Whenever you are choosing a color for the outside of your home, don’t miss one important detail: pay attention to what you won’t paint. Think about it. You’re not going to paint everything on the outside, are you?
Consider carefully the features that will not be painted. Maybe you’ll not paint the railings or the vinyl windows. Do you have brick walls? Think of how the colors would coordinate with them. Do you have trim or maybe a natural wooden door that you won’t have painted? If there are colors that will remain, then your key word is “harmonize.”
Let me take a minute here and explain how you can choose the best gloss for your home. The higher the paint’s gloss you select, the shinier its appearance is going to be when it dries. The upside of a high gloss is that it is easier wipe clean.
You can use this guide to help you:
- Flat paint—virtually no shine in the paint. Bedrooms are good for using a flat paint. If you wish to hide surface irregularities, go with this choice.
- Low-luster and satin paints – I would best describe this as “subtle” in the sheen department. This is good for family rooms.
- Semi-gloss paint—The next step up in shininess, but not overdone. Use this in kids’ rooms (you can give it a good scrub with confidence) and the bathroom.
- High-gloss paint—use this for trim. It is quite shiny and easy to wipe up. I might also suggest doors and cabinets.
There is much to be said about choosing the right color for your rooms, but let me give you a tip whenever you come to the point that you’re ready to tell us what color you want painted:
Consider selecting the coordinating wall paint color from the background of a print fabric, for a subtle yet complete effect.
First, you should choose the “main” fabric that has more than two colors, and then use the background color from the fabric as a wall color. Of those print fabric colors, I’d suggest using the brightest colors from the fabric for accents like picture mats and decorative pillows. You’ll be amazed at how “together” the room will look.
One of the services we provide is in the repair of wood rot, and we see some pretty severe cases. I hate to see anyone incur damage due to wood rotting, so it’s good to keep an eye out for signs that problems may be starting. Excessive moisture can enable fungus to break down the wood, even those that are “pressure treated”.
Be aware of potential wood rot occurring in these areas:
- The ledger board of a deck, where the deck is attached to the house.
- The base of an exterior door.
- Behind gutters and downspout
- Under the roof line on soffits.
- The bottom of windows, like the window sill.
- If not flashed correctly, problems might occur with trim around doors and windows.
- The wood boards at the top of the foundation.
I truly believe that safety and security are a big part of any painting business, and I mean that in all sincerity. The fact that you trust McLain’s to work inside of your home, in your rooms and hallways, is a trust that we don’t take lightly. That’s why we show respect – I don’t allow loud music or any disruptive talking. You can also be assured that each of our employees is drug tested and has undergone a thorough background check before being hired. It just goes to show how serious we take our business.
My personal goal is for us to be not only the best painters in the region, but also the most respectful. In my book, that’s important.