Naturally, if you are not an expert at something it is in your best interest to seek out helpful tips before you actually execute whatever it is you are attempting to do. When you are dealing with something as vulnerable and sensitive as painting a house, it would be very wise of you to do your research before hand so that you do not have to experience a tragic ending to what could have been a happy bragging right.

This is especially true when you are planning an exterior home painting excursion. It is for this exact reason that I have constructed this list of things to consider when planning for an event such as exterior house painting.

Let us begin.

Is The Weather Outside Frightful?

I bet you never thought of this, did you? Well, if this is true for you, do not feel bad. This is the last thing that most people are thinking about when they are planning to paint their home. When you have a project that has a million aspects to it, weather is not a top priority.

Or is it?

Well, considering the weather is actually much more important than you would imagine and here’s why:

• If it rains while you are in the process of painting your home, the paint has a very low chance of sticking and drying properly.
• If you are in an area that suffers from below freezing temperatures then normal paint will not dry properly. It will actually freeze and ruin the whole process.
• If you do live in an area that has below freezing temperatures, then you will need to special order paint that is specifically designed to sustain this type of extreme condition.

So, as you can plainly see when planning an exterior home painting, you will need to be very cautious and aware of what the weather conditions will be like during your designated house painting time frame.

My Home is Transparent!

Have you ever seen a home that appears to be transparent? No, I do not mean you can see through the house! I mean that you can see through the newest coat of paint and see what the previous color of the house was?

Well, this is a much more common error than one would like to see.

So, why does this happen?

The answer to this question has 2 very simple answers.

1. Low Quality Product

The most prevalent cause is that whoever is doing the painting used low grade paint. When you use low grade paint, it does not have the consistency and “thickness”, if you will, to fully cover the previous paint color. Exterior home painting should always be done with quality paint.

The lesson here?

DON’T BE CHEAP! It costs too much to be cheap.

2. Not Enough Coats

The 2nd reason for this “transparency” issue is that the person or persons that painted the home did not apply enough coats of paint to the home. This is a very simple error that can easily be amended; however, it can be quite a hassle to do this after you thought you had a complete paint job.

So, there you have it! These are just a couple of things to consider before part executing an exterior home painting.

If you take these 2 simple things into consideration, you will be a happy camper; however, should you disregard them, you will be a very disgruntled camper with a lot of unnecessary work ahead of you.

More information on exterior home painting and a College Works Painting in your area is just a click away.

Painting the interior of a home is a much more delicate process than painting the exterior of a home. Though, most of the steps are the same, the interior process requires a few extra precautions.

Here we will go through the step by step process followed by most traditional home contractor painting companies. This list, of course, is just a basic outline and some companies will add steps to this process; however, if the company you are looking to hire is planning to leave out any of these steps it may be time to look for a new company.

1. Clear The Path

Obviously, when you are painting the inside of any home it is necessary clear a reasonable path so that the painting crew can have sufficient space to do their job. Typically, this requires that all of the furniture is moved to the center of each room.

Once it has been moved to the center of the room, it will then be covered with Plastic wraps, tarps, or a drop cloth of sorts.

Next, the crew will cover the flooring with drop cloths so as to protect it from paint spillage.

2. Prepare the Surface

This step requires that the home contractor painting crew scan the walls and ceilings. They should fill any cracks or holes, seal any stains, and sand the surface of your walls. This insures that the surface that the paint has a clean and smooth surface to be applied to.

3. Stroke Time!

Now the actual painting begins. The crew will paint as many coats as required to make for a beautiful finish. This, of course, should be to your satisfaction.

4. Have a Look-see

Now it is time for the inspection. Both you and the home contractor painting crew leader will navigate your entire home and be sure that you are thoroughly satisfied for the work you paid for.

5. Clean Up The Mess

Now, for the most exhilarating part of the process; clean up! All floor cloths are removed, all materials are excavated, all messes are cleared, and all the furniture is put back in its proper place.

Before Signing Any Paper Work:

Now that you have this information, take it with you in your search for the best team for the job.

My personal suggestion would be to interview the home contractor painting service owner and ask them if they take care of all of these steps. Get a clear idea of what they intend to do and what charges will be incurred for what services.

Make sure that you know exactly where every last dollar of your money is going. If you are working with an honest company, they will have no problem in mapping out this information for you.

In The Meantime:

Do a lot of research. Speak with a few different companies. Don’t settle for the cheapest. Settle for the company that you think is going to do a rock star job.

I wish you the best of luck and happy searching!

More information on home contractor painting and College Works Painting in your area is just a click away.

It used to be that your choices in paint were confined to the color and the question of latex vs. oil. However, our increasing knowledge of our impact on our environment is changing the face of home painting. The paint that we have taken for granted is bubbling over with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are potential carcinogens. The fumes emitted by these substances can last for years after the paint was applied. It is estimated that the air within a house is three times as polluted as the air outside the house.

Today, there is a big movement afoot to produce paints that impact our lives and health a lot less. In fact, we have been returning to the compounds that people historically used to paint their dwellings – limestone, clay, even milk. Recycling paint has become another method of reducing our demand on our environment’s natural resources.

One choice is limestone – good, old-fashioned whitewash. This paint can be tinted various colours and can be used indoors or out – as long as the surface being painted is porous, allowing the lime to sink into the material. Lime allows the material it covers to breathe, preventing the buildup of humidity and eventual damage to the dwelling.

Clay paint is available in many natural colours, plus a few more created with the addition of dyes to the natural color of the base. It imparts an earthy look to the home. It can also absorb some odors, making it a good choice for the kitchen and bathroom areas.

Milk paint is actually made from casein, a protein found in milk, lime, oil and other substances used to tint the mixture. This is a very time-oriented paint, as milk protein spoils just like milk does. Thus, it must be applied within a limited time of mixing it.

There are a number of concerns about “natural” paints. First, they can be expensive to buy and may have a limited time of viability before they become less efficacious when applied. Many cannot be washed or cleaned, necessitating repainting to remove the sight of dirt or marks. This can be circumvented by applying a sealer, but that also means more expense. These paints also tend to wear more quickly than standard paints, thus making the need for repainting more frequent.

There are now companies manufacturing recycled paint. In Canada, the only one is Boomerang Paint (boomerangpaint.com), based in Quebec. Recycled paint manufacturers take in unused paint and combines it to produce a new, stable paint. These paints can come in all sorts of types: latex, alkyd, etc. and are very low in VOCs.

Choosing an environmentally friendly paint will pay off, not only for your environment, but also for you and your family. More and more retailers are offering alternative, healthy paint choices for the home painter. Consider them the next time you need to paint something in your home or your home itself.

Complete Calgary home search: View all Coach Hill real estate, Calgary listings including Signature Park homes for sale. Access photos, virtual tours, neighbourhood info, maps and more at JustinHavre.

Doors are often the few things in the house that are overlooked yet normally abused. They get bumped a lot, they get kicked a lot and they get a lot of dents, if not the most of them. Thus one of the central issues to sliding panel doors is the maintenance. But this doesn’t mean that one has to bend his back over it just to attend to the newer dents on the doors. Sometimes, painting, thus adding some sort of surface protection, could be enough to increase the lifespan of the door.

But how is this done? Let us give you some instructions and tips on painting the doors.

First, handles, mechanism, plates and components that are not really part of the door’s body must be removed. This would not only prevent such components from being painted but would also make the painting process a lot easier as there are no obtrusive things that could avert the painting process.

Second, prepare the wood of the door. Whether it be a new wood or a repainting job, the first thing to be done is to sand the body of the door. Sanding should be in accordance to the grain of the wood. Slight sharp edges must also be rounded off as this gives the door some degree of refinement.

After which, wipe the surface of the door to remove the debris and dust. Also, knotting must be applied to prevent any leaks that could damage the finish later. For cracks and joints, appropriate wood filler must be used.

Third, the actual painting process begins by applying an even coat of primer. Allow the primer to dry and smoothen the surface by using sandpaper. Rub with a clean cloth to remove debris.

Fourth, apply the undercoat. By following the natural grain of the wood of the door, apply one or two undercoats, if necessary. Preferably, the undercoat and the actual paint must come from the same manufacturer to achieve consistency of result. Let the undercoat dry and rub with sand paper. Using a cloth, remove dust and prepare the door for the last coat.

Finally, the top coat. Careful attention to details must be observed. Painting a panel door is not as simple smudging crayon into paper.

There are several panels and areas in the doors. Choosing any one of these as the starting point for the top coat is not really a good idea. It is always best to begin with the top edge of the door, painting it carefully while making it a point not to let the paint run. Then, the side parts of the doors should be painted, observing the same care. After that, coat the panels of the doors themselves using smooth strokes of the brushing while following the grains of the wood. Followed by the area in between the panels, begin with the vertical area then the horizontal area.

Wood furniture has a rustic, down-to-earth feel that can add personality to any room. If you have a piece that needs a new look, wood staining is an easy and inexpensive way to not only enhance its appearance, but also turn it into one-of-a-kind. The best part is that you do not have to be Van Gogh or Bob Villa to produce stained pieces that are attractive. With some simple wood staining tips and a steady hand, anyone can transform a tired-looking wooden table, chair or desk into a beautiful piece of furniture that will add flair to the room.

Before you Begin

Choose an area that allows ample space to work and provides good ventilation. Working outside is ideal as clean-up of sawdust is simple and the paint odor is not overwhelming. If you choose to work indoors, lay down a plastic tarp and several layers of newspaper to protect your floors from paint splatters and drips. You may want to elevate your piece on blocks of wood so that the legs will be easily accessible. Before opening the can of stain, shake it gently to mix the contents. With a paint stick, stir again, and then pour about a half-inch into a small paint tray or jar, recovering the can after pouring.

Tools Needed

• Sandpaper
• Foam paintbrush (a denser foam is recommended with a sturdy, plastic handle)
• Damp and dry rags that are lint-free
• Can of stain

Prepare the wooden surface by sanding it with fine grit sandpaper to make sure it is smooth and ready to stain. Thereafter, use a damp cloth to completely remove all the dust. It is most important that the piece be thoroughly cleaned after sanding in order for the stain to apply on smoothly and evenly. You do not want the finished product to be bumpy and rough to the touch. Follow up by wiping it down with a dry, lint-free cloth.

Wood Staining Techniques

A valuable wood staining tip is to wet the piece slightly with a clean paintbrush after sanding. This will allow the stain to be distributed evenly. Load up your brush with stain and apply using long, even brushstrokes. To achieve a softer look, gently wipe the stained area with a clean rag. To avoid dark spots, try not to dab with the brush and refrain from overlapping any of the strokes. If dark spots do occur, use a clean, lint-free cloth to lightly blend the area.

When the task is completed, let the piece dry for at least 24 hours. Thereafter, check for bumps or imperfections, give the piece a light sanding, wipe thoroughly, and apply a second coat of stain. When the second coat is completely dry, you can apply the varnish. Always be sure to use the same base of varnish as your stain, either oil or water-based. This is one of the more cardinal wood staining tips to observe; oil and water do not mix! Apply the varnish with the same long, even strokes that were used for the stain and allow the piece to dry completely before touching.

Maintenance

Every wooden surface, regardless of which wood staining techniques were used, needs to be maintained to keep its beautiful finish. Some stained surfaces, such as patio furniture and wooden decks, may need to be retreated every 2-3 years as they are subjected to weather conditions. In any case, an annual inspection of treated wooden surfaces is recommended.

A quality custom painting job is crucial for those who are not oriented with the basics of home painting. So before you start painting drywalls, study your wall surface type and your home space, then decide on which colors that suits your house style if it is Mediterranean, modern Zen, classic American, etc.

Rooms with color may not seem significant if it is separated by walls and closing doors. But if it is adjoined, the color relationship between the rooms subliminally affects your mood. If your house is an open floor plan having no division between your receiving area and dining area, it is important to choose colors that compliments or relates each other.

The challenge in interior home painting is to give each space its own identity according to its function and still achieve aesthetic appeal that is unison. Some people consult independent color consultant or painting companies to help them estimate which color suits the need.

To give you an idea on which colors to paint your home let me give you some terminologies you should know to aide you when coordinating with a color consultants or a painting company. In painting color theory, a HUE refers to a pure color. If a hue is added with white pigment, it is called a TINT. If a hue is added with black pigment, it is called a SHADE. For example, the color green is the hue; one variation shade of green is Teal and one variation tint of green is Aquamarine. Teal is relatively darker in value than Aquamarine, which some people believes to be with associated with a blue hue.

And if you don’t have an idea which colors are perfect for your home. Think inside! Your personality reflects (too) what you paint on your walls. You can start with if you would like to settle with warm colors or cool colors.

Warm colors like red, yellow and orange can make a room look smaller and can create an intimate and cozy feeling, while cool colors like blue, green and purple represents serenity and can make your room appear larger.

As a tip: Neighboring colors (or analogous in scheme) like hues of the same warm or cool hue scheme creates harmony and opposite colors like black and white or orange and blue (though they are complimentary) creates drama. This tip depends if you want your home interior painted with harmonious or dramatic appeal.

Color also represents human mood whether it is warm or cool. Each color defines us and their characteristics cannot be altered.

The color RED raises a room’s energy and very much stimulating. YELLOW is a positive color. It communicates happiness and warmth, thus it is uplifting and welcoming. ORANGE stimulates appetite and just like its neighboring color yellow, it communicates positive vibe and represents warmth.

GREEN is the most restful color in the eye that is why it represents serenity. Just like the greens, BLUE is calming/relaxing. Blue represents depth and sensitivity. PURPLE, on the other hand, represents royalty and sophistication though rarely some people paint it in larger scheme.

The NEUTRALS like black, white and brown – including its shades and tints never fall out of fashion. Though they can be dull if painted in larger scheme, but are great for balancing. Add neutral colors if you need to liven things up or calm things down.

For more ideas on color coordination or painting jobs with custom color coordination, please visit this site.