All About Salem House Painting: Tips and Facts
The outside paint of a house can reflect the personality of the people living in it and nowadays, Salem house painting is one of the most affordable ways to improve the impression of one’s home. However, it takes a lot of effort to do this job. One needs to clean the surface first, determine the type of paint to be used, and apply it. Always remember that a person should not paint a house when it is too hot because direct exposure to hot sun will damage paint jobs. It is best to paint in late spring or early fall when the weather is neither too hot nor cold. Washing the outside part of the house should be the first thing to do since it is the dirtiest and most exposed. Stubborn dirt and stains should be brushed and rinsed using ordinary garden hose. On the other hand, if the house is a large one, a person can use high-pressure spray cleaner. It automatically removes dirt, mildew, and stains. It can even remove peeling paint. Caution should be made when using these though. After washing, now the house has a dirt-free foundation ready for the new coating.
Now, one must start covering plants to protect them from paint drips and spills. Trees and bushes may get in the way too and it is best to cover it first with canvas drop cloths. After doing so, it is time to apply an appropriate primer to trouble areas, especially if raw wood or bare metal were exposed after the paint was removed. Applying a primer is a necessity in every Salem house painting project because it gives a firm foundation for finishing paints and provides extra protection against elements like heat, strong winds, humid environment and rain. It produces a uniform surface that provides a sheen and appearance of the finish coat. Primers also increase the overall quality and durability of the paint job. It grips the surface and helps the exterior of the house to last for more than 10 years. When working on new wood, priming is always needed.
The kind of primer to be used also depends on the choice of paint. For instance, latex paint requires use of latex primers; for solvent-thinned paints, a solvent-base primer is needed; and for metals, use of metal primers is a must. Next to application of primers is the paint. But before shopping for paints, one must consider the color first and the amount of paint that will be used. Check first the size of the house or the part to be painted, the condition of the surfaces, and the type of coating to be used. In determining how much paint is needed, measure first the perimeter of the house. And then multiply that figure by the height. Divide the final figure by the square-foot coverage specified on the can of paint to determine the number of gallons needed for one coat. Carefully calculate the necessary paint to be used, and then buy an extra gallon to be sure. Ask for help from paint professionals in stores if not sure of the estimates. Be sure to provide them the exact measurements of the house.
The next important thing to consider in Salem house painting is the color. In painting old houses, it is not advisable to use striking and glossy colors. Seek advice from experts in analyzing old paint chips, and then he will recreate the original color more suitable to the type of house. Other nearby houses and buildings should be put in consideration too. Avoid having the exact same color with those of the neighboring houses but be sure that the colors will not clash and contrast one another. In choosing colors for houses, one needs to check other parts of the house that are already painted like the roof and the interior of the house. It does not need to be perfectly the same or matched but the colors should look good together. Other parts of the house do not necessarily need painting like brick walls and wooden doors.
A natural look is always a good choice which will greatly blend with the landscape around the house. To make a house look larger, use light colors especially white or cream. A house will look more dignified and classic with these colors but beware since it can make the house look dull and dirt becomes quite obvious with these colors too. Using dark colors make a house look smaller but it gives emphasis to details, particularly for window sashes, moldings, and columns. It won’t show dust and stains. However, it is more likely to fade and it absorbs heat and causes more moisture problems than lighter shades. One may decide to use a single color but it makes the house look flat and uninteresting. Using too many colors, on the other hand may result in mismatches and overwhelming impact on the new image of the house. Maintain a balance of the color families at hand and use a lighter or darker shade for accents instead of looking for a different color. Be innovative in the choice of colors and make exciting results! Just remember this tips and follow necessary procedures and it is sure that any Salem home improvement project will be a success.
If you are looking for a professional Cambridge house painting contractor, then please call 978.744.6805 or complete our online request form.
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Revamp Your Cambridge Home With Exterior Home Painting
To be truly satisfied with the quality of any contracted work on one’s home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is a great idea to make a list of goals that are directly related to how you expect your home to look once the paint job is complete. Furthermore, a paint job to the exterior portions of a home requires some commitment to the process, as well as prep work.
For exterior home painting, homeowners ought to consider how much of the initial prep work will be taken care of by the actual contracted painting company. To successfully apply paint to the home, areas of the home must be cleaned, scoured, and prepared for the entire process. Part of this can be done by the homeowner and part of it may be completed by the painting company. Not all painting companies will handle these procedures for the homeowner and it is the homeowner’s responsibility to investigate how the process must be done to ensure satisfaction. As a consumer, painting the entire exterior of a home can seem intimidating, yet there is a set protocol which is typically well known amongst professional painting companies.
Cambridge, Massachusetts exterior home painting costs vary from home to home obviously and the size of the home will figure in, as will labor related to the contours of the home and various other details. A trained contractor can discuss what charges will be assessed and ought to have answers to your questions, or at least a helpful demeanor with the desire to accomplish the job to your satisfaction. It never hurts to do your own research of course, and many are finding that they are better off if they do understand the process of painting a home better prior to hiring someone.
It doesn’t hurt to serve lemonade and snacks to the painting crew working on your home. Exterior home painting can be quite a tiring task and many homeowners readily hire contractors to do the work for them because the work itself is quite taxing. The same painting crew will likely be working on the home for an established period of time, granted there are no challenges along the way. Weather can factor in and painters are generally aware of such hindrances. For homeowners, set backs can seem challenging and frustrating, but it is all part of the process. It is always a great idea to ask questions about the progress of the project, stay informed, and get an idea of how the crew is doing. These are all ways to support your level of satisfaction. Knowledge is power.
To learn more about Cambridge exterior home painting, ask questions, ask neighbors what work they have had done on their home, and research online. Get an idea of the kind of company you are supporting. Are they benefiting the community? What kinds of ethics are they supporting? What are you looking for in a painting company? What is most important to you? These are all great questions to ask. It may seem that getting your home repainted is a pain, but it need not be. There are a number of professionals that have the ability to serve and maintain a standard of service that is supportive of their clients’ satisfaction.
Article Source: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=282532&ca=Home+Management
Author: Rose Ybarra
If you are looking for a professional painting contractor in Cambridge please call 978.744.6805 or complete our online request form.
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Improve Your Salem Home With Exterior Paint
When you go for a walk or a drive around your Salem neighborhood, what do you notice? Do you notice that people have been lovingly tending to their gardens? Do you notice the state of their curtains? Do you notice how old or new their car is? Well if you do then you will certainly notice any house that could do with a new lick of exterior paint.
The outsides of our houses are often forgotten about as we all prefer to spend time on the interiors. So would you notice when your exterior paint needs doing? Why not spend this weekend tackling your exterior by giving it a new lease of life and improving your home.
You may be trying to sell your home or you may just be wanting to keep it in tip top condition. Either way, you are going to want to make it look as pretty and presentable as you can from the first glance. This is why Salem exterior painting is so important. There is nothing worse than seeing dirt marks, moss stains and mould growing on the side of someone’s house. By using the correct exterior paint, you can eliminate all of this and give your house that just painted look. And with a little maintenance, you can keep it looking like that too.
When picking the exterior paint for your Salem home you should make sure that it is weather resistant and mould resistant. This will eliminate the need for you to scrape off the old paint and apply a new coat every year. Having the right paint is only half the job. By pressure washing your exterior once every six months, you can keep your house clean and this can also save you from applying more coats of paint now and in the future.
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How to Prepare Your Salem Home For Exterior Painting
Once the civil work has finished and everything has been set-up, then it is time for Salem Exterior house painting. The secret to a good paint job is to put effort into quality paint preparation. Paint preparation has the same importance as Painting itself. Correctly prepared painting surfaces take paint better, allowing it to completely adhere to a solid base, to have a more beautiful, long-lasting finish. Preparation can be boring and consumes a lot of time but when you aim for the best, then you must undergo these processes.
Preparation is systematic. It should flow chronologically in order not to compromise other steps involved.
Cleaning
The outside of the house must be cleaned thoroughly as the paint won’t stick to dirt, grease, grime, or dust. The tool of choice is a pressure washer that develops between 2500 and 3500 pounds per square inch of pressure. However, using this machine requires experience, if not used properly it can damage your insulation and interior walls. Just do not point the pressure washer wand upward on shingled or lap siding. If you point the wand upward, you run the risk of filling the inside of the walls with water.
If the house is peeling in areas, try to remove the peeling paint with the pressure washer. Be careful not to gouge the surface. If you don’t have access to a pressure washer then use a brush attachment to your hose which often comes with a reservoir of liquid soap below.
If this tool isn’t available, then you can wash it by climbing a ladder with a rag or sponge. If the siding has a minor discoloration, molds or mildew, use an anti-fungal cleaner to get rid of it. After cleaning, be sure to forget to rinse the house. Clean from top-to-bottom.
Drying
Once the house has been thoroughly cleaned, then allow it to dry. This factor is important because if the wall is not thoroughly dry, paint could peel prematurely and eventually the whole process would fail. If you plan to paint latex, wait one day. If oil-based paint is your plan, then wait 3 days. If you have used a power washer to clean the blistered paint, then you need to extend the time allowance for drying some.
Surface Preparation
Although removing the blistered paint is also important in the cleaning process, you will need use a paint scrapper, putty knife or a wire brush to remove that will not come off with the pressure washer.
Check and address your siding and trim for any nail holes or cracks. These small blemishes can be easily filled with all purpose bondo. This works well on smaller gouges or decaying areas, but trim with larger areas of rot should really be replaced to avoid trouble in the future. After they dry, use sandpaper to smooth and level the bondo surface.
Covering Surfaces
Mask or cover areas where you don’t want paint to spill. You should use the blue masking tape along the edge of the trim, door and window frames including the glass doors. Using blue masking tape and paper to wrap all these areas will decrease your work time. Cleanup will be a minimum. A hand held masking machine can make this a little easier.
Place plastic drop cloths over areas where paint may drip, usually on porches, roof sections, sidewalks, or driveways. This will also reduce cleanup time and produce a more professional looking paint job.
Now you are ready to paint. You are confident that the quality of your paint job will look like one being done by a professional. If you hire a professional painting contractor, then make sure that detailed preparation and repairs is included in your contract. Once all steps are followed, you are assured of a beautifully painted Salem home for many years.
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Choosing Appropriate Exterior Shades for Your Salem Home
If you are an enthusiastic Salem house owner and you want to make your house exterior look the best, then you have to be careful in choosing the exterior color scheme for your house. There are so many colors available in the market – so many textures and so many finishes that it is natural for you to get confused in picking the right color combination. I have a few tips to help you choose the right exterior paint colors. Here are my tips:
Choose a color scheme which goes well with the surroundings of your house. Check if the surroundings will complement the shade you have chosen or not. You can also look at the color schemes of the other houses around to see if your color combination will look good with them or not.
The second most important thing to keep in mind is the season of the area where your house is located. If the area sees long summers, then never go for dark shades as they absorb light. In this case, you should go for light shades so that your house remains cool from inside. In the similar manner, if you have winters most part of the year, then dark shades would be better to choose.
Trends keep on changing so it is foolish to go after the colors that are in-trend when you are looking for your color scheme. Discuss your options with a qualified painting contractor for the best options.
Examine the sample of the chosen paint carefully. The samples are deceptive at times!
A single shade would look boring so choose a complementary color with the basic color you have chosen. The complementary or the secondary color can be used to paint doors and windows.
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Painting Exterior Trim on Your Cambridge Home
Painting exterior trim can be thought of costing less than completely painting all exterior surfaces, but a few things to consider from a painting contractor points of view.
Most of us look to save where we can, especially in this day and economic conditions. House painting is no different, when it comes to saving money. A home exterior weathers from harsh elements of heat, cold, sun, and snow, and exterior paint ages over time needing repainting. Exterior trim, being that of solid wood is normally the first to show signs of painting maintenance. Many times a homeowner happens to call, asking for only painting the trim. Trim paint jobs sound good at first, but have some underlying thoughts may have not been considered. Below are things to consider when considering painting trim only.
1) Most homes exterior trim is painted on the front only, more commonly called front-facing the trim. Sides of trim is normally painted with main body color. Few homes have trim painted on all 3 visible surfaces, called in the painting industry as 3-D’ed painting.
2) Either edge of trim is painted with body color, and is where caulking is applied at most 90 degree angles. Painting trim only, cannot feasibly include caulking, as this fails and opens up over time. Most homes need new caulking when painting the exterior, and a close inspection can determine.
3) If new caulk is applied, main body portion needs to be touched up, and most of the time new paint will not match aged paint even using exactly the same paint out of the same paint can, as sheen difference will come into play.
4) Painting trim is normally done by roller and brush, not sprayed, so more manual labor is required painting trim, and most cases costing 60% of the total exterior painting job.
5) Since the trim is the first to go, the main body of the home will be shortly behind requiring painting. If the trim was recently painted, and a few years later the body is ready for paint, all the trim will need to be covered, commonly referred to as masking off. Masking off expends time, labor and material, which adds to the bottom line cost to the remaining 40%, typically costing an additional 25% for masking trim. Thus costing 25% more after both trim and body portions are painted in separate years.
6) When painting a Cambridge exterior completely, the first thing to be painted after all preparations have been accomplished is generally spraying the body 2 coats wet on dry. Allowing the first coat to dry, before applying the second coat. In doing this, trim is over-sprayed, giving initial coat as well, thereby getting a total of 3 paint coatings, instead of the actual 2 coats required for maximum protection. This over spray is not charged in the painting cost, but adding to the elements of exterior duration and warranties.
7) Set up costs are normally included with any home improvement job, painting separate times for complete exterior painting can essentially cost double, unless agreed before work begins in painting quote.
Main thing to consider when considering painting exterior of your Cambridge home is; How long do I plan living in this house. If your answer is any longer than 1 year, you may reconsider from painting trim only to painting exterior completely. From a quick glance, fresh trim paint will work from an aesthetic point of view, but not even close from complete protection and value points. Therefore, being fugal painting, does not always mean painting just enough to get by, sometimes costing much more in the long run.
Hope this helps you in deciding complete exterior paint job, or partial trim only exterior paint job, saving painting costs when you can, from your Cambridge painting contractor.
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