EasyFlex Family of DIY Painted Screen Solutions - Page 3

I no longer recommend using pearl clear coats.

This is good advice. I tend to think of this as a weekend project. Friday night you tape off the screen area and prime if necessary. Saturday you apply two coats of the base paint and let it dry. Saturday night you watch a movie or two on just the base coat. If it looks good then it may be worth while to live with it for a bit before doing any more. If you are sure you want to go ahead with a clear coat then Sunday morning you apply your two clear coats. Sunday Evening you watch some more movies.

Don't put up the border until you are sure it's right.

I really like the new Behr UPTRA UPW #4850 over the Flat Latex #1050. You don't need a separate primer, and if you decide to stick with the matte gray finish then it is much more durable and washable. In addition it levels out to a smoother finish and for those painting any kind of flexible substrate it is more flexible. As an exterior paint I would also suspect it is more resistant to UV damage.

The Flat Enamel #1850 has a slightly higher sheen but it is still a matte finish. It is not self priming but for those with no interest in clear coats it has slightly more gain and is meant to be very durable and washable. Of the three it is probably the best one-can choice.

There is one situation where the Flat UPW #1050 really out performs the others. A rough surface. I suspect that given a cement block wall with reasonable grout fillets, you could apply four coats of UPW #1050 and project an image on it and not see the blocks. So for those who need to project onto the basement wall of your local church from time to time keep that in mind. You might just save your church a few bucks some day.

I believe mech has sprayed some of the UPW #1050 and possibly the Behr poly. Benven has also sprayed these type of paints. Maybe they will see this and comment or you could send them a pm.

Have you already had the EF05 mixed in the UPW4850?

I think so but others are suggesting the Folkart Metallic White Pearl has a yellow tinge to it. Then others have identified that the EF tints have a slight green tinge to them. If I were to take them at their word because I no longer have anyway of knowing for sure, then I would suggest a tint for the base that has less yellow oxide in it to offset the yellow of the folkart metallic white pearl. You could still do that by returning to the store and having the EF05 modified as follows:

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Quart Custom Modification
0 1 0 Lamp Black
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Gallon Custom Modification
0 4 0 Lamp Black
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This will make the base less yellow and that will offset the yellow of the poly and pearl. My own screen is actually this tint with a poly top coat. I like it and maybe you will too.

I also had to go to a local specialty paint store to get low nap rollers. My local Home Depot did not carry anything less than the 10mm in the white lint free synthetic rollers.

What color is under the EasyFlex paint?

When you roll paint it goes on with a texture that has hills and valleys. When covering a white with a gray the paint in the valleys is usually thin enough that you can see through it. That would cause it to look like there are white spots. Usually after two or three coats the new paint film is thick enough to obscure the color underneath.

It is possible that you did not work the roller well enough before you started but then the bubbles would be at the end of the screen you started at. By the time you got to the other end the bubbles would probably have been worked out.

I would apply at least two if not three coats of the #4850 to ensure good coverage.

percept,

I'm wondering if you are putting too little paint on the roller. I found that a 3/16" roller with just enough paint on it that it would not drip off was about right to roll a 4' high strip. You should not be rolling very much excess paint off the roller if any at all.

How much paint did you buy? Quart or Gallon?

Here is a closeup of some rolled paint:



This is after two or three coats with a 6mm nap roller.

When the roller is new I load it and roll it out to get the air out of the roller. Then I load it to apply the first strip. I don't load and roll it out that way for each strip.

Does your surface look like the photo except there are little bubble craters?

I usually found the second coat went on smoother. Did you clean the thrifty panel well with window cleaner before painting?

OK so you spent too much time loading the roller for each strip. This may have actually slowed you down to the point of dry rolling. I actually found the best thing to do is bag the roller between coats. You use several ounces of paint just wetting the roller.

I usually get two coats on a 120" screen when I bag the roller between coats. Since you still have a half can you should be ok.

It has come to my attention that there is some concern that I have unintentionally mislead people regarding the EasyFlex Solutions. Here are a few staements that should be considered before deciding to implement any of these EasyFlex Solutions.

The tints are not true neutral gray. They are as close as I can get them without the use of a spectrometer.

The Behr Matte Polyurethane is probably introducing some color shift due to the light amber color.

It is also possible that the pearl products from Folkart will add some coloration to the screen surface.

I have not personally observed any of these problems and I have not had any reported to me or this thread by anyone who has implemented a screen using these tints or the suggested Folkart pearl products in conjunction with the Behr matte polyurethane.

I just want to know if anyone has actually had any problems with these solutions. If so I beg you to report it directly to me so that I can revise or retract these solutions before anyone else is inconvenienced.