Get several quotes for your project before deciding on a painter. Make sure the quotes include details of what is included, price for the job and an estimated completion date. Find out what the payment options are and what constitutes final acceptance of the work. Make sure you have a warranty included for touchups if needed. It is advisable to pay the final portion of the job only when a thorough walk through is done and you have accepted the work. Make sure you obtain the contact information of each painter so you can ask follow up questions if needed.
Interview each potential candidate to determine if they have proper experience with your type of job. Ask for references and follow up on those to ensure they have a sound customer base of happy clients. Ask to see pictures of work examples so you can visualize the type of work they perform.
If you have an older home, you may have lead paint. This is potentially hazardous but an experienced home painter will know what to do and how to dispose of materials to minimize risk. A painter will know how to avoid hazards to keep the family safe while completing a quality job. A painter should already have all the supplies and tools specific to house painting.
After interviewing and collecting quotes, decide on the painter to hire. Choose the painter who has the best combination of skill and price. You will work closely with this person to communicate color choices and specifications, so be sure you pick someone you are comfortable talking with. A quality painter will make sure the job is finished properly.
Word of mouth is the best way to get a quality painter. People who are satisfied with the type of work a painter has done for them in the past will be eager to refer them for other jobs. Once you have your painting project complete and you are satisfied with the quality, keep the painters details handy in case you have another project or a friend needs a referral.
Paint Circles Around Problems
Painting projects involving bowed architecture and rounded edges are difficult when using traditional, rigid painting tapes intended only for straight lines. Protecting these areas has now become easier with the exceptional pliability of Curved Masking Tape. Maneuverable around any rounded design, including arched doorways, half-moon windows and even doorknobs, this unique painting tape eases painting preparation and improves the final results. Curved Masking Tape can even add to an artist’s creativity, as it can be easily positioned to create rounded designs, like circles and clouds, on otherwise plain, nontextured walls.
Back Troubles Into A Corner
Masking off window corners is one of the most tedious parts of any paint job. From French doors to glass cabinets, painting around windows is an undesirable task. The use of masking tape on corners helps to simplify this process by increasing precision. Appropriately called Quick Corners, each pre-shaped corner forms a 90-degree angle that fits into every window corner and masks off the perfect shape. By simply connecting the corners with strips of window-safe painter’s tape, the glass is protected, exposing only the trim sill in need of painting. Once the job is complete, simply remove the tape and corners by pulling and lifting the nonstick tab.
Avoid The Floor,
Get The Baseboards
Using drop cloths to protect the floor when painting baseboards is a no-brainer. However, old sheets or tarps are cumbersome and often shift during use. Pretaped Drop Cloths feature a pretaped edge that helps the cloths stay in place while fully exposing the baseboard for painting. Statically treated to cling to the carpet or hardwood surfaces, the drop cloth is ideal for catching splattering paint and containing dust when sanding. Drop cloths with a professional-grade masking tape also make painting and protecting chair rails and other decorative elements much easier, both during use and clean-up, as they remove cleanly from drywall, wood and glass.
By using products designed to simplify the preparation process, homeowners can take on the toughest painting tasks and finish with professional results they can proudly say they did themselves.
Painting and decorating projects require specialized skills. One good reason why persons pay for the services of a professional painting contractor when it comes to painting the interior or exterior of their home. Time restraints, convenience, safety, and health are among other considerations.
Safety and Health Comes First
Climbing on ladders and painting can be hazardous work; so is working with solvents and dust inhalation. Professional contractors are safety conscious, and experienced to handle these situations. Home owners who opt to do the painting themselves risk unnecessary injury.
Houses built before 1978 may have been painted with lead-based paint, proven to pose serious health risks when scraped and sanded in preparation for repainting. Dust and paint chips from lead-based paint are a health threat to exposed individuals; working around lead-based paint, therefore, represents another safety hazard.
A licensed, professional contractor painting commercial or residential buildings that have lead-based paint have been trained to take precautions to protect you and your family from these health risks. They are also trained to protect themselves and their employees.
Quality Work Guaranteed
Finally, a house painting contractor will prepare surfaces properly for painting. Poorly prepared surfaces affect the appearance and quality of the new paint. To properly prepare surfaces for repainting is time consuming, but yields great end results, and increases durability of newly painted surfaces.
A qualified painting contractor is also familiar with the different types of paints, when to use what product, and how to apply each.
Oyster White, Navajo White, Cielo Blanco, Off White are but a few variations that builders use when painting the interior of most homes. That while these colors look clean and crisp when we first move in, it doesn’t take long before we tire of the look and want something with a bit more pizazz. Having said that, most people are a little afraid to step out of the standard for fear of not liking their color choice and having to re-do the process back to its original, boring Off White.
After 25 plus years in the Paint Trade, It still amazes me when a room gets a facelift with color. For around $50.00 you can create a look that has a designer flare. Your old furniture can even look new again. So don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about the work involved. The pay off is far greater. So where do you start? How do you go about picking the right color?
My first suggestion would be to go with a tinted neutral color. Such as something in the gray or creme colors. Stay away from choosing colors that are deep or rich. You don’t want a startling effect nor do you want to date the room. I’m sure they won’t create the look your trying to achieve and you’ll become tired of it quickly. These deep colors will also create additional work for you. It’s been my experience that the darker colors will require a minimum of two coats, sometimes more.
However, when you go to your local home improvement store you will be faced with a sea of color swatches – hundreds of versions of basic beige and gray to choose from. So before you go, consider these steps to choosing the right color for you.
Now when you head on over to your local paint store or home improvement center you can become overwhelmed with all the variations of creme and gray. There can be hundreds of each. So before you go, take a good look around the room your going to repaint. See if you can’t find a light color somewhere in the room that you can take with you. Such as a color in the background of a piece of fabric on say a couch cushion or lampshade. If you like the feel of a warm and cozy room – think of fireplaces, brown leather and sunsets – then you’ll want to start with a beige tone.
Now, consider your furniture and accessories. What colors do you see? If you have a lot of black or navy you may wish to choose a beige with orange or pink undertones to keep the look warm. If you have browns or reds in your furniture, select a cooler beige with ashy tones to avoid ‘overheating’ your room.
If you prefer a cooler, airy look – chrome, glass and shades of icy blue – then select gray tones. Some stores will have a ‘true gray’ color swatch which you can use to compare with their designer selections. On comparison you will notice that each gray has undertones. Some will have blue or lavender tones, others may have green or even a hint of pink.
Using the same guide as stated above, identify the main colors of furniture and accessories in the room. Use green or pink toned greys with cool toned furnishings to avoid it from feeling like an ice box. Use blue or lavender undertones in rooms with warmer colored furnishings.
If you are really torn between beige or gray, than the easiest color to work with is green. Keeping it in a muted tone will make it very easy to live with, and will work with most color palates.
Now, If all of the above guidelines only further confuse you, you can simply go to the paint store and pick up as many different color chips as you like, bring them home and make your decision there. I know it’s an added trip you’ll have to make but what better location to make your decision than from the comfort of home?
Picking and painting your rooms with your choice of color will bring you the results your looking for and a sense of accomplishment when you see the finished product. Remembering that you’ll get this makeover for less than the cost of a good meal at your favorite eating place.