Choosing various colors for your Cambridge house painting is more difficult than what you think. This is because a wrong choice of shade can either make your house appear too subtle or too vivid. Aside from that, a wrong choice of color can lead your house to appear featureless and too plain. On the extreme side, bold colors can overwhelm the entire architecture of your house. This may also be a cause of disappointment on the part of your neighbors.

To optimize the colors that you will choose for your Cambridge house painting, it is better to choose shades that will highlight the most interesting parts of your house. If you can do this correctly, you may even be successful in hiding unsightly marks and other forms of imperfections that may be found on your house. It can result to your houses’ better visual appeal and market value.

If your home is more than ten years old, you may want to use a color scheme that can highlight its advanced age. Usually, you can achieve this effect using classic color schemes. For this task, you may hire a contractor to recreate the original shade of the Cambridge house painting and to examine the chips of the old paint. You may also refer to various historic color samples and choose the shades that were more likely used when the house was built.

If you want a new type of shade but still prefer to retain the classic touch of your house, you may opt to choose shades that emphasize the architectural details of your house. However, you should strike a good balance between applying modern shades to old designs and retaining the balance of the shades for your entire house. It would also be a helpful reminder to examine the shades that your neighbors have been using on their houses to avoid standing out too much.

While using the shades of your neighbors’ houses can give you a hint on what shade to use, you should not copy the exact shades that they are using for their house painting. You should choose shades that can help your house to stand out. However, these shades should still produce harmony with the adjacent houses.

If you are having a hard time looking for color inspiration, you may use elements from nature. For instance, you may look at the greenery that is surrounding your entire house and produce a color scheme that greatly matches this feature. All you have to do is experiment on the subtle shades that you see around you so you can create great results.

Another good reference that you can check out is the color of your roof. This does not mean that you should closely match the color of your house with the roof. This simply means that you should come up with various color combinations that harmonize with and complement the color of your roof.

There are some instances that there details in your house need not be painted. For cases like these, you should adequately inform your contractor before they set out to perform the Cambridge painting job for you. This will significantly reduce the chances of having unsatisfactory results.

If you are looking for a professional Cambridge house painting contractor, then please call 978.744.6805 or complete our online request form.

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.

Changing up the interior wall colors of your home is a way to make a big impact without undertaking a costly remodel. The shades of your wall can invoke feelings, increase productivity, define a room, tie in rogue tile or furniture and create a theme in your space. A bucket of paint gives you a big bang for your buck. It’s just a matter of being able to pick out the perfect shade from all of the colors that are out there.

Wall decorating ideas might include wall stickers or appliqués. If you want a really dramatic effect you may want to paint directly on your wall. The space can still be sophisticated if you choose a tone on tone pattern. Instead of thinking “Well cherry blossoms are pink and tree trunks are brown” consider what will match with your wall color of choice. You will probably want to go with a neutral color such as taupe, gray or white. Trace the outline onto your wall by using a projector. Then you just have to fill in the lines with paint. This means that anyone can be an artist and you can fit the piece to the exact size of your wall. You won’t even have to worry about shading because a solid color will give a modern art effect.

Art wall ideas are perfect for you if you want a gallery effect or you want to make a big impact in your space. If you can’t afford oversized artwork then just paint directly on the wall. Of course you’ll want to be aware of the texture you add to the wall. It might seem like a great idea to go all Jackson Pollock and spatter dramatic paint all over the place but think about what will happen if you change your design aesthetic. You may decide later on to go in a different direction, or you want to sell your house. Even if you get rid of the color of the spatters the texture will still be there creating imperfections in your space. You can always paint on canvas or fabric and apply it to your wall for a custom look.

Which interior wall color you choose says a lot about you. If you’re going for a neutral color you can still make it interesting by adding a tonal effect. For a modern room you might want to paint tone on tone circles on one wall. This will work especially well for a contemporary nursery, play room, or game space. Even if you are just painting your walls white, go for an extremely bright white so your choice looks intentional. If you want a shabby chic or cottage look then pay attention to the trim, woodwork and ceiling in your room with ivory or taupe trim for an aged appearance that has a sense of history. This will make even the most boring color have a daring attitude and then it will work with a modern design aesthetic.

Take extra measures to ensure your painting project is an environmentally safe experience. The best quality acrylic paints are products that contain low or no volatile organic compounds (otherwise known as VOCs). These products reduce the emissions of VOCs into the home which improves indoor air quality and reduces urban smog. Check the labels on the cans for LEED certification to ensure you are using a low VOC product. LEED certified products are considered “green” or “environmentally-friendly.”

Following are tips for “green” painting:

Use all the paint.

When possible, use every ounce of paint you buy. The extra coat will provide walls with more protection. Or, ask a friend, family member, or neighbor if they could use some extra paint for a small project.

Seal it tightly.

Any unused paint should be stored in tightly sealed cans and placed upside down to help maintain the seal. Don’t pour leftover paint down the drain.

Dispose of paint properly.

To dispose of paint, convert it to a solid waste then dispose of it with your regular trash. To convert it to a solid waste, remove the lid to allow the water or solvents to evaporate. Do this in an area where children cannot tamper with it.

Hold off on cleaning tools immediately.

For projects that will take more than a day to complete, try wrapping your tools in a plastic bag for reuse instead of cleaning them at the end of each day. The tools will last overnight or even a few days if kept out of the sun.

Scrape the paint.

Upon completion of your project, scrape any excess paint from the can, latex rollers and brushes with a stir stick or wall scraper. Doing so prior to washing will make them easier to clean and is easier on the environment. When washing equipment, be sure to do so in a sink or similar drain so it is treated instead of ending up in the ground and in our drinking water.

Use quality water-based acrylic-latex paints.

Pure acrylic latex paints are more environmentally-friendly since they contain low levels of solvents. If using a water-based paint over an old solvent-based paint, be sure to follow the instructions for surface preparation which generally involves a good cleaning and a light sanding.

Your Salem painting contractor will give you green painting options for your next painting job.

Your house is your lifetime asset. And it’s a matter of time when you take a notice that your house needs renovation – not because it’s getting old, but because you feel the need of vibrant colors in your house.

Repainting your house is a tricky business. Some rely on painting companies to do the job for you. Hiring the house painting service may also cost you. But if you are planning to paint it yourself, you might want to consider the basics; and consider the time and effort you will put on painting your house.

PAINT

There are many types of paint available today, some giving different surface finishes, others are designed for a particular application. Choosing the correct paint type may appear to be confusing at first, but once you have projected which theme you would like to paint your house and sorted out which job and what finishes you want, the choice is rather easy.

There are two bases of paint for your house: solvent-based (oil or alkyd) and water-based (latex). Oil-based paints dry slow – usually taking up to 24 hours. The best clean up for an oil-based paint is turpentine or paint thinner. Latex paints’ advantage is that it dries relatively fast, but it is not desirable in hot weather or direct sunshine. The best clean up for latex paints requires just soap and water. So if you are painting the inside of your house, it is recommended to u se water-based paints, while solvent-based paints are suggested for painting the exterior of your house.

There are different types of paints that is either water-based or solvent-based that produces different finishes that is measured by its sheen factor. “Sheen” is a term used to describe the degree of light reflection the paint has. Lesser sheen for an interior or exterior paint means it has lesser stain resistance.

• A Gloss paint is easy to clean and resists scuffs better. This is ideal for rooms that are constantly used. Most gloss paints are best recommended to use on woodworks, baseboards, kitchen and bathroom walls, doorjambs, and window casings. The downside of using gloss paints, however, is the noticeable imperfections in the wall surface.
• A High-gloss paint is highly reflective and works well for highlighting details, such as trim and decorative molding. They are also the best choice for doors and cabinet – or any area that sees a high volume of abuse.
• Semi-gloss paints are very similar to gloss plaints except it has lesser sheen. Semi-gloss is also suitable for rooms with high humidity (best used for children’s room) and can be used for trim works and casings. These paints ensure maximum durability.
• Eggshell paints provide a smooth and low-sheen finish. Paints that are smooth and low-sheen that is ideal for your living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and dens. It is washable and ideal for bedrooms, hallways, home offices and family rooms.
• Satin paints offer a good combination of easy-clean and moderate sheen. These paints go a step above eggshell in scrubbing ability. They perform and look great in just about any room.

Flat paints (matte paints) are non-reflective and always a good choice for large walls and ceilings. Flat paints hides imperfections on wall surfaces and spatters well during application. Flat paints are the best choice for vinyl and aluminum siding that is scratched or dented because it hides imperfections and spatters less when applied. These paints are ideal for low-traffic areas such as formal dining rooms and master bedrooms.

Special paints have been innovated from different consumer insights and brilliant paint technology that allows specific paints for specific needs.

• Ceiling flats are designed specially for ceilings. These are usually extra spatter-resistant.
• Primer paints may be oil- or water-based and are used to seal unpainted surfaces to prevent covering coats of paint soaking in. The appropriate type of primer should be used for the surface being painted – wood, metal, plaster or tiles. There are some ‘all purpose primers’ available which are designed for two or more of these surfaces.
• Anti-condensation paints are used for rooms with humid conditions such as kitchen and bathrooms. This paint is usually formulated to prevent condensation and often includes fungicide.
• Fire-retardant paints do not resist fires completely but its fire-resistance formulation prevents it from fire in spreading fast.

It is also important that before painting your room, you use a primer. A primer will help paint adhere to the surface by providing a uniform appearance. It is a must to use a primer if you are painting over new wood, bare wood, drywall, or repainting over existing bright or dark colors.

But before doing this, you have to know the condition of the surface you wanted to paint. Regardless of whether the base coat is oil or latex, you must dull glossy paint by sanding or de-glossing it with a chemical de-glossing product. If you don’t dull glossy paint, the second coat will streak and not stick to the base coat when drying.

INTERIOR PAINTING

If you want to alter your room’s ambience, painting it is a great option. When Massachusetts interior painting, use paints that are quicker to dry and does not have a strong odor that lingers around where your kids can smell it.

Painting the interior of your house requires a thorough estimation, visualization and preparation. When you have chosen your theme for your rooms and have bought the job materials you need (paints, paint brushes and rollers, extension handles, paint tray, paint stirrer, drop clothes, step ladder, painter’s tape, etc.), you simply follow these interior house painting tips:

BEFORE AND DURING HOUSE PAINTING

• Always provide adequate ventilation when painting inside your house. If you cannot get enough ventilation in the work area, use a respirator or a mask.
• Keep paint containers or solvent containers closed when not in use.
• Keep paint products out of the reach of children.
• Avoid direct contact with skin.
• Always read packaging (label) instructions.

SURFACE PREPARATION TIPS

• Remove as much as furniture as possible from the room or group the heavier fixtures and the delicate ones together and cover them with a drop cloth.
• Provide adequate lightning to allow a good view of painting imperfections.
• Remove switch plates.
• Patch holes and cracks in the surfaces you wanted to paint with premixed spackling paste. After the paste dries, sand the patched the areas.
• Dust and wash the ceilings, walls, baseboards, windows and door moldings.
• Clean, sound wallpaper can be painted over, but in most cases it is better to strip it. Painting over a wallpaper may begin to peel.

PAINTING YOUR CEILING TIPS

• If you are painting the entire room, it is best to paint the ceiling first!
• If you are using a paint roller, maneuver your arms in series of diagonal swaths (forming a letter M). Fill in the open areas by cross rolling.
• If you are using a paintbrush, apply the paint in short strokes towards the unpainted area, known as “wet to dry.” Then brush back into the area you just painted for a smooth surface.
• If you are painting your ceiling, remove light bulbs, chandeliers, fluorescent lights and fixture covers.
• Paint trim first, including edging around the ceiling, molding, and trim.

WALL PAINTING TIPS

Paint around the trim first, including edging around the ceiling.

When painting with a gloss finish, make the final brush strokes away from the light source of the room. The tiny ridges that a brush leaves won’t be as pronounced. Use the same “wet to dry” method of painting.

WOODWORK

• Check woodwork for damage. if there is one, patch it with a wood filler, dry it overnight and sand it for any rough spots and apply a sealer before painting.
• If you’ll be using the same paint on the walls and woodwork, paint the woodwork as you come to it. If it is another color of higher in gloss, wait until the walls are done.
• Paint double-hung windows from the wood between the panes then outward. On casement windows, us the same technique, but keep the windows slightly open until the paint dries.
• For panel doors, paint the decorative molded edges first, then the individual panels. Paint from the center out. When the panels are completed, paint the vertical and horizontal flat panels.
• Use a painter’s tape or painter’s shield to keep paint off windowpanes. Do not use a masking tape or a duct tape. Using a painter’s tape or painter’s shield allows you to keep areas covered for up to 3 days.
• Paint the top edge baseboards first, then the bottom along the floor. Paint the middle section last.
• Remove cabinet doors and drawers and paint the flat surfaces first. Paint inside the edges, then move to the outer surfaces.

CLEAN-UP and STORAGE or DISPOSAL TIPS

• If there are paint drops on your floor, don’t let it stay there. As the paint sets longer, the harder it will be cleared. Use a cloth with soap and water or a solvent for cleaning.
• Use a razor-blade scraper or a putty knife to chip off bigger paint droplets that have dried.
• Use a scraper to trim around windowpanes.
• Wash and dry paintbrushes and rollers. Store them according to the brand’s recommendation not all paintbrushes have the same type of bristles nor the rollers have the same material.
• Clean the paint from the rim of the can. Tap container lids tight with a hammer and block of wood.
• Store solvent-based paint cans upside down to prevent a skin from forming.
• Store your paints in normal or room temperature. Never put the paints in extreme hot or cold rooms.
• Each states in the U.S. or every community/ county differs on paint can disposal methods. Check your local environmental, health, and safety laws.

EXTERIOR PAINTING

In buying paints that you are going to use for your exterior house, you have to pick a brand that has essential characteristics: hiding power, color retention, chalk-resistance, and blister resistance.

Hiding power comes from the paint’s pigment and is affected by the manner and thickness of the application. Color retention is the ability to maintain its original color during exposure to sunlight, etc. Chalking resistance prevents the white chalky powder from forming on the surface and lightening the color of the paint. Chalking occur over a period of time. Blister resistance keeps excessive moisture from coming through the substrate and affecting the paint layer. Tip: if paint is applied over a damp or wet surface, blistering is imminent.

Painting the exterior of your house requires a thorough estimation, visualization and preparation. When you have chosen your theme for your rooms and have bought the job materials you need.

You will need any of these tools in painting your exterior: caulk, sandpaper, rags and/or paper towels, painter’s tape, garden hose, power washer, or hose brush attachment, sponges & buckets for wash water, spray nozzle, stepladder, extension ladder, paint scraper, wire brush, putty knives, heat gun, rotary paint removing tool and electric drill, caulk gun, sanding block, and work gloves.

When you have all the tools at hand, examine your exterior. You might find exterior painting problems, which could be any of the following: alligatoring, blistering, chalking, chalk run down, crackling, dirt pickup, efflorescence, fading, frosting, lapping, mildew, nail head rusting, paint incompatibility, peeling, poor alkali resistance, poor adhesion, poor gloss retention, surfacent leaching, staining, vinyl siding wrap, wax bleed, or wrinkling.

If you already know what your house exterior’s problem is or just for repainting it, simply follow some of these tips. You can also refer to INTERIOR PAINTING for brush or roller strokes, etc.:

Start by thoroughly cleaning the outside of your home. Start at the top and work your way down the sides of the house. If your siding has areas of mold, mildew or discoloration, wash it with an anti-fungal cleaner.

Mask off areas that are not to be painted. You may want to place masking tape along the edge of house trim, and around window and door frames and trim, since this is likely to be painted in a different color or with a higher sheen paint. You can also tape newspaper or plastic drop cloth material over windows and doors, including sliding glass doors, to protect them from drips.

Place plastic drop cloths over plants and shrubs, or where paint may drip on porches, roof sections, sidewalks, driveways or other surfaces.

House painting takes time, house painting costs a big chunk on your budget, but the end-result is always great.

Author: Charlie Angeles

If you’re a Massachusetts homeowner looking to sell, you’ve doubtless been a little discouraged by the recent downturn in the real estate market. These things happen, and it’s nothing much that can’t be undone when the market gets to it’s next boom. In the mean time, improving your home is one of the best ways to compete on the real estate market. But doing so incurs additional costs that you can only hope to get back on the sale.

Painting your own home is one of the most economical improvements you can make. It’s also one of the most visible improvements you can make, and at least prospective buyers can see the results even if only in the picture in the home-finders magazine. But exterior painting is a slightly more daunting task than interior painting. So hopefully this will help you through the hardest steps.

Digital imagination

Your first task is to decide on the color scheme. Now maybe you have an artistic, vivid imagination and flawless taste in choosing a color palette. So good for you. If not, there is a new method that home owners are taking advantage of and that is digital imaging.

To do this, take a picture of the house with a digital camera, then load it into your computer and open it in a digital imaging program. You can then change the color of the house in the program by applying various color filters to it, using this to help you decide what color scheme to use. Commercial software is the first thing you might think of, but there are many freeware, shareware, and even Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) programs that are more than capable of handling this simple task. You should be able to find one for any computer platform.

Lacking that, you can either ask your computer savvy friend to do it for you, find a resource online that will image it for you, or try asking at the hardware store. Most paint and home improvement retailers now offer to do the same in the store, loading up a picture of your house which you provide and giving you a preview of different color schemes and palettes. Ain’t modern technology wonderful?

Painting Prep Work

A rule of thumb to know is that three-quarters of painting is good prep work. That is the labor-intensive part that makes the job so much work; actually slapping the paint on it is the easy part. Here’s the least you need to do:

Start by thoroughly cleaning the outside of your house. Paint won’t stick to dirt, grease, grime and dust. You may be able to get by just spraying the siding with a hose with a nozzle attachment. But you’ll do a more thorough job and get better results with a brush attachment on your hose. These brushes often come with a reservoir for liquid soap which will clean better. You can also wash by hand with rags or sponges, but the rule with house painting is that you don’t want to do anything by hand unless you absolutely have to – Karate Kid notwithstanding! If you do use soap, be sure to rinse the siding with pure water after you’ve washed it. Start at the top and work your way down the sides. If your siding has areas of mold, mildew or discoloration, wash it with an anti-fungal cleaner which will be available in most hardware and home center stores for a few dollars.

On wood siding, fill in any gouges or holes with an exterior-grade patching compound, sometimes this is called ‘plastic wood’. If damage is more extensive, consider replacing the area with a new piece of siding. Remove even small areas of loose, flaking, chalky or blistered paint thoroughly, as the slightest crack can peel a whole sheet away in the next storm. If not too extensive, loose paint can be removed with a power washer. If you’re hard up this can also be done with a paint scraper, putty knife or a wire brush. Sand the edges of the area of removed paint afterward to help the new paint cover and hide the edge.

To remove larger areas or even multiple layers of damaged paint, you can use a heat gun. This device, which looks a bit like a hair blower, generates temperatures of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Aim it at one area to soften the paint, and then take away the gun and scrape away the paint with a putty knife. Always use work gloves and eye protection and keep your hands away from the barrel of the gun. Never point the heat gun at anything except the paint to be removed – it will melt almost anything given time! Set the gun down on the plate provided.

An alternative to the heat gun is a rotary paint remover you can attach to an electric drill. Its stiff wire tines quickly remove large areas of paint, very similar to how a buffer works. Take care not to press too hard on the siding, or it may gouge the wood, which will be hard to fix. Practice on a spare loose board or other surface before you begin on the siding. Keep the tool away from your face or other body parts when it is in motion, and wear eye protection to prevent eye damage from flying chips.

Seamlessly caulk all cracks, seams and gaps with a top-quality exterior caulk. This includes areas like the perimeter where the siding meets the windows and doors, and the corners and the edges of exterior trim. Cracks and seams leave edges where fresh paint can quickly deteriorate.

Mask off areas that are not going to be painted. You will want to place masking tape along the edge of house trim, around window and door frames, and around trim, since this is likely to be painted in a different color. You can also tape newspaper, plastic sheeting, or drop cloth material over windows and doors to protect them from drips. The rule of thumb is, paint wants to go where you least expect it to. Place plastic drop cloths over plants and shrubs, or where paint may drip on porches, roof sections, sidewalks, driveways or any other surfaces. Remember that it’s always easier to cover something up than it is to remove paint from it afterward.

Now you’re finally ready to paint and let dry, then remove all the prepping. You’re done! Wasn’t that easy?