I have worked for companies in the past who have sent me to someone’s home armed with just one or if I was lucky two drop cloths.
Let me tell you, you can never have enough drop cloths. Painting a ceiling with just 2 drop cloths at your disposal will only cause problems , even if the room has no furniture .
If you do not fully cover up the floors in the room you are painting, the chance of dripping paint or walking paint onto the uncovered flooring is high.
Having the flooring fully covered will help you move along quickly, cleanly and also more importantly keep the wet edge going .It will also give the home owner confidence in you that you are taking care of their home.
If there’s furniture in the room place it in the center of the room and cover it with clean plastic.
Remove all outlet plates and put them in a safe place along with the screws.
It’s always a good idea to place a drop cloth outside the room, for wiping your feet on for when you go in and out of the room.
Prior to painting doors and trim if it's possible, remove hardware.
You are now ready to start the preparation work.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
How much paint should you put on a brush ?
It’s very important that you get to know how much paint to put on your brush before each application.
Putting too much on will result in drips and paint dripping from the brush. Putting too little will result in poor coverage and the brush dragging, leaving a poor looking finish.
I may have mentioned this already but if there is one thing that annoys me more than anything else it’s a painter using a paint brush with hardly any paint on his brush. This kind of painter has got no chance of even making a half decent job when temperatures rise above 70 degrees (the wet edge will be dry in no time).
Each task you do with the brush will require different amounts of paint on it. In saying that, for straight forward brushing such as cutting in around a ceiling or cutting in walls, the amount of paint you have on the brush will be similar.
If for example you are painting door edges, window sashes or a very small area such has an inch wide area of wall between 2 door frames you would need less paint on your brush.
A good ½ brush full is a good measuring stick for cutting in and a ¼ brush full would be about right for smaller and more detailed areas.
Whenever you have applied the paint to the brush always make sure each side of the brush has been tapped a couple of times to the paint can you are working out of.
Putting too much on will result in drips and paint dripping from the brush. Putting too little will result in poor coverage and the brush dragging, leaving a poor looking finish.
I may have mentioned this already but if there is one thing that annoys me more than anything else it’s a painter using a paint brush with hardly any paint on his brush. This kind of painter has got no chance of even making a half decent job when temperatures rise above 70 degrees (the wet edge will be dry in no time).
Each task you do with the brush will require different amounts of paint on it. In saying that, for straight forward brushing such as cutting in around a ceiling or cutting in walls, the amount of paint you have on the brush will be similar.
If for example you are painting door edges, window sashes or a very small area such has an inch wide area of wall between 2 door frames you would need less paint on your brush.
A good ½ brush full is a good measuring stick for cutting in and a ¼ brush full would be about right for smaller and more detailed areas.
Whenever you have applied the paint to the brush always make sure each side of the brush has been tapped a couple of times to the paint can you are working out of.
Useful House Painting tips Part 1
Dusting off surfaces prior to painting
After the important step of sanding has been accomplished the very next thing you should do is dust off the surfaces to be painted .To do this correctly it should be done with a brush and not a piece of rag .Dusting is very simple, takes no time to do and if you are conscientious and get into the habit of doing it you will be a much better painter for it.Dusting off surfaces prior to painting is vitally important has sanding correctly is vital .If you do not dust the surfaces correctly you are going to pick up the dust and all the other elements on the surfaces with your wet paint brush. . A wet paint brush will always pick up dust without fail and just deposit it on the surface you are painting. The end result is a poor gritty finish.To dust off correctly you need to start from the top and work your way down, if the surface to be painted has a top edge make sure that gets dusted off. Self explanatory really, but in my 30 years experience you would be surprised.For instance just dusting off a cill on window trim and leaving the rest of the trim is not the correct way to dust .You should not only dust off the window trim but you should also dust off the glass and the wall area about 6 inches out from the window trim . This will make the area dust free and give you the best resultsIf you are painting fascia boards dust off the guttering has well has the fascia board.If you are painting a door frame, make sure you dust around the very bottom of the frame or better still use a vacuum, but also make sure you are dusting around door hinges and the back edges of the door.If you are painting baseboards make sure you dust them off and vacuum the ground around them.
After the important step of sanding has been accomplished the very next thing you should do is dust off the surfaces to be painted .To do this correctly it should be done with a brush and not a piece of rag .Dusting is very simple, takes no time to do and if you are conscientious and get into the habit of doing it you will be a much better painter for it.Dusting off surfaces prior to painting is vitally important has sanding correctly is vital .If you do not dust the surfaces correctly you are going to pick up the dust and all the other elements on the surfaces with your wet paint brush. . A wet paint brush will always pick up dust without fail and just deposit it on the surface you are painting. The end result is a poor gritty finish.To dust off correctly you need to start from the top and work your way down, if the surface to be painted has a top edge make sure that gets dusted off. Self explanatory really, but in my 30 years experience you would be surprised.For instance just dusting off a cill on window trim and leaving the rest of the trim is not the correct way to dust .You should not only dust off the window trim but you should also dust off the glass and the wall area about 6 inches out from the window trim . This will make the area dust free and give you the best resultsIf you are painting fascia boards dust off the guttering has well has the fascia board.If you are painting a door frame, make sure you dust around the very bottom of the frame or better still use a vacuum, but also make sure you are dusting around door hinges and the back edges of the door.If you are painting baseboards make sure you dust them off and vacuum the ground around them.
Selling your home ? Then gets some Color on those walls
It really is amazing what a carefully chosen color scheme can do to a home.Color on walls is what potential buyers want. How do i know this?The first thing new home owners are doing is painting over those cold looking white walls.I get more calls about painting over walls that are white than anything else .When ceilings, walls and trim in your home are white it lacks the warmth color brings to a room.Introducing color onto the walls will define all the good points about the interiorarchitecture of your home, and a fresh couple of coats of white paint on thetrim will really do wonders and give your home that wow factor that potentialbuyers seek when viewing your home.So get ahead of the competition get color on your walls and get your home sold .Sea of Color Painting offers a free color consultation with all work bookedwithin 30 days of receiving a free estimate.
You can't beat a fresh coat of white paint on a ceiling
It amazes me how often the ceiling is left out when re-painting a room .My wife Linda and I watch a lot of HGTV ,and she always has a laugh at me when I complain they are not painting the ceilings, it’s a pet hate of mine {and don't get me started on closets not getting painted) . Watch out for it next time they do a room makeover.I think the 2 reasons Ceilings get left are, it doesn't look like it needs doing and the second reason , it's a job no one likes doing .Let me tell you if your ceiling has not been painted for a few years it needs painting, try painting a little area with fresh white paint and you will be convinced. To take the stress out of painting a ceiling a roller pole is a great investment. To avoid getting covered with roller spray work away from the area you are rolling rather than standing directly underneath the area you are rolling.
Interior Painting at it's best
INTERIOR PROJECTS
PREPARATION
* All surfaces to be painted get completely sanded .
* All holes and obvious to the eye dinks get spackled.
* All cracks and gaps around trim on the trim as well as cracks around ceiling lines and corners of walls get caulked.
* Cracks across walls and ceilings get taped and patched .
PRIMING
I always recommend to my clients to completely prime everything that they want painting regardless of what the paint manufacturer recommends. Though its not absolutely necessary to prime everything it gives the best results without fail every time .The least priming I do on any given project is spot priming , I do not recommend this system but its better then no primer at all .
FINISH PAINTING
I also recommend 2 coats on all surfaces to be painted whether it ceilings,wall,or trim .You might ask why 2 coats if 1 is sufficient , believe me i have been painting far to long to know one coat is never sufficient .With 2 coats you get a solid premium finish , with 1 coat it may just look satisfactory .
I use Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore paint , they make by far the best paint on the market and their paints cover much better and look much better . So when you get a real cheap quote beware . Its cheap for a reason and you are more than likely to get what you pay for .Make sure when you get an estimate for painting to have it in writing exactly what you are getting for your money .Also make sure to ask what make of paint will be used
PREPARATION
* All surfaces to be painted get completely sanded .
* All holes and obvious to the eye dinks get spackled.
* All cracks and gaps around trim on the trim as well as cracks around ceiling lines and corners of walls get caulked.
* Cracks across walls and ceilings get taped and patched .
PRIMING
I always recommend to my clients to completely prime everything that they want painting regardless of what the paint manufacturer recommends. Though its not absolutely necessary to prime everything it gives the best results without fail every time .The least priming I do on any given project is spot priming , I do not recommend this system but its better then no primer at all .
FINISH PAINTING
I also recommend 2 coats on all surfaces to be painted whether it ceilings,wall,or trim .You might ask why 2 coats if 1 is sufficient , believe me i have been painting far to long to know one coat is never sufficient .With 2 coats you get a solid premium finish , with 1 coat it may just look satisfactory .
I use Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore paint , they make by far the best paint on the market and their paints cover much better and look much better . So when you get a real cheap quote beware . Its cheap for a reason and you are more than likely to get what you pay for .Make sure when you get an estimate for painting to have it in writing exactly what you are getting for your money .Also make sure to ask what make of paint will be used
Hiring a skilled tradesman
House painters are a dime a dozen, it’s the only trade that anyone who can get their hands on a paint brush and hey presto supposedly becomes a skilled tradesman .It’s an action that not only belittles the painting trade but does little to give the homeowner confidence in the trade .Residential Painting as been my livelihood for 30 years , it’s not something i picked up overnight .I began by serving an apprenticeship and the Company that gave me the apprenticeship did not hire me then put a paint brush in my hand and tell me you are good to go .They had me learn the process of painting, beginning with the correct procedure of preparation work and when they were satisfied that i had mastered that they allowed me to prime the prepared work and then onto finish painting , varnishing, staining and all the other aspects that applied to the painting trade.Working alongside seasoned professionals whilst serving my apprenticeship was a huge factor in the making of the painter i am today.When you hire Sea of Color, you can be sure you are hiring a professional who not only knows his business but as the experience to carry out the work to the standard you would expect from a skilled tradesman.
Finishing off your paint project
Whether you paint project is interior or exterior it’s not finished until the final clean up .The last part of any project Sea of Color Painting undertakes , includes cleaning windows , sweeping and vacuuming all work areas , electrical boxes that are splattered with paint from previous contractors get painted with a matching grey paint , outdoor lamps that have paint on them from previous contractors get a fresh look and more .For all your painting projects Sea of Color Painting go that extra mile.
The Ability to Paint fast without dropping your standard
THE ABILITY TO PAINT FAST WITHOUT DROPPING THE STANDARD
I learnt my trade in the United Kingdom . If you are not quick as well has being a good painter in the UK you didn't stand a chance of making a living or surviving in business, because the painting business there is extremely competitive .
There are similarities to painting there and here in the US , but there is also some vast differences. The use of Oil paint is still very popular there , oil paint there requires to not only prime where necessary but also requires a full undercoat over whatever you maybe painting . Latex paint is now making a break through .
One thing a painter in the UK has to be extremely good at is painting windows . You would be laughed out of town if you were caught taping glass up prior to painting and if you were seen painting onto the glass to later scrape it off you would be classed as a Cowboy (a term used for someone who is not good at his job ) .So if you couldn't paint around windows without going more than a 16th of an inch onto the glass and keeping the line around the glass plumb straight you didn't stand much chance of keeping a job,because the biggest part of exterior work in the UK is windows .
Even sub contractors now have to have a license to trade as a painter .
Painting is not something i just picked up has a last resort because i couldn't find a job doing anything else . its been my whole experience since the age of 16 , i'm now 46 ,and i am still enjoying seeing the transformation a re-paint can make on someones home .Not only leaving my clients happy but the satisfaction of seeing the transformation makes painting all the worthwhile
I learnt my trade in the United Kingdom . If you are not quick as well has being a good painter in the UK you didn't stand a chance of making a living or surviving in business, because the painting business there is extremely competitive .
There are similarities to painting there and here in the US , but there is also some vast differences. The use of Oil paint is still very popular there , oil paint there requires to not only prime where necessary but also requires a full undercoat over whatever you maybe painting . Latex paint is now making a break through .
One thing a painter in the UK has to be extremely good at is painting windows . You would be laughed out of town if you were caught taping glass up prior to painting and if you were seen painting onto the glass to later scrape it off you would be classed as a Cowboy (a term used for someone who is not good at his job ) .So if you couldn't paint around windows without going more than a 16th of an inch onto the glass and keeping the line around the glass plumb straight you didn't stand much chance of keeping a job,because the biggest part of exterior work in the UK is windows .
Even sub contractors now have to have a license to trade as a painter .
Painting is not something i just picked up has a last resort because i couldn't find a job doing anything else . its been my whole experience since the age of 16 , i'm now 46 ,and i am still enjoying seeing the transformation a re-paint can make on someones home .Not only leaving my clients happy but the satisfaction of seeing the transformation makes painting all the worthwhile
Is Beige the new Black ?
I used to think beige was a drab boring color . I have now changed my mind on beige . There are some great shades of beige out there now to choose from to give your home a neutral look and to make life easy when choosing furnishings to match .
Oil Paint
Being a Brit working with oil based paints is second nature to me . Even now for trim oil based paint is still used far more for exterior and interior painting than Latex in the UK . I fully understand and accept the reasons for using Latex paints in this day and age especially the drying time difference .Oil paint really needs 24 hours to dry out where as Latex paint can be re-coatable in just a few hours . One thing Latex paint will never match Oil based paint for is in the look of the finish . If you know how to work with Oil based paint you can almost achieve a factory finish look and regardless of what any one tells you cannot achieve that with Latex paint .Oil based paint levels out much better than Latex paint and as the advantage of the wet edge remaining wetter longer then Latex based paint so you have more time to work with it .. Our previous home in Newport RI I painted all the interior doors and trim with Oil based paint it looked real classy .
So if you can put up with the drying time and the fumes and like the classier look give me a call.
So if you can put up with the drying time and the fumes and like the classier look give me a call.
Are you afraid of Color
I just finished an interior re-paint for clients, who for the first time wanted to move away from there usual choice of white or very light colors .
I helped just a little with the choosing their colors and advised them to bear in mind their furnishings , accessories , light and trying to choose colors that work together throughout their new home to make their decisions ,
They came up with a great color scheme and were over the moon when the re-paint was completed .
Choosing color does not have to be difficult when bearing in mind the same simple advice I gave my clients .
I helped just a little with the choosing their colors and advised them to bear in mind their furnishings , accessories , light and trying to choose colors that work together throughout their new home to make their decisions ,
They came up with a great color scheme and were over the moon when the re-paint was completed .
Choosing color does not have to be difficult when bearing in mind the same simple advice I gave my clients .
Where to use House Stain & Why
If you have rough sawn siding on your home or shingle solid woodstain is the product you need to be using .There are 2 reasons for this :1) Paint is much thicker than House Stain . If rough sawn timber siding is continually over the years painted over using "Exterior House Paint" what will happen eventually is the siding will lose its look or effect of being rough sawn . Of course you will be able to tell its rough sawn timber still but several coats of Paint will create a build up in the grain .2) House Stain and Paint break down differently . Loose Paint as a much thicker edge then loose House Stain . So if you have applied Paint on rough sawn timber and over time it starts to break down , you will have the problem first of all of trying to scrape it back to an hard edge then trying to feather out the hard edge which is extremely difficult on rough sawn timber and almost impossible.House stain when it breaks down can be scraped back to an hard edge with relative ease , so it makes sense to use House Stain on rough sawn timber .
A Price to meet all budgets
Through the many years of experience I have in the painting business I have learned that customers, in general, want one of three types of jobs done .The three types I am referring to and offer are: 1) Freshen up 2) Premium 3) Premium plus.All three types of job are carried out in a professional and timely manner. Extreme care is taken of flooring, hardware, the contents of your home and in keeping the work areas clean .All three types of jobs are based on an individuals budget for their project.The biggest factor in any painting project is the preparation work prior to painting (especially exterior painting).The amount of preparation work you choose for your project reflects in the labor cost , it also reflects in what kind of job you are going to end up with . My professional advice is always choose at least number 2 from the choices below for 100% satisfaction . In saying that your budget may not allow for number 2, also the number 1 choice may be all you require.
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