Titan TR2 Tip Sizes

Titan TR2 Tip Size Reference Guide:

Confused about the new TR2 sizes? So were we. You cant just fling your smart phone out while in the paint store and Google it. If you find and download the brochure your going to be upset with the inability to figure out the combination of sizes. Our official review of the Titan TR2 is found here. Hopefully this little guide is helpful:

*The Narrow Fan is Approximately 1/3
the size of the Wide Fan.

Titan TR2 Model #	Wide Fan Tip Size	Narrow Fan Tip Size
692-311	311	107
692-313	313	109
692-515	515	211
692-517	517	213
692-519	519	213

We have linked the three most popular Titan TR2 tips from the Amazon.We have found that it makes the most sense to purchase them from Amazon because of the availability and selection available. We have begged and pleaded with paint stores across the front range to add this product to their mix but have not been successful. Also the best part about purchasing them from Amazon is that you can sometimes get super saver shipping. Always a plus!

This table is a small slice of all the
TR2 available but contains some of the most common sizes. 

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Ace Wood Royal Solid Color Latex Deck Stain Review

Is it fair to review or judge a product after using just a couple gallons? No. But when you don't have the opportunity to use a product on a regular basis then the answer is Yes. It would be unfair not to pass any knowledge along to the next user.

Ace Wood Royal Deck Stain

This deck stain is suffering from a serious identity crisis. When ACE Hardware came up with this product they must of been having an off day.  It says stain on the can but it smells, feels, and applies like paint. So if you are after a true solid color deck stain look elsewhere. If you are looking for a solid paint that has excellent wear characteristics they keep reading.

Before

After

The front of the can has these marketing  points:

• Completely Opaque
• 100% Acrylic Latex
• Oil Enriched for Superior Adhesion (And its a Latex Product WEIRD)
• Primer and Stain in One (Really nice Bonus)
• Great on Siding too!
• Shows Texture, Hides Grain (Dries down nicely)
• Superior UV and water resistance
• Resists peeling, fading and scuffing
• Mildew Resisacne

So to summarize ACE's Solid deck stain it should sound something like this... "ACE's Wood Royal Solid Color Deck Stain (Item # 1972405) is a completely opaque latex stain impregnated with oil that primes and stains in one coat protects from UV, peeling, fading and is mildew and basically can be applied to any external surface."  That sounds pretty good. Wow, what an incredible product. Its a miracle paint... er... ugh... stain.

Some specs on the Back of the Can:

• Latex Based solid stain with excellent adhesion 
• Coverage 150-400 Sq Ft Rough vs Smooth
• Self Priming (Although if used on cedar or other bleeding consider using ACE Stain Halt Latex Primer)
• Apply with ACE polyester nylon brush, appropriate length nap roller (3/8'' length for most surfaces), pad applicator or Sprayer.
• Dry Time to touch 1-2 hours in normal humidity at 75 degrees Fahrenheit
• Between Coats 6-8 Hours
• Light Foot Traffic 24-48 hours
• Heavy Foot Traffic 72 Hours
• Clean Up with warm soapy water

It was interesting to note that the application method for spraying gives no indication of a starting point. So do you use an airless sprayer, an HVLP gun, a Wagner Sprayer, or a pump sprayer. To figure this out all it took was a phone call to the local ACE hardware store. The "Paint Expert" as they called him had no idea but since it was a deck stain he suggested a pump sprayer. Well that was foolish thinking since the stain is as thick as an oil paint and there was no way it was ever going to come out of a pump sprayer. The store clerk wasn't much help so we emailed the ACE corporate office. Two days later the office sent us an email saying they received our email. Good to know. Three days later another email instructed to call a 1-800 number. Quite a frustrating experience so any further effort in that direction was abandoned.  

This product is not a paint, not really a stain, and not really thick or thin. It lives happily in a paradox. The application method we choose was an airless sprayer with a fine finish tip. One you start applying this product you will start to see that it behaves like an oil when sprayed, yet dries fast like a latex. It also did very well when brushed and rolled and leveled out very nicely. We wish that most exterior house paints went on this well. 

Clean UP. It is very important to use something other than just water to clean up equipment. This product has some sort of oil additive in it that makes it stick to every thing. If you are going to clean your brushes use something like Krud Kutter, Brush Flush, Shout, or Fabric Softener. At the very least use some Dawn Dish Soap or maybe a citrus cleaner to help cut the oil. Don't mix any of these together but use at least one of them. Your brush might look clean with water but will be as stiff as a rock when it dries.

The final verdict... We loved this product. ACE's Solid Latex Deck Stain is easy to apply and lets the texture of the wood show which is always a bonus. We would like to have the opportunity to use this more but the reallity of it is that most decks and siding is stained and not painted. Regardless of what the can says we feel that this is a Paint disguised as stain. It behaves like a paint and will be labeled as one. If  we had a rating system for paint it would get 5 out of 5 Khaki Pants. 

Just in case anyone wanted to call ACE's paint center for more product information their number is below:

 800-223-8663

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News Flash: Home Depot Paints Now Delivered To Front Door!

Behr Paint Available Online and Delivered to the Front Door!

There are many retailers that offer paint online and Home Depot is not the first to explore this side of the industry.

"Yes! Finally the entire paint order at the Home Depot will be delivered to my front door." Well... not exactly. It looks like all paints are not included in the program. The link found in our email took us here. Ordering the paint seems to be a little clunky because all 386 colors have different model numbers online. If you are looking for "Blues" then you click on that color family and make your selection from there.

Buyer Beware! The color output on most monitors is not going to be the exact color you receive in the mail. So the solution to this is to go to the store and pick out your colors from their chip selection then
go back home and order it. But wait... how is this going to improve the process? Most Pro Painters have the Behr fan decks so they don't need to go in. The reality of it is that the customer is the one picking the colors so that doesn't help much.

Benefits for the Pros:

1. No more having to enter a Home Depot store. Its a neat place to walk around on the weekends but ordering at the paint counter takes forever!
2. Have the paint delivered to the customers home before the project begins. That's an interesting idea... awesome customer service. 
3. No more risk of shopping carts gauging the side of vehicles. Bonus!
4. Saves gas. No more need to drive around picking up supplies from Home Depot. 

Stores like Sherwin Williams, Diamond Vogel, and Max Paint and Hardware will deliver paint to the job site as long as you have commercial accounts registered. This kind of service is nothing new and expected by all pros. As Home Depot continues to try to promote their "Pro Paint Program" they are attempting to offer the same services in a much more clunky fashion. Paint and paint supplies can be job site delivered but you have to purchase $2500 dollars or more in one order. Even the best paints applied three coats thick wont approach this dollar amount. 

This is an interesting move and definitely worth following. 

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Paint Brush Covers Keep Brushes Happy!

The key word in the title of this post is KEEP! Keeping paint brush covers is a concept that escapes most DIY painters. There is good reason to keep the cover.

A brush cover is the packaging that came with the brush and is thought of as trash by do-it-yourself painters. In reality this cover should be kept. It is understandable why this cover is thought of as trash. The material is generally heavy card stock or waxed card stock and resembles packaging material. We have been trained from a young age to dispose of this packaging material on every other thing we have ever purchased. You cant blame DIY painters because they don't know any better. Keeping the cover on the brush from project to project while in storage will make your next painting project easier.

This is a Brush Cover.

The funny thing is that most DIY paint brushes found at ACE Hardware, Lowes and other home improvement stores have a much higher quality plastic cover with fancy clips and fasteners that will out last any other cover. This has always boggled us as professional paint brushes come in cheap card stock covers. Some of us have even resorted to buying these cheaper brushes just for the covers. That sounds crazy to most but the Pros will relate to that.

We can not count the number of times that the cover has been thrown in the trash while working along side other painters. Actually we thought that this was common knowledge. So after the fifth time of digging the covers out of the trash (which has to be the biggest pet peeve for professionals) we put together a list of reasons to keep covers in an attempt to educate the masses:

1. After the brush has been properly cleaned and dried putting the brush back into its cover will help retain the shape of the bristles ensuring sharp lines next paint project. 
2. The cover makes it easier to store the brush. The bristles will not snag on things going in and out of a tool box or bucket.
3. The cover makes it easier to identify the type of bush. There are hundreds of paint brushes out there and the cover makes them easier to identify especially after you have worn the identifying print off the handle. 
4. It makes you look PRO. Showing up with a cover on a brush makes a Home Owner feel like you are clean tidy and organized. Always a plus!
5. If you are painting for a living keeping the cover will ensure future employment as your boss will probably fire you for being careless with tools. 

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