Q. I used an oil based floor paint to repaint the floors in the home I am moving into. I thought they would be dry enough to walk on after 12 hours but I left footprints in the paint when I went to check how they were doing. How long does it take the paint to become "walk able"? If I do move in will my furniture and such stick to and in the paint?

A. Oil base enamel [especially on floors] often takes 24 hrs to dry. Cool weather and/or humidity can slow down the drying time. Oil base paints often take 72 hrs to dry hard. After the paint is dry, it still should not have heavy traffic for a few days.

Q. I have a bedroom in my old home that has two cement walls and two drywalls. I want to re-do the paint on all the walls. The paint on the cement wall has begun to chip off near the bottom. It is easy to pull off but then stops getting easy half way up. How can I make the job of removing the rest of the old paint on the cement walls easier?

A. Try scrubbing the wall with a wide wire brush.

Q. I just moved into my apartment building. I want to paint my room a dark color, like a dark blue...almost navy. Since I'm renting I have to re-paint the room to its original color (off-white/cream) when I move out (a year from now). Is it difficult to paint over a dark color?

A. It's not hard to paint over a dark color; it will just require multiple coats to cover it. 1-2 coats of primer before you put on the "off-white/cream" may do the trick.

Q. I have a bedroom that's an awful red/purple color. Can I get some advice to paint this so the red/purple doesn't show through?

A. Two coats of primer tinted close to your finish color. Then two coats of finish product.

Q. Previously, the walls had semi gloss paint on them. We bought a latex primer and began to prime the walls. The paint began to bubble down to what appears to be drywall with 1 coat of flat paint. In some areas, you could see the drywall tape though. We scrapped off all the previous paint layers, spackled all the areas that were cracked, etc. We then primed the wall again with two coats of primer allowing more than the two hours of dry time. We then applied the first coat of paint, noticing some small bubbles. Allowing this coat to dry for more than 4 hours, we then began to apply the second coat. The bubbles are growing and there is air behind them. If you wanted to you could pull them right off. How can I correct this problem?

A. Stop, let it all dry, and repair as before. Then prime with an oil or alkyd primer.

Q. How can I remove paint spilled on asphalt roof by painters?

A. If it is latex or acrylic paint, try using water and a wire brush. Try this in early morning or evening when asphalt is not hot and sticky. The roof is hot during the day and any paint that gets on it dries instantly. It is next to impossible to get off. Hot solvents like lacquer thinner will eat the tar product in comp shingle or hot mop roofs. The easy fix is paint over it with something that matches the roof color.

Q. Any recommendations for a product or solvent that will remove vinyl tile adhesive from concrete preparatory to painting it?

A. Mineral spirits mixed with plenty of elbow grease should remove the adhesive. A stiff putty knife might be useful.

Q. Can I paint on stained wood?

A. Painting stained wood may require a good coat of stain blocking primer. If it has varnish/poly on it, it should be sanded and wiped down with deglosser prior to priming.

Q. Several years ago, I had my wood fascia boards covered with white finished aluminum. The aluminum is now off color with gray pits. What is the best way to restore the painted surface?

A. Clean the aluminum first; this may bring back the finish. If the finish is deteriorated you can paint it. Latex will work well. If you are unable to remove all the caulk, add emulsion bond to the paint.

Q. I'm doing some painting around the house; there is this one section where I didn't want to use a glossy paint. The walls are a flat tan paint, which is great but I decided to do the trim and a few shelves flat brown paint. I did it and it looks great, but the problem is I cannot touch it. If you do touch it or run your hand across it, it turns leaves white marks. Why does it do this?

A. The problem you describe sounds like 'burnishing' to me. Either a higher-quality paint or one with a higher sheen level will prevent this.