I’m as much an animal lover as the next guy, but I don’t have much care for zebra stripes…that is, when it comes to professional painting. You may not be aware that this would be a concern, but it is to McLain’s.
Let me explain: Zebra stripes occur when the top coat doesn’t cover the previous color surface completely and a striped appearance is evident. If the top coat doesn’t cover well or if a painter is not careful to roll enough, zebra stripes will show. The way you can prevent this (if you want only one coat painted) is to use the very same color on the walls presently. The other way to prevent (if more than one coat is used) it is to have a painter who rolls enough and is constantly monitoring the coverage.
We are always aware that our proper job is to leave absolutely no hint of zebra stripes. No offense to the four-legged creatures, though.
You always need to be careful when touching up an existing painted surface. We professional painters take extra care with this. If you find yourself needing to deal with this repair yourself, I highly recommend that you use paint from the original can but don’t use the same “strength” – reduce it by about 10% to 15% with the reducer that is recommended on the paint can’s label.
Now, the paint isn’t the only detail you must remember. How you paint it is just as important. The tool rule is fairly simple: If the paint was applied with a roller, use a small trim roller. If the paint was brushed on, use a brush.
Carefully, carefully add a small amount of the touch-up paint to the brush or roller. Slowly “feather” the edges on the needed spot, working from the outside toward the center of the area. By lightly drawing the brush across the area outside of the touch-up toward the new paint area, you’ve made a “transition zone” that diminishes the appearance of the touch-up.
We’d all like to believe that our freshly-painted walls and other surfaces are going to remain spotless for the next ten years, but the fact is that dust, grime, an occasional spill, and other factors are always a concern for us. You’re aware that maintenance cleaning is a necessity to the life of your painted surfaces, but what’s the best choice is cleaning solutions?
May I suggest that when you are selecting a cleaner, you must be sure to use a non-abrasive cleaner. If you apply an abrasive cleaner, you can wreak all kinds of havoc on that nice surface, so please be careful with what you use. Another note: when you’re cleaning a waterborne paint, be careful to avoid products that are ammoniated. The overall answer is simple, really: mild, soapy water will generally do the job just fine. Play safe, though – always test the cleaning solution in an inconspicuous area to ensure that it does not damage the paint film.
As I’ve said in an earlier post, the basic principles of color are hue, value, intensity and temperature. When you combine these four areas in the right way you’re going to be on the way to some great color decisions.
One of the four principles is temperature – You’ll hear people talk about colors as warm or cool. You can set the mood of the room if you know how to maintain a balance of temperatures. Warm colors would be colors like red and yellow. Blue and green are called cool colors, and then there are neutral temperatures such as beige. Not only will the proper temperature set the mood of a room, it can also modify and define the perceptions of a room or space.
Hue, value, intensity and temperature are the four principles of color used by every painting professional. You can learn how to better select a color for your home when you can wisely combine these four ideas.
Today I’ll explain two of these terms of color:
- Value – When you hear ”light”, “medium” or “dark”, you’re talking about the value in a color (the words tint, shade and tone are interchanged with this term). This refers to the lightness or darkness of a color and is determined by the amount of white, gray or black that is added to a pure color.
- Intensity – You would think of intensity as bright in one extreme and or dull on the other end. Intensity is the measurement of the brightness of a color. You would commonly use low intensity hues for the home’s main colors and your accenting would be with higher intensity hues.
In preparing for New Year’s events, I was doing a little research and came across a little New Year’s trivia:
It seems after years of calendar tampering, the Roman senate made the move in 153 BC as they declared January 1 to be the beginning of the new year. However, the calendar was still being monkeyed with until 46 BC when Julius Caesar established January 1 as the new year in what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar, once again reminding us that not all things need to be decided by committee. Oh, and that New Year’s Tournament of Roses Parade in California? Believe it or not, it dates way back to 1886 when members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers in order to celebrate the ripening of the orange crop in California.
Here are some considerations I thought I would pass your way as you decide on the color for the outside of your home:
1. Intense colors run the risk of fading. Oh, it’ll take a few years, but you’ll notice that the vivid colors will “ease up a bit” and appear to gently fade. Remember, as it becomes more subdued, the exact paint match becomes difficult when you do a small touch-up job.
2. On the other hand, dark colors won’t show dust and stains like lighter shades can.
3. Choose carefully. Dark colors absorb heat, yet can give a house a deep majestic look. Dark colors also run a higher risk of moisture problems than lighter shades. Weigh your options as you decide. Call us and we’ll help with your decision.
One of the parts of our job that we take very seriously is in clearing and preparing a room before painting it. You may think that this is a minor detail, but moving virtually everything out of the room is Job #1. Now,there are times when larger furniture can be left heavily covered in the center of good sized rooms, but it’s important to remove as much as possible, including light fixtures and hardware. You’ll notice that we take our drop cloths seriously – that’s Job #2 to us – because even a few drops on the floor can really mess things up. We utilize high-quality canvas drop cloths, because paint will soak through lightweight fabrics. We avoid plain plastic sheeting because it’s slippery, which poses a risk, and it doesn’t do a good job of absorbing drips.
I thought I’d slip in a nice little Victorian Christmas poem, published in the 1800s. It’s called “A Catch by the Hearth”:
Sing we all merrily
Christmas is here,
The day that we love best
Of days in the year.
Bring forth the holly,
The box, and the bay,
Deck out our cottage
For glad Christmas-day.
Sing we all merrily,
Draw round the fire,
Sister and brother,
Grandson and sire.
I know it can be a very trying time when you’re making a choice on colors for your home. This is something that will stay with you for years, and I can understand that you might be a bit anxious. That’s why, when you sign up with McLain’s Painting Service, you will receive one free hour with our color consultant, who can help determine what colors will go well with the furnishings and décor in your home.
It’s just one of the many services we provide in order to make your life a bit easier!