R.D., Haverhill

A. Yes, you can paint it. Brush it with a soft, dry brush to remove surface dirt, and apply two coats of flat latex wall paint. Do not use eggshell finish, which has a slight sheen and will give an uneven look to the grasscloth. And, you can remove painted wallpaper of any kind, except you must score it first so the steam or water used to soften the paste can penetrate the paper. Wallpaper stores sell something called a paper tiger, a gizmo that makes many score marks on the paper. Or, you can make your own score marks by running the blade of a hand saw down the wall, making many score marks each time you draw down the hand saw.

Q. My brick fireplace goes all the way up to the cathedral ceiling. The previous owner painted the brick from the mantel up, an area of about 5 by 12 feet. Can I take off that paint, and how?

P.N., Northborough

A. The previous owner made a reservation for hell when he painted that brick.

Yes, you can remove it, but with an area that size (60 square feet!) I suggest you don't bother, because it is going to be a long, hard battle. The only saving grace of that painted brick is that it reflects light. At least you have the honest red brick below the mantel and on the hearth.

If you insist, here's how to do it: Apply paint remover, one that is nonflammable, water-washable and less toxic than methylene chloride remover (Stripeeze and 5F5). Citristrip, a citrus-based remover, fills this bill. Let it sit for 15 minutes and scrape off as much of the softened paint as possible. Wash off the residue and repeat the process. After three times or so, apply the remover one more time and scrub it off with very coarse steel wool. Sounds miserable? It is.

Q. The epoxy paint on my basement floor held up well for years, but now, after some flooding, it is flaking. How can I remove it, and what can I put on it that will last?

FRANK BASHORE, Chelmsford

A. Try a paint remover such as Citristrip (it has a citrus base), but make sure it is nonflammable because there are heating units in the basement. Or, rent a grinder from a rental store. Don't use a sanding machine; the concrete dust will ruin it. Then apply a concrete stain, which will resist peeling. Muralo makes one with quite a few colors to choose from, sold in paint stores.

Q. I am replacing the weighted window sash in my house with new double hung sash, and will fill the weight pockets, and am ready to prime and paint. I would normally paint all sides, surfaces and edges, but I understandthat I should not paint the vertical edges, where the windows run in grooves in the jamb. If I should not paint the edges, what can I do with them?

JACK CAHILL, Brockton

A. Leave the edges plain, untreated wood. This will allow better movement of the sash up and down, reducing friction and keeping the sash the right size. Painting not only widens the sash (very little, but it can be enough to inerfere with its function), but also sometimes uncured or not completely dry paint can make things much worse. But here is one thing you can do: rub the edges thoroughly with wax. This will not only reduce friction but also help prevent moisture from entering the wood and swelling the sash.

In addition to the face of the sash (indoors and out), don't forget to paint the top and bottom edges of each sash and the check rail, where the two sash meet.

Q. I am painting my cedar clapboards, but a lot of the nail heads have rusted, causing rust marks. How can I prevent the rust and the rust marks? Can I paint over the heads with a rust-preventing paint or countersink the nails?

PETER LAWRENCE, Marshfield

A. Those nails have defective galvanizing. You cannot paint over them satisfactorily; even with a rust-preventing paint. Nor can you countersink the nails because the clapboards are too thin. Your only choice is pull the nails and replace them with stainless steel siding nails. To pull the nails, pry up the clapboards a bit with a flat prying tool, then tap the clapboard back into position; the nail head may stay pulled partially out; then you can pull it easily.

Be careful prying up clapboards; they split easily. To prevent this, use two prying tools. Drive stainless steel nails into the old holes or, if a hole is too big, an inch away. The old hole will close when moisture swells the wood. Sand off the rust marks, reprime, and repaint.

Q. I am having the clapboards of my old (1834) Greek Revival house painted. I want white, but the painter said to paint it yellow or blue to prevent nails from rusting. Do I really have to make it yellow or blue?

BARBARA DAHLBERG, Medford

A. Now, there is an old wives' tale to beat all old wives' tales. If nails are rusting, color makes no difference; the rust will come right through any paint. The only cure for rusting nails is to pull each one and replace it with a stainless steel siding nail, which, incidentally, will hold better than the old nails anyway. Even dabbing a bit of metal primer over each nail will not solve the problem.

Even if the nails are countersunk and filled with a filler of some sort (and the rust is showing through the filter), the condition is incurable except by replacing the nails. And because the clapboards are only about 1/4 inch thick, the nails cannot be deeply countersunk (or they'll go all the way through), and wood filler will not hold very well in such a shallow hole.

Stick to your desire for white, but have the nails replaced. Actually, yellow is a traditional color for a Greek Revival house, with white trim. But blue? The only good thing about a blue house is that its owners can tell visitors how to get to it easily. ``It's the only blue house in sight!''

Q. I used a water-based primer to paint what will be a front door. The primer is a Behr product, and smells like a skunk. How can I get rid of that smell?

DICK MARSHAL, Dedham

A. The more you ventilate, the less the smell, until it will be gone. To cover the odor, paint with one or two coats of finish paint. To hasten the elimination, repaint it with an oil-based primer and finish off with any kind of paint you like.

Q. I have a big, pretty old metal tray that someone has painted. I think it's copper. How can I remove the paint and restore the metal?

J.J., Wallingford, Vt.

A. If the tray is antique, seek the help of a professional restorer or finish remover. Maybe the tray was painted originally, and leaving the original finish on, no matter how ``bad,'' will maintain the tray's value.

If it is not an antique, you can remove the paint. First, determine what metal it is. Put a magnet on it; if the magnet does not stick, it is probably copper, brass or bronze, all of which is restorable. If the magnet sticks, it is steel, and the metal may not be so good looking.

To remove the paint, apply chemical paint remover such as Citristrip, which is as gentle a remover that you can buy. Do this work outdoors if possible; otherwise use lots of ventilation. Apply the remover, wait 15 minutes, then scrape off as much as possible with a wood scraper of some kind. Remove residue with fine steel wool. The metal will be tarnished by this treatment, but you can revive copper, brass and bronze with the appropriate polish. These polished metals will tarnish, but you may be able to live with the tarnish. If not, spray the polished tray with a clear plastic spray.

To paint or stain?

It's easy enough to paint the town red, if anyone remembers that old phrase, but painting your house any color, on the outside, is another matter. It can be a can of worms if you don't do everything right. In fact, it can be a can of worms if you do everything right. Painting outdoors is not just a matter of slapping on a little primer or undercoat, then some house paint, and waiting eight years to do it all over again.

Preparation is a must for a good paint job, and scraping and sanding is a large part of the preparation. The rest is to wash the walls and to treat for mildew with a bleach/water solution. Wear skin and eye protection when working with bleach. Rinse any bleach-treated surfaces; bleach does not mix with paint or stain.

Moisture's the culprit

But the biggest problem with outdoor paint is moisture. There are many houses with peeling paint, and the homeowner asks what causes the paint to peel. Some paint jobs have failed in as short a time as a year, and the big blisters that appear in the paint produce water when slit, proving that moisture is the culprit.

Moisture occurs on some houses but not all, and on the victim's houses the sheathing is often wet under the shingles or clapboards being painted. Not just damp, but wet. There is nothing obvious that is causing the moisture.

From outside, and inside

Sometimes the moisture comes from outside, soaking siding and sheathing. It comes from roof leaks, overflowing gutters, bad design that allows water to run down the face of the wall, and leaks in flashing and other critical areas of the house. Because they are obvious, they are relatively easily fixed. What is not obvious is the moisture that is coming from inside the house.

What is happening: Water vapor, created by breathing, washing, bathing, and cooking, builds up in the house -- and this may happen more in a house, new or old, that is tightly sealed -- until it penetrates the inside wall, goes through the breaks in the vapor barrier (nail holes, electrical outlets, and other passageways), goes through the insulation and condenses into water against the outside sheathing, because the sheathing is cooler than any other surface. This action occurs mostly on the sunny sides of the house. The penetration is the result of water vapor always trying to pass into a dryer space, such as the wall cavity or outdoors.

The water soaks the sheathing and can go through it, under the wood siding, and finally pushing the paint right off. Why this happens on some houses and not others is the bane of a painter's life.

Stopgap solutions

One way to fight that moisture is to insert small aluminum wedges under each clapboard, opening up the clapboards a bit to allow that water vapor to escape before it condenses. This might work, but not well, becsause the opened clapboard does not provide a passage through the sheathing itself. If you have shingles, you can't put a wedge under each one. For shingles, the solution is to drive vent nails, which are hollow, under the butt of each row of shingles, 12 or so inches apart. The nails are virtually invisible, and they penetrate the sheathing so that any water vapor in the wall cavity will escape harmlessly to the outdoors.

It's a form of ventilation, just as you would or should ventilate the attic, basement, and crawl spaces. In fact, ventilating the house regularly (twice a day, say, even in winter) is a good idea to reduce the humidity in the house. This twice-daily ventilation will not lose appreciable heat. Neither the opening of the clapboards nor vent nails reduces the weather-worthiness or insulating value of the walls.

One ray of hope

There is one ray of hope concerning the plague of peeling paint caused by moisture from inside the house. And that is insulative sheathing. Dow Chemical Co., makers of Styrofoam rigid insulation, has made numerous studies of insulation sheathing on the outside of the wall, and promotes the use of Styrofoam rigid insulation in new construction.

With rigid insulation on the outside of the sheathing, the sheathing itself is kept warm, so that when water vapor escaping through the wall hits it, it does not condense into water. And water vapor that does not condense is virtually harmless. This makes sense, even though it goes against traditional methods.

New construction and retrofits Of course, these techniques are used mainly in new construction. But in severe cases of moisture in an existing house, the wood siding can be removed, rigid insulation applied to the sheathing and the siding put back or new siding applied. It is probably best to install 1-inch-thick insulation for maximum protection. This poses a problem because the insulation thickens the wall, and window and door casings must be extended to maintain the proper design of the house.

This is a big order, but if you have an otherwise incurable moisture problem, it's a viable alternative.

Stains may help

Another way to fight moisture is to use a stain, which may resist that pressure of water vapor and water better than paint. There are two kinds of stains: solid color (usually latex) and semitransparent (usually oil). Stains will peel less than paint because they allow water vapor to pass through them. However, solid stains can peel, and often do because of the moisture. Semitransparent stains do not peel unless they are applied too thickly or two coats are applied. That's one nice thing about the semitransparents: They need only one coat, and are good for five years. But they have to go over bare wood; they cannot be applied over old paint.

Solid color stains can be applied over old paint and bare wood, if the old paint is sanded thoroughly to roughen the finish and reduce gloss. Two coats are needed, whether over old paint or bare wood. Solid-color stains may not peel as much as paint, but they can peel, so that solution is not foolproof. Solid color stains, if they don't peel, are also good for five years. If you plan to paint, and have prepared the surfaces properly, the state-of-the-art method is to apply a primer, at least to the bare wood parts, and two coats of a latex house paint. Paint manufacturers call this a paint system, not because they want to sell more paint but because they believe this is the proper way to paint a house for durability and good looks.

Paint or stain can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed. Some painters feel that brushing is the best method because it sets up a bond between surface and paint. Spraying is equally good if the sprayer is a high-pressure one. Spraying, with a final brushing, is another good way to go. Aside from brushing as the preferred method of application, there are only three more rules: 1. Apply thin coats; trying to make a paint or stain cover by thickening the coat will guarantee failure such as peeling and alligatoring (the finish cracks to look like an alligators skin).

2. Do not paint when the temperature is 50 degees or lower, and will stay that way for the several days the paint takes to cure.

3. Painting in too-hot weather is as bad as painting in too-cold weather. On a warm, sunny day, paint in the shade. The old saying still applies: Follow the sun around the house.

The dreaded cedar bleed

Anything else? Oh, yes, the dreaded cedar bleed, those brown stains that appear on light-colored surfaces. The stains can be washed off, but are ugly and a nuisance. Cedar bleed occurs on houses with moisture problems, when water or water vapor leaches out the pigments of the cedar wood and deposits them on painted or stained surfaces. It can happen on any house, but is more obvious on light-colored houses: white, particularly, but also on pastels and even medium-dark finishes.

A quick cure is to paint or stain a dark color: brown, dark gray, or, perhaps, dark green or dark red. It's not a cure; if you get cedar bleed, you simply won't know it because it is less likely to show. An ideal cure is to back-prime the clapboards or shingles -- that is, paint their backs with an oil-based exterior stain. But since the house already has the siding, this is impossible.

A compromise cure is to prime the siding -- bare wood or old paint -- with a special primer that seals the wood and prevents the water or water vapor from coming through and depositing those brown marks. Moore and Cabot pioneered this special primer; other companies also make similar primers. You can apply paint or solid color stain over it. The trouble wtih this primer is that it is a paint, and is subject to peeling.

Changing colors

One more word of warning: Try to avoid changing colors severely. If your house is white and you want to make it dark brown, or vice versa, think twice. If the new paint starts to peel, and reveals a white paint surrounded by brown, or brown paint surrounded by white, the contrast is great, ugly, and alarming. So try to avoid change of color -- especially a drastic one.

Q. My husband painted a small mudroom with exterior paint. The smell in that room and the house itself is still strong, after a number of weeks. How can that smell be dissipated?

J.W., Arlington

A. Your problem is one of the reasons for the taboo on using exterior paint indoors. So, ventilate and keep on ventilating, which may help but may not be a complete cure. Then apply two coats of an eggshell finish latex wall paint. This will help seal in the odor.

Q. What is the best thing I can paint my house with, to try to avoid peeling and all the problems that ordinary paint brings?

D.P., Kingston, N.H.

A. If the house is already painted, you have two choices, after scraping and sanding off all loose paint:

1. Prime bare wood areas with an exterior primer, and finish with preferably two coats of a latex house paint. In the past, the recommended primer was oil-based; you can continue using that, but exterior latex primers are much improved. As always in applying any finish, thin coats are most important.

2. Use a solid-color latex stain. No priming is needed, and the solid stain will go over bare wood and old paint, if the paint is sanded heavily enough. Two coats. While the solid-color stain will resist peeling, it still might, particularly if moisture caused the peeling.

So, if you have a severe peeling problem, due to moisture in the wood (and it is very common), then a third alternative, not pleasant, is to remove all paint and finish with a semitransparent stain. If applied thinly (only one coat is needed every five years), it simply will not peel.

Q. I've been in my house for 25 years, and always painted the ceiling with Sears best latex ceiling paint. When I repainted last week, bubbles appeared when I put the paint on with a roller. Now it is blistering and is cracking. I called the Sears 800 number, and was told to sand the loose spots and repaint. I think the ceiling is real plaster. Will just sanding the loose paint really work?

RONALD ZEREGA, Waltham

A. Maybe, but I doubt it. It sounds as if you have painted the ceiling fairly often, maybe every five years or so, with two coats, and in 25 years this amounts to 10 coats at least. Those many coats represent a lot of weight, and I think the paint is pulling itself off from that weight.

Therefore, I think the cure is to remove all paint to the plaster, using chemical paint remover, and start all over again, using thin coats. Don't try to lay it on thickly; it will never work. I know removing paint with a paint remover is sloppy and miserably hard work, but there is no other answer except putting up a new ceiling.

Q. Can I paint Formica cabinets? They are in good shape but I want to change the color.

CARL ENGEL, Lynnfield

A. Yes, but it is difficult to keep the square edges from chipping. You can use an oil primer, plus one or two coats of an oil paint. An alternative is to remove the doors and repaint only the frame, then buy new doors and hang them over the front of the frame. This is a new way of covering cabinet doors (The doors butt against each other and cover the frame entirely, so no new paint is showing). This kind of mounting is made possible by the development of interior, adjustable hinges.

Q. I painted my concrete and fieldstone foundation 30 years ago indoors, using a Sears waterproofing paint. It is peeling some. What can I use to redo it?

CHET BURAS, Salem

A. Here's a case of peeling (after how many years?), so stick with the same paint, and hope that you get the same formula. If not, use a similar Sears waterproofing paint.

Q. I have a lot of alligatored paint, which I hope to fix when I repaint the house. Can I paint over it, or can I fill the alligatoring cracks with some kind of filler?

R.L., Boxford

A. No and no. Well, you can paint over the alligatoring but it will still show. Paint will not cover or span those spider-web-like cracks. Nothing will. And nothing will fill them, either. You have to sand and sand some more, to make it as smooth as possible. Outdoors, you may not have to eliminate the cracks entirely because they are not as visible from a distance. But the more you do the better. The alligatoring occurred because the paint was put on too thickly -- so there will be plenty of paint to sand off -- or, the paint was applied to a damp or hard or shiny surface, or all of the above.

When you apply new paint (oil or latex exterior primer, plus one or two coats of latex house paint), you may be able to avoid future alligatoring by applying thin coats to a well-sanded, dry surface.

Q. I painted some wood bookcases with a latex primer and a latex semigloss paint. The paint dried, but when I put books in the case, they took up the paint. The paint, in fact, seemed loose.

What went wrong and how can I fix it so it won't happen again?

T.W., Lexington

A. Theoretically you did everything right. You might not have waited two or three days for the paint to cure, however, or the final coat was put on too heavily, making it not adhere very well. The Handyman has had good luck with a latex primer and a latex eggshell finish paint (two thin coats rather than one thick one). The books did not remove the paint but they did make marks. Can't be helped.

So, to get the best results, you have to start all over. First, sand heavily to get all that loose paint off; then wash with a strong solution of Spic and Span and water. Let dry; no rinsing is necessary but it wouldn't hurt. Then apply one thin coat of a latex enamel undercoater (a primer), then two thin coats of an eggshell-finish latex paint.

The other way is to do all the above, up to applying the enamel undercoater. Then finish with two thin coats of an oil-based, high-gloss, indoor-outdoor enamel. Let dry at least two days; more, if possible. The enamel is very hard and will resist a lot of abuse.

Q. I am about to paint an insulated exterior steel door, but I don't quite know what to use, both outside and inside. What's the right way to go? The door has been primed on both sides.

P.D., East Milton

A. On the outside, you have two choices: Apply two thin coats of a latex house paint, or two thin coats of an indoor-outdoor, oil-based enamel. It is high-gloss and comes in more colors than the house paint. For the inside, two thin coats of an eggshell-finish latex wall paint. No matter what you use on each side, thin coats are the key to success.

Q. I had my house painted, and it and the windows, also painted, look great. Now I plan to reinstall the old aluminum storms that were removed when the house was painted, but they look sort of grubby. Can I paint them?

A.S., Medford

A. Yes, and they, too, should look good. You are probably better off painting the storms after reinstalling them. Sand the frames lightly with medium-coarse sandpaper to roughen the finish. Scrub them with paint thinner and a plastic scrubber to clean and condition the aluminum. Do not use steel wool, which would force little shards of steel into the aluminum, where it would rust. And, do not paint the movable sash (two storms and one screen insert) because the paint will wear quickly from the moving of the sash, and ruin the whole look of the frames.

Ah, yes, to paint: Apply two thin coats of a latex house paint, or two thin coats of a solid-color latex stain. Either should last five years, probably more.

Q. Is it possible to paint knotty pine? My paneling is pretty old and I'd like to lighten it up. I am particularly concerened about the knots bleeding through. Any sure-fire way of sealing those knots?

M.R., Braintree

A. Yes, it's possible, and yes, it is possible for knots to bleed through the paint no matter what you do. There is no sure-fire way. It's a matter of doing it and finding out. And doing it is this way: After sanding the paneling lightly, then cleaning, apply two coats of a clear shellac on the knots. Then apply a latex enamel undercoater and finish with your favorite latex wall paint. Simply, there are no guarantees. But you could add a little assurance that the knots will not bleed. Instead of an enamel undercoater, apply an interior oil-based primer such as Kilz, which is somewhat of a stain killer. This has some hiding and sealing power that other primers do not.

I mentioned clear shellac, not a pigmented shellac, such as BIN. There is nothing wrong with BIN as a stain killer, but it is so intensely white that if you spot-prime the knots, it is difficult to cover this intensely white shellac with an undercoater, primer, or finish paint.

Q. How can I paint a 30-foot flagpole? I was told there is a way of tying a ladder to it to make it perpendicular to the pole and not leaning, but I have forgotten it.

CALISTA GREENOUGH, Danvers

A. A good question, for which the handyman does not have the answer. You might call a rigger to see if he will tell you. But if you can't find a foolproof way, the better part of valor is to have it done. You could build a high scaffolding, which you can rent. Lynn Ladder Co. of Lynn is a good place to start.

Q. I have a children's bedroom set painted white with gold striping. It's 30 years old and still in good shape except for the gold striping. Could I repaint those stripes?

KAREN HARN, Milford

A. You can, but how it comes out depends on your technique. I have seen amateur re-striping, and in my opinion it is not very good, simply because the stripes are wavering all over the place, spoiling the effect. If you can't get a good, straight, consistently-wide stripe, you could apply masking tape on each side of the stripe to make sure it is straight, true, and consistently wide. If you do repaint, first sand the stripes lightly to roughen the finish, and wash with a strong solution of detergent and water, or use paint thinner.

Q. We made a huge mistake and painted half our interior with semigloss latex over oil-based paint. It scratches off with no difficulty and we have such a mess. What can we do?

MAUREEN HANLEY, Indianapolis

A. Oh dear. That sounds like an ominous answer, but it really isn't; what you can do will take a lot of effort. It is not the use of latex over oil that's the problem, but how it was used. Latex can go over oil, but heavy-duty treatment is necessary. If paint is put over a shiny surface without sanding it first, it will fail. If paint is put over an unprimed surface, it will fail. If a thick coat is applied, it will fail.

I must assume that what you're painting is trim, window frames, and woodwork, not walls, which normally are not semigloss.

OK, this is what you have to do: 1. Sand off that latex as much as possible, not necessarily to the bare wood, but since the latex is already scratching off, the more you get off the better, assuming the oil paint underneath is in good condition and not peeling.

2. Sand the oil paint to reduce gloss and roughen the finish (this will allow new paint to stick to it properly).

3. Wash with a strong solution of Spic and Span or TSP Cleaner and water. This will further reduce gloss. Let dry. Rinsing is not necessary.

4. Apply one coat of a latex enamel undercoater, also called primer-sealer. Some manufacturers claim that sanding is not necessary with their undercoaters. This may be so, but take it from an old suspenders and belt man: sanding (and washing) won't hurt, may help.

5. Apply one or two coats of any finish paint you like: latex or oil. While semigloss is still popular, you don't have to use it on woodwork. The new eggshell finishes (neither flat nor shiny) look good, and are washable.

6. Just an extra: Apply thin coats -- not thinned-down paint, but thin layers.

Q. I'd like to paint the outside of my old claw-foot tub. Again. The paint is all cracked, so I know I have to do something about that. But how, and what should I use for paint?

JOHN HANDLEY, Attleboro

A. Piece of cake. Sand the paint off those cracks and remove any flaking paint. Or, remove the paint completely with chemical paint remover. For this job, in close quarter, I think the non-methylene chloride removers would work nicely: SafeStrip, or CitrusStrip. They are less toxic than the stuff that contains methylene chloride, but probably a little slower. Use skin and eye protection when working with any remover, and ventilate heavily.

Sand to finish off the tub and to get rid of any rust. All rust must be removed. If any rust remains, apply Rust Reformer, which contains phosphoric acid and turns the rust black, and paintable. Apply an interior primer such as Kilz and finish with a latex enamel or an oil-based indoor-outdoor enamel. Two coats of enamel may be needed. And remember, thin coats.

Q. I painted my house in South Dennis two years ago, and while it is not peeling, it is fading badly. I plan to repaint it myself. The paint is latex. Should I change to oil? It's only one side of the house; the other sides are white cedar shingles left to weather. They are weathering nicely.

BILL SWEENEY, Readville

A. There is no need to switch to oil; latex gives good service, probably better than oil. Neither oil nor latex should fade badly in just two years; yours might be defective. And short of trying to find out, I suggest sanding the old paint (to roughen it, mainly to allow the new finish to stick), then apply a different brand of paint of a similar color. Or, better yet in my opinion, apply a solid latex stain of a similar color. Contrary to some claims, a solid-color latex stain can go over old paint. Avoid changing the color; that would make matters worse if the new paint peeled for any reason.

One more little thing. Dark or vibrant colors, such as barn red, tend to fade more than other colors, and sooner. But manufacturers are getting better and better at producing slow- or non-fade colors.

Q. I am putting my house up for sale. Should I paint the outside, sort of dressing it up a bit? There is water stain on the ceiling. How can I cover it before repainting?

T.C., Brighton

A. Paint the outside? I suppose it might be a good idea if the old paint is badly peeling and an overall mess. And I suppose a paint job will make the house more appealing, but what usually happens in cases like that is that the paint job will be slapdash and could fail again (if it failed before) after the deal is closed. If you don't paint, slapdash or not, a prospective buyer might suggest a reduction in house price (say $5,000 for the price of a good paint job). So it's sort of a Hobson's choice.

As for the water stain, some people have removed similar stains with a bleach solution (half-bleach, half-water). If that doesn't work, a sure-fire fix is to paint the stain with clear shellac, then repaint the ceiling.

Q. My family room is paneled in dark brown barnboard. It has been wire-brushed, but now I want to finish it white. I was told that I can't restain over this wire-brushed dark brown stain. I don't mind the knots bleeding throughany paint. How can I get it white?

ARTHUR PEARLSTEIN, Canton

A. You can't effectively restain over the stained finish, but you can paint it. The normal procedure is to apply a latex enamel undercoater and finish with an eggshell finish latex paint. But since the old finish is so dark, it might ghost through the undercoater. If so, use instead an oil-based primer such as Kilz, which helps seal dark colors. And since you like the idea of the bleeding knots, you don't have to shellac them before priming and painting.

Q. I'm facing a horrendous painting job indoors -- the whole house -- and I'm a little concerned about doing it right. I have textured plaster ceilings and walls that have never been painted and are discolored. I also have finished woodwork. What do I have to do to prepare those surfaces for painting?

MICHAEL PANAGOPOULOS, Burlington

A. You don't need a manual, but a few rules apply to both preparation and painting. Plus common sense. For the ceiling and walls, start by brushing them down with a broom wrapped in a cloth. Usually you don't have to wash them, and in your case you'd be washing bare plaster, which will not give much results. It probably is not necessary.

Painting is easy. Ordinarily you need only two coats of a latex ceiling paint for the ceiling and two coats of an eggshell finish or flat latex wall paint for the walls. But since the plaster is discolored, and possibly with ground-in dirt, I think you should apply a coat of latex enamel undercoater, which will seal in the discolorations and prevent bleed-through. Then apply the finish; two coats will probably be necessary, even over the enamel undercoater.

For woodwork, there is more preparation: sand lightly, then wash with a strong solution of Spic and Span and water; double the formula. This will dull the finish, making adhesion of paint better. Apply one coat of the enamel undercoater. Finish with two coats of latex semigloss enamel or eggshell finish latex paint.

The only other rule to follow: Apply thin coats; don't try to make one coat cover because it never does.

One more rule: Paint walls and ceilings in daylight. Even with good lighting, you'll get too many holidays (areas where you missed).

Q. I moved into an old farmhouse, and was warned by the previous owner that the ceilings are calcimined, and paint will not stick to it. How can I refurbish those ceilings, and eventually paint them?

CAROL ANN FISKE, New Salem

A. Calcimine is tough to deal with, and standard paint, latex or oil, will not stick. In fact, I have seen it come off on the roller. If there was no attempt to paint over the calcimine, you can scrape and sand loose calcimine, then paint with Kal-Cote or other calcimine-compatible paint.

If there was an attempt to put standard paint on, with resulting disastrous peeling, you have to remove everything, including the calcimine and new paint, right down to the bare plaster. First, remove as much of the new paint as possible by scraping and sanding. To remove the calcimine, wash and wash again, and possibly again, with a strong solution of detergent and water.

One trick that might work -- at least it has for some people -- is to paint a coat of wheat or cellulose wallpaper paste on the ceiling, and wait. As it dries, the paste shrinks and pulls the calcmine right off, leaving it on the floor. Because it can drop to the floor, put down tarps and wait overnight. With luck you will get most of the calcimine off that way. If it doesn't, you have an extra chore of removing the paste as well as the calcimine.

Some day someone (the handyman hopes it's he) is going to make a mint by inventing a ceiling that can be taken down, turned over on the floor, cleaned, washed, or painted on the floor, then put back up. Paneled and dropped ceilings are a little like this, but they don't look as good as a flat, white-painted ceiling.

Two little secrets to successful painting

Remember the old Army advice to the yardbird? If it moves, salute it. If it doesn't, paint it.

And who in the Army or other service hasn't painted the rocks at the commandant's quarters. The handyman actually did this 47 years ago at good old Fort Ord, Calif., before shipping off to Korea. It's funny, the things one remembers.

The point is, who of us has not painted, indoors or out?

The trouble is that often when you set up to do a painting job, get everything together, and discover all the brushes stiff as a board in their cans, you need a day of cleaning to get them workable.

It's your own fault, y'know, having neglected to clean the brushes immediately after use. It's probably better to buy new ones instead of reviving the dead ones.

And that brings us to the two cardinal rules when painting: Buy quality (expensive) brushes and clean them properly -- and immediately -- after use. The more expensive the brush, chances are the better quality it is, making painting easier and better looking. The high cost is also an incentive to making sure you do clean them.

A cheap brush will produce a cheap job, full of brush strokes and stray bits of filament (bristle) showing.

A way of getting around this is to use a disposable brush. A foam brush is the best of the throwaways, giving a fair finish at a small price. This might not settle well with an old-time painter or purist, but it will work for many of us.

But a quality brush is still the best way to go. Such a brush will hold more paint, not show brush marks, and ease the tricky job of ``cutting in'' -- painting the edge of a wall or ceiling without getting paint where it is not supposed to be, and without using masking tape.

And that is where Benjamin Moore & Co. comes in. This company has been making paints for 115 years, and finally has gotten into the paintbrush (and roller) business, pushing high quality applicators.

And, in its inevitable promotion to push the new brushes, the company produced a dandy bit of literature all about brushes.

So, with no further fuss and feathers, here is what brushes are all about.

The first recorded paintbrushes go back to AD 1300, when the Phoenecians made them by twining wild boar hairs in the open end of an animal horn. The boar hairs were the staple of brushes for more than 600 years, until the synthetics came along, and boar or hog bristles are still a principal part of some quality brushes.

Most quality hog bristles come from China. China bristle has a natural flex ideal for brushes, not too floppy and not too stiff.

Remember the old shampoo ads warning of the dreaded ``split ends'' in hair? Well, split ends, called flags in bristles, are important in brushes, helping to hold paint for easy application and provide a smooth finish. The natural flags on bristle must be manufactured on synthetic filaments.

Because they are porous, natural bristles can absorb up to 40 percent of their own weight in water. After half an hour of painting with latex paint, bristle brushes become too floppy for use. For this reason, bristle is not recommended for use with water-base paints. Bristle is also not recommended for rough surfaces because the bristle and flags can break down and wear down quickly.

So, bristle brushes are good for oil and alkyd paints, stains, varnishes, urethanes and shellac. They are particulary good for applying varnish, reducing brush marks, and providing a super-smooth finish.

Synthetic filaments have been around since about World War II, and have come a long way since. Most synthetics are nylon or polyester, or a combination.

Nylon brushes are durable, and clean up well. Although nylon absorbs only 4 percent of its weight in water, it is not always the best choice for long use with latex paints. They tend to get floppy in heat. Polyester is inexpensive, and absorbs no moisture, but retains its stiffness to a fault.

So, nylon/polyester blends may be the best choice for all paints: latex, acrylic, alkyd, and oil.

Now to the nitty gritty of painting, and there are, indeed, tricks on applying paint:

1. To fill the brush, dip it until it's half full. Tap it lightly against the can to prevent dripping. Actually, tapping is more important with varnish, to avoid bubbles. You can scrape the brush against the can rim, if you like. There will be no problems.

In fact, sometimes scraping is a good idea, especially when you have to carry the brush a distance to the work. That happens when you are on the top of a ladder and have to transfer the loaded brush from right hand to left to get to the work.

2. Start at the top and work down. Paint in two-foot sections at a time.

3. Overlap each section slightly. Brush from unpainted areas into freshly painted ones. Finish with a light, lifting motion toward the last wet edge to reduce brushmarks. Long, smooth strokes produce a better finish than short, choppy ones.

4. Don't press too hard on the brush. This will distort the brush and can break the filaments.

Now all you have to do is clean up. And since you goofed last time, leaving stiff, useless brushes good for nothing but throwing away, you want to keep these quality brushes. So clean up!

We also are aware that there are good brush cleaning and unstiffening solvents you can use to revive dead brushes -- we just don't want to.

Q. The Masonite panels on my garage door just won't hold paint; they forever peel. What kind of paint will not peel? Someone suggested trying raw linseed oil as a primer coat. Would that help?

K.N., Watertown, Mass.

A. The raw linseed oil just might help, but the finish must be sanded thoroughly to remove loose paint and to roughen the surface. That Masonite is tempered hardboard, a very hard, very dense wood product that is very smooth, and part of the failure of the previous paint might be due to its hardness and smoothness.

In addition, a paint that might not peel is not a paint at all, but a solid-color latex stain. After heavy sanding, mainly to roughen that hardboard, and application of a thin coat of raw linseed oil, apply two thin coats of the stain. It should be good for at least five years. And be sure to treat the inside of the panels the same way.

Q. I am having my basement recreation room painted. The painter suggested using latex paint on walls and woodwork, but the paint store man said latex is OK on the wall, but use oil enamel on woodwork because it will stand up against kids and bicycles and tricycles and all the other hazards in a recreation room. Is it necessary to use oil enamel on woodwork?

B.H., Andover

A. Not in my opinion. Perhaps oil enamel is more washable and will stand up to wear and tear better than latex, but it can chip more readily than latex. I think it is really a tossup, and I suggest you use an eggshell-finish latex paint on both walls and woodwork. But first apply a latex enamel undercoater to the woodwork (it is not necessary on walls); this combination will resist chipping, wear well, and will be nearly as washable as oil.

Don't be concerned about moisture. Latex resists water as well as oil.

Q. I stripped the paint off the exterior wood pillars on my house; the wood is really dry. Should I treat them with oil before painting? Also, some of my floors are sagging. Who should I contact to fix them?

PAULA LOVEJOY, Cambridge

A. You don't need oil to treat the pillars before painting; the idea of ``feeding'' dry wood is an old wives' tale. Wood is supposed to be dry. It would be OK to treat the pillars with oil before painting, which would allow the paint to adhere better. But it would be better not to paint, and to treat the pillars with two thin coats of a latex solid stain. Such a stain will resist peeling and will be good for five years. As for the professional to check your floors, find a carpenter who is familiar with old houses and who can determine what is causing the sagging and fix it, or at least stablize the floor to keep it from sagging further. The joists may not be big enough, or the center beam is dropping a bit. There are other reasons for sagging or slanting floors, but most of them can be corrected.

Q. This past spring I put a white wicker sofa on our front porch. After a hot, dry summer, when I took a good look at it I was amazed to see how weatherbeaten it was. My wife wants me to paint it, but no one here in Florida can tell me how to do it or what to use. It is a lovely piece but now rather dried out. What if anything can I do to restore this piece?

WALTER POMAROLE, Ocala, Fla.

A. I think the best thing you can do for your wicker sofa is to paint it. And, I don't think there is any harm in the sofa's seeming too dry. Wood is supposed to be dry, and stay dry.

First, dry scrub it to remove loose dirt, then wash with a strong solution of Spic and Span and water and let dry. Treat with a mild bleach/water solution if there is any mildew present. Rinse and let dry. Rinsing is important if you use bleach, because bleach and any finish -- varnish, paint, stain -- are incompatible.

Apply a latex enamel undercoater, also called primer sealer. Use a cheap brush; any brush will be worth throwing away after painting wicker. Remove or cover upholstery or cushions, of course.

Now here comes the best part. Paint with a spray enamel; Krylon makes an aerosol spray enamel that works wonders; it is not too shiny and not too dull, and spraying is the best way to do wicker. It will also make the wicker a little more water resistant. I have done it and am very happy with the results. Spray outdoors on an calm day, if possible. You should be able to find the undercoater or primer-sealer and the Krylon at any paint store.

Wicker does not belong outdoors, even under a roof. Keep it in the house or in a sunroom, or where it is protected from the elements.

Q. I would like to paint my metal kitchen cabinets and discovered that 21 doors and five drawers would cost $840 to $895. That is more than I want to pay. Can I paint them myself? If so, how?

J.F., Newton

A. Yes you can, but at that price the doors and drawers would cost an average of $32 to $34 each, not exorbitant for a paint job.

But, for whatever reason you want to do it yourself, you can, and when you see what is involved, you will see why the prices you were quoted are not unreasonable.

First, sand all surfaces thoroughly with medium to fine sandpaper to roughen the finish and reduce gloss. Sand off all traces of rust. Then wash with a strong solution of Spic and Span and water; there is no need to rinse unless you use bleach in the wash water.

Apply an oil-based primer such as Kilz. Use a brush for the primer, then use an aerosol spray enamel as a finish. Two coats will be needed.

One more point. If you can't get rid of all the rust, treat it with Rust Reformer, a liquid that contains phosphoric acid, which turns the rust black and makes it paintable.

Q. Someone oversprayed my house, getting latex paint on the asphalt roof shingles. The contrast between the light paint and dark shingles is pretty obvious. I tried Goof-Off without success. How can I remove that paint?

MATT LEARY, Milton

A. Goof-Off is designed to get latex paint off most surfaces without ruining the surface, but asphalt is not one of them. You can't use chemical paint remover either, because that will take off some of the asphalt, too. So, you will have to disguise the paint by spraying a black or dark spray paint on the stains. I suggest a flat spray. This may wear off in tme so you may have to repeat. But it will certainly look a lot better than that light-colored paint.

Q. When I repaint my kitchen and cabinets, I wash everything with Spic and Span and water. I have always used an oil-based semigloss paint, but in five spots, the paint buckled. How can I prevent that buckling when I repaint?

R.P., Watertown

A. I think the problem is twofold: 1. You did not sand the old paint first to reduce gloss and roughen the finish. This, I think, is necessary in addition to the washing. 2. Not using a latex enamel undercoater before finishing.

So, for a good job that will resist peeling and bucking and bubbling, sand with a fair amount of vigor with a medium-coarse paper, wash and apply a latex enamel undercoater, also called primer-sealer, and finish with two coats of an eggshell-finish latex wall paint, which is good for walls as well as wood cabinets and woodwork. Such a finish is neither flat nor shiny and is washable, nearly as washable as an oil-based paint. And remember, thin coats are much better than thick ones. In fact, the old paint job might have failed because it was put on too thickly.

Q. I noticed peeling around the eaves of my house that I just had painted. I called back the painters, who said it was not peeling paint but squirrels chewing on it. Now what can I do?

CAROL PERRY, Duxbury

A. I smell punky wood. Squirrels love to find ways into warm, dry attics, but usually will work on punky (soft) wood that is just beginning to decay. No use chomping on sound wood; that is a lot of work.

If that is so, the painters should have noticed it, because paint will not stick well or for long on such wood. Their excuse was interesting, but they should have mentioned that soft wood before they painted it.

Your ownly choice, in my opinion, is to replace the fascia (the facing board of the eave) and possibly the soffit (the under part of the the overhang (eave). This will not only allow paint to stick properly but also deter the squirrels, which will eventualy find their way into the attic if the punky wood remains.

Q. When I bought a house in Concord, Vt., I pulled off a lot of the wallpaper, planning to paint. The paper came off without a hitch; I just grabbed a corner and pulled. But the backing stayed. How can I take that off before painting? The house was built in 1972.

MARY LAMBERT, Westwood

A. A house of that vintage has plasterboard walls, making it difficult to remove paper without gouging the plasterboard paper. If the backer paper is tight, you can paint it, and the paint may fill the seams; at least the seams will be disguised. Apply a coat of latex enamel undercoater and finish with a latex wall paint.

If you really want to try to take off the backer paper, use a minimum of water. A rented steamer will do, but try this first: Use E-Z Gell walpaper remover, a gel that sticks tenaciously to the walls to allow easy scraping, using as little water as possible. It is sold in wallpaper shops; if you can't find it call the manufacturer, Roman Adhesives of Calumet City, Ill., at 800-488-6117 for a place near you.

Q. Some of the metal on the inside of my microwave door is showing, and I'd like to paint it to match the regular cream color. Is this possible, and permissible? I called the manufacturer, who referred me to an appliance company who could paint it.

ANNE AHERN, Tewksbury

A. If an appliance company can do it for a fee, you can do it for the cost of the enamel, and a little of your own time. If that bare metal is exposed to the inside of the microwave when the door it is closed, I suggest using an HHR (high-heat resistant) spray enamel, which comes in an aerosol can. You won't be able to get the exact color with the HHR enamel. If you want a color match, use an oil-based spray or brush enamel. Mask off ares you don't want to paint, and use thin, thin coats.

Q. What is the best paint I can use on the bathroom ceiling? I have no exhaust fan in that room, and the ceiling drips water.

JUDY MULLAINEY

South Weymouth

A. Paint will not stop the dripping, which is condensation of moisture from when the shower is used. Ventilating the bathroom will reduce or eliminate the problem. An exhaust fan, venting to the outsde, will do the job even better without the hassle of opening and closing windows and storms for ventilation.

As for the paint, a latex ceiling paint is as good as any. It will resist the ravages of water as well as a shiny oil paint, and may stick to the ceiling better.