Painting and Mural Service 101
1. Take the time to learn about the service you are considering purchasing.
2. Ask for the advice of local experts.
3. What should the service cost?
4. What is typically included in the service?
5. What level of training is typically required and is the service a licensed service by your state contractor’s license board?
6. Does the service provider offer references? Check them out!
7. For services above $1,000.00 work - out payment schedules that you can monitor and see so that you pay as the work progresses.
Painting and Mural Services
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What is your cancellation policy?
If you need to change or cancel a scheduled service, we require 24 hours notice.
If we really like the contractor you sent us can we request them again?
When you are satisfied and happy with your service provider every effort is made to have the same contractor provide you with regular scheduled service. We suggest that you schedule your regular service based on the contractor’s availability and that you try to stay with the agreed upon schedule.
Who Is responsible for breakage or damage to my property?
Each contractor is responsible for all breakage or damage to your property. Generally it is a very good idea for you to take a few minutes the first time a service is provided by a team and detail your expectations.
When the work is completed it is a very good idea to do a detailed walk thru and to point out any thing that may have been missed. The contractors are happy to correct missed items and it is far less costly for you and the contractor to have it done right the first time VS coming back to fix it later.
Does someone need to be home when the housekeeping contractor arrives?
You can make a variety of different arrangements to enter your home if you will not be there. We recommend that once you have established a regular housekeeping contractor that you decide together the best arrangement for your specific situation. Many customers prefer to give us a key. Others leave us a key in a safe place each visit. Alarm systems can either be left off or you can give us entry/exit codes.
What about tipping?
We leave that up to you. Tips are always appreciated!
Do you accept credit cards?
YES. You can also pay with cash or a check at the time of your service.
Painting and Mural Services
HOUSE PAINTING TIPS:
Preparation is the Key:
Before you begin, remove hardware and fixtures from the walls and ceilings with a screwdriver. Remember to turn off the breaker or fuse for the room before working with electrical components. Remove electrical switch plates, cable TV outlets, phone jack covers, curtains and decorations and cover edges with painter's tape. It's best to move any furniture you can to another room. If that's not an option, move your furniture to the center of the room and cover it with tarps or drop cloths.
Before you paint, remember to prepare the walls. Wash the wall surface using a damp cloth, mild detergent and water. Patch any holes and wall damage with spackling compound. Scrape off flaky paint using a putty knife.
Use synthetic brushes, such as polyester or nylon, with latex paints. Natural bristle brushes work best if you're using oil-based or alkyd-based paints.
Priming seals the surface of the wall and helps the paint cover more evenly. Always prime if you're painting a lighter color over a darker one. On flat-painted walls with minor repairs, you may only need to spot prime. For walls with larger areas of patching plaster, use stain-killing primer.
Priming doesn't require as much care as painting, but you'll use the same technique. Start with the ceiling, first covering the perimeter and unpainted areas around the fixtures. Moving in 6'-square sections, use a series of overlapping "W" strokes from right to left, then back from left to right. Spread the primer evenly using horizontal strokes. Continue in 6'-square sections until the entire surface is primed.
Mask the perimeter of the ceiling with painter's tape. Next, "cut in," or outline, the entire room with a brush to reach the areas a roller can't. An angled sash brush works well for cutting into corners. Get as close as you can, applying the paint about a 1/4" from the edge of the surface. On your second pass, apply more pressure to carefully push the paint into place.
To roll closer to edges without making a smeary mess, put your hand inside a plastic bag and slide the paint-soaked roller so it extends about one inch past the end of the roller handle cage. This allows you to roll right up to edges and cover any brush stroke messes.
When doing ceiling brushwork, it's easier to pour paint into a smaller can, like a coffee can. That way you don't have to lug a heavy paint can up the ladder with you. Start with the ceiling before painting your walls. Always use a quality latex paint. Use the same technique as priming your ceiling and walls, moving in 6'-square sections across the ceiling and walls. Be sure to feather the edges of the squares, using less pressure when applying paint at the edges of the square. This will keep the finish even and prevent any lines where the paint overlaps from another section. Keep working with the squares until the surface is completely painted. Without adding paint to the roller, use light strokes to re-roll from the bottom of the wall to the top (or across the ceiling) to make sure everything is even.
If your paint is any other finish than flat, you should go over the entire surface (for very large areas, do two square sections at a time) once again with one-directional, overlapping, non-diagonal strokes to blend the paint.
Be sure to choose a roller cover that suits the surface texture. If you have a "popcorn" or textured ceiling, use a roller with thicker pile. Your True Value associate can help you find the right roller for your paint project.
Use the brush to do wall brushwork wherever your roller couldn’t reach. Dip the bristles no more than an inch into the paint and go over areas in the corners, next to the doors, windows and molding.
The first coat doesn't have to be totally dry, but you'll get better coverage the longer you let the surface dry. Paint the second coat in the same way you painted the first.
Paint all the trim areas around the doors and windows with brand paint. For base molding, run blue painter's tape along the floor to prevent any drips. Before painting a door, you need to take off the handle or knob and the strike plate. If you have inset panels, paint those first, followed by the horizontal bars and then the vertical.
For windows, you need to move the outside sash—the top part of the window—down. Move the inside sash up. Now you can paint the bottom part of the outside sash. Push this back up when you've finished painting it. Pulling down the inside sash, paint the top part of the outside sash and the inside sash. Make sure you open and close the window occasionally as the paint is drying so the window doesn't stick.
If you get paint on the glass, just wait a day and use a one-sided razor blade to scrape it off. Good brushes will last for many years if you treat them well. Use a brush comb to separate bristles that stick together near the heel of the brush. Rinse the brush out in either water or paint thinner. When the water or paint thinner runs clear, thoroughly shake out any excess liquid. Put the brush back in its protective sleeve or hang it on a nail or hook.
Water can cause many interior paint problems. If an easily dissolved material, such as drywall, has absorbed water its size and shape changes. This pulls and stretches the paint film causing a tare. Plus the water applies pressure to the paint.
Now with a microscopic tare the water begins to loosen the paint film and lift it from the surface. The end result is what we see as peeling. Peeling of the paint film can be prevented in most cases. The most common areas that show signs of paint peeling first is painted windows and bathrooms.
Windows, especially single pane, sweat in the winter. The water running down the glass will penetrate behind between the glass and frame, into the wood. No matter how good the primer or paint is peeling will occur. Stopping this water is as easy as caulking the frame to the glass with a clear caulk after painting and trying to reduce the humidity within your home.
Foundations are often a source of moisture. Many basements in older homes will have problems due to foundation cracks or lack of concrete sealer, tar.
In order to prevent interior peeling paint look to the exterior of your home first. Fixing this problem can be as simple as redirecting downspouts and increasing the slope of the landscaping away from the house. If the peeling recurs water locking concrete primers can be used. These primers do work but prevention is a better solution.
Other components of your home can cause water damage as well. Roof leaks will appear as a water stain before causing serious damage. Plus air conditioning ducts will cause water to condensate on the metal surfaces if the humidity in your home is too high.
A dirty or greasy surface prior to painting can bring about interior peeling paint. Cleaning the walls and ceilings to remove any grease and grime will assure a strong bond for your new finish. Use heavy duty cleaners, for heavy deposits of grease or grime. Rinse well and allow complete drying of the surface before starting to apply any paint.
Glossy finishes need to be dulled before painting. Sanding the surface with 120 or 150 grit sand paper and using a liquid de-glosser, such as Paso, will insure maximum adhesion.
Old paint becomes hard and brittle with time causing cracks that can develop into flaking and peeling. Using a good interior primer with sealing capabilities is needed in order to promote the best adhesion of the new finish.
The use of the best primers and paints will help prevent interior peeling paint in the future.
All surfaces, including previously painted and new, must be properly prepared before painting. This includes removing any loose and flaking paint by scraping with a stiff putty knife, paint scraper or wire brush. Sand the remaining paint edges to produce a smooth transition.
If the exposed surface is in good shape, no chalky and loose plaster or drywall, a patching compound can be applied to level the repair with its surroundings. Now retexture to match the surrounding surface. Apply a stain blocking primer to the repaired area and apply a compatible paint.
Interior paint preparation can consist of many steps, each equally important at preventing paint problems.
Choosing Colors:
RED
It is one of the first colors a baby can discern, that male babies prefer yellow based reds such as tomato colors. And that female babies prefer blue based reds such as raspberry. The chemical reaction of red while eating will cause a person to eat more, and stay longer. Red is an ideal color for restaurant decor or in bars.
ORANGE
This color is associated with low quality or being very accessible. This color is used in both the restaurant and hotel industry to convey low cost to passers by. Whether its a lobby, a roof, or a bill board, it gets our attention and tells us its a bargain. Orange is not what one would use to bring about a feeling of elegance, but of something informal or very casual.
YELLOW
The color yellow is transmitted to the brain faster than any other color, in nature yellow represents caution (hornets, bees, and fire). In our world yellow represents caution in warning signs, construction signs, and fire trucks. Babies will cry more when surrounded by yellow, and studies have shown adults to lose tempers when around yellow. It's a very high anxiety color, but in turn is good for drawing attention, or for packaging products. Yellow flowers in the foyer are said to be great when selling a house, the people remember the house with the beautiful yellow flowers after a long day of home shopping.
BLUE
This is the number one favorite color of people by far, it represents respectability, responsibility, knowledge, caring, and trustworthiness. Country type blues are the number one color in homes, but blue is not a color that sells houses well. Blue is a color that encourages fantasy and at the same time is very tranquilizing. This color is ideal for calming, such as doctors offices and in the rooms of over-active children. Blue is not a color that goes well with eating, if you want to push away from the table sooner (or the in-laws are coming).....dig out the blue dishes.
GREEN
These are living colors. Green is a great color around food and diminishes sweetness. Green represents wealth and money, makes people feel secure and tended. Some health disorders such as eczema, diarrhea and stomach upset tend to lessen in a room painted in green.
BROWN
This is a very friendly color, its will represent someone as being believable. Browns work very well in interiors and its known to be a warm and friendly color.
GREY
It's the only color without an after-image, known as a color representing creativity. Grey is best for a background color and will inspire people to do more for a longer period.
BLACK & WHITE
These are not colors, but are known as the power twins because of the bold statements they make. Black represents dignity, sophistication, refinement and authority. White represents delicacy, purity, and cleanliness. White also encourages precision in the workplace.
1 comment:
The article is written in the positive and right way. it is right that a consumer having more knowledge will be able to hire the right House Painting Services companies. They would be aware of all the facts to consider before choosing the right company for them.
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