Now is the time to schedule your exterior painting

 Why You Should Schedule Exterior Painting for Spring Now

As winter comes to a close, you may be starting to think about sprucing up the exterior of your home or business. One of the best ways to give your property a fresh, updated look is with a new coat of paint. But why is now the time to schedule exterior painting for the spring? Here are a few reasons to consider:

1. Ideal Weather Conditions

One of the main reasons to schedule exterior painting for the spring is the weather. Springtime typically brings milder temperatures and lower humidity levels, which are ideal conditions for painting. When the weather is too hot, cold, or humid, it can affect the quality of the paint and make it difficult to achieve a smooth, even finish. Springtime provides the perfect conditions for paint to dry and cure properly, leading to a beautiful, long-lasting result.

2. Get Ahead of the Rush

Another reason to schedule exterior painting now is to get ahead of the rush. As the weather warms up, many homeowners and business owners start thinking about painting their exteriors, which can lead to a backlog of work for painting contractors. By scheduling your project now, you can ensure that you get on the contractor's calendar early and avoid any potential delays in completing your project.

3. Increase Your Property's Value

A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for your property's curb appeal and value. If you're planning to sell your home or business in the near future, a new exterior paint job can be a great way to attract potential buyers and increase the value of your property. By scheduling your painting project for the spring, you can have your property looking its best just in time for the busy real estate season.

4. Protect Your Property from the Elements

Finally, scheduling exterior painting for the spring is a great way to protect your property from the elements. Paint serves as a protective barrier against the sun, wind, rain, and other weather conditions that can cause damage to your property's exterior. By painting your property in the spring, you can ensure that it's well-protected before the summer heat and storms set in.

In conclusion, now is the time to schedule your exterior painting project for the spring. By taking advantage of the ideal weather conditions, getting ahead of the rush, increasing your property's value, and protecting your property from the elements, you can ensure that your property looks great and is well-protected for years to come. Contact a professional painting contractor today to schedule your project and get started on the path to a beautiful, updated exterior.

 

Painting of a Farmhouse

March 26, 2022 at 4:46 pm | Category: Interior Painting, Uncategorized

Ryan Amato Painting recently completed a beautiful farmhouse in Riegelsville, Pa.

An interior painting project that needed the utmost preparation because all surfaces must be clean and free of dust and paint splatter.

Preparation

So Ryan Amato Painting carefully prepared all the walls for the high end paint from Benjamin Moore

They spackled any dings and dents in the walls, carefully and thoroughly inspected the walls for any signs of cracks or failing paint coatings that were evident.

After this they sanded any spackle using fine sandpaper, this is to reduce any dust, because being preventative is easier than cleaning.

All spackle was spot primed using a top quality interior primer so a proper finishes are achieved.

Finish Coats

It is important to sand the walls before and after the first coat says Ryan Amato

Ryan Amato

Because to achieve that ultra smooth finish desired with a high end painting project, proper application is a must.

Inspection

After both coats were applied and allowed to dry the lead painter inspected the walls for any deviations or touch ups needed.

Then the lead painter is to walk with the client to make sure any touch ups needed or concerns are addressed right away.

After this process was completed, a quality assurance form was mutually signed, so both the lead painter and homeowner have approved the work to 100% satisfaction.

Pictures

Here are some amazing pictures from this interior painting project,

Interior painting

Benjamin Moore paints

If you are looking for an experienced Northampton & Lehigh County painter then please call (484) 821-7112 or complete our online request form.

Choosing the lowest prices painter can be a huge mistake

 Why choosing the lowest priced painter can be a huge mistake

Choosing the lowest prices anything can be a huge mistake, I get it, you want to save money, expenses are tight and many people love the art of the deal.

By saving some money or asking "is this the best you can do?" or "is this your lowest price?" for some is a thrill, but remember the service industry is typically smaller companies, some family owned and some single person companies who, their families depend on a fair wage to survive.

By always hiring the lowest price your risking a few things

• Will they stand behind their work if something goes wrong?
• Will they be in business in a year or so from now?
• How much experience and training do they invest in?
• Are they actually paying taxes and are they insured (and their workers)
• What is their relationship with the manufacturers of the products they use

Will they stand behind the work if something goes wrong?

This is a big one, anyone can buy a few paint brushes and say they have a business but a lot more goes into this than that. The big one is mistakes happen, paint does sometimes peel or chip off among many other things.

Some of these things may be warrantied and some not, will they be able to be found when tings go wrong, if they are continually charging less than they should to sustain a business, there will be nothing left when these things occur, how many companies do you know will come back a year later to fix something? I have been in the painting business a long time and I can tell you not many, they are hard enough to get a hold of when you are paying them, imagine when there is no money in the game for them?

Will they be in business a year from now?

By routinely under charging and under valuing their work, they are leaving no investment or money left to maintain and sustain a business, they are living check to check or cash to cash and there will be nothing available when things go wrong, and things will go wrong from time to time. They are not investing in any training typically or the training of their workers.

Are they paying taxes and are they insured?

This is a huge one, if you have to pay taxes on the earnings you make, why should others not have to? 

Paying taxes helps fund the towns we live in, if someone is so quick to skirt these responsibilities, what happens when your not looking on the work they are doing for you?

Insurance is the big one here, if someone under or uninsured gets hurt working in or around your home what do you think will happen? They will sue you and your insurance company and most likely win, do they have workers? If so they need workers compensation or the same thing will happen, it will just roll downhill back to you and your home. It is super important to know who is in and around your home and are they adequately insured.

What is their relationship with the manufactures of the products they use?

You would be surprised what a great relationship will get you from Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams, sometimes paints fail or other issues come up, without having support from the manufacturer to correct these issues, your on your own. Trust me when I tell you the companies that buy more paint get different treatment whether anyone admits it or not. I can call up right now and get things other contractors may not be able to get such as very quick support, products and more.

This also helps with new products, the paint industry is ever changing and you have to be ahead of it to stay current and aware of all the new products and applications

Exterior Painting Expectations

Exterior Painting Expectations

Deciding to paint the exterior of your home is something most everyone has to do at some point.

Even if you have vinyl or aluminum siding, wood or other there will be a time you need to paint that dull or faded siding.

Expectations are the most important thing you need to express to the estimator who comes out to your home. Not every painting company will prepare and paint your home the same way just as each restaurant you go to doesn't prepare your food the same way.

There is a level of service for every different person and budget. To expect that to be the same from the company top company can be ripe for disappointment.

First things first preparation of the surface

Here is an important area for any paint job, with aluminum siding or vinyl siding there isn't too much for confusion, make sure it is cleaned, any damaged pieces should be replaced by a siding contractor and then properly paint it. 

What about wood 

Here is where differences will come into play.

In our area, we have a mix of new and older homes that have been painted countless times already.

Without contracting with your painter to completely strip your surfaces it will not be completely smooth like new if you have many old layers of peeling paint. We believe this is the number one area of confusion with exterior painting

Preservation

We use the preservation method of preparation of the surface. This would include scraping loose paint, not removing old layers that are sound, caulking gaps and voids where needed and typically overlaying the caulk. Spot priming any bare wood and lightly sanding (feather sanding) the surfaces.

You will still see the old layers of paint however you will have a protected sound surface that will last for years. This is acceptable for 9 out of 10 people but if they are expecting a stripped smooth surface you will be disappointed. The issue is, that type of service is expensive and not many people would want to go that costly route but do want those results. It's comparable to having the budget for a used car but expecting a brand new BMW.

Restoration

Restoration is the total restoring of a surface, we do not offer this service personally. It is costly because it takes a long time, very expensive labor and top of the line materials usually matching historical trim pieces. Not many people would go this route but some do expect it.

Be At the Estimate

It sounds simple but to avoid any missed expectations, be at the estimate and have a real conversation with the estimator. You would not believe how many people call for an estimate and either will not be home or not walk around the home with me. Those jobs have a 50/50 shot of going bad in one way or the other. Be at the estimate and take the time to walk around the home, point out areas that are concerning to you, remember it's your home and you know it's in and outs. An estimator is only there for maybe an hour. The more you can tell us, the better so we can prescribe the correct paint job and meet or exceed your expectations.

If you would like a free no-hassle consultation please call us at 484-821-7112 www.ryanamatopainting.com

It may be cold but it's time to think of your exterior painting

It may be cold outside but it's time 

to think about your exterior painting

It may be cold, rainy or snowy outside but we are already in February and it is certainly time to plan your exterior painting.

Most professional painting companies are already scheduling their Spring and Summer work, I know we are and if you wait too long you could end up with a company you didn't intend on using.

On our end, our exterior estimates have never slowed down, we schedule at least one or two every week throughout the winter, it is also the time facility managers are setting their budgets for their Spring and Summer work which means very large jobs can take a chunk of the schedule at any moment.

So we recommend first knowing what you would like to have painted, is it the entire home, the trim only, some doors or a deck? Have that plan ready when we arrive. A customer who knows exactly what they want painted makes it so much easier to establish the correct price.

We like to walk around the home with the customer, carefully listening to their expectations, timeframe and then the discussion about their budget. Having a discussion about the budget at this time, face to face is the best time to review and adjust as needed.

Your going to have to trust the company you choose to do your painting work and discussing your budget is one of those areas you have to be open and honest. A company you can trust will not take advantage of this discussion.

After all of this is out in the open, we can go over the timeframe and schedule. With exterior painting work, you're going to deal with many things, such as weather, unforeseen things like rotted wood and a few other things. 

In the Northeast where we live and work, we deal with humidity, rain, heat, wind, etc. It seems like we experience every type of weather possible. Being experienced enough to know you have to work around this weather, there is rarely a perfect day to paint in our area.

A professional painter knows how to work around this type of issue, some days starting later in the day pr ending earlier in the afternoon to avoid the sun, freezing temperatures or other things. You have to at this point put your trust in the painter you chose to do your project.

A good exterior painting project will deal with delays, unforeseen issues, weather and more and you as the customer may never even know about these things if you have a good painter who has experience dealing with them.

An open dialogue is also very important, communication is the number one area a project may go wrong. Keeping proper expectations and being open to discussing the project each day is important for a successful paint project.

Why paint your kitchen cabinets?

Why paint your kitchen cabinets?

Why is kitchen cabinet painting so hot and in right now? 

The easy answer is it saves so much money vs replacing or refacing and you can get a tremendous transformation of your kitchen in way less time then replacing or refacing your kitchen cabinets.

There is no way to replace your kitchen cabinets with quality ones for the same or even near the same price as painting them.

You can get a great job that will stand up over time by having a professional do them the right way.

This includes preparing them correctly, using the right paints and coatings and simply doing the right thing.

Painters can lie

Unfortunately doing the right thing and the painting industry does not always go hand in hand. It is easy and affordable for someone to go out and but a ladder and a few brushes and say they are in business.

Let's start a business

It is simply not that easy and professional companies know this, that is why it is laughable when customers will try to compare estimates from many different painting companies while some are barely companies. You may be able to get away with this painting a wall but certainly not with kitchen cabinets.

The process is straight forward but it is when something goes wrong that professional painter with all their experience can save the day, they can adjust and be the superhero of your job.

Painting can be easy but it can also be hard and confusing. 

Years of experience is where a true professional painter shines. That does come with a cost, a fair cost. To simply compare estimates based on price does away with all those years of training, working and the experience gained.

So what will you do?

Will you simply take the lowest price and cross your fingers and hope for the best or be assured your project will come out correctly? It's your choice.

How To get The Perfect Painting Estimate

How To Get The Perfect Painting Estimate

When you think about painting your home or business, the first thing you need is a painter to call.

You ask around or you may Google search or look on social media to find the perfect one.

Once you make your call and a few call you back you make an appointment and that's it.

But in reality, this is the start of a little bit of work you should do to be prepared
for your estimate as a client.

Be Prepared

The painter and estimator also have their work cut out for them, you cannot just show up.
You must be prepared and also prepare your client for this estimate.

Sending information out before the estimate prepares the client for the perfect estimate.

By answering questions before arrival,  you avoid any confusion, while showing
you're an expert.

What questions are asked? Answer them in an email, blog or video

As a client, you must know what you want to have done and be able to
either express it on the estimate or have it written down. 

Not expressing your expectations to the estimator is problem number one
that can come back to bite you. 

Whenever we have an issue on a project is typically comes down to
missed expectations that were never expressed to the estimator.

No Two Are Alike

Do not assume each painting company is going to offer the
same level of service or the same quality.

Do not assume you're receiving the top of the line level of work if it
was not discussed or paid for.

Let me say that again, you cannot expect to receive a new BMW when
your paying for a used car with 200,000 miles on it. 

A budget should be discussed, no one wants to talk about money but why?
It's the perfect time to discuss a budget, you can both agree on what will be done
and not done and how much it will cost.

Once you have met, discussed the budget and expectations of the project,
the best time to make a commitment is now.

Do It Now

It makes no sense to not take care of this now, especially if you have
pre-planned and know how much you can afford.
You do not want to be pressured however and this goes back to be comfortable
with your estimator.

Discuss the price openly, it is not a bad thing to discuss pricing at all,
if you can’t discuss pricing with the person you want to hire, maybe it isn't the
right person to hire?

Once your budget is discussed and the price is agreed upon making
sure everything you discussed is written in the proposal.

This is important for us because our painters get a copy of that wording
and this is what they will do on a project, no more or less, again you want this
to be clear now, not when you have painting happening inside your home.

Once everything looks great, sign the proposal and a copy is typically emailed right over
to you,
now you are set to go on to the next step which is scheduling.
We will review that is another video

10 Free Paint Jobs

10 free Paint Jobs

We are offering 10 free painters for the day for property managers, facility managers or operation managers who have not used our painting services before.

Some companies have not used us or do not know about our services and what better way to find out by trying us with a no-risk,no-cost day of painting? 

Why?

Why not? The facility will get a free small paint job and in turn, when the painting is needed in the future "we just ask to be considered for that work, that is all that's expected" says Ryan Amato

If you already have a painting company and are thrilled with them that is awesome, don't lose them or switch just because of a lower price. But if your not happy or have had issues we would love to be able to show you what we can do for your facility or property

The catch?

There is none, you supply the paint and any materials, we will bring one painter for 8 hours of work, typically a painter can paint the walls of a small 8x10 room, or maybe some doors. We won't be able to do exterior work, epoxy floors or anything other than the 8 hours of work which may eliminate some work, heavy patching. What we suggest is contacting us, we can come out and take a look at the work to show you what can be done or not.

Win-Win

It's a win-win, best case you love us, you get a free small paint job, worst case, you don't and we never have to see each other again and you owe nothing except a little paint, tape etc

Contact us through this link 

Be present on your painting estimate

Be present on your painting estimate

Being present is much more than simply being there, you know you can be physically there but miles away in your mind.

When you call any company to come out and give you an estimate all the want is to be able to give you an accurate cost and possibly do the work for you. 

By not taking this seriously you are wasting their time but more importantly what happens if you actually give them the project to do and you never reviewed all the information with them? You're setting the project up for missed expectations and possible failure.

I cannot tell you how many times I go look at a huge painting project and get little to no information from the client. It makes it hard to give an actually detailed estimate, there are always many follow up questions that could have been avoided on-site and the work order the painters follow is one we made up with this little info given.

This can all be avoided

All of this can be avoided simply by putting your phone down and devoting the 15-30 minutes it takes to do YOUR estimate. Speaking about all the details and reviewing the project onsite.

Remember not every company does things the exact same way.

Here is a video I did on this exact topic

10 Questions With Benjamin Moore's Mark Lipton

10 Questions with Benjamin Moore's Mak Plimpton

I have had the luxury to be able to interview, meet and interact with many great people from all walks of life, from business to sports to entertainment and I wanted to start to bring these discussions to you.

You will soon find out even though we all come from different walks of life we all have many of the same things in common.

Listen in as we speak to Mark about his life, business and family and I hope you can learn a few things to use in your world as well

Podcast

What happens when it rains for painters?

What happens when it rains for a painter?

Rain happens, it's going to rain that is for sure but what happens to painting companies or any contractor who works on exterior projects?

Managing any schedule for the service industry is difficult to start with, then throw in rain, snow, ice, call-offs and you have a big puzzle to put together while minimizing upset clients.

We realized years ago the schedule will never be perfect and to try to make it perfect will only create disappointment from all ends, you will be upset as the contractor you can't make everyone happy and the clients will be happy as you try to throw painters on every project, when you react like that and make decisions quick you will have projects that are not manned accordingly or with the quality they deserve.

So what do you do? 

You need to manage the expectations of the clients on the initial estimate and keep letting them know how the schedule works, no one customer is more important than the others, some will bark, grumble and groan but as long as they knew the process before they accepted the project there should not be an issue.

We give broad date ranges, that is the only way unless you have an unlimited amount of staff to cover all projects and no one does. By giving broad date ranges you never lock yourself in until a week or so before the actual start date. Even at that point if it rains and a job is ushed back it ushes back all the jobs behind it even if they are interior projects.

There is simply no other way

This is the fairest way for all clients to get their work done in a professional and punctual way while minimizing disruptions. It will still not be perfect and you will continually be reassuring clients how the schedule is going, you must have great communication. The moment a client feels you have not communicated doubts creep in and then you will be explaining things again.

The Ole Switcheroo

The Ole Switcheroo

When I say please be at your estimate there are many reasons why but expectations of the final product are one of the top reasons for sure.

I know in my house or really in any relationship you have we all have different opinions and things that are important to us and some things that are not important.

So many decisions in your home are done together to make sure both people are happy with the end result and the decision being made, whether that is a new dog, a new car, or new furniture the person or people who will be living with the decisions should be part of that process.

No more important is the decision when you are hiring a service such as a painting contractor

One issue we sometimes see is I have done an estimate let's say for the husband, he walks me through the house and shows me the work being done, the only issue is he could care less on the final appearance and only wants a color change.

He never explained his wife really is the one who this is very important to and will be judging the final work.

Why is this bad?

This can be disastrous to your project because no expectations were ever mentioned so it was estimated for a basic color change, minimal patching and a quick repaint project.

When the project starts the other partner expects the walls to look brand new, ultra-smooth even though they are not currently that way.

And so it begins

This is where it can all go south, you can have an angry spouse who doesn't think the job is the quality they expected although it really is what was explained on the estimate, they weren't there though and trying to explain this is what they asked for is a mute point now because it will only get worse. So you end up spending more time on a project, extra hours spackling and patching or extra coats of paint.

The walkthrough

This is where you can end any of these issues, do a pre-job walkthrough and fully explain to everyone how the project will be done, what to expect and what the final appearance will look like. What you can do and cannot do. Make it a point and requirement everyone is there and why they should be there. If they cannot be at the estimate or the pre-job walkthrough I know it sounds tough but they should not be communicating with you once the job starts.

It takes clear and direct communication to achieve this, if you're afraid to tell them the truth or be direct it can only get worse from here. Yes, you may upset a few people but reflect back on the estimate when they could not be there for the most important part of the job.

The relationship

This can happen in any form, it could be the wife or girlfriend not there or vice versa or on a commercial project they typically have a secretary walk though who has no say in anything once the job starts and along comes someone else who knows nothing about the conversations we had long before the job starts. Address this issue right away or be prepared for a long, tough project

Choosing and matching colors

Choosing and matching colors

Choosing and matching colors can be the best and worst part of your painting project.

Some people love and look forward to choosing new colors for their home while others this process brings great stress and anxiety.

With the investment of getting your home painted and feeling the pressure to get it just right can make for a miserable experience for some, typically for us this can delay some projects, we like to have the colors to our office at least two weeks before the project starts to properly prepare for your job. This certainly doesn’t happen all the time and this process has delayed the start of jobs.

It is a lot better to be prepared for your project then show up the first day not having any paint, having to run to the paint store, the delays could cost you more money in delays.

Choosing colors doesn’t have to be a difficult or frustrating experience at all. In the grand scheme of things it’s only paint, nothing in this world will be perfect although we try like heck to make it as close as possible. For these people that need that perfect color, a color consultant is exactly what will make this process go smoother.

Open floor concepts

With today’s open floor concepts,  can see multiple rooms at on time when your standing in one room, color selections are vital to create a smooth transition into each room.

Benjamin Moore does make this quite easy with there Affinity color chart, it is exactly what I used in my home, any color  in this color fan deck will coordinate with any of the others. However even with this chart , I would of probably chosen other colors after I was complete.

Colors will change from wall to wall, room to room even when using the same can of paint, we have had clients swear up and down we used a different color in the same room and it was the light, depending on the type of lighting you have in the room can dramatically change the outcome and look of your paint colors. We know this is hard to understand but it is in fac the case, we recommend bringing a sample of your colors home and put samples on boards in the room they are going, pleas do not put them on the wall as they can change the app rearrange of the top colors as we try to cover all the samples you did on the wall.

At Ryan Amato Painting we are here to make this a simple process and can help in anyway possible, we highly recommend commend our color consultant for the more choosier of clients, for others you can certainly select your own colors and create an awesome space that match’s your style ,taste and personality.

Painting in cold weather

When is it time to stop painting in the Lehigh Valley?

The Fall is on the way and that means leaves changing colors and falling, Halloween, Thanksgiving and yes cold weather.

We are asked each year when is it too cold to paint and that is a great question and it depends on a few different things.

Typically in years past you would need to stop painting around 50 degrees which really limits the season in the Lehigh Valley to paint exteriors but with the new paint formulations Sherwin Williams has many pints that can be used down to 34 degrees. This means we can extend the exterior painting season possibly months ahead. We actually painted well after Christmas a few years ago.

We do have to remember a few things, when we say the temperature needs to be 35 degrees we are referring to the surface temperature of the material you are attempting to paint. So if that is metal such as aluminum siding the surface temperature may be a lot lower thence  the air temps. 

We use the information from the local weather channels and temperature and surface temperature gauges. This is very important to know, you may be able to push it a few degrees but much more than that and you could risk paint failures such as peeling, flaking, discoloration and more. Plus you would void your manufactures warranty from any of the manufacturers and trust me they will go back and look at the dates and local weather reports.

So what happens in the Fall is there is no guarantee an exterior painting project can be done, so we typically tentatively schedule these projects with the risk it may need to be done in the next Spring.

For instance we had approximately 10 projects push into 2019 from last Fall, although they are the first projects to be done it still takes time to go through those jobs, not every person can be the first job.

The Fall can be a great time to paint and do exterior projects, you don’t have the direct sun to contend with much or as much rain as we see in July and August, it’s cooler so we have longer work days as we are not contending with higher temperatures and the paint doesn’t instantly dry which makes it easier for the painters .

Most painting companies will be very experienced dealing with the weather and there is no need to micromanage this or delay the project because of a few degrees here and there and can actually add additional costs because of delays. Trust who you hire and remember in most cases they have been doing this a long time.

We love to paint homes

We love our work 

What’s not to love about making people’s dreams for their home come true? We get to see this process start from the first day at the estimate when they explain to our estimator what their vision is for a room or the entire home, whether inside or out paint can do so much and quick.

Transforming a home can be a life changing thing for some families, people save to be able to do a professional paint job and we take that seriously each time.

Does everything always go perfectly? No not every time but the thing with us is we stand behind everything and we preach accountability to everyone around us, and if we see they do not understand accountability they aren’t around any longer.

We have had a lot of great painters that turned out to not be a good fit because as soon as something goes wrong (and it does) they blame everyone else, that is the perfect time to see someone’s true colors. We work hard to keep good people around us who are professional, respectful, dependable and great at communication. To find these people takes a lot of hard work , sometimes we can’t tell right away but people always show their true self in tough times.

What does this mean to you? It means you have nothing to worry about, even in the rare case something happens you can rest assure it will be corrected any way possible and that means a lot in this day and age with contractors.

We are a small company who specializes in customer satisfaction, we just happen to paint.

The best clients become our raving fans and tell everyone, their friends and family, click on our social media posts and keep in touch with us.

It’s great when we are out in the area, at a store and someone comes up and tells us how much they love us and the job we did.

As I said it’s not perfect, we have had disgruntled clients as well as painters, that is going to happen when you do so many jobs and work for people and with people you don’t know personally, we try hard to qualify our clients and painters but every now and then some slip through or we make a mistake. Anyone company who says they never have made a mistake isn’t telling you the truth.

I get the great opportunity to meet, train and teach and learn from many other painting contractors across the United States as well as some of the largest and best and trust me we all have the same issues. Employee issues, client issues, expectations are unreasonable or just very difficult people.

But to push on and persevere and grow is what makes it all worthwhile , remember the great clients more than the few bad ones, remember their is always a bad apple in the bunch. It doesn’t mean you do bad work. 

Garage Epoxy Floor

Garage Epoxy Floor Process

Everyone wants a nice garage for their cars, tools or a place to play. We all rush out to buy those kits you see in the box stores with great anticipation and hopes, do everything right it says to do on the box only to find a few months later it might peel up.

Concrete floors and garage floors are one of the toughest substrates to paint and the reason is the unforeseen conditions under and the abuse it takes on top of the floor. We may not know there is a moisture issue under the floor or water pressure pushing up, we cannot control the movement of the home, no epoxy or paint can withstand that and not to mention the hot tires pulling in and out each day.

Knowing these things can happen and the floor is not impenetrable to any of these things happening are called expectations, as long as you know what to expect and understand things can happen you will have a successful project and a floor that should last. Yes, you may have to do it again, yes it may need maintenance and cleaning or another coat added. These are things to expect.

The start of any good floor job is cleaning the floor of grease and dirt, you will need a degreaser or emulsifier to remove the grease from the concrete, if you do not clean the floor properly or before prep you could push the grease even further into the concrete which will speed up any paint failures.

After cleaning we need to get the surface ready for the coating. This could be by chemically (acid etch) or mechanically (diamond grind) depending on the coating your using and condition of the floor that will tell you which manner will work best. 

Now the floor is ready for coating and hopefully we have decided to use a professional company to do this or at least are using a higher end product. The epoxy has very clear directions on mixing, sweat in times and or time to get it on the floor as well as the number of coats and thickness it needs to be applied.

Make sure to follow these specifications to the letter or again you could end up with a failure of the coating. 

Now you have a choice, are you adding decorative flakes or an anti-skid additive into the epoxy? Now is the time to do it, this will all be subjective on who is putting the flakes down, you can get different looks from different applicators, you can also choose a sparse flake or cover the entire floor solid with flakes.

Once you have your flakes down, the next day is the time to add your protective clear coat, we like to use top of the line products here as this is the coating protecting the top side of your floor.

If you follow all the directions, use good products and have the proper expectations you can have a great epoxy floor too.

Why Painting Is Sexy

Why Painting Is Sexy

Painting and sexy, two words you may not think belong in the same sentence but they can certainly go together and we see it every day.

Sexy

1. 

provoking or intended to provoke sexual interest

a sexy dress

a sexy book

2. 

feeling sexual interest; aroused

3. 

interesting, exciting, or trendy

a sexy project

a sexy new car

In our business we deliver needs and wants, that could be a new color to a room or home that can totally change the look and feel of any space which in turn can change the energy and emotion of a person or family.

There is nothing like an excited client I meet on an estimate and I can almost feel the excitement in their energy, to deliver what they want and see the look on their face is an amazing feeling. I think you would find most painters also love this feeling.

So sexy doesn't  necessarily refer to "sex" it can be that same feeling we get as well as the client, to be able to do this day in and out is awesome and we don't take that for granted at all.

It's that same feeling when you buy a new car or order new furniture or buy that new dress or suit. People live for that feeling and painting can surely bring that same feeling and one that stays with you for a long time.

So the next time you think "sexy" remember painting can bring you that feeling and stay with you a long time