Painting and Finishing (Build Like A Pro) [Paperback]

Michael M Dresdner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2002

This accessible guide shows how to accomplish major finishing tasks around the home. Addressing both interior and exterior projects, it covers preparing a job, choosing the right finish (especially for spaces with special needs like bathrooms and kitchens), selecting tools, and various application techniques.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561584800
• ISBN-13: 978-1561584802
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,040,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Interior Design > Painting & Wallpapering

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Judge This Book By Its Cover, June 6, 2002

By 

Patricia Templeton "ptemp3" (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Painting and Finishing (Build Like A Pro) (Paperback)

When you look at the cover of this book, what does the largest photo show? A man painting an interior wall of a room. And what is the book title? Painting and Finishing. And the first bulleted caption line on the cover is "Painting the interior or exterior of a house." The second bulleted caption line is "Choosing finishes for kitchens and bathrooms." So, does this book discuss strategies and techniques for efficiently painting a home's entire interiors, including walls and ceilings? No. Does it discuss the new paints for painting plastic laminates or stains and paints for concrete floors and counters? No. Does it discuss scaffolding if you are "blessed" with exceedingly high ceilings in large rooms or address when it makes sense to spray paint rather than roll walls and ceilings? No. This book is devoted exclusively to discussion of painting or finishing wood, that is, solid and composite woods or wood veneers used in moldings, cabinets, furniture, siding, decking, and decorative items.

While a great deal of interior and exterior decor in better homes is composed of wood, this book is marketed as a general painting and finish book for the home, not as a book for one material in the home. Nowhere on the front or back cover, is this book labeled as what it is: how to paint and stain new or old wood surfaces. And although I already know how to use a paint roller, I bought the book to help me plan how to paint two complete home interiors. Not just the trim and the cabinets. The professional advice I expected to find simply is not there because this book is being presented, in my opinion, as something it is not.

If what you need is advice on painting wood, I think there are better, meaning more detailed and more creative, books available. For instance, "The Painted Kitchen", by Henny Donovan (Firefly Books, 2000) demonstrates a wide range of styles and techniques for painting kitchen cabinets and Annie Sloan's "Inspirations In Painted Furniture," (Collins and Brown, 1999) is both inspiring and an excellent technical reference for painted furniture.

Michael Dresdner's book delivers a great deal of solid, basic, technical information, it is well written, and it is well illustrated, but it is also very limited in scope. He covers tools of the trade, oil-based versus water-based products, work area preparation, clean up, and safety thoroughly. He provides some nifty tips on preparing wood for finishing as well. Unless that's just what you need, however, I recommend you keep browsing.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A rare Taunton miss..., June 26, 2002

By 

JohnL (Plympton, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting and Finishing (Build Like A Pro) (Paperback)

The title is misleading. Interior painting is barely touched upon, exterior painting content is basic at best. Staining and finishing sections are rather rudimentary.

Typos abound. Some sidebars are repeated three times.

I've never been disappointed by a Taunton book until this one.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Tauntons prints great books, but this is not one of them., May 18, 2005

By 

Gerald W. Moreau "do it all-er" (south) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Painting and Finishing (Build Like A Pro) (Paperback)

I like Tauntons press books alot. So when I went to find a book on painting I looked for thier book on painting.
Most of Tauntons Press books go into more advanced aspects of what ever they are refering to. This book is more suited for the slow 2nd grader. It mostly deals with outside painting and staining.
nothing at all on how to roll inside walls. This is the WORST book that I have ever bought. This book does not even come close to Tauntons Press normal quality, Shame on you Tauntons...