Sharper Impressions Painting

New technology has now enabled most exterior paints and stains to be applied at temperatures as low as 35°F, allowing homes to be painted much further into cooler months than before.

A fresh coat of paint in the fall may also be your last chance to protect your home from moisture and impending wood rot that often takes place in the winter. Failing to take the necessary steps to protect your home can be very costly. If a home goes unpainted thru the winter you may end up with extensive wood damage that could cost thousands to repair. The easiest way to prevent this is with a fresh coat of paint before winter weather sets in. A good paint job in the fall could protect your home for ten years or longer.

Fall is a great time to paint your home because less foliage around your home can get in the way of painting all the surfaces. Also, for a minimal fee, we can clean your gutters of any leaves or debris. We already have our ladders up on your home, why not clean the gutters!

Contact Sharper Impressions Painting today to discuss protecting your home from wood rot and the types of paint we can use to paint your house into the fall. We can schedule a free estimate for you right away!

With growing concerns about caring for the earth, Sharper Impressions Painting is continuously looking for new, environmentally-friendly ways to make your home beautiful. If you are looking to make your home a healthier place for your family to live, Sharper Impressions Painting has many options and will find the right paint for you!

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are gasses that are emitted by paint that are potentially harmful to your health. Sharper Impressions Painting offers the painting of your home with paints that contain low or no VOCs. To explain in layman’s terms what VOCs are…when you apply wet latex paint to an interior wall or trim surface, that paint will usually dry within 30 minutes. As the paint dries like glue to the wall it releases gases from its liquid form. In unventilated areas, those gases over time can be harmful to human lungs. Most higher quality level paints now dry with very low gases that enter the air. So, with a professional painter using good quality paint, you can be assured that the air you breathe before and after applying paint is safe.

Paints with low or no VOCs also allow families to quickly enjoy their freshly painted homes without having to wait for strong odors to fade away.

Painting your home “green” does not necessarily mean a higher price. Sharper Impressions Painting will work with your budget to suit your family’s needs and your concern for the environment.

Tips for “Green” Painting:

• Only buy as much paint as you need for your project.

• To clean your brushes after use, use a container of water rather than under a running faucet.

• Avoid pouring excess paint down a drain. It could potentially harm a stream or other area of water.

• If your paint container is almost empty, let it dry out completely, without the lid, before throwing it out.

• Give your excess paint to someone who can use it, such as a neighbor or a non-profit organization.

Contact Sharper Impressions Painting today to talk to someone about the “Green” Painting of your home and to schedule a free estimate!

Listed below is a list of pointers to consider when choosing new exterior paint colors for your home. For more information go to www.sharperimpressionspainting.com or www.voiceofcolor.com

• If a home that is Large and is on a smaller lot painting it white or a light color will make the house seem larger and the a lot seem smaller.

• When choosing the color of your front door carry out the personality from inside your home. It will create a bridge to connect the inside to the outside. Keep in mind the architectural style of your home, the exposure and, landscaping. Conversely, a dark color on the lower portion grounds the home to the earth.

• Light or white is an excellent choice for windowsills for reflection of the sun’s heat and light into the house. The sash, frames and sills painted individual colors can really enliven a home. Even a subtle change in color can add appeal.

• Accentuate the positive and significant architectural details. For instance, rain gutters may not be worthy of an accent color, but if the rain gutters are part of the outer trim boards on the roof line, paint them to match the trim boards and they will blend in and work with overall design of the house.

• Windows are the eyes of the home they can add or even define the character of a home. Decorating them with flowers or drapery lends crispness to the color scheme.

• Color makes an impression, and can enhance the appeal of your home. A creative color scheme can add enjoyment and value to the home.

• Paint always looks dark on a textured surface due to the shadows the home creates.

• Pay attention to the geography of your home. Intense sun washes out colors so brighter colors that are suitable in Sunbelt areas might stand out in the northern locations.

• Balance is important. Keeping the balance between light and deep and warm and cool colors; consider not just paint color scheme but all the elements that make up the surroundings.

• Consider the color of your shingles when painting your home as well. If you have a black roof consider grays or whites. If you have a brown or tan roof consider earth tones. Avoid paying too much attention to metal window colors, they tend to blend in and go unnoticed.

Below is a list of golden rolls to consider when choosing new interior colors for you home.
For more information go to www.sharperimpressionspainting.com or www.voiceofcolor.com.

• Pick your favorite object in the room it can be a rug, wall art, or a piece of furniture. The colors in this piece will set the scheme for the rest of the room.

• Pick colors that match that favorite piece and coordinate those.

• Pick accents to bring the color scheme together for most people, the “best part” of choosing colors is completing the look with accents and furniture. Everything from chairs to window treatments can help coordinate your color scheme.

• Choose your color theme like cool colors give the illusion of space, while warm colors tend to create warm and cozy spaces.

• When changing colors from room to room consider which path in the home is most traveled and have the colors flow in that direction.

Two coats of paint is the minimum that should be applied when painting your home. Typically, one coat of paint won’t give you the solid full color you are looking for. In addition one coat of paint will not provide the durability you are hoping to get out of your newly painted walls. One coat of paint often times is difficult if not impossible to clean up if the walls get dirty on both the interior and exterior of the home.

Another reason to avoid a single coat is “holidays” (spots missed) and any change in color will show through one coat hindering the true color of the paint. Lastly you can choose any color you like when applying two coats of paint. If you only do one you cannot cover up a dark color with a light color. A two coat application will look better on your home and last twice as long. This is just a better investment for you as the customer.

Average one coat paint jobs last just 3 years. This is usually what the builder will apply, and that is why most new homeowners paint after 3 years of moving into their new home. 2 coat applications can last up to 10 years.

The difference between applying 1 and 2 coats of paint is minimal. A paint contractor can usually apply a second coat of paint 4x as quick as the first coat because the preparation work is the biggest time consumer when setting up the first coat. Also, the surfaces on the second coat are less porous because the first coat fills all voids/cracks/holes. The average paint contractor charges just 20% more than the first coat price, and thus this investment, if you plan to live in the home or change the color is well worth that additional cost.

There are different factors in deciding whether or not it is time to paint your home.

The average 2 coat paint job will last about 5 years on trim areas (soffits, eaves, fascia, trim boards) Some siding areas can last up to 10 years (brick, stucco, aluminum siding that has been painted, hardie plank, rough cut cedar).

One obvious reason your home may need painted would be that the current paint is in poor condition. It could be peeling, where you see bare wood beneath the current paint surface. Cracking, where the paint is dried out and has an alligator skin look to it. Fading, where the original color has chalked away from sunlight, and now the color is lighter than when originally coated. Often, the chalking, which is a milky and chalk like substance can run down onto other surfaces below the painted surface, like onto brick or the roof. This causes permanent staining of unpainted surfaces. You want to make sure you paint prior to this irreversible damage occurring.

Three, pick accents to bring the color scheme together for most people, the “best part” of choosing colors is completing the look with accents and furniture. Everything from chairs to window treatments can help coordinate your color scheme.

You also may decide to paint your home if you dislike the outdated color, and just want to spruce up your home. A new color can make an old home feel new again.

Another reason, and in my opinion the best reason, to paint your home is to protect it. A new coat of paint on your home will protect it from the sun and rain elements and help to hold your homes value. If you are considering selling your home within 3 years of painting, realtors note you usually get 96% of the paint job cost back in the sale of your home. Painting is one of the cheapest, easiest and most return on investment home project you can complete.

Keeping a fresh coat of paint on your house will also help you to avoid other costly repairs like replacing rotted wood and caulking failure that causes interior water damage.
Bare wood is more likely to rot then wood that has a solid coat of paint on it.

A fresh coat of paint is also beneficial to other painted surfaces. For example, if have metal on your home you can prevent rusting and if you have a stucco home painting it will help to seal the stucco and keep water out.

Choosing a paint color can be one of the most difficult decorating decisions, but with a few tips it’s easy.

One, pick your favorite object in the room it can be a rug, wall art, or a piece of furniture. The colors in this piece will set the scheme for the rest of the room.

Two, pick colors that match that favorite piece and coordinate those. 

Three, pick accents to bring the color scheme together for most people, the “best part” of choosing colors is completing the look with accents and furniture. Everything from chairs to window treatments can help coordinate your color scheme.

Extra note; Carefully choose your color theme like cool colors give the illusion of space, while warm colors tend to create warm and cozy spaces.

Once you have made a decision on your colors go to your local paint store and purchase small samples of them and try them on the wall. A lot of people will run out and buy gallons of paint without trying it and end up disliking. In order to prevent this try the colors on first.

One last thing to consider when choosing paint color is sheen. In high traffic areas or areas where the walls might need whipped down like kitchens, bathrooms, foyers or your child’s bedroom you should use an eggshell or satin sheen for easy clean up. For low traffic areas, walls with imperfections or large vaulted rooms a flat sheen may be the best choice.

When a person decides to have their house painted they are making an investment in their property that they want to look great and last a long time. It is highly important that the proper steps are taken to prepare and protect your home. Every good paint job is a result of proper preparation. There are several steps in the process that are vital and cannot be overlooked. Otherwise, you will spend more money correcting an improperly prepared home.

The first step in the painting process is to have the house cleaned. The best way to clean your home is power washing. Power washing is an effective and efficient way to clean the surfaces on the exterior of your home. A mixture of bleach and TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) along with water is the best solution to remove all molds, mildew and chalking that may exist on the siding. If the paint on the siding is loose and peeling, a lot of that will be removed as well by power washing. There will be some loose paint left behind that will have to be hand scraped. Once the house is given adequate time to dry, your paint contractor should return and continue to prepare the house for paint.

The next step in the preparation process is actually protection. All walk-ways, the driveway, roof and landscaping should be covered with drop cloths while the painters are working in those areas. All windows, light fixtures and other items not getting painted should be covered by plastic or masked off with tape. Once all protection is in place your painter should go around the home and scrape all loose and peeling paint off the home. Once the loose paint is removed all gaps and cracks in the home should be caulked with a latex caulk that can be painted over. All bare wood areas should be primed with a high quality exterior primer. Once all of these preparation stages are complete, your house is finally ready to be painted!

As you can see preparing a house for paint is not a quick and easy process. It is actually time consuming and absolutely necessary for a quality paint job. Preparation is usually 80% of the paint process. It sets the tone for the entire paint job and if overlooked or done poorly it could result in a less than desirable end product. If all proper steps are taken to prepare your house for paint you can expect excellent results and your home looking beautiful for years to come.

When you decide to get your house painted the painting contractor you choose will make all the difference in the world. There are so many different aspects to choosing a professional painting contractor. I have a few tips that could be helpful in choosing the right contractor to paint your home.

1. Get bids from at least three different painting contractors for your job. (Friends and family are good reference sources). Be home for the initial meeting with them. That way, you will know how much time each contractor took to assess the condition of your home. The more you communicate what you want painted, the more accurate the quote you’ll receive. Even an experienced painter will need more than a quick walk around your house. Also ask each contractor about the size of his crew and the painters experience level.

2. When the different painting companies come to your home it is important that you state your expectations. Having a written list of what you want painted is also helpful. The number of coats a painter applies isn’t the only factor in determining the quality and price of the project. Preparation is key; make sure they are going to take the time to properly prepare the surfaces before they paint them.If previously painted areas are in bad condition and you want them repaired, be prepared to pay a hire price. Time is money in the painting world!

3. It is important to check references and past work. Get a list of references from each contractor and call them to find out about their experience with the pro. A history of positive references is a good sign. If possible, it is also a good idea to drive by and look at some of the past work the contractor has done. Ask for a list of neighbors that he may have painted for. Another thing to question is do they have good credentials in your community:

3. 1. Are they a member of the BBB (Better Business Bureau)? Do they have any unresolved issues? You can also check them out on other consumer affair sites, like the local chamber of commerce.
   2. The last thing you should check into with your contractor is to make sure they are properly insured. Reputable companies will always carry copies of their general liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance. If they don’t have proper insurance and have an accident you could end up responsible. Not a risk you want to take!

4. You should then receive a complete and accurate estimate/contractin writing. The contract should include all of the contractor’s key information: name, address, phone number, etc. It should then include whatever surfaces are going to get painted and exactly how the preparation and paint will be applied. Make sure the contract clearly states what is and is not included in the job. It should specify what material is going to be used, the number of coats applied, the preparation that is going to be done, a payment schedule and a written guarantee.