ay 6, 19 SE TETED Prepare home before putting on fresh coat of paint MANY PEOPLE take great pride in owning an older home, But hame ownership requires home miute- tance, andowners of older homes have more than their share of that One of the best ways to keep an older home looking [resh while accenting its character is with top quality exterior paint. Paint is also the first line of defense against the harsh elements that can weather a home's exterior. Her: are answers to some com- mon painting questions from the owners of older homes. & What tyne of paint provides the most durable protection for ald woodwork? That depends upon the type of ‘surface to be painted and its condi- tion. With a sound substrate that has been properly prepared (i.c., scraped, sanded and cleaned), two coats of a top quality acrylic latex paint provide the best adhesion and, _ consequently, maximum durability, However, if the old paint is chatking badly and cannot be thor- oughly cleaned, then apply an oil- based primer followed by a top quality acrylic tates topeoat, i Can latex paint be applied over oil-based paint? Yes. High quality acrylic latex (water-based) paints are formulated to provide excellent adhesion to surfaces painted with oil- or alkyd- based paints, But if you encounter a surface with more than three or four coats of oi] paint, you may want lo apply an oil based topcoat, Be sure to pre- pare the surface properly before applying either type of paint. f@ How can you tell whether the old paint is oil-based or latex? Remove a picce of the old paint with a scraper. Then place il between your fingers and apply pressure, If the paint snaps in half or breaks into pieces, it's probably ail- based. Hf it is flexible enough to bend between your fingers, then it _Local schools can raise ‘money environmentally THE NORTH Shore Rees ing Program has once again teame: 1p with BC Tel and Canada Safer 10 offer convenient drop-off b for white and yellow-paged phone boc Residents can drop off the phone books in bins found in the . parking lots of the West Vancouver Recreation Centre, and at the fol- lowing Safeway stores: Lynn Valley. Lonsdale and [3th. West- view and Parkgate Centre. Bins will be in place until mid-August. Small businesses are also being included in the program tis year, In cooperation with BC Yel and ‘Bec Laidlaw Waste Systems, drop-off bins are located in Dundarave behind Pebble's Childrens’ Wear and in the North Vancouver City parking tot on Esplanade, between The Keg Restaurant and Pepita’s, Local schools have also been invited to aid in the recycling pro- ject by gathering and storing tele- phore books, for which BC Tel giv. them (0 cents for each one collecied. Schools interested in signing on for the telephone baok fundraiser should contact the North Shore Reoveling Program at 984-9730, use Creativity is the issence of Sewing” irae ‘ +503 Built-in Stitches +374 Touch Screens * Built-in Instructions “Professional Style Embroidery(with frame 100mm x 100mm) + Lateral (Sideways) Feeding + Quick Set Botibin « Automatic Thread Cutter Layaways accepted Ff + Free Lessons with any § machine purchase 3 Months No interest «InHeuse Financing jf EX e eal 6 is most likely a fates product, Bo What is the best way to remove oil-based paint from old exterior woodwork? Most professional painting con- tractors use a torch of heat gun to remove old otl-based paint, bul some prefer sand blasting. fn some cases, Chemical paint removers are used. Since all of these methods can be dangerous if proper safety prac- tices aren't followed, consider using @ professional painter if you are not thoroughly familiar with the proper procedures. & When is it necessary to strip old paint down to bare wood before painting? Uf the surface has more than three or four old coats of oil-based paint and you want to use an acrylic latex topcoat, then the old paint should be completely rernoved. You could, however, add an extra coat of oil-based paint withaut removing the earlier coats. The Store n 5 litex paint without removing the old paint, assuming that the surface is clean and stable. Ifthe old paint is lates or if there ite anty a couple of coats of oil- based paini, however, you can use a «B.C. Gas financing available ¢ Inserts for existing fireplaces, free standing or direct verit ¢ Clean, efficient heating Convert your old gas furnace now! : Save 20% on your gas bill with a showroom Hours CAALY pion-Fri. sam-sam 228 furnace by Nova. “NOVA HEATING ana shect eta ut, “Warming homes for 49 years” 663 West 3rd, North Vancouver 988-3922 ramount Furniture — fot, 2 iy fe A NG ivtewu f €E at Alderbridge) Richmond. Tel.:273-0155__ installation, permit, and 20 feet of gas piping. Taxes extra. .C, GAS FINANCING = ONLY 10% DOWNE! = Prices inciude CLOSED - SUN, MON TUES - SAT 10-4 Ea % Hf fran _1293 MARINE DR. 987-1293 TES,