Avoid a Painting Headache- Choose Wisely

The post Avoid a Painting Headache- Choose Wisely appeared first on Thomas Paint Service.

Image Credit

It is amazing how a simple paint job can do wonders for the aesthetics of your home. Instead of purchasing new items to style up your home, sometimes all you need is the right paint color and viola- you have a brand new look for the season.  The make or break is always selecting the right paint color. Not only should you go after something that matches your overall theme but being in trend is not a bad idea either. Check out how to go about accomplishing the ideal residential, commercial, interior or external painting by choosing a reliable home painting professionals in your areas.

The second critical decision you need to make is who to hire. Although some do prefer to do their own paint jobs, if you don’t have the time and want the best possible outcome, hiring a professional is a wise thing to do. There are many sad stories of what happens when you don’t choose wisely. Take for example one Panama woman.

First appeared on (http://ift.tt/1SYUCWe)

Painting a house…a big chore that a lot of people don’t really want to do.  For one Panama City woman, she hired someone to do the job…eleven years ago.  But, things didn’t turn out too well.  She tried to get issues resolved for years then she turned to News 13. Details on what happened in this week’s Problem Solver.

Debra DeMarcus remembers her decision for painting her home back in 2005 and tells us, “I thought the paint would be strong and durable and just wanted to paint one time.”

DeMarcus wanted to do it right.  So, she picked Rhino Shield partly due to the company’s 25-year paint warranty.  She also says, “but I selected a really, really dark color not knowing in Florida with the high temperatures, that might not have been a good selection for me.”  DeMarcus told News 13 that with the $5,000 plus she paid for the work at that time eleven years ago, she wanted the outcome to look good.

So, the day came for the work crew to get started painting. But, within eight hours after the job was finished…DeMarcus said, “it rained and it washed off the first coat.  And they had to come a week or so later and reapply it. and it rained again.”

Mrs. DeMarcus said even after three more times of calling the crew to come out and retouch the paint and, “I was having some trouble getting them to come out to the house.”

After Mrs. DeMarcus called News 13…it was totally understandable she was frustrated.  Thousands of dollars spent and years of trying to get problems fixed.  So, News 13 went to work to try and get her help.

Although in the end the problem was fixed, none of us want to go through such an ordeal and prevention not only better than cure but a lot cheaper as well.  So now that you may have selected the color you want, how do you go about selecting who you will entrust with your painting job? Here are a few tips from the experts.

First appeared on (http://www.newlifepainting.com/blog/choosing-the-right-company-for-hoa-painting-jobs)

1 – You can dig deeper into the estimate.

Image Credit

Most of the time you will get a wide range of estimates for your HOA painting projects. Do you ever wonder why estimates on the same project can be THAT different? The truth is, you usually get what you pay for, so by being able to dig a little deeper you can learn the facts behind the estimate and make an educated choice that goes beyond price alone. Estimates can differ because of:

• The services included. Did that low estimate include everything you want covered in the project? Is that high estimate including something that wasn’t part of the plan?
• The problem spotted. An experienced painting company will spot problematic areas such as peeling paint, dry rot, stucco repairs, and other factors. The estimate may be higher because it includes a solid plan for taking care of these problems.
• The materials used. There is a huge range in the quality of paints on the market. What kind of materials are included in each bid?
• The experience of the staff. You want knowledgeable painters on your project, and extra training and experience typically translates into a higher wage.

By having painting companies at HOA board meetings, you can dig into the estimates to get a better understanding of what went into that final number.

2 – You can ask questions about the company.

In addition to the work performed and cost, you will want to know a little more about the company who will be performing work on your property. Will the staff be blaring music, swearing, or wearing no shirts when they are working on your project? Does the company have experience working on HOA projects? Do they have a good reputation – reviews, awards, project portfolios, and so on? When painting contractors are involved in the board meeting you can ask questions and learn about the company you’ll be doing business with, as well as what makes them stand out from the competition.

3 – You can establish rapport and trust.

Once again, the actual HOA painting project is more than just a price – it involves real people working in or outside of your properties. How do you know who you can trust when you blindly look down at an estimate? Seeing and talking with the painting contractor or representative will help you build rapport and trust before the project starts.

4 – You can negotiate.

So far, the presence of the painting company at your HOA board meeting has allowed you to get a lot more information about who will be performing the work and how the project will run. After explaining their bid – and learning a little more about the project from questions they may ask the board – many companies will be willing to negotiate the price a little in order to find a win-win solution for everyone involved. Don’t expect the price to come down dramatically (and be wary if it does!). However, after a board meeting, the painting company may be willing to walk the property again and prepare a revised estimate that comes closer to your budget.

 

The good news is Thomas Paint Services has information about all you need to know about selecting a color as well as an experienced painting crew eager to meet your needs. If you need a home painting contractor, contact us now (773) 823-0838 and get an estimate for your next major painting job.

 

Finding the Perfect Color for Your Home

The post Finding the Perfect Color for Your Home appeared first on Thomas Paint Service.

They say an unpainted house is a gloomy house. Perhaps they were right, because color is the feature that makes all things stand out. Imagine a house with bare, unpainted walls and another house that has a nice warm color outside and a clean-looking color inside.

Humans are visual animals which is why we love a good color combination. While Pinterest gives us great paintjob tutorials, most of the time they end up disastrous. Many ruin their walls and will have a professional painters repair the unsightly damage.

But before calling for a painter, know which color you want to use for your home and tip on how to pick the right color for your home painting. If you are looking for a chicago house painting company near you be sure to check out Thomas Paint Services.

First appeared here: (http://ift.tt/1WngYpV)

Image Credit

Why do we find one place appealing and are uneasy in another? Why are we attracted to one product over another? Color—whether architectural or in products—accounts for 60 percent of our response to an object or a place.

The “buzz” about color is usually called “color psychology.” But the effects of color are subtle and significant; physical and psychological. Color use is not something that results in a definitive equation between “color and our moods,” as is a currently popular expression. Wherever we go we respond to color, but the importance of color is often underestimated. Color use is important to us personally in our homes and in the places where we work.

Start Small

If you’re not sure where to begin with color, experiment in a powder room or bathroom, a small hall or area between rooms, or an accent wall. If you’re doing your own painting, pick an area that’s quick to do so you can see your results sooner, and be happy with it or change it. Look at the process as an adventure.

To get started, select a favorite color drawn from artwork, a rug, dishes and an accessory or furniture piece as a main color or accent.

Image Credit

Think About Your Mood

When selecting a color, consider the mood of a room. In a bedroom do you want the feeling to be restful and soothing or dramatic and intimate? Soft, cool colors and neutrals usually create a quieter feeling while stronger colors are for drama.

Do you want a dining area to feel sociable and stimulating or appear formal and quiet? Warmer, contrasting and somewhat brighter colors add to a sociable atmosphere; deeper blue-greens and neutrals will give a more formal ambiance.

Do you want kid’s rooms to create an active and exciting energy or an orderly and restful feeling? Be careful not to overstimulate your children with intensely bright hues. You may not know it, but some brighter colors can lead to unrest and irritability.

The reason why paint stores have light boxes for you to test paint chips:

• Natural daylight shows the truest color;
• Incandescent lighting brings out warm tones and yellows;
• Fluorescent lighting casts a sharp blue tone.

Learn the Color Terms

It helps to understand the terminology used to describe color.

• Hue is what we call a color. Red is the hue; blue is the hue.
• The value of the hue is how light or dark it is.
• Saturation refers to how dominant the hue is. As we go from red to pink, the red hue becomes less dominant.
• Intensity is the brilliance of the color. The pure colors such as red are more intense than the combined colors such as yellow-green. A stronger intense color usually has a more dominant hue.

Boost your confidence by testing colors on poster board or large areas of a wall. Don’t be afraid to go beyond your comfort zone: Consider strong, vivid colors or soft, deep neutrals like chocolate brown or olive green as main or accent colors. Or add drama with a stronger color on the ceiling. Tinted ceilings can dramatically change the whole look of a room.

Add Depth With Decorative Finishes

Transform flat, dull walls into interesting and personal spaces with subtle or dramatic visual texture and broken color. Burnished mineral/metal finishes and layered colored glazes add depth. Some examples of softly reflective metals are mica, copper, pewter, bronze and, of course, antiqued silver and gold.

Walk Into Another Room

Consider walls as planes of color, and see how they interact when viewing one next to the other in adjacent rooms. Approach it like a composition: You’re in one room, but you’re going to see a piece of another room through it. So as you’re choosing colors, consider how they will flow from room to room to create your picture.

Follow the Color Wheel

Image Credit

(Video Credit: Lowe’s Home Improvement)

A small color wheel is a great reference tool for modifying and intensifying two or more colors. For example, red and green, which are complementary (opposite) colors, are most intense when used together. You may be surprised at how many combinations function beautifully together, and you may even become attracted to entirely new color palettes. The color wheel also illustrates the visual temperature of a color. Draw a line from the yellow-green mark on the color wheel all the way down to the red-violet; you’ll see that all the colors on the left are warm and the colors on the right are cool.

Think one color is boring? Create bold or subtle variations within one color group with contrasting paint finishes. For example, use closely related colors, or try a single color in different finishes, for walls and trim in one space.

For an accent color, select a warmer (more toward reds) or cooler (more toward blues) color to complement your main color group. For a quieter ambience, make sure your colors are not extremely bright. White or an off-white tint can be a striking accent when used as trim with a monochromatic color group.

Choose Different Paint Finishes

A single color used on walls and trim takes on new significance when applied in different finishes. For example, wall and trim colors can remain the same hue, but use an eggshell (matte and less reflective) finish on walls and a satin or semigloss on trim. The color will appear slightly different on each surface. It’s a good way to create a cohesive look in rooms with many windows and doors, and relatively little wall area.

 

Now that you know how to choose the color/s, it’s time to choose for your home painter. What do you need to consider when hiring a painter to give life to your home? Watch this video to give you a brief guide when hiring a good painting services to your areas.

 

We recommend Thomas Paint Services, as one of the leading painters in Chicago. They offer exterior and interior residential/commercial buildings, paint removal and even deck finishing.  With their painting prowess and utmost professionalism, you are sure that your home is in good hands! Contact them at (773) 823-0838 for your painting needs.