Painting a home yourself?

There are many articles on painting a home yourself vs hiring a contractor. There are many reasons why you should choose one or the other. The BIG question is, are you up for the task? Can you move the furniture, climb ladders for a good part of the day, and lift 5 gallon paint buckets from one area to another? If your answer is no, its time to shape up!

 If you're not in the best physical shape it will feel like the never ending job. Painting has been my life for the past 20 years. If I was not in good physical shape, this would be one tough occupation. To keep in shape I run at least 5 miles a week, walk on the treadmill, and every other day hit the weights. You don't have to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but you do need to "Pump yourself up".

I give credit to anyone who makes the attempt to improve their surroundings, but I see a lot of dreams fade due to the physical requirements of certain paint projects.Many people have an adrenalin rush while creating their vision for the interior or exterior of their home. Purchasing all the needed tools and supplies for the paint project can be very exciting. It looks easy, you have painted a little before and know some of the basics. After moving all the furniture, covering the floors and misc., removing the window treatments, taping the needed areas, and putting the ladders in place, your now ready! Or are you?

 So, take a good look at your project, ask yourself if this is something you can handle. If your answer is yes, go for it!  If not, hire a professional and go to the gym.

Crosshatch Faux Technique

A crosshatch faux technique was used to create this subtle aged look. This technique can be used on the interior and exterior. To accomplish this look, paint is applied wet on wet. I applied a deep warm green and a mid warm green on a lighter cooler green base. The base and top coats were a eggshell finish . No glaze was added to the paint. A 4in. roller was used to distribute the darker green first, then a 3 in. brush was used to apply  the mid tone green using the crosshatch technique. I applied the the mid tone green in a random pattern with the same brush. The cross hatch was softened and the edges of the faux were kept in a irregular pattern. The end result will have a soft mottled appearance.

Note - With the Crosshatch technique you are basically painting X's on the wall and blending the two colors together.
 I moved right along, cutting in top and bottom,
rolling in the opened areas. Try not to let the outer edges of the paint dry. Work a couple of feet at a time and dont add too much paint into your corner. This would create a pie crust look. To avoid this, I make a point of adding paint or glaze several inches from any corner and slowly bringing the paint or glaze to the corner.

 

 The greatest thing about this technique is, it is easily repaired. Go back into the area and follow the above, blend in the area and your finished. If this is your first attempt, choose colors which are various tones of the same color. This will keep you from adding other colors which may make an  unwanted color. For the more experienced colorist, use your imagination.  Enjoy!

2012 Color of the year!

       If you’re looking for an energizing, sophisticated, dramatic, seductive and warm color for your interior or fashion, I have just the right color. Pantone a world recognized color authority named Tangerine Tango for color of the year 2012.

 

     This beautiful reddish orange color will be used in homes, fashion and of course paint.

Give yourself a dose of energy by adding this color to your wardrobe or painting an accent wall in your home.

     In the photos shown the interior of this home was done entirely with fauxed red orange walls.

I would best describe the technique as a distressed strie. Dragging a brush threw the red orange glaze vertically down the wall and removing some areas with a rag.

Have the warmth of a beautiful sunset every day!

   

First Impressions

                             What was your first impression ? ....Exactly !

  
        Home for sale, not today! In the Real estate market today, you need to look over every single aspect of your home to gain an edge on the other guy. There is a  heated competition of homes for sale in your neighborhood. Sometimes the only thing needed is a fresh coat of paint.
 
       Take a look at your interior and exterior and try to be objective as possible, ask yourself, would I buy this home in it's current state. Ask a friend or relative to give there opinion or even your real estate agent, these people will be honest  and are trained to get your home to sell quickly.
  
       The first thing to look at is your curb appeal, does it look like it needs help? Pressure cleaning, painting the walls or maybe the trim is an easy job for the Do it Yourself-er! It may be in your best interest to hire a professional painter if the job is to big for you to handle.
 
       As your walking up to your front entry door what does it look like?  Make a good first impression with a fresh coat of paint on your front entry door. It will work wonders, it may be the only thing needed to sell your home!

Enjoy your morning coffee...

                                                        

For most of us, one of the first things we do in the morning is to enjoy a delicious cup of hot coffee, made just the way we like it. With each sip, euphoria slips away and we become aware of the day ahead. Can it be possible to have a work day as good as this coffee? Reality sets in and you would be happy if only a few small things were to go wrong. Here’s a story of a not so perfect day.

One morning a painting contractor gave out the work orders for the day to the employees. One of the projects was a simple one, prime and paint the interior walls of this small home. The boss received a call a few hours later saying they needed more primer. Why do you need more primer? The boss asked. The mural on the wall will not cover and we used most of the primer on just that, replied the employee. What! You painted over the mural, you were not asked to do that, said the boss in a frustrated tone.

Well, it was too late. The mural, which was painted by a local artist, was completely covered with primer. The cost to repaint the mural was about even with the cost of the paint project. At first the homeowner flipped out but soon realized that the original artist could reproduce the art work. The home owner and the artist were the winners that day, the artist has several days of work and the homeowner gets her custom mural repainted.  So, let’s take another sip of coffee and reflect on our day, which was not that bad after all.

Just about every day I visit the paint supply center to pick up my paint order and misc. items. I hear all these amazing stories. Contractors, customers and the employees share their tales and experiences, some sad, some funny and some inspiring. Have any stories to share? Add them in the comment box. I look forward to reading them.

Strange way of getting work

                                                      Strange way of getting work

I have seen many strange things happen in my painting profession over the years, but this story I have to share. It is one of the craziest to date.

My customers sat down to a great fish dinner at home and decided to go to the movies when they were finished eating. Meanwhile, the smell from this delicious meal was going much further than the kitchen. While they were out a raccoon entered their guest bedroom window by tearing away the screen and jumping on the furniture. Their dog was startled from the noise and ran into the room to see who or what was there. As soon as they met, all hell broke loose.

The raccoon ran across the house and into the den trying to get away from the dog, who at this point,     was foaming from the mouth. The raccoon tore the window treatments from the wall and tossed the furniture while trying to escape. Finally the raccoon jumped through the window screen and disappeared.

The dog was not harmed and I think he did a great job protecting his home. The homeowners could not believe that the break in was not from a burglar.  It did not take long to see that it was a raccoon with its claw marks left across the walls and pieces of fur on the floor. I guess I have to thank my customers, and the raccoon, for the job. Are raccoons part of the economic stimulus package?

If you have any strange stories how you received a project in your profession, please add it in the comment box. Thanks!

How to - Rag technique

click to enlarge

   

How to - Rag technique

     This is one of many ways to use a rag for faux techniques and one that is easy and looks great! For this project you will need a quart of glaze ( water base ) and a quart of Sherwin Williams #6773 latex eggshell finish. The faux walls were base coated with a Sherwin Williams HGTV # 6478 eggshell finish and ragged with SW 6773 also eggshell finish. Tape off all areas not to be painted. If you have a steady hand there is no need for taping the ceiling.

       Mix one part glaze with one part paint. Apply mixture to a damp rag just enough to lightly coat. Apply mixed glaze onto the wall with a brush in a triangular pattern and move the glaze around with your rag. Leave some areas open.
     
       A clean damp rag was used to remove some of the glaze to create open areas and a random pattern.The folds in the rag will leave interesting marks by moving your hand at various levels of a clock. 

     Work the glaze as if you were building a puzzle. No straight lines. When your close to the corners move your glazed rag into the corners sparingly ( Don't fill the corners with excess glaze) Skip spots in corners to keep a random look.

     Note: Apply glaze to your rag at the beginning. Rinse the rag slightly when it gets loaded with glaze. The second rag should be damp and kept clean so you can remove excess glaze and apply pattern. Turn your hand randomly to keep from applying the same pattern.
      
     If this is your first attempt with this technique it would be best if you practiced on a piece of construction board. Enjoy your finished faux walls.
      
    

Pieces of time

Let's face it, without realizing why we do the things we do,
we tend to surround ourselves with great memories, pieces of time that bring us back instantly over and over. Some of us are able to take our possessions to create these moments.


 Leslie R. is very creative and has a great outlook on life, it shows in her decor. The guest bath has a faux rag technique with blue green glazes which mimics sea water. The towel rack has starfish hung on sisal string against the hand towels. The ceramic fish tissue holder adds to the fun. Key West here I come.

We all need a place to escape, relax and have peace. Leslie loves the beach and this room shows it with all the accent pieces. This room has a lot of light, it is airy, colorful and fun. This is for the guests and Leslie wants them to enjoy being there. 

The faux walls were base coated with a Sherwin Williams HGTV # 6478 eggshell finish and ragged with SW 6773 also eggshell finish. I applied the glaze in a triangular pattern and moved the glaze around with a damp rag leaving some base areas open. A clean damp rag was used to remove some of the glaze to create open areas and a random pattern.The folds in the rag will leave interesting marks by moving your hand at various levels of a clock. Work the glaze as if you were building a puzzle. No straight lines.

Note: Apply glaze to your rag at the beginning. Rinse the rag slightly when it gets loaded with glaze.

The second rag should be kept clean so you can remove excess glaze and apply a pattern. Turn your hand randomly to keep from applying the same pattern.

If you would like to create your own escape contact us at arrayofcolorinc@yahoo.com

LOOK UP!!!

      LOOK UP!! What do you see in your own home? Probably a white ceiling, we       call it the forgotten wall. If you would like to add a WOW factor into your living area, try adding       some  color to your ceilings. Step out of the box and try something new. If you have difficulty             deciding on a color, you could use the same color that is on your walls. More and more, clients are      adding color on their ceilings, especially when I offer to repaint them at no charge. Sometimes            they need a little push, it usually takes a week to live with and become comfortable with, but the         results are an overwhelming  success.