by cloudadmin | Aug 30, 2011 | Uncategorized |
Do you ever wish you could talk back to your TV? The other day I was flipping through the channels and happened to land on a program promoting a new way to paint your house. The gadget they were promoting was a small paint sprayer that was so incredible and easy to use that no one would ever again need to hire a professional painter. I watched with amazement as the paint was sprayed on the walls. There was no drop cloth to protect the floors, and nothing to prevent the paint from accidentally spraying on the ceiling. I continued to watch with interest as the person then applied paint onto a louvered door. I couldn’t help but wonder what was behind the door? Did the paint go through onto the clothes hanging in the closet? Was this going to end up being a comedy with an out of control spray gun, like an episode of the old “I Love Lucy” show? Well, it wasn’t a comedy and the paint sprayer never malfunctioned. In fact, it never stopped at all! It breezed through the entire room in just minutes, painting walls, trim, and doors. By the end of the show I’m sure that viewers were mesmerized by the ease with which the home was painted and they were reaching for their cell phones to call and order this remarkable gadget that looked too good to be true.
And that’s the point. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. I’m not saying that only professionals can use a paint sprayer. But I am saying that using a paint sprayer takes practice and precision and may not be as easy to use as the average homeowner would be led to believe by this type of TV show. Professional painters know how to use their equipment properly. They know how to prevent overspray and how to deal with dripping paint quickly and effectively. Professional painters know the importance of drop cloths, they wear appropriate clothing, they ensure there is adequate ventilation while they are painting, and they know how to calculate drying times depending on the weather. They know how to ensure that each surface receives good paint coverage. In short, they are trained professionals who can quickly and easily handle the tasks that many homeowners don’t have the patience or the time to tackle.
The bottom line is, homeowners should be realistic about what they want to achieve and whether or not they have the desire, and the ability, to achieve it. If you truly enjoy painting and like new gadgets, by all means go for it! Otherwise you may find that you’ve spent money on a gadget that doesn’t work as well as you had hoped, wastes time that you would rather spend doing something else, and ends up gathering dust in your garage. And, you may end up hiring that professional painter after all to fix the mess the too-good-to-be-true gadget left behind.
by cloudadmin | Aug 11, 2011 | Uncategorized |
What does the term “summer kitchen” mean to you? If you’re like most of us, you probably envision a large patio with a barbecue grill, a built-in sink, and a small refrigerator. The term conjures up images of summer entertaining, and a place where we can practice our grilling techniques or test new recipes purely for the enjoyment of it.
In the 19th century, however, the term “summer kitchen” was frequently used to refer to a separate outbuilding or a shed-type attachment to the main house that kept the warmth of the cooking away from the main rooms. These summer kitchens were vital to the farm families who canned their own fruits and vegetables, made jams and jellies, and cooked food for their families and the hired hands. And they were an important part of keeping the temperature moderate in the rest of the house.
Today, thanks in part to the invention of air conditioning, our indoor kitchens serve us all year long. But this means that our kitchens not only have to serve us well, but they have to look good while doing it. The pressure to update our kitchens has never been stronger.
If you’ve been wanting to update your kitchen but are staggered by the prices for a complete remodel, don’t lose hope. Today there are more products than ever before to update your home without spending a fortune. How can you update your kitchen while maintaining a tight budget?
Repainted kitchen cabinet doors drying in our work room
In addition to having your walls and cabinets repainted, there are also specialty products than can be used to resurface your countertops and floors, giving you the look of costlier granite or stone products. Your avocado green tile backsplash can now be recoated in a softer, neutral shade to compliment any decor. Imagine having your entire kitchen remodeled without removing a single tile or countertop! It’s not a dream, it can be done with the help of a painting professional. So, while you’re outside enjoying your summer kitchen, we’ll be inside fixing up your indoor kitchen.
by cloudadmin | May 17, 2011 | Uncategorized |
Anyone who has ever sold a house can probably attest to the fact that it is stressful. You have to figure out how to live your daily life while at the same time maintaining a certain level of “house readiness.” You have to be prepared when your agent calls and wants to show your house in the next five minutes. If you’re like most people, you immediately hang up from your agent and start cleaning like crazy! But is a clean house enough? If the decorating shows on TV are to be believed you must neutralize your decor before you can reel in just the right buyer. But how “neutral” is neutral enough? Are you destined to live with boring beige until your house sells? And who has time to redecorate for someone else anyway?
Years ago when I was house hunting there was one house in particular that stood out in my mind. It was an unassuming ranch house. When I drove up to the property the selling agent came outside to meet me. She wanted to “caution” me that the house was owned by a father and son and that they had done the decorating. She reminded me that I could always paint. I was intrigued! When I walked inside I saw a rather bland (aka neutral) house – with the exception of the living room which was painted bright aquamarine! Was that the reason I didn’t buy the house? No. But the color choice – and the agent’s reaction – made me wonder if the color alone would deter other buyers.
Today there are a wide range of colors and paint products that can help homeowners to neutralize their decor and still set themselves apart from other homes on the market. Before you repaint your entire interior white, get advice from your real estate agent, an interior decorator, or your painting contractor to choose the right color palette for your home. The goal is to set your home apart in a good way, not to have it blend in with all the other neutral homes on the market.
by cloudadmin | Apr 30, 2011 | Uncategorized |
I love home decorating shows as much as the next person. I love to see how the designers transform dysfunctional spaces into beautiful, functional, inviting spaces. But as much as I like to watch these shows, I think they are somewhat misleading. Many of the shows claim they can transform your entire house for less than $2,000. At the end of the show they add up their receipts to prove their point. But have you ever noticed that they don’t include the cost of labor? They have an entire crew of people working on a house for several days and they never charge for labor–it’s too good to be true! Literally.
In the real world homeowners either have to do the work themselves, or hire someone to do it for them. Assuming you have hired someone, you are going to have to pay for labor. How much you will pay depends on a number of issues, such as: 1) how much preparation is needed to ensure the surface is ready for painting, 2) what type of paint are you planning to use to achieve the desired effect, 2) will the painter be able to do the job with one coat of paint, or will additional coats be needed to do the job right, and 4) is lead paint an issue?
A professional painter will be able to advise you on the options so that you can make an informed decision. If you’re selling your house and you aren’t concerned with how long the paint job lasts, perhaps one coat is good enough. But if you’re transforming your home so that you can live in it and enjoy it for years to come, perhaps a longer lasting finish is your goal. Decorating your house “on the cheap” may seem like a great idea, but if you have to repaint it next year because the paint job didn’t hold up, perhaps it’s not such a bargain after all. As coach John Wooden said, “if you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over.”
by cloudadmin | Apr 19, 2011 | Uncategorized |
I don’t know about you, but I love weddings. I especially love to watch royal weddings. All that pomp and elegance and attention to even the smallest details is the stuff of which fairytales are made. As the wedding day of Prince William and Kate Middleton nears, the hype will increase and the excitement will build. I’ve already seen several sites where you can purchase “wedding souvenirs” to decorate your home. Most of us will probably bypass these purchases, but many of us will take this opportunity to add some “royal touches” and elegance to our homes – if only to refresh our spirits after a somewhat long winter.
This spring we’re excited that we have some great new products and techniques to add elegance to your home while staying within your budget. Thinking of gold and jewels? The Paint Quality Institute reports that 2011 color trends show an increase in using metallic colors (like gold) and high sheen paints to update and brighten your living space. We also like adding pops of color as bold accents to otherwise neutral spaces. (Think accent wall.) So if watching the royal wedding makes you want to add that touch of elegance to your home, we will help you implement your plan. After all, we all deserve a little elegance now and then!
by cloudadmin | Mar 25, 2011 | Uncategorized |
You have probably seen the television commercial where the father is dipping his young son’s feet into paint to make “permanent” socks because they can’t find socks that fit them. Silly, yes. But sometimes we expect things to be permanent when they can’t be.
Take the exterior of your house, for example. You spend a lot of time and money on choosing the right paint colors and you want the finish to last forever. Unfortunately, it won’t. But there are ways to extend its life to the fullest. According to the Paint Quality Institute “How long a paint job will actually last depends on a number of factors, including the nature and condition of the substrate, the type of coating applied and the severity of the weather the paint has to stand up to.”
A good painting contractor can extend the life of your exterior paint job by following a few smart rules: (more…)
