How to Hire a Professional Contractor
October 25th, 2009 | 
Author: by Andrei Medeiros
(Boston, MA )
Although some homeowners do their own exterior painting, many others hire a professional house painter to do the work. If you are one of them, don’t leave the selection of a painting contractor to chance. After all, your exterior paint job is important protection for the enormous investment you have in your home.
Homeowners are often driven by price, not capability, in their search for a painting contractor. This approach encourages an unqualified residential painter to submit unrealistically low bids for jobs that are beyond their technical capabilities. Frequently, the owner is the one to suffer through faulty project schedules, poor workmanship and the coating system’s failure or reduced service life.
Whenever possible, the surface preparation and painting portion of a job should be given to a paint company specifically qualified to meet the varied aspects of the owner’s scope of work. Two key areas for review are suitable/successful experience and a technical capability for the type of work or coating system specified.
Ask about the materials they plan to use. Will the painting contractor allow you to specify the paint you prefer? More importantly, does the paint company recommend top quality paint? Top quality acrylic latex exterior paint can last for up to 10 years compared to only three or four years for ordinary paint, so you should favor the residential painter who uses the highest quality materials.
Former customers are an excellent source of information about professional painters. Call these individuals and ask if they were pleased with the work of that painting contractor. A reliable house painter will usually guarantee that the paint will not peel, chip, blister or chalk excessively for at least one year. Have the company agree that if any of these conditions occur, the problems will be corrected free of charge.
You and your painting contractor should both sign a contract that spells out important details. At a minimum, it should include specifics on surface preparation, the exact paint to be applied(application process), and payment terms for the house painters.
All About Paint Rollers
AllPaint Rollers are basically cylinders with absorbent material on them. The cylinders move around an axle, which allow an even coat of paint to be applied. The amount of paint that a roller can hold is quite large, and this makes them very convenient.
However, using a roller is an art. If you apply too much pressure, the paint will move to the ends creating “ridges” in the paint job.
Put the paint into a tray lined with aluminium foil for easy cleaning later on. Dip the roller into the paint and roll it in letting the paint get sucked up. Apply the paint on the wall in up and down strokes alternating with diagonal strokes every now and then. Keep moving. If you go over the wet paint several times, the paint will dry too fast. Also, the roller needs to be kept wet at all times. If the paint is allowed to dry on it, it will be useless.
Keep in mind that you have to use a paint brush for corners and other nooks and crannies.
The Importance of Quality Drop Cloths
Drop Cloths can help you ensure that paint doesn’t splatter all over your room. The difference between drop cloths and plastic, is that Drop cloths are absorbent, skid resistant, and leak proof. According to Murphy’s law, paint will fall on the places that are uncovered no matter how small, and it isn’t until you start painting that you realize how true this is!
Image Credit:kimberly hurst
Canvas drop cloths are the best for professionals. They are tough, and can be reused over an over. They have an excellent grip on the surface, and are completely non-permeable. It’s also the most expensive.
For a one time paint job however, paper drop cloth is easily the best choice. They can be used to cover the floor and the furniture, and are cheap as well. However, they it does absorb the paint. This is good and bad. It’s bad because there is a chance that whatever you’re covering will get stained. It’s good because it won’t wet your feet when you walk over the spills.
Plastic drop cloths are like paper drop cloths, but don’t absorb the paint. The advantages and disadvantages are reversed here. Cleaning up afterwards can be a mess since the paint is still on the plastic, but it protects the underlying surface a little more.
Finally, the paper/poly drop cloth tries to use the advantages of each. The paper ensures that the paint is absorbed a bit, and the plastic ensures that the underlying surface doesn’t get stained. However, it is understandably more expensive
Interior Painting, Painting Your Room
Remodeling can be a task that some people dread. However, home remodeling can actually go very smoothly if you are well organized and know exactly what needs to be done. Often, painting your home, whether inside our out, can be the one task most people put off. Due to the time it takes, painting tends to be placed on the back burner. Paining can add a new element to your home. When you are looking for a change and you want to change the interior of your home, painting can be a fairly quick method of refreshing your home. Changing from a light color to a dark color and visa versa can dramatically change the look of a room.
A great benefit of many home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes in Cleveland, Ohio is that they carry a wide variety of paints and color selections. Many stores have the paint swatches that you can take home to see how they will look in your home. These also list the specific name of the paint color so that the store you obtained the swatch from can mix the paint according to its specifications. Once you have chosen your color you need to decide what type of paint finish you want. Some of the finishes include:
- Flat – a flat finish has no sheen (shine) to it and it tends to hide flaws easily. This type of finish is suited for low traffic areas such as a bedroom or closet. You won’t want to use this in areas of high traffic like the living room because it is too difficult to clean up.
- Eggshell – this offers the same amount of protection as a flat paint but offers a little bit of luster to it. This finish is a little easier to clean then a flat finish.
- Satin Finish – this is easier to clean than the previous two methods. This is an excellent finish for a child’s room since it is easy to clean.
- Semi-Gloss – this paint reflects a lot of light off of it. This is a selection that is used in a lot of kitchens because it doesn’t soak up the grease like other finished.
- Gloss – this paint finish offer the greatest luster content and is very easy to clean but is not recommended for whole wall applications. This is more of a trim paint.
Now that you’ve chosen your paint and color, it’s time to get the furniture moved out of the way and prepare the walls for painting. You want to start by covering up your trim so that you don’t get paint all over them. There are a wide variety of tapes made to cover trim that won’t hurt its finish. You’ll also want to do this with electrical outlets as well as light switches. Next, you’ll want to primer the wall if you’re going from one dark color to a light color. However, if you are doing the opposite, you may be able to get away with putting primer over any spots. Use some spackle to cover any holes and then paint the trim areas around doors and windows to make it easier to paint all over later. When you apply your first coat, be sure to allow it to fully dry before adding a second coat. Also, make sure to let the wall fully dry or let it dry for at least 24 hours before re-hanging pictures.
Sounds like a lot of work but it will be well worth in the end and you’ll have a room that you can be proud of at half the cost of fully remodeling.
The Importance of Backrolling
Two house painting techniques used to push the primer or paint into the surface is back rolling and back brushing. This takes place during spray paint application.
Using an airless paint sprayer is a great way to apply either the primer or paint to almost any surface. But, there are limits to what it can do. Spraying paint tends to bridge small cracks, not filling them completely. This problem can occur to both interior and exterior surfaces. Such as new textured drywall or old clapboard siding.
Immediately using a roller after spraying can push the material into these small cracks and surface imperfections. This creates a filled, protected, smoother surface.
Try back rolling on new textured drywall. Back roll as the wallboard primer is applied. This results in a smoother more even finish.
Back brushing is used in special cases were a roller will not work. The same principles apply. By using a brush instead of a roller, the primer or finish can be pushed around and worked into the surface. For clear finishes having a brush handy is a good idea, to catch any runs.
When considering a painting contractor make sure that they are back rolling after spraying the paint, otherwise you could end up with an inferior paint job.
Painting: It’s a Bargain
by Courtney and Wise
(Sydney, Australia)
In an economic downturn, it’s harder to decide what investments will be the wisest. You may be putting off having your home painted till things seem more settled.
In fact, painting can be your best investment.
With the housing market where it is, selling your house may not be a wise move. You’ll get less for it, it will take longer to sell, and finding financing for a new place may be more difficult.
Yet you may not feel ready to undertake renovations to make your house more perfect for you to live in.
Painting your house is the fastest and least expensive way to update your home and make it a more enjoyable space for living. A fresh coat of paint makes your house look new and well-cared for, and a new color scheme updates the whole look of the house.
If you’re determined to sell, painting is still the most cost-effective choice for renovation.
When you paint your home, you can expect to get a return of up to 100% of the expense when you resell the house. Replacing a roof or heating system will only get you 80% of your investment back, while adding a deck can bring in 25-75% of the outlay, and adding a swimming pool can actually decrease the sale price of your home.
The difference doesn’t depend on the size of your investment, either. Home buyers tend to respond best to kitchen upgrades; a professional repainting and refinishing in the kitchen will bring in as much of a return as buying new appliances or doing a structural remodel.
So in an uncertain market, when you may be uncertain whether to sell or not, or your house may stay on the market for longer than you expected, painting is a wise investment.
