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20 Aug

Speak with the Staff of Commercial Painters in Manteca

Communication is essential to good and smooth business transactions. It will lead to better relations between businesses and their clients, no matter the industry. And the same is true with commercial painters in Manteca and their clients. Apart from excellent service, good customer relations is the best marketing tactic that any commercial painting company can have, and is one that will set it apart from its rivals.

As a client, you have certain requirements, specifications, and desires that you want to achieve in your painting project. It is important for you to express what you really want to the professional painters so that your suggestions will be taken and addressed accordingly.

As you search for the ideal commercial painting contractor to accept your job, speaking with the staff of commercial painters in Manteca is necessary. After all, how would you know that this or that company is well-established, reputable, and trustworthy if you do not speak directly to them?

Here are some of the essential questions to ask while speaking to the staff of any commercial painting company:

1. Are you insured and bonded?

In California, all commercial painters should be duly licensed. Having a license is truly a hallmark of an established and reputable commercial painting contractor. When painters are licensed, they are likely to be bonded and insured as well.

There are a few good reasons why you should hire bonded contractors. A bond will protect you from an unlikely event in case the workers fail to finish the project as specified in the contract, do not pay for the supplies needed for the job, or refuse to pay for any damages that was caused during the project.

In order to secure a bond, the commercial painting contractor pays a premium to a surety bond company. Once they are bonded, they are usually issued a bond number and proof of bonding (such as a certificate). Always ask for these documents or any proof of bonding when interviewing each candidate.

2. What kind of materials do you use?

You may ignore this question because you assume that every painter has pretty much the same set or quality of materials. That may not be true. You must ask what kind of materials and paints they use. This is important because the quality of materials will directly affect the outcome of the painting job. You want a surface that has a sleek, durable, and long-lasting topcoat that requires little or no maintenance, so, you don’t want painters to use inferior paints or use substandard materials.

Also, never forget to ask candidates some more questions pertaining to the details of materials as well as brands of paints, primers, etc., that they will use for the job. This is to ensure that the contractors understand that they are really using these products as well as the reason behind it.

3. Do you employ your own workers, or do you hire subcontractors?

This is perhaps one of the questions that many commercial painting contractors wish to avoid. There’s a good reason for that – many companies subcontract to save labor costs and earn bigger profits. They do not also have to be concerned about other things such as paying employee benefits and social security taxes.

Subcontractors are usually paid a flat fee per job. This may make them likely to cut corners and hasten their job to get it done as soon as possible. This leads to inferior and shoddy results.

If you do really care about good quality paint work, hire painting contractors who employ their own workers who are also fully trained and insured.

4. Do you use safety gear and provide safety training for your employees?

It’s perfectly understandable to be concerned about safety. It is essential to maintain a safe environment for all the workers and clients while the project is taking place. Ask the contractors if they use any safety gear (and if they do, what kind), adopt safety practices, and hold regular safety training programs for their employees to avoid mishaps in the future. No matter how long they have worked there or how high the position they hold in the company, there should be regular and rigorous safety training for all the employees. Yes, even if they do carry valid insurance.

5. What’s in your contract?

Once you have chosen the ideal commercial painter to take your job, they will hand you a contract. Read it thoroughly and perhaps ask some questions to the contractor in case there are things in the contract that you still need to understand, before you sign it.

Usually, a contract will list materials, labor, paints, job time frame, total cost, as well as methods of payment. Labor typically takes the biggest portion of the job estimate (normally 85%). Hourly charging rates may vary depending on the contractor, usually from $48 to $70. If they charge you too high or too low than those suggested figures, you may have to discuss this with your contractor. Find out why their labor costs are different.

6. How long does your warranty last, and what does it include?

Typically, a warranty from a commercial painting contractor lasts from two to three years. Sometimes, even longer than that. But beware of these unrealistically long warranties – they can be a bait to get your job. Avoid contractors who offer such long warranties.

A contractor’s warranty usually covers surface flaws directly because of faulty workmanship. But if the defects are caused by something else – weather, nature, external impact, or paints provided by other companies – they are not usually covered by a contractor’s warranty.

Communicating with commercial painters in Manteca and asking them with the right questions allows you to make a more definite and solid decision when it comes to hiring them.

19 Jun

How Soon Can I Have Commercial Painting in Concord Done?

The success of an establishment or facility depends on many factors, and one of them is commercial painting in Concord. It should be finished as soon as possible so that establishments and facilities will be able to continue their operations smoothly. However, it’s also important to note that the quality of the paint job should not be compromised as to put the businesses at a disadvantage.

Unlike residential painting, commercial painting is often seen as a huge undertaking. Painters should keep in mind that it’s not just about dabbing paint onto a surface. A large portion of a business’ success will depend on their speed and performance. It’s either painters must work double-time or in shifts, or contractors must employ more painters to complete the job, depending on their client’s budget.

In order to carry out a smooth paint job, business owners should develop a detailed plan to avoid possible entanglements that will slow down or completely stall the project. Otherwise, these complications can have a negative effect on their business.

It’s a fact that establishments or facilities remain open for business even while the paint job is being carried out. Many business owners create a detailed plan, based on their spaces’ occupancy, so that it will facilitate the paint job. For instance, paint jobs done on clinics, medical offices, hospitals, schools, restaurants and public buildings can be done during the evening, off-hours, weekends, during summer or spring breaks or holidays. Workers often paint on shifting schedules, or contractors employ more workers to speed up the job.

In many places like hospices and retirement homes, some rooms are not occupied at all. This will enable owners and/or managers to come up with an accurate plan for painting during off-peak periods on a rotating basis so that they can leave these areas ready to be painted.

Other factors that will affect the speed of quality of a paint job include weather and temperature. While these contingencies cannot be avoided, owners and/or managers should come up for a detailed and accurate plan so that they can ably meet these weather and climate-related challenges. This way, they will avoid the possible stalling or delay of the project. Business owners can rely on weather forecasts, but they should know that these reports merely predict on how the weather will be like for the coming days, so it’s best to add some extra days in the schedule to allow for rain or snow delays.

Clearing the area of anything that will get in the way will make the job easier, faster, and less prone to accidents. Move everything out of the painting area – furniture, wall and ceiling installations, door, doorknobs, and many others – as much as possible. When you cannot move these things out, cover them with drop cloths.

Preparation of the surface may be the least favored part among painters, but this is the most necessary in a paint job. Many painters skip this part to cut corners or to hasten the painting job. They assume that owners or their clients won’t notice the difference between the surface that has been prepped, to the surface that hasn’t been prepped, because it is now covered with a topcoat. But the defects will eventually show and become more obvious after the painting job has been done.

Prepping the surface is the key for a successful paint job. Cleaning, dusting off, repairing flaws, priming, and other preparation steps will leave the surface smooth, dry, and clean, and thus ready to receive the topcoat. A prepped surface also means that the topcoat won’t experience typical issues such as peeling or flaking.

Materials will also affect the project’s timeline apart from the cost estimates. Select and purchase the right materials, good quality paints, and proper tools to guarantee a faster and smoother paint job. A durable and especially fast-drying paint will help in speeding up the drying/curing process, which means less inconvenience to the tenants, lessees or occupants of the establishment being painted. It’s also good to hire someone who knows about the type of paints that are suitable for a certain type of surface. If

A licensed, bonded and insured contractor is always the most recommended one to work with because they guarantee fast and efficient work that doesn’t compromise quality. Plus, such contractors abide by the trade laws and industry standards. Plus, you can be sure that they use good quality paints and materials that will even expedite the commercial painting in Concord process.

6 Mar

Ask These Questions of a Commercial Painter in Concord

Sometimes, clients could not help feeling hesitant when looking for a commercial painter in Concord. It’s only natural – they do not want to ultimately spend their money on contractors who cannot deliver the job as promised.

That’s why clients would make a list of important questions that they want to ask to every candidate, before hiring the right company to do the job.

1. How long have you been in the business?

Regardless of industry, customers generally prefer companies who have been in the business for a significant number of years. Longevity in the business, wealth of knowledge and experience in their field, and a stellar track record always go together in harmony to become a company that has proven stability and credibility. It’s also true with commercial painters.

There are also newer and less experienced paint service companies that have quickly gained a name and reputation due to their exceptional service and customer relations. But in case you decide to consider a company with less experience, ask them for reference and do some background check to make sure that this is a reputable and reliable company.

2. Are you licensed and insured?

Some of the most important discussions not to be forgotten is a company’s licensing and insurance. In California, these things are required for business establishments and professionals, including commercial painters.

When a painter is licensed, he must also be insured. Licensing is required for establishments and professional to operate legitimately. A contractor’s insurance, on the other hand, will protect you (as a client) in case the painter is injured while working at your property, or in case the painter causes damage or loss to your property.

However, you should be aware too about contractors who still operate despite their expired licenses (or their absence thereof). That’s why you should still ask them for proof of licensing and insurance to confirm their validity.

3. “Do you subcontract or employ your own workers?”

There are painting contractors who use subcontractors, instead of using their own workers. The main reason? To cut costs to make more money, because contractors do not have to bother with other things, such as paying employee benefits to the subcontractors.

Subcontractors are typically paid with a flat rate, so they will cut corners to get the job done quickly – often in a sloppy, slapdash manner. Result? A poor and inferior paint finish.

That’s why it’s always better to hire commercial painting companies who employ their own staff of highly trained, experienced, licensed and insured workers. With that kind of company, it’s guaranteed they will deliver the job as fast and as efficiently as you expect.

4. “Do you give references?”

Companies who provide up-to-date lists of their own references are companies who are confident in their overall performance. The list of references will help you in contacting the contractors’ past clients, who will give their feedback (be it positive or negative).

However, beware of painting contractors with dubious reputation who provide a list of their friends and relatives. These people will say only positive things, ultimately tricking the clients into hiring such bad contractors. To avoid this pitfall, ask the reference with specific questions regarding the project. If the reference appears unsure, has no idea about the project, or gives questionable responses, you may have to think twice.

5. “What kind of materials do you use?”

Asking the contractor about the kind and quality of paints and materials that they use is also important, because they will create a direct impact on the result of the painting job. When you discover that the contractors indeed use high-quality materials, you’ll know that the resulting paint job will look good, as well as durable and long-lasting.

6. “Do you offer written warranties?”

Reputable contractors provide only written warranties. Written warranties will protect you from any anomaly or irregularity that may arise because of poor workmanship, and/or the use of inferior paints and materials.

You should be aware about the things that contractors typically cover, as well as the things they do not cover, as expressed in their warranty. In case you notice the defects sooner after the work has been done, then you can blame on the poor workmanship, and have the contractor called back to address this problem at little or no cost.

But if you see other issues such as leaking roof or molds and mildew, don’t expect your contractor to cover them, as such issues are not included in their warranty. You may still want to avail yourself of their services, but it also means you must pay them with full regular service fees.

You may have other questions in mind. However, the set of questions above will be just sufficient in hiring a commercial painter in Concord who is qualified to work for you. Asking the right questions will also prevent you from hiring bad contractors, who will turn out to be a waste of your time and money in the end.

24 Oct

Commercial Painting Companies in Concord Will Paint Exteriors and Interiors

Residential painters usually paint smaller buildings and the scope of their work is quite limited. Commercial painting companies in Concord, on the other hand, paint much bigger structures and the scope of their job is more expansive.

In residential painting, the task can be done by one or a couple of painters. Depending on the size of the project, it can be finished within their eight-hour work day. But in commercial painting, on the other hand, more than a painter is needed to finish large commercial and government complexes and high skyscrapers within their defined timeframe. It goes without saying that the cost of commercial painting is higher than that of a residential painting.

The only thing in common between residential and commercial painters is that they both do exterior and interior painting. And like their residential counterparts, commercial painters take every precaution to ensure that their clients get the expected finished results on their private commercial and public establishments.

But that’s where the similarity ends. From there, the differences are remarkable between residential and commercial painters – the scope of the work, the number of workers, the paints and tools used, and the timeframe, among many others.

In interior painting, commercial painters mostly have knowledge or experience in architecture or interior design. They just don’t apply paint on interior walls – they paint the colors that are suitable for the function of every space. These colors are applied sensibly to promote productivity for the workers (in case of office spaces), or to enhance positive experiences for their clients. For instance:

Red – it helps in increasing the heart rate and blood pressure and encourages alertness and stimulation. It is ideal as an accent color for office spaces where people work on night shifts (such as call centers), to keep them awake. Red also whets the appetite – as you can see, most restaurants and fast-food joints are usually painted red (with other accents like yellow and white).
Blue – it calms the nerves and encourages trust and good communication among colleagues, making it ideal for conference rooms. It also promotes relaxation and good sleep, that’s why it’s also popular for spas and hotel suites.
Green – It helps in reducing anxiety, fosters creativity and encourages smooth workflow – ideal for office spaces with lots of computers.
Yellow and orange – they are both “energy” colors as they help in stimulating one’s senses and give off a positive vibe. But too much of them can be harsh on the eyes, that’s why they’re mostly used as accent colors for office and commercial spaces. The vivid nature of these colors can be mitigated by a touch of gray or white.
White – a default choice, this is obviously the most versatile color. It is also the most practical and economical choice for painting the interiors. It can be used for office spaces, commercial spaces, clinics and hospitals, schools, government buildings, factories and many other facilities.

For exterior painting, white is also the default color choice because it reflects sunlight, making it an ideal color, particularly in hotter climates.

Paints for exterior surfaces in commercial painting may be different, as they may be formulated to become more durable to withstand many elements that include heat, moisture, pollution, as well as regular brushing and cleaning.

Unlike residential painters, commercial painters may have experience in other tasks such as wet and dry blasting as part of surface preparation. In painting high-rise complexes, they would usually mount on tall scaffoldings or cranes.

Several commercial painters use a different method of applying paint, apart from brushing, rolling and spraying. It is called powder coating, where a dry paint is used and cured by heat. Many businesses prefer this painting method as it dries faster and more evenly, and does not emit harmful chemical vapors like traditional paints.

The appearance of a business or commercial establishment truly reflects the image of the company. If the interiors look outdated and dilapidated while the exteriors have fading paint, clients would surely think twice in patronizing their business.

It’s important for a lot of businesses to march with the times, not just on their business vision and model, but also on the physical appearance of their commercial spaces. Let commercial painting companies in Concord update the look of your business space, and make it look more presentable, professional and welcoming to clients and people in the business sector.

21 Apr

House Painting Concord: Compare Quotes Before You Start

Whether you hire a contractor or do the work by yourself, either method of house painting in Concord entails a lot of preparatory work. Neither of them — yes, even hiring a professional house painter — has shortcuts, but all the fuss and preparation will ultimately lead to a perfectly painted home.

If you decide to hire a professional painting contractor, you should realize that you cannot just pick one out of the many available. Choosing a contractor is not at all a simple process, as there are lots of them are vying to win your job. This is something that you should not take lightly.

One of the common mistakes a homeowner makes when hiring a painting contractor is to just invite his/her shortlisted candidates to come over to your home, point to anywhere that needs to be painted and ask them for a quote.

Perhaps the homeowner did not wish to burden the contractors by providing them too many details. Or they assumed that professionals know best, so the homeowners don’t bother telling them what else should be done.

Sure, professional painting contractors provide the best solutions to whatever issues that the homeowner has — fading paint, peeling paint, surface flaws, suggestions for the right interior colors, and so much more. However, it should be also known that the level of experience varies from one contractor to another. If the homeowner doesn’t explain what they specifically want to have done in their home, the quotes they receive from the contractors and everything written in them — price, job specifications, even the scope of work — will appear inconsistent, so comparing one quote from another is almost beyond imaginable.

Example:
– Bidder #1 offers an extra coat of paint,
– Bidder #2 omits the extra coat of paint to outdo the competition
– Bidder #3 offers removal of molds and mildew
– Bidder #4 proposes removal of popcorn ceiling (if your house indeed has one)

As you can see, every job offer from bidding contractors is inconsistent with one another, making all of them almost impossible to compare. When the homeowners realize that what they exactly want is nowhere to be found in the winning proposal, they start the bidding process all over again — and that may be time-consuming.

To prevent this from happening in the first place, the homeowners should provide a clear and detailed description of the project (all aspects of it) to every bidding contractor. The description doesn’t have to be complicated — it can be written or even expressed orally, as long as it is exactly the same.

Below is an example of a homeowner’s description of the project:

Paint living room’s walls on #1 Smith Street. Paint all surfaces including the trim, door and window frames, shelves and baseboards, except the door.

Clean the surfaces
Fix all flaws (cracks, holes, and fissures) if you find any
Apply one coat of primer and one coat of paint
Walls should be painted olive green. The trims, baseboards, frames and shelves should be painted white.
Use only high-quality paints from “ABC Paints,” latex, VOC-free.

During the bidding process, some contractors may suggest something that you didn’t put in your project description. While the suggestions may sound good and tempting, at this point you should not give in to them, no matter want. You want to be firm in sticking to your job description. After all, it’s your home, and you want it to be painted based on your own preferences. But in case that you find a certain suggestion that appeals most to you — an extra finishing coat, for instance — you should request the bidder to give you an alternate price only for that.

When taking these suggestions, the bidding contractors will be able to give you quotes that are very much consistent. That way, you will be able to compare one quote to another quote. This will help you to choose the bidder who, you think, is the most suitable candidate to do your house painting in Concord job.

13 Feb

Qualities to Look for Before House Painting in Concord

If you’ve decided not to do the house painting in Concord on your own and instead hand the work to professionals, don’t hire one just because they’re available. It takes thorough research and investigation in order to hire the right painting contractor to tackle your job. In this article we will provide suggestions on how to find the right house painter.

To start with, a good painting contractor should be professional in his job – having an honest work ethic, doing a clean and flawless job, and delivering an excellent performance. There are contractors who offer incredibly low rates, but you should beware of them because it could be a sign of a fraudulent person/s posing as a contractor. They may work fast because they only want money from you, and delivering a quality job is not their utmost concern.

Contractors with a good reputation may not offer cheap rates like their low-priced counterparts do. However, they make up for the higher rates by delivering a job of superior quality which will be definitely worth your every penny.

As a property owner, you certainly don’t want to settle for less. And when you’re all about hiring a reputable and professional contractor, consider these following factors:

Reputable painters use only the highest quality paint products and tools. They won’t sacrifice quality for low-priced but inferior materials. Other paint contractors offer low rates will use such cheap products of below-par quality. You may save some money at the moment, but is it worth hiring them? Most likely the paint will just fade, peel, chip or produce unsightly flakes. In the end you’ll buy a paint of a better quality, or hire a legitimate and professional contractor. Whether you do either of them, it translates into more unnecessary expense. Highly experienced, professional and reputable contractors may be a bit more costly but in the end you’ll save considerable time and money because they deliver a good, quality service.
Reputable contractors do the painting procedures the proper, correct and even legal way, whether they do the prep work, cleaning and disposing wastes aside from painting. As implied earlier, beware of the other cheap contractors — they will just paint and ask you for a payment. They won’t even bother to do the preparation work and worse, abandon their job unfinished. In the end, you have to do all the work by yourself.
A good painting contractor doesn’t only paint but also does the proper prep work before painting, and cleaning up and disposal after painting. Hiring the right one means you won’t have to do the prep work and the cleanup yourself.
If you’re all about quality service and craftsmanship, it’s definitely better to hire a reputable painting contractor than a cut-rate contractor. The latter won’t care about details in their job, and instead may do fast and sloppy work. They don’t even bother to cover or move out the furniture before painting, don’t tape the sidings and baseboards as they should be covered, or they paint the doors and windows closed. For a homeowner, there’s nothing more frustrating than seeing that scenario! A reputable contractor is serious in his job and pays great attention to detail.
A renowned and trustworthy painting contractor will know and inform you how long the job will take to be completed, unless there are fortuitous circumstances. Cheap contractors, on the other hand, are likely to shirk when faced with this situation.
A good warranty is one of the most important things that you, as a homeowner, should look for in a reputable painter. A good contractor will provide a written (not verbal!) warranty after the work has been completed, so make sure you ask for one.

Regarding licenses, they differ from state to state. A lot of states require companies to have licenses, some states don’t. Here in California though, painting contractors are required to have licenses to operate their business. Besides, a company having a licensed is a good indication that that company is reputable and legitimate because they are able to obtain and hold a license.

Another very important thing that you should not forget to look at is that if the contractor is insured. When a contractor is insured, he is covered by the company no matter what happens — whether they are injured or cause damage to your property while they’re on the job. That way, you don’t have to answer all the medical expenses with your own money in case the workers get accidentally hurt. Hiring a contractor that is insured means you are assured of less headaches and more peace of mind on your part.

Yes, searching for the right contractor seems like a big job already for you on your part as a homeowner. But all the effort will be worth it! Once you have finally hired the right contractor who has quality tools, does an excellent job, pays great attention to detail, provides a good warranty and is licensed and insured — you are assured of a professional and high-quality house painting in Concord!

24 Nov

Exterior House Painting in Concord: Interesting Windows and Doors

Exterior house painting in Concord may be simple but it is the most effective way of boosting your home’s curb appeal. Even painting just the doors and windows will give a dramatic change to your home’s facade.

Doors can be painted in a variety of ways to add interest to your house’s exterior. For instance, paint the doors with a contrasting color like blue or red to highlight the door. This approach will make the house more welcoming. A wooden door can also be beautified with a neat stain on it, and can be paired with trim painted with a much darker color such as black, dark green or soot brown. You can also paint the trim with a contrasting color to make door more eye-popping.

If you are doing some renovations in your home, you may also want to add a front door with windows on the sides to make it look much more inviting as well as add some interest. Another suggestion is re-painting your front door and writing your house number in a large, white-colored font directly on the door. This will surely catch the attention of your neighbors and passers-by.

Windows can also be the center of attention on the exterior of your home. You can draw attention to the windows by adding a touch of elegance or bold colors to the trim, frames or shutters. To add a vivid splash of color, you can also add window boxes where you grow flowering plants. There are other kinds of embellishments which will add more attractiveness to your windows. Stained glass is a good suggestion because it can also add a splash of color; you may choose simple stained glass designs or those with more intricate artwork. You may also draw interest to your windows by changing the curtains, shades and blinds. Incorporating hardware to the shutters for practical purposes other than decorative will make the windows look more appealing.

If you want to incorporate some natural things to your home’s exterior, you can also add a vine or ivy around the windows and doors. However, you should be also aware these climbing plants would penetrate into the cracks in the siding or bricks and this will lead to surface problems. The solution is to install a frame around the window. This will help the vines climb on the frame rather than on the exterior walls.

Exterior house painting in Concord as well as adding some ornaments around the doors and windows (which is optional) will surely make your house more appealing and inviting.

22 Oct

House Painting Concord: How Much Cleaning Is Needed?

Cleaning, prepping and painting are always part of interior house painting in Concord. Proper cleaning and prepping of the surface are the keys to a good and professional-looking paint finish.

At one point, you may ask yourself: how much cleaning is needed before you start painting? There is no definite answer to that. It depends on the size of your room, and how much dirt your walls have, and the number of furniture pieces and fixtures as well as the amount of clutter that should be removed.

Of course, the first thing you need to do is to remove as much furniture as possible. If you have any furniture that’s too big or heavy to be moved out of the room, cover them with a plastic or a canvas drop cloth. Take off anything that is attached to the walls and ceilings such as frames, decorations, curtains, lights and mirrors. In removing light and electrical switch plates, loosen them from their fixtures, and wrap the electric components with painter’s tape.

Clean the walls and ceilings thoroughly. People may be too lazy to do a laborious cleaning on the walls, but what they don’t realize is that a thoroughly clean surface is the key to successful adhesion of paint. A dirty surface will not allow the paint to stick well on the surface.

Don’t just use a wet rag and proceed to paint. If you’re cleaning kitchen walls for instance, you may notice oil, grime and smoke stains from cooking. For this, use a small amount of detergent and bleach, or a specially formulated cleaning agent for the kitchen walls. Have two buckets of water — one with the cleaning solution and another one with just water for rinsing the walls. If you want a quicker cleaning job, use warm water and vinegar, then use this solution to clean the walls — no rinsing required.

For more stubborn stains such as pencil or crayon, use a stronger cleaning solution. Use a sandpaper to get rid of any dull glossy marks on the surface to smoothen it out, then sweep off the dusty residue after sanding.

Inspect the walls for any flaws such as cracks, holes or any other crevices. If needed, remove any old, loose plaster cracks from the surface by using a putty knife. Next, fill these gaps and holes with a lightweight spackle or putty.

Check also to see if there is any peeling or cracking paint. If there is any peeling paint, loosen it by again using a putty knife. Use sandpaper to smooth the surface, and then clean the sanding debris from the wall and off the floor.

In covering floors, it’s highly recommended that you use canvas drop clothes instead of plastic. Plastic is harder to work on as it is slippery, thus it can cause accidents. It may be a cheaper alternative and is also disposable, but think of how much money you could have wasted by throwing away the plastic cover after using it. Canvas drop cloths may cost a bit more, but they are otherwise non-slippery, flexible, and can be stored and used again after any paint drips have dried. They are also safer for the environment.

After cleaning, drying and repairing the surface, it may be time to prime the surface. Actually, priming may not be necessary for brand-new walls, but it is needed especially when your walls are painted with an oil-based paint, or covered with paint with a glossier finish. You can skimp on the priming part by buying a paint which is already mixed with primer. Just one coat of such paint is all you need to cover the surface. Since paints with gloss tend to show more flaws, it is important to take note of the areas where you have applied putty on cracks to be sure the repair isn’t noticeable.

Tape areas where you don’t want to apply paint — adjacent walls, woodwork and electrical switches. Light switch covers, doorknobs and electric plugs can either be covered or removed for a time.

Really, how much cleaning you need depends on how big or small your room is, how much dirt you need to clean off, and how much furniture and fixtures you need to temporarily remove. But regardless of how much cleaning you need, it is still important that proper and thorough cleaning is the secret of a successful finish in house painting in Concord.

1 Jul

House Painting Concord: Compare Rolling, Brushing, and Spraying

Which of the following methods is really the “best” when house painting in Concord: rolling, brushing, or spraying? It depends on how you are comfortable or easy you find each method. Let’s do a comparison on each of these methods.

Brushing is the most common and traditional method. Brushes come in several different shapes, sizes, widths, lengths, type of bristles, quality, and price. Brushes can be wide with a large durable handle which is ideal for painting wide and smooth surfaces, or can be smaller and narrower with more easily maneuvered handle for painting on corners and other smaller, narrower areas with accuracy.

You can even find specialty brushes such as one type with almost no handle which will allow painting confined areas such as the inside a set of rails. There is even a foam paint brush which helps remove the brush strokes that shows up when a corner or a piece of molding has been coated with paint. When a roller cannot cut in the corners, for instance, a brush will be able to do the job. Brushes are the perfect choice for “cut in” work around doors, windows, trims (baseboards and crown molding), soffits, and any other openings. In fact, using a brush will almost be the only method needed when two surfaces meet or on any surface that needs a good edge but doesn’t apply itself to masking.

Rollers are usually ideal for painting large, wide, and flat surfaces. A roller basically has two parts: the roller which has a handle and the moving spindle which carries the roller cover, and the roller cover which holds the paint and applies it to the surface. Rollers can be disposable or reusable, and come in a variety of nap sizes and are made from either natural or synthetic materials. The nap can be either thick and furry or thin. The different types and materials will render the roller to effectively paint on a wide variety of surfaces. The surface as well as the paint being used should be considered when deciding on the thickness of the roller cover nap.

Rollers are also available by width. The wider the roller, the more paint it can hold. A quite wide roller can hold more paint than the widest brush can hold. The advantage of using a wider roller is that it can cover a much larger area without ever having to go back to dip into the paint bucket. Wide rollers can also have very long handles. Extension poles for these rollers are also available for painting high areas (such as ceilings) without needing a ladder. Rollers are generally best suited to paint wide-open surfaces — such as the middle of the wall or a fence — than smaller areas.

Among the three methods, spraying is a relatively new means of applying the paint to the surface. A sprayer is a kind of machine that has a compressor to take paint from any container and spray it out in a fine mist. One of the advantages of using a sprayer is that it can cover larger areas than both a brush and a roller. Another, unlike brushes or even rollers, spraying doesn’t leave any unsightly traces, resulting in a more even painting job.

Sprayers have greatly improved over the years. Even relatively cheaper paint sprayers will still do a good job of evenly painting the surface without having to use a thinner. Sprayers can be adjusted to cover smaller and narrow surfaces; however, fine control and overspray still present some issues. If you have to spray a particular area, it should be carefully masked or covered. When spraying paint, air must be calm and stable, but unfortunately this doesn’t always happen when house painting in Concord.

Apart from the abovementioned disadvantages, sprayers do not come cheap compared to brushes and rollers. If you have to paint different colors but are using just one sprayer, you will have the trouble of taking the sprayer apart and to clean it before pouring the next color of paint into it. There are also issues regarding a sprayer’s ability to cover a certain surface. For instance, spraying is inadequate when trying to cover porous or rough surfaces such as stucco. For this, back-rolling is the next necessary step after spraying paint. Back-rolling is slightly faster than just rolling on the paint to the surface. However, it still does involve going back to cover the entire area again to make sure that the paint is absorbed into every tiny hole of the surface.

So considering the three painting methods, which one is the best? Again, it depends. While seasoned painters can paint accurately and easily with brushes, painting is definitely faster when using rollers. Sprayers are even quicker and can cover large, wide surfaces. But again accuracy, fine detail and coverage problems are still associated with sprayers. Neither spraying or rolling is good enough for covering small spaces, detail and “cut-in” work which brushes are indeed capable of handling with ease. Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages. So the most likely scenario is that you should use at least two of these methods, depending on a particular project, when house painting in Concord.

26 Mar

Tips for Painting a Small Entry When House Painting in Concord

An entry way or a hallway seems to be the most ignored part when house painting in Concord. People may paint their kitchens with red paint along with white and brown accents, and pretty pink or deep shade of blues may be used for your bedrooms. But an entry or hallway is almost always painted white, since it’s not a room but just a space where people pass by.

Well, perhaps it’s time to look at the entry way as a space that needs attention. You can see it as a challenge but at the same time an opportunity to unleash your creativity. This is true especially if you have a small and narrow entry; it’s the chance for you to figure out how you can make the space appear spacious and welcoming.

Never paint your small entry with dark colors – it will probably make the space look even more cramped and claustrophobic. This is not what you want to achieve. You may follow conventional wisdom that says pale colors expand the space. This is generally true. However, don’t use the bland and boring white; instead, play up the space with lighter colors as a different way to broaden such as small space. Bright paint colors have the ability to reflect light as well as absorb them. This optical illusion seems to expand the space. There a variety of light shades from cool tones like mint green to periwinkle as well as energetic and warm colors including yellow in a myriad of shades.

The best way to open up a cramped space is with natural lighting. For instance, your entry may have windows next to the door. Perhaps you have a window at the end of the hall. Leave it as it is to let the natural light in. Or for some decor, place a sheer curtain at the window, or try to put some adornments such as sun catcher or small wreath. Some entry ways have doors with stained glass panes that shine an array of colors when natural light hit them. In place of natural light or in case darkness looms, add wall sconces and recessed lighting to brighten the entry.

When deciding how to paint the entry way, you can look out at other elements such as doors and windows and give them color. You can paint doors along the entry with noticeable colors like plum, dark burgundy, or turquoise. You can do the same for the arches, trim and molding, too. You can also unleash your creativity and go bold by adding some decorations like gold studs on the doors to add drama to an area that may be plain-looking.

If your entry way ends with a wall, you can try different ways to adorn it. You may want to add a full length mirror to the wall. The mirror will reflect the light down make your small entry way appear spacious and brighter. You can also put some mirrors on the walls to make it appear larger. If your entry or hallway leads to other rooms, use the same type of flooring to create a seamless look going into that room.

Reading these great painting tips, you may never look at small entries the same way again. They offer possibilities for you to turn your entry from a drab-looking, small area into an attractive and welcoming space the next time you are house painting in Danville.