Proper painting surface preparation is one of the most critical factors to getting high quality results. It doesn't matter whether the job is complete repainting of a 1,000,000 square foot warehouse complex or a simple touch up job in the gymnasium of a small elementary school. Proper surface prep sets the stage for success. Here are some tips for perfect surface prep that you can take care of, and a guide to the prep work that you should leave to your contractor.
Dry Painting Surface: You or Your Contractor First and foremost, your the surface should be dry. So long as safety permits, you can make life a lot easier for your painting contractor by drying the painting environment beforehand. Dehumidifiers and fans can be employed to speed air circulation. Mop up standing water if necessary to improve the safety of the project site.
Clean Painting Surface: You or Your Painting Contractor Surfaces have to be thoroughly cleaned to ensure good paint adhesion. Your contractor will often include an estimate for prep work in a project bid. You may be able to perform some of the work and thus reduce the estimate; however, some tasks must be performed by a professional. Get rid of old flaky paint, sand down blisters and other imperfections.
IMPORTANT: You should consult with your painting contractor and determine if lead-based paints or other hazardous materials are present before cleaning the painting surface. If a hazardous material issue exists, the surface will need to be cleaned by a certified professional for safety reasons.
Sand or Blast Painting Surface: Your Contractor The actual sanding of the surface should be left to your painting contractor. Depending on the types of coating products that will be applied to the surface, the contractor may have specific manufacturer's recommendations for sanding. Plus most painting contractors hold to a high standard for surface prep because it is such a huge component of a quality job.
Prime Painting Surface: Your Painting Contractor After the drying cleaning and sanding, the surface is ready to be primed. A primer coat acts as the foundation for the coating. All subsequent layers of paint depend on the adhesion between the primer and the bare surface. Most painting contractors will insist on applying the primer coat to ensure that it is properly done and capable of producing a good finished product.
For more information and advice on preparing a surface for painting and coating, please contact a professional painting company.
House painting for many homeowners becomes complicated with all the color Alternatives available on the market today. For starters, many homeowners are not confident with their color choices. Then there is the fear that they will make a mistake in color choice and have to live with it. Having your home painted twice is not an expense most homeowners want to undertake. Furthermore, what will the neighbors think about the new colors? Below is some house painting tips that will help you feel more confident with your color choice.
1. The first thing to consider is what colors on your house will not change. Roofs typically last from 30 years to lifetime. Bricks are permanent and aren't going to change. Stones are also permanent. Be sure and coordinate any color change with these permanent colors. You will want your wall and trim colors to compliment these existing permanent colors, not fight with them. This should guide you to the right color family.
2. Another consideration should be the landscape and the neighborhood. The colors surrounding the house as well as the geographic location. The type of building materials used on the house.
3. The architectural style of the home needs to be considered. For example, A French Victorian home may need a different color scheme than that of a English Tutor. A traditional home needs a different color than modern architecture.
4. One of the simplest ways to freshen up the look of your home without a major change, is to change the door and shutter colors.
5. Some homeowners wonder if there should be a connection between the interior colors and the exterior colors of their home. It really is a matter of personal preference. If you own a historic home you may want to keep the authenticity of that time period by keeping a connection between interior and exterior colors, but again it is a personal preference. Many homeowners consider the interior a place where there are no limitations for color.
6. Coordinating colors is a common problem with many homeowners. I recommend you make a trip to your paint store. Most major paint stores have pre-selected color schemes. Most offer palette collections that provide accurate historical reference along with collections of colors that work well together. This is a great place to start your color selections.
7. Some of major paint stores like Sherwin Williams, offer an online service that allows you to construct color variations using a visualizer. Call your store for the web address and you can go online with your computer and play around with a lot of different colors for both exterior and interior house painting. You can apply different colors to interior or exterior scenes by simply dragging and dropping in the color on various elements such as walls and trim.
8. One very important thing you should do is purchase a quart of each color you are planning to use and apply them all in the same area of your house for comparison. For the siding or wall color apply in a 4ft by 4ft area next to the trim color you plan to use. The small paint chips Roofing services supplied by the paint stores are too small to make a determination. (Caution: If the siding is textured, or you have stucco, do not apply paint on a large area with a brush or roller. When the house is painted by the contractor, you will be able to see where you applied the test sample underneath the paint they apply. Paint fills the pores of textured surfaces so you have an uneven distribution of paint where you applied the sample causing it to be visible. Instead, apply the test sample on a piece of plywood and hold up to the trim to test your color samples.)
Make sure you have made a decision on your paint colors before you hire your contractor. Too often homeowners make the mistake of rushing into painting their home without giving adequate time to the color decision process. Because they feel rushed, often homeowners are not confident with the color choices. House painting doesn't have to be stressful. Just give a little time to planning.