Things Never To Do When Painting Your Home

There is a small list of what not to do when painting your home. It is advisable to keep it in mind to ensure the success of your mission.
Do not overlook the basics when undertaking a DIY painting project. Small steps will ensure that the end result of the painting job is to your satisfaction. Read on to know about things that you must not do, while painting your home.

1. Do not drop the tape
Painting contractors in Chicago swear by using a tape for all paint jobs. It is a must if you want clean edges and lines.

2. Do Not Paint Without Primer First
If you want to keep painting every year, skip the primer for sure. Or else use a primer first. The colors will be much more vibrant and fresh. You won’t have to bother painting again for a few years.

3. Don’t Buy Meager Amounts of Paint
Exterior painting experts in Chicago, suggest that all homeowners must follow the golden rule of 1 gallon of paint for every 400 square feet. You don’t want to be running out of paint half way. Sometimes the exact color might not be available in a fresh batch and that will put your whole project on a hold.

4. Don’t Start With the Assumption That the Walls Are Clean
 People like to skip the essential step of cleaning the walls before painting. A clean surface will allow the paint to adhere to it properly. Yes its additional labor, but it cannot be ignored.

5. Don’t Skip Surface Preparation
If you want your paint job to look like a pro then sanding and filling of the holes cannot be ignored at any cost. When the paint will dry it will look much more even and impressive.

 6. Try Not Be Impatient
Haste in painting will definitely go waste. Allow every step to be completed before moving on to the next. For example there is no point in rushing for a second coat of paint if the first has not dried yet.
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Tips to Keep Textured Walls Looking New

Textured walls look more appealing any day. But they look their most attractive when they are spick and span.

Textured walls need to be cleaned with special processes and tools to make them look new. If you prevent your walls from getting too dirty, cleaning won’t be much of a problem. Even if you don’t have much time to spare, going over them with a moist cloth or the vacuum once a week should suffice.  Have a look at some of the steps that you can follow.

1. Materials that you will need
Before you start the project, be sure to stock up on brushes, paint bucket, a couple of old tooth brushes and drop cloths. Most of these items can be easily found at home.

2.Start by removing the dust
Removal of dust is the first step of this cleaning mission. Use the brush attachment of the vacuum cleaner and vacuum your walls carefully. Take special care of cleaning the small corners and small spaces. Do not be too forceful when using the brush. 

3.Get your soap solution ready
Fill two buckets with water. To one of them, add a mild detergent and keep the other one plain. You can use any cleaning solution lying at home or get a specialized one from your hardware store.

4.Start cleaning the walls
Wear an old pair of nylon socks on your hands and start doing the needful. A sponge is not advisable as small pieces of it may break and sick to the texture. You can also combine an old toothbrush with the socks. If at any time you are not sure, call in the experts from any house painting Services Company in Chicago.

5. Rinsing the walls
Now use the plain water in the other bucket and rinse the walls using clean socks. It is important that all the soap is removed or else it will leave back white residue on the walls. You must allow the wall to dry naturally.

Hire professional painting contractor for your paint job

Your time is really most valuable. When it comes to painting your house, it may seem an easy task, but since time comes at a premium – why not hire a professional painting contractor for your paint job?

Hiring one of the diverse painting services in Chicago can take the pressure and stress of painting your home out of your mind. Finding a painting exterior painting contractor in Chicago is an important choice and it requires careful consideration.

If you are looking for painting contractors in Lincoln Park or painting contractors in Park Ridge, you must follow the below mentioned tips to make sure you have hired the best painting contractors in Chicago for you painting project. 

Get referrals The best and probably the easiest way to locate a quality painting contractor is to ask for referrals from neighbors, friends or acquaintances who have recently carried out a paint job with a contractor’s help. This is the quickest way to find a sound painting contractor in your locality.

Get estimates from a couple of contractors When you have managed to contact a few contractors and have received their estimate, which should be about the same price range, pick two or three best suited in your budget. If the price quotes differ too much, you must ask for what different the contractor is offering.

 Schedule interview with the shortlisted contractors In the interview make sure you as the contractor the following questions: 

•Ask how long the contractor has been in the painting business?
• Ask if he has a contractor’s license?
• Confirm if he has an insurance cover?
• Ask if the contractor has membership of the local painting contractors association?
• Also ask for references and after work services.
• Ask of the products the contractor will be using in your project.

Discuss Requirements having finalized the contractor based on the personal interview, now discuss your requirement properly and walk the chosen contractor around the area to be painted to have a fair idea of what is required of him and finalize the color, paint type and pre-painting preparations.
Happy painting!

Professional painting tricks to give you a sassy home

If you are living in a dull and ordinary home, you have a chance to transform it into a lively and happening abode with a paint job. Painting if done without due care and equipment; it can be disastrous. Thus, painting your home is best left for the professionals to execute. 

If you would wish to paint your home yourself, there are two things that you will have to take care of. One, that you have a little bit of painting experience and all the necessary equipment and two, that you have enough time at hand (since painting the house can be a tiring and time consuming job). 

 

This is where painting contractors Lincoln Park, and painting contractors Park Ridge, come handy. These painting and tuckpointing contractors in Chicago help you paint your home new and beautiful - they have appropriate skill, equipment and ample time.  

Painting and masonry contractors Oak Park and masonry contractors Lincoln Park ensure the painting project is carried out successfully – here are tricks these professional painters follow:

Use of proper equipment:

When it comes to professional painters, they come with all kinds of safety gear and proper equipment for painting. The pros will have everything including step ladders, paint clothes, brushes, rollers, damp cloth for errant drips and goggles for eye protection. 

Ensure properly cleanliness and ventilation:

When painting, professional painters are aware that floors can get dirty, they ensue the floor is covered with dampened rag and the furniture is shifted out of the room. They ensure there is proper ventilation since paint fumes can have hazardous effects on health if inhaled. 

Use of proper lighting

Proper lighting will help professionals understand how the paint job is looking. The painters ensure adequate lighting when painting with light colors or when painting in the night. 

Using brushes and rollers judiciously

Walls painted with brush look more desirable, but it is incredibly time consuming. Thus, painting contractors use rollers for the walls, while they use paint brushes to do the edges and corners. 

 

Exterior Painting: Reframing your world

Our home is the glimpse of our sentiments, our feelings and our thoughts.  We build our homes once and we want it to be the best. Besides giving a proper architecture, paints add life to the structure. The look of your house gets transformed with a fresh paint.

And it is not only about the look, paint protect our homes against sunlight, rain and wind. A well-built house with a good structure needs a good exterior paint that catches everybody’s attention. Here are some tips that would help you to paint the exterior of your house.

1.   Consider nature:  Proper planning should be done before getting your house painted from outside. It is important to note here that paint needs time to dry up. Therefore, a dry time of the year, when there is less humidity and no rain, should be selected for painting the exterior of the house. 

2.   Choose Quality and Not Price: Good quality paint will reduce your chances of repainting your house, every year. The exterior walls of the house acts a shield to all sorts of threats so it is important that you choose the paint that is best in quality and long lasting.

3.   Primer plays important: It is a good practice to use a primer prior to using the color coat. Today, to facilitate you, paint manufacturing companies have combined primer and paint that cuts down the overall coats you need to apply. But these paints are more expensive. It depends on you to decide which way to go.

4.   Prepare the surface: Paints do not stick well on rough and dirty surface. It becomes important to scrape the surface well so as to create a clear solid surface on which the exterior paint will stick well.

5.   Use Brush and Rollers: You should use both the paintbrush and roller to apply exterior paint for fast and effective process. For applying paint on narrow surfaces, edges, and smaller areas, you should use a brush. A roller with short diameter should be used when you need to paint large and long surfaces such as siding and trim.

6.   Starting from top: It is always good to start painting from the top and moving down in the same flow. The bottom edge of the sides should be painted first and then the broad surfaces.  To avoid lap marks, you should brush from one wet surface to another wet surface.

Stucco repair: Make your house long-living again

Stucco is the most attractive of all the material. It adds a glowing finishing to the building. Being inexpensive, easy to use has made it popular today all over. Whether it is a residential project or a commercial project, Stucco is the first choice for architects and owners.

While stucco is tough and stands up well generally, it is fragile in nature so it can crack or have a chunk break. A crack then can leads to trapping of moisture underneath causing the exterior wall to deteriorate. In such case, it becomes important to get the cracked stucco repaired for preventing further deterioration. Here are few easy tips on how to repair stucco.

• Remove the edges of the damaged stucco from the walls using a hammer or chisel and continue to chip till the wired mesh. Use a wire-bristle brush to clean the area so as to remove any loose dust and wreckage. A moist rag can be then used to wipe the entire area to pick up any remaining dust.
• Next step is to mix the mortar using a bucket. The standard mixing measurement is mixing one part Portland cement, four parts builder's sand and a small amount of water. Mix the contents well. Remember that the mortar should be thin enough to work easily.
• It is necessary to match the color of your old stucco to get the new one accordingly. So. Match the color and get gallon paint for you.It’s time to spread ¼inch layer of the mixture using a brick trowel into the hole. Be cautious while spreading the mixture onto the wall so that it does not get onto the existing stucco layer. The patched area should be scrapped with the edge of the trowel in cross-hatched pattern and leave it for 24 hours.  Repeat the entire step for next 24 hours.
• Match the pattern of the surrounding wall by using the finished tool, while new stucco is moist. You can use the trowel to create a smooth surface or a damp sponge to mimic stippling or a wadded piece of cloth to achieve a random and gentler stipple pattern. It depends on your choice.  

The area is now ready to be painted over using a primer specifically made for stucco. Let the primer dry and repaint the area to match the rest of the wall. 

Contact Fortune Restoration to know more.

A professional advice on chemical cleaning of stone structures

If you have a stone building structure, chances are you are aware that with time, dirt and grime can began to build up on your stone masonry. Cleaning the stone structure regularly with soap and water can save you time and money, but if you have lost time, then you will have to hire qualified professional contractors to chemically clean your stone. 

Masonry contractors Chicago inform that dirt, grime and soiling can take many different forms by coming in contact with air and pollution. This can cause the stone structure to deteriorate and decay or (in the initial stage) the surface may just begin to appear unsightly.Brick repair in Chicago is an economical affair, but sourcing new stones and restoring an old structure could cost a deal. Therefore, ensure you regularly clean and use tuckpointing service in Chicago to maintain the life of your structure. 

Painting services Chicago or painting contractors Chicago, as you may refer to them, say that exterior painting Chicago on stone structure can be made lot easier if the homeowners can care for the structures and prevent it from damaging. If the homeowners do not care, then contractor believe they are left with only one choice of chemically cleaning the stone structure to bring them back to life. 

It is believed that effects of chemically cleaning stone structures and masonry can be really dramatic. Chemical cleaners, applied in form of liquids or poultices use alkaline, acidic or even organic solvent treatments singly or in combination to clean the stone surfaces most effectively.

Do not try chemically cleaning stone yourself, always seek professional assistance for the same. Professional contractors have experience in playing with chemicals and they are aware of how much and what chemical is required for a certain type of stone cleaning.