Posts for Tag : history

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How do we keep your house from getting trashed during remodeling?

Painting is considered to be one of the dirtiest fields in the construction industry. So what’s the deal, how can it be managed?

It’s only a matter of TTT “TAKE THE TIME” keeping things neat and clean during a construction project that happens in THREE phases.

PHASE ONE-SETUP

When Lake Area Painting and Decorating completes the job every surface in the room being painted will be covered before we start any other prep work. Furniture is covered with clean cotton sheets and then a layer of plastic. Both layers extend to the floor. Wood or tile flooring is covered with a 3M rubber barrier or rosin paper. Carpeting is covered with 10 Oz Absorbent canvas drop cloths. Note-It’s not helpful if the contractor never washes his floor coverings. Dog hair, cat hair, and all the dirt and debris get moved from job to job, Yuck! At LAPD we wash our drops and between jobs, we shake the bleep out of our floor coverings.

PHASE TWO-DAILY CLEANUP

Anytime we have the option to use tools with vacuums we do. We often vacuum areas as we sand or prepare. When any one process is extremely messy (wallpaper removal or texture removal) we will remove all that debris at the end of the day!

PHASE THREE-END OF JOB CLEAN UP

Yes, there will still be a mess even with a diligent setup and cleanup.
Vacuuming carpets, mopping floors, cleaning glass and countertops etc. The goal here is to leave the house cleaner than we found it!

QUESTIONS TO ASK OR THINGS TO TAKE NOTE OF!
Did the contractor remove his shoes when he entered your house?
Does the contract spell out clean up and prevention procedures?

THE BIG QUESTION?
What do his or her previous customers have to say about them? That’s right; you have to make some calls. A contractor’s history is an excellent indication of their future performance!

Thanks for reading!
Your helpful contractor,
Jim Keenan, 3rd Generation Painter & Owner of LAPD

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Is it too late to paint?

Fall Exterior painting in Minnesota

Here at Lake Area Painting, we are often asked, “When does it get too cold to paint?” Cold is a serious limiting factor and paint manufacturers are good about spelling out the temperature tolerances for their products. It’s really fairly simple, most exterior paint and stain is water-based. Therefore if the paint is applied during the day and the temperature falls to below freezing before the paint dries you will have a problem. The results will be obvious; the paint will crack and fall off!

There is, however, another concern or problem that happens far more often and is related to cold weather. SURFACTANT LEACHING! Very often in the spring and fall as those beautiful sunny days turn into cool nights we get condensation. Here’s what happens, as the temperature falls at night and it gets close to the dew point the humidity increases. That humidity in the air hangs on to the warmer sides of your home. If your fresh paint is not completely dry you will end up with streaks in the paint and
discoloration.

There is soap or surfactants in all paint and damp air will actually pull the soap to the surface of the paint causing a very unsightly looking finish.

To avoid the problems quit painting earlier in the day. Also, windy afternoons help to dry out the paint quicker or this is one of the few times during the year when painting on the sunny side of the house is a good idea. That sun on a 50-degree day will help dry the paint.

Happy painting!