Article: the old paint from your staircase surfaces, if necessary. If your old paint is relatively smooth and in good shape, you can just paint over it. However, if the surfaces are peeling or have too many layers of paint built up, you should consider stripping it off. To do this, you can either use a heat gun or a chemical stripping product. To use a heat gun, hold the gun 23 inches (5.17.6cm) away from the paint until it bubbles, keeping the heat gun moving to prevent scorching the wood. Once the paint bubbles, use a putty knife or paint scraper to remove the paint. To use a chemical stripper you will need to follow the directions on the packaging. In general, you will apply the product with a paintbrush, wait until the stripper starts to dissolve the paint, and then scrape it off with a putty knife or paint scraper. When using stripper it's important to wear personal protective equipment, to ventilate the area, and to wash the surface down afterwards to clean off excess chemicals. Use wood filler or spackle and a putty knife to fill any holes or dings that need to be smoothed out. For small holes, such as nail holes, pick up a pea-sized amount of the filler on your putty knife. Push the filler into the hole and scrape off any extra with the flat end of the putty knife. Let the filler dry for as long as directed on the container, which can vary from an hour to a day depending on the product. Most spackles will work to fill holes and imperfections in wood and wall surfaces, such as drywall or lathe and plaster. Look along the railing, the balusters, the trim surrounding the stairs, and the steps themselves for spots that need to be touched up. If your holes are larger than 12 inch (1.3cm), you may need to use a more advanced filling technique that includes patching the hole. Look over all of the surfaces to find spots that are rough and need to sanded. Also, feel the surfaces with your hands to find small areas that could use sanding. Sand the surfaces with 200 to 400-grit sandpaper to smooth out areas that you filled and any irregularities in the existing paint. You can either use an electric sander, such as an orbital palm sander, or a simple sanding block. Remove any dust that you create with a tack cloth or lightly damp cloth after you are done sanding. Scuff up surfaces that are totally smooth with sand paper. Get fine-grit sandpaper with a grit rating of around 400. Rubbing this on the surface will scuff it up just a bit, which will allow the new paint to stick but will not create a textured surface on your final coat of paint. Simply run the sandpaper quickly over all of the surfaces you are going to paint. There is no need to be very detailed about this process. You just want a surface that is not totally smooth. This is especially important for surfaces that have shiny, new paint on them already. Wipe down areas you will paint with a rag and a mild surface degreasing cleaner. This will remove any dust that you created while sanding, in addition to removing any grease, dirt, and wax build-up that might remain. After wiping the surfaces with the cleaner, use a clean, dry rag to wipe it off. Many people use TSP to clean surfaces before painting them. This product is very good at cleaning surfaces and it will also dull any painted surface it's used on, which helps new paint to stick better. For stubborn dirt, use a multi-purpose household cleaner. If the stairs are concrete or metal, you may also use a wire brush to remove set-in dirt.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Strip Fill small holes and imperfections with wood filler or spackle. Sand any surfaces that are rough. Sand all painted surfaces very lightly to help the new paint stick. Clean every surface that will be painted with a degreaser.

Problem: Article: As with all precious metals, platinum must be alloyed with other metals in order to achieve the hardness required for jewelry. It is often alloyed with non-precious metals like copper or cobalt. Although it may not be 100% pure, it is often purer than other precious metals, like gold. A ring that is 95% pure will be an expensive, but worthwhile choice. If that's too expensive for you, shop around for a ring with at least 90% purity. Federal regulations require all platinum bands to bear a stamp or "hallmark" on the inside of the band. If it says "IridPlat," or ".90Plat/Ir," then the ring is only 90% pure platinum, and you should pay less for it than a ring that is 95% pure platinum. If the hallmark says "Plat" or ".95 Plat," then the ring is considered pure platinum and commands a premium price. If you are buying a pure platinum ring (95% platinum), then it should be alloyed with either cobalt or ruthenium. These alloys produce a harder platinum that can hold a mirror bright polish and resist years of daily wear. Many .95 pure platinum rings are alloyed with the less expensive metal iridium, but these rings are softer and will become scratched and dull within a year of daily wear. If you want your ring to have engraved elements, look for quality handcrafted work. Some jewelry manufacturers choose to imitate hand engraving by embedding a design into the ring's casting. This prefabricated engraving will eventually wear off and lose its luster. Therefore, look for deep and intricate hand engraving, which typically lasts for generations. Filigree is a design element reminiscent of the Art Deco period. If you want to have a filigree ring, look for a ring with delicate and sculptural elements. To save costs, many jewelers prefabricate filigree in the casting process. True artistry calls for filigree that is created from hand-drawn wires and sculpted then soldered into a piece.
Summary: Choose a ring with high purity. Check the hallmark on the inside of the ring to confirm purity percentage. Ask your jeweler about the alloy used in your platinum ring. Look for quality engraving. Choose handcrafted filigree.

Find qualities that you admire in others and that you want to learn. If you can't think of any right away, think of people that you wish you were like and think about what it is about them that you like. Are they kind? Ambitious? Hard working? These are qualities you should look for. Think about the things that you don't like about yourself. Don't focus on things like your weight, because your body is really just the container you're in, it's not who you are. Things like weight should be tackled after changing stuff like your attitude towards others, your work ethic, and your skills. Think about what you want to change. These have to be things that you really do want to change. It's true what they say: the first part of solving a problem is admitting that you have one. Figure out what really means the most to you and what would be motivating enough to change your lifestyle. Talk to others that you trust, like lovers, friends, and family members. Tell them what you want to change about your life and why. They might have some good insight that can help you in bettering yourself, as well as a clearer view of who you are as a person. Start with small goals. Don't start with something like "stop smoking". Instead, try "smoke less". Breaking goals up into smaller goals will help keep you motivated and make your goals more realistic. Think about where these goals sit in your life priorities. This can really change how much effort you put into bettering yourself. If you don't set a deadline for a change, the goal will feel unreal and intangible, and you'll be less likely to complete it. Start! Don't just think about goals or what you want to do, go out and do them!
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One-sentence summary --
Identify qualities you admire. Identify your flaws. Decide what you want to change. Get input. Start small, work up. Decide on a timeline. Follow through.