Customer Reviews

Painting Secrets: Tips & Tricks from the Nation's Favorite Painting Expert

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife & I just attended a seminar yesterday at a Home Expo show, and he really knew his stuff! He had so many incredible tips & tricks on how to paint smarter, and, as a result - faster, that we just HAD to get this book! It reinforces all that he covered, but 1 hour was not enough to cover it all. He had 2 other seminars on faux finishes & wallpapering that we had no time to attend. but, this book covers all of it. Not only has he been working in this industry with his dad & grandad for many years, but he also received a degree in Chemistry to learn the "why", behind the "how" to paint & decorate. Highly Recommended! This book is a keeper!

I've used his "secrets" to improve my home and for a charitable organization building. EVERYTHING worked!! The simple things Brian lays out save time, money and greatly decrease frustration. I've worked with wall paper before and it took days for just one room. With his guidance it took just a few hours. THANKS BRIAN!!!!!

This book is just a wealth of information about the proper way to prepare and paint. I knew this book was above many of the rest because the chapter on Ready the Room shows how to turn off the power and has photos of turning off power to the circuit box, removing the fixtures and masking over the outlets! Great details and he explains why!

I am envious of another reviewer who actually attended a seminar by the author. I am going to see if he is going to be in our area! LOL. The book is colorful, clear and very easy to read. It even includes how to repair drywall, concrete, brick and working with woodwork and patching. There are even Wizard Warnings that explain some things to watch out for or debunks tips you might have heard, i.e. using toothpaste to fill holes (don't use and he tells why).

There are sections on smoothing out a textured wall and even applying new drywall. I highly recommend this book because it covers everything you ever wanted to know about painting everything (concrete, brick, floors, walls, and countertops. The best part is that it is full of tips to save time, money and to create a perfect finish.

This book was very good...many interesting ideas & tips that one would only hear about from a person that was painting regularly & had tried many things by personal trial & error. This book is great for the novice, as well as one who's been painting awhile...but needs the inside scoop & new shortcuts etc. I read the other book Mr. Santos put out called "Faux Finish Secrets" which doesn't measure up to this one...& quite frankly...contains MUCH duplicate information. Save yourself the money & just get this one...get another source book for Faux Finishes that covers more finishes in greater depth etc.

There are better instructional books for painting. This is mainly a collection of some clever good to know additions to a painters technique.
Some ideas are silly, but may get the author on a daytime talk show or a cable tv house selling show. If you watch these type of shows you probably have seen the ideas already.

I learned some things from this book, but it will not turn a complete clumsy painter into any kind of a wizard. Much of the glowing praise delivered by other reviewers is true. I actually read the entire book and enjoyed it. However, I think it only merits a rating of "okay" or "good," not excellent.

Two things that plague me when painting (and which I hoped this nearly 5-star book would clear up for me) are catching drips and cutting in. But there is nothing about avoiding making drips (usually a furniture problem) and nothing about what to do with one when you find it later. (Well-dried drips can be carefully planed off with the plane set to "barely there," although you still risk cutting right down to the wood - oops! Drips can also be removed with a chisel held at a 90° angle to the piece and drawn straight along the drip, although this technique sometimes goes into "washboarding." Maybe Mr. Santos knows some other technique he might have told me.)

The section on cutting in says to do it, do it first, and use a tool which Santos sells. (I cannot see how the tool actually delivers paint right up the edge of the adjoining surface.) Because cutting in can make or break a room (and doing it well can help you keep your temper), additional photos of someone holding the brush the right way, at the correct angle, chasing that little bead of paint (and no more than a little bead) right up the intersection, and keeping all the bristles of the brush under control (instructions for this one, please) would have improved the book and maybe earn it another star.

I'm sure there are other things I would have liked to see in greater detail, but I'll leave it at that. Gotta go finish painting the bedroom.

Book was as advertised and shipped promptly after purchase. A great transaction in every manner.

This book is great! I bought it for my daughter because she was always after me to paint this or paint that for her. I went in search of a common sense book that would help her understand the right way to approach any painting project. Brian Santos has a way of presenting the information without it being dry or over-the-heads of anyone but a professional. I have been painting rooms for the better part of thirty years and I learned things I didn't know before! I especially like his approach to simplifying the project by porper preparation and planning. I also likes his clean-up tips...a real time saver.

I've seen Brian's live demos. His book captures the spirit and the techniques well. I just finished a substantial painting project -- couldn't have done it otherwise.

I have seen Brian Santos in person a few times. He is fantastic and has wonderful tips and shortcuts for painting and wallpapering. I was thrilled to see this book. he has consulted on at least one other one but this has more of his wonderful personality.