than ordinary paint. It is marketed to be thick enough to revitalize your aged and weathered deck. The thicker coat will provide fill for cracks and hide the imperfections. It is a great concept; however to get this product to perform correctly, you need to prep the surface correctly. If not, this thick coating will just sit on the surface; it will peel after a year.
Prepping the surface requires stripping and sanding. If you were to go to all of that trouble prepping the surface correctly, you wouldn’t need to correct the problem, as you would have sanded all the cracks down. It’s a product that appeals to the consumer because it seems easier. In fact it’s a lot more work for a less durable finish.
Note from Claudia Jacobs:
It is great to have an expert send you in the right direction to avoid costly mistakes. Thanks, Corinne!
There are a few projects I would like to tackle at home. After this exchange, I will be using solid stain to refresh my garage steps. I recently had my deck painted, and the solid stain covered both the new and old boards evenly, and it looks great. I may even attempt to do it myself.
Yeah, right. Who am I kidding?