Posts for Tag : painting
Why Does My Exterior Paint Job Fail?
A paint job can only be as good as the surface we are painting over. Many layers of misapplied paint result in massive failure. All paint manufacturers and industry analysts agree that preparation on an existing painted house normally takes about 70% preparation and 30% painting, most painters and homeowners do quite the opposite. We are in the progress of removing all the paint from this home in North Oaks, Minnesota due to this problem. Preparation, preparation, and more preparation is the key to a long lasting paint job and that’s exactly what Lake Area Painting does!
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
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!
Touch up Painting Interior Walls – a Do or a Don’t?
How do I do it? Can it be done? Are there other options?
How do we touch up interior walls?
Answer: You don’t! Under most circumstances touching up walls is a poor idea! You are better off trying to wash off those little messes or problems. Try using a mild soap like dishwashing soap or those new funny little bleach sponges seem to work well.
Are there other options?
Answer: Alternately if washing off does not work you can paint individual walls from corner to corner. Even if the paint you have is not a perfect match, a corner-to-corner painting will often solve your problems.
The best option?
Answer: We use Benjamin Moore’s highest quality interior wall paint (AURA). With this paint, washing is easy and if the stain will not come out you can truly touch up! And yes I mean touch up just the spot. The touch-up factor with AURA paint is hands down the best in the market. Yet another reason for using the best products available.
Tired of Popcorn Ceiling?
Lake Area Can Help You Achieve a New Look
Do you feel like a bag of popcorn exploded every time you look up at one of your ceilings? If you are sick and tired of your popcorn ceiling, Lake Area Painting and Decorating, Inc. can help you modernize. Most of our customers who have popcorn ceilings have two main questions:
1) Can removing a popcorn-textured ceiling be done quickly and without creating a large mess?
2) And what are the options for a new look on my ceilings?
Quickly? Yes!
On an average-sized room – let’s say 12 feet x 15 feet – we can prepare (“cover and mask”) the
room, remove the texture, and re-install knock down or any other texture in
as few as three days! If we add more rooms or square footage we can still
get the job done in three days. More rooms will only require more manpower.
Without a mess? Yes and no!
There will be a mess no doubt. The trick is containment, management and
clean up. And yes it is a trick. Good systems are critical or it could be
a disaster. Think about all those tiny little bumps on your ceiling scattered across your floor.
What are the options for a new look?
How about a very smooth bright white ceiling? Or a shade of gray or a subtle
gold tone. How about a very fine knock down texture or a very bold knock
down. Bloops, swirls, Spanish texture – yes there are lots of options
available.
We invite you to call us at 651-429-1778 if you are interested in a quote on removing your popcorn ceiling and adding a new look.