Tag Archives: Deck Staining

With each turn of the calendar page to a new year Americans tend to embrace the idea of making New Year’s resolutions that will result in improvements to their lives. May we suggest you do the same with regard to your home? This year, when the calendar reads January take a good hard look at your residence with the intent of finding places that need to be upgraded or improved. This may include the need for a new coat of paint when spring rolls around, or simply some good old-fashioned organization. Here are some ideas that will brighten your home and your mood!

• Do a complete walk-through of the interior of your home. Use a notepad and pen or a list program on your phone or computer. Take pictures of areas that you would like to have cleaned up or cleaned out, painted or repaired. Repeat this process for the exterior of your home as well. Sometimes a home owner is more likely to be honest about the condition of their residence in the winter weather than on a sunny clear day!

• Now, take your list and organize the issues you have noted in order of importance. Which problem would you like to tackle first? What can wait?

• Beneath each project write out the materials and steps that will need to be taken to complete the job. For example, perhaps your basement is dusty and has been a catch-all for years. What steps would you need to take to make the area usable? What materials would it require?

• Create a realistic calendar for when you will complete each project. Do not set goals that you will fail to reach. All too often, resolutions are abandoned because they are unreasonable from the start. If you are really committed to making authentic changes then ensure that your schedule is obtainable.
• Be sure to stretch the projects out over the course of the year. Also, be prepared to rearrange the schedule in case of weather or other problems. Do not let challenges prevent you from achieving your goals.
• Incorporate celebrations for each achievement…After all – this is your home and your life! You simply can never give yourself too many pats on the back for making things better!

When you are ready for the support of a professional paint company contact the experts at University Painters, Inc.

So, the month of February has rolled around and you are ‘itching’ to get into those home projects. February is a tough time for homeowners. Anywhere you live in the Mid Atlantic region the climate is dreary, and the vegetation around your home lifeless. You are probably spending hours looking through home magazines and catalogs to find the perfect appointments for your outdoor setting. Well, you can do better than that. You can start prepping your home for spring so when the weather breaks you can get outdoors and get busy!

• Clean those gutters. Using a sturdy ladder and heavy work gloves climb up and clear the gutters. Then stick the garden hose on one end and flush out the gutters until they run clear. Double check that the downspouts are channeling the water far away from your home’s foundation.
You may consider hiring a service or handyman to do this job if you do not want to climb a ladder. A second option is to invest in seamless gutters or self-cleaning gutters. No matter what you decide, it is advisable to double check the gutters once or twice a year to make sure they are in good working order – and clean!

• Check foundation vents. If your home has a crawl space, then you have vents along the foundation walls. These vents serve a purpose. They prevent mold by allowing excess moisture to exit beneath the home while also keeping animals out. Cleaning the area around them should be a regular part of prepping your home.

• Be proactive in preventing an infestation of bugs. ‘Bug-proof’ your house early. There are now a number of environmentally-friendly but highly effective products to complete this task. Spraying around the foundation of the home will help keep insects outdoors where they belong.

• Do a complete walk-around of the house. Inspect the current state of the exterior looking for areas of mold, cracking paint, and other issues.

You might also clean your patio furniture, clean the grill, prep the yard for new spring plantings and grass growth, and clean the windows. Contact University Painters, Inc. for a complete assessment of your home’s exterior.

So, you are thinking about having your home’s exterior painted this year and you would like to include an estimate in your annual home budget. You don’t want to get too serious yet and call in professionals to give you an estimate, You simply want to come up with a ‘ball-park’ figure you can jot down and return to when you are closer to the time you want to get quotes.

• Start by acknowledging you will need to power wash the outside of the home as the essential first step and as part of the complete package for painting your home’s exterior. Power washing removes all the debris from the surface of your home and allows you to see where minor repairs may need to be made. When hiring a residential painting company, ensure that they offer power washing services.

• Consider the cost of supplies to paint your home’s exterior. Take the time to visit a store that sells paint and supplies to get input on the materials these experts suggest will be needed in order to complete the job. This is probably a worthwhile venture even if you intend to hire a residential paint company.

• The biggest cost for painting your home will be the labor involved. While many people tend to think house-painting requires little to no skill – quite the opposite is true. Exterior home painting requires finesse and patience. Professionals understand how to apply paint evenly and expertly. They know how to address small problems that may occur as the job gets underway. There are times of the day and year that are better for ensuring that the exterior paint job will have the greatest endurance. Professionals understand that painting is methodical, and they aim to ensure the last stroke is as well-placed as the first.

• Determine the square footage of your home by measuring the perimeter and height – and multiplying the numbers together. That is the maximum amount and does not include windows and doors. Multiply by the average cost of labor in your area.

A beautifully painted home or business is worth every penny! Contact the professionals at University Painters, Inc. for more information – we’ll be glad to provide a quote!

Are you a business owner who has recently decided that your building’s interior or exterior needs to be refreshed? Are you considering a paint job to give your company a more modern, clean and inviting look? All too often, proprietors believe that in order to complete an indoor or outdoor paint job effectively with the minimum of fuss they must close their doors to customers until the work is done. Well, you should know that nothing can be further from the truth! That’s right – you can keep your doors open for business while you go about the business of updating your presentation.

Now, there is no question that painting, and renovating can be a major disruption to a company’s day-to-day operations. However, if you plan properly and well in advance then this preparation can make the process simpler and less troublesome. Here are some suggestions.

• Start by contacting the local authorities to ensure you are permitted to stay open during renovations. Different municipalities have varying requirements, so this is the best place to begin.

• Take an assessment of what activities occur on a daily basis and how much space and what space is required to carry out these duties. Look for ways to minimize the disruption. For example, perhaps in the early morning or late afternoon there is a lull in customers so that can open up a period of time to work in an area that may otherwise be quite busy.

• The best approach is to create zones within the business in which you can move from area to area. This helps keep your business and renovations organized.

• Make sure that you are able to keep fresh warm air flowing to ensure your employees and/or customers stay comfortable should you decide to paint during the cooler months.

• Announce your intentions to remodel, refurbish or repaint to the public on the multiple media outlets available to you. Also put large signs on the outside of your business so customers know what to expect in advance. However, if you are going to stay open during that time – make sure this information is front and center so you don’t scare off customers who might think you are closed.

University Painters, Inc. has the expertise to keep your business up and running during painting renovations. Contact us today for more information.

Today’s homeowners and business owners have multiple options that will allow them to keep their freshly painted walls looking fresh and new for longer than ever before. One great invention that has proven appealing is the ‘scuff-resistant paint’. Now, if you have children, animals or employees you know very well that your beautiful walls can become marred very quickly due to marks caused from brushing up against them accidentally.

Scuff-resistant paint is a revolutionary new type of covering for walls. It has been designed and manufactured to hold up against scuff marks in high-traffic areas at home or at work. Many home and business owners will paint their walls twice in an effort to keep scuff marks at bay – although this rarely ever works. Scuff-resistant paint is an interior latex that requires no mixing, emits little odor and applies as easily as any other type of paint. Moreover, it comes in the same variety of colors and finishes.

While many paint companies proclaimed their product stood up to scuffs in the past there is a difference in today’s scuff-resistant paints. They are engineered utilizing a combination of new and different materials that have been created and tested in laboratories. They have lower VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which make them more environmentally friendly, offer better coverage than ever before, and apply as easily as any other type of paint.

In the end, perhaps the most appealing quality for busy homeowners and business owners is that they are low-maintenance and easy to clean. Once it has dried you can often just wipe the surface and it looks as new and clean as the day you painted!

However, just as it is true with all paints, the glossier the paint the more resistant it is to scuff marks. Too, it is important to know the substrate you will be painting and what types of paint are recommended for these surfaces.

Scuff-resistant paint is becoming more popular in the ‘common areas’ in hospitals and dormitories, government buildings, theaters, airports, hotels and just about anywhere that the general public gathers or commutes.

If you are getting ready to repaint or paint for the first time, consider using scuff-resistant paint. To learn more or for other residential and commercial paint questions contact the experts at University Painters, Inc.

People put their houses up for sale all year long. As a result, there are many things that they take into consideration prior to putting the sign in the yard. One of these is whether or not to paint any part of the inside or outside to give it greater sales appeal. This article should help you make the right decision.

• Painting your property inside or out can spruce it up and make it a more inviting place to visit for the prospective home buyer. Getting customers in the door is the first step towards selling!
• Painting your property can potentially increase its value. In other words, an interior or exterior paint job can yield a greater return on your investment (ROI) – meaning the cost of the paint job could result in more money for the sale.
• Painting your home’s exterior gives it greater curb appeal. This is important not only in getting buyers to look at your home but also having those same potential customers think about the home in terms of its value. A freshly painted home is worth more to the buyer and the seller. Be sure to choose a neutral color that will enhance the home’s look without making it stand out for the wrong reason.
• A home that has dingy interior walls with peeling paint or similar problems will turn a customer away even if they like what they see on the outside. Most potential homeowners will look at a house with an eye towards making it their own and redoing it to their taste. That means that even if you paint the interior or portions of it, the buyer may come in and repaint or wallpaper. But fresh clean walls help the buyer look at the interior and see how they can remodel it to their taste. Dirty, peeling paint will turn the customer away in many cases. Remember, again, if you do paint the interior to use neutral colors or white. These are easy colors to paint over if a buyer wants to do so.
• Don’t take those pictures you intend to use to promote your property before you have spruced up the place. The whole point of painting is to improve your chances of appealing to potential buyers.
• Don’t feel obligated to repaint everything. Only paint those areas that you believe will look better when refreshed.

If you need to spruce up your home, contact the professionals at University Painters, Inc.

Have you looked around the interior of your home with a critical eye as the holidays approach? Do you see a smudge here, a scuff there? Unnoticeable to the soon-to-be guests but to you each mark seems to be magnified! So, you run around creating perfection from imperfection and just as you sit down in front of the fireplace it hits you! The fireplace needs refurbishing! After all, it is Santa’s entryway and you want it to be flawless.

Time to get out the paint and paintbrush. Yes, fireplaces can be painted! Begin by scrubbing down the area so you can get a true idea of how the area looks unadorned. This only requires the use of warm soapy water and a wire brush that can be used to scrub the bricks clean of any soot and debris. Sand down any loose mortar and rinse thoroughly. Let the fireplace dry for at least 24 hours then speckle the holes and cracks. Again, give the fireplace time to dry again.

The next step is taking the time to look at images of similar hearths to get ideas of how you want yours to look when you are done. Some people like a modern look while others prefer classic. You may want to create a striking contrast between the fireplace and the surrounding walls. You may instead prefer to make the fireplace the same color as the walls so it blends in.

Now, the best way to ensure that the undertaking is successful is to gather all of the materials and supplies you will need in advance. In that way you will not need to stop and start and drag the project out. This may include everything from paint to tarp, painting tape to spackling, caulking, paint brushes of multiple sizes and types and anything you may feel is essential for a proper job.

Finally, you are ready to paint! Start with that primer. It lays down a coat that evens out the paint that is laid over it. When it comes to fireplaces – start at the top and work your way down the structure. A water-based paint is your best choice. Remember to let it dry thoroughly before deciding if a second coat is needed.

The only thing left to do now is wait for Santa! When you need support for your next residential or commercial painting project, contact the experienced professionals at University Painters, Inc. We’ve got you covered!