You Want A Painting Estimate Now

You Want A Painting Estimate Now

You want a painting estimate now but are your prepared for what you may hear?

Do you know what type of company you would like to hire?

What? You didn't know every company is different?

Remember the painting industry is not robotic, every painter, every company does things differently and each will have different costs associated with "their way"

Before you send that email or call that painting company you chose from facebook or Google, make sure you know what is important to you and your family for the work you want done. 

This can included

• The time frame
• How much preparation of the surface you want ( it is not standard from company to company) 
• The type of paint you want to use vs your budget, remember you can go from $15 a gallon of paint all the way up to and over $100 PER GALLON
• What will make you thrilled once the project is over, what will you remember about the job
• Have you had issues in the past with other companies

The Time Frame

The time frame is very important, most companies will surely be 4-6 weeks out with scheduling, please plan your projects ahead of time when possible, there is always a chance a project can be done ahead of that time frame when time and schedule permits. But if your time frame is less than a week, you will have an issue securing a highly sought after professional painting company or painter.

Let them know right away on the phone, a good company will ask this BEFORE coming out so they can avoid wasting anyone's time for a time frame they could never meet.

Preparation

No two companies will prepare your walls the same and it doesn't mean any one company is right or wrong, some companies do high end work where every inch of the surface is perfect and budget is not an issue for that client while other companies give you a general patching , hitting small dings and dent, maybe not all of them will be done but the majority and than there will be companies in between. 

Without explaining what you want your project is ripe for missed expectations and trouble, the experience will be miserable if you think your getting one job but receive another.

Don't be afraid to have an open and honest discussion with the contractor you're going to select because it is certainly a relationship. With any type of relationship if there is no communication there will be issues.

Paints Used

Paint prices vary so greatly, you can get a lower grade paint for a quick color change for an apartment for $15 or less in some cases or you can go all out and spend over $100 for a custom hand made paint from Benjamin Moore. Somewhere between those two options are many, many other choices depending on the performance you wish for your home or business.

Here are some questions to ask yourself

• Will you wash your walls?
• If so will you scrub them?
• Do you have children and pets?
• What type of sheen (shine) or lack of do you wish?
• What colors are you choosing?
• How often do you repaint
• Do you want a zero voc paint?
• Do you or anyone in your home have asthma or allergies?

The Vision

When your project is over a good company should know and meet what your vision is for your project.

We all have a vision, whether you got it from Houzz, Google, saw a friends home, a picture on Facebook or simply came up with it on your own, that is a vision and we want to know what that looks like so we can meet and exceed it.

A picture, drawing, link or video is a great way to share this vision, having a working relationship with any contractor will surely make your painting project a great one

Top Mistakes To Avoid With Epoxy Floors

When Having an epoxy floor done in your garage, home or business there are many things that can go wrong.

Top mistakes with epoxy floor install

A few issues are untrained technicians, this is not a job for the normal painter as epoxy has all different curing times, application methods and must be done correctly and as per the manufacturers specifications.

Lack of knowledge on the preparation of the surface is another huge issue and where we usually see failures such as peeling, blistering and more. Not knowing what the proper csp (concrete surface profile) should be for the product and surface your are applying the epoxy to can be a recipe for disaster.

I have seen countless times contractors grinding floors or after inspecting failures facilities and businesses tell me “I saw them grinding” that are not even close to being correctly prepared, in actuality they polished the floors and made it worse through improperly grinding the floor.

Just because you see or hear someone say they are grinding does not mean they are doing it correctly, ask them what csp profile they are achieving and see if they know the answer.

What products are being used? Again if you go out to dinner and order a steak, you know there are many different grades, suppliers and they way it is cooked, this all affects the taste and price of that steak dinner. The same goes with epoxy, when you hear buzz words like polyaspartic, 100%solids that can mean anything and any grade, you can certainly buy a cheap and worthless 100% solid epoxy that just is not the same quality as another.

A typical homeowner will not be able to tell or see a difference until they have to re do their floor much, much sooner than expected. Heck you may not see any difference at all. It is hard to tell one floor from the next and the internet doesn’t help much with the proper information of real world epoxy floor installation.

The kits from the big box stores are just not the same high grade epoxy used by professional contractors, they are made to be easier to apply for the normal homeowner, with some professional epoxies and urethane’s, once mixed we may only have 15 minutes to get it on the floor. So when purchasing those kits remember cost vs value, yes it will be much less expensive to do it yourself now, but the time it takes you to do it you could of spent doing other things and the matter of having it last will certainly cost you more in the long run

If you are looking for an experienced Northampton & Lehigh County painter then please call 484-821-7112

The Insider's Guide To Painting

The Insider's Guide To Painting Your Home

Painting your home whether you use a professional or do it yourself can be much easier with a few tips from the pros. The reason the pros are the pros is from the experience they gain from job to job.

Let's face it nothing is perfect on any job and they are all unique to themselves, one paint may not work the same on each project, one brush may not work with different paints so let's review some tips we have gained in our painting experience.

• Buy the best paint possible, here is one area not to "cheap out" when you purchase that $20 gallon of paint and think you saved money but now have to put three, four coats of paint on you have just wasted more of your own time you could have been spending with your family.
• Cheap paint also doesn't clean easily and can be easily marked, in some cases just by putting your finger on the wall. Expect to pay at least $45 a gallon
• Use a quality caulk when working on any trim such as baseboard, door and window trim. A less expensive caulk will shrink which will result in cracks and gaps. Expect to pay at least $5 a tube for a quality caulk
•  Put two coats on the wall. It just looks better, don't skip that second coat, your wall will thank you, it will be easier to clean, look more uniform and the color truer
• Buy quality roller covers and tape. If you listen to one tip this is it, a cheap roller cover may release fuzz on your brand new wall, take you longer to paint the wall and reduce the quality of the finish
• When working on hardwood floors put brown paper under the dropcloth closest to the wall your painting (you will thank me later) It will catch all the paint that will get by the dropcloth, remember do not tape anything to the hardwood floor, tape to the baseboard in case the finish of your floor is not stable. We have seen floor finishes come up with tape and it's not the fault of the tape.
• Roll out of a five-gallon bucket, it is so much easier than a pan on the floor. You will need a roller grid, a quality handle, sleeve and a poll that retracts and extends
• Sand the walls between coats, I can't stress this one enough, if your not a pro you may not see all the imperfections on your walls, simply use a sanding pole and sandpaper and sand the wall after your first coat. It will make your finish much better

These are just some of the tips we have learned over the years, by learning from experience and mistakes we can share some of this knowledge with you if you decide to paint your home yourself use them to make things easier, better and for a pro like job.

If you need help we are here to assist and give you a proposal for any of your painting needs