Make Paint Work For You

Guest Post
By Ryan

Painting a room can be a fun and effective way to breathe new life into your home. This year, bright colors contrasted with softer, muted tones are very chic. In addition to being a great way to add some flair to the room, painting can be a great way to expand the size of a room. If you’re dealing with cramped quarters, you might be asking yourself if there is any way to possibly deal with the small space other than taking out a wall. Here are a few tips for using paint to expand your room.


The Two-Inch Rule 


If you’re dealing with a low-slung ceiling, you know the frustration of cramped space. It can feel suffocating and claustrophobic in a cramped room. Fortunately, there is something called the Two-Inch Rule. Before you start painting, go around and put painter’s tape two inches above where the wall meets the ceiling. Paint the walls of your room a color that is bright and will make things pop. When you’re painting the upper part of the walls, go an extra two inches up so that you’re painting for the first two inches of the ceiling. This creates the illusion of more space and is a pretty nifty trick when dealing with a low-slung ceiling.


Cold Colors 


Here’s a good rule to remember: the colder the color, the bigger it will make your room look. Pick an icy blue or a mint green and, because these colors seem so distant, they will instantly add extra square footage to your room. Using a texturizing technique like sponging can also help give the eye something else to look at. Just remember: cold=big.


Striping 


Another good painting technique for opening up a room in your house is to stripe. Always make the stripes vertical, as this will give the eye a distinct line to follow. Painting horizontal stripes will have the opposite effect of closing a room in. You can compliment your vertical stripes with furniture that has strong vertical angles. Bookshelves that are tall and thin can go a long way toward making your room seem much, much larger.


These are just a few tips to help you expand your room without calling a contractor. If paint isn’t your thing, try the vertical furniture idea. The key is to draw the eye upward and try to minimize lateral movement of the eye.
Ryan is a guest blogger who writes about interior design, Austin real estate and Costa Bella homes for sale.

Painting Your House: More Daunting Than it Needs to Be

Guest Post By: Zeke Nicholson


There are a number of reasons why you might want to paint your house. Maybe you are no longer satisfied with how the house looks, or maybe you’re thinking about selling your home and want to make it more attractive to potential buyers. Whatever the reason may be, tons of homeowners are hesitant to begin the project, given the sizeable nature of the undertaking. Whether you’re doing the labor yourself or hiring someone to do the work, time is money. The longer it takes to complete the project, the more cash comes out of your pocket, so it’s best to have a solid plan to tackle the paint job effectively and efficiently.

Doing the manual labor yourself is definitely the most cost-effective practice, so if you can afford the time, it’s probably the way to go. Once you’ve done the initial steps required for an exterior paint job—scraping, sanding, etc.—it’s on to prepping for the actual painting. This means buying paint trays, brushes, rollers, and drop cloths, and strapping in for hours upon hours of painting. Here we are again: the prospect of actually completing this job is so overwhelming that it makes you wonder if it’s even worth it. Why not try a different approach? More and more homeowners are discovering that a quick and easy way to go about painting your home is to use a paint sprayer machine.

Paint sprayers have the major advantage of doing away with the messy drips and runs typically caused by rollers and brushes, and they can complete the same job in a fraction of the time. Let’ consider the Paint Zoom paint sprayer, for example. Paint Zoom has an industrial strength 650-watt motor and three distinct spray options (horizontal, vertical, and pin point) so you can get a great coat on any surface with no mess and no hassle. You can also finely and precisely attack the areas that would otherwise be hard to reach or evenly paint. It’s also lightweight and specifically formulated to utilize just the right amount of paint, so you aren’t overspending on paint.

Painting your house doesn’t have to be the impossible task it’s widely thought to be. With a paint sprayer, you can complete areas that would take hours with a roller/brush in a matter of minutes. It’s cost effective and easy to use, and at the end of the day you’ll be standing in front of a house that you are proud to claim as your own.


Paint Zoom 

How to use a paint sprayer

How To Repair A Hole In The Wall

This article will show you just how to repair a hole in the wall in just three easy steps. Fixing a hole in the wall is a very easy repair to make that anyone can do. Once repaired there should be no evidence of damage to the wall. This article shall be split into 2 parts with the first part dealing with smaller holes and the second part dealing with larger holes. Each will have two different approaches in the way the repair needs to be made. Let's begin with smaller type holes.

Part 1 Smaller Holes
These holes will vary in size from a quarter size hole to 3 inches in height and width. Metal patches will be used to fix these holes.

Repair A Hole In The Wall - Step 1 Clean Edges
This step is very simple for all that is needed is to make sure that all loose drywall is removed and pull back any loose paper and tape. The reason for this is to make sure there are no air pockets that may cause problems down the road.

Repair A Hole In The Wall - Step 2 Apply Patch
Hereis where the size of the hole must be taken into account since there are various sized patches. The type of patch that should be used is a metal patch for stability. Usually they can be purchased with three different sizes in one package. If a particular size needs to be purchased separately then knowing the exact size of the hole is necessary. The patch should be slightly larger than the hole. To apply the patch over the hole place some spackle around the hole. Just a very thin smooth layer is needed and it should reach beyond what the entire patch size is, Once the thin layer is on the wall just peel the paper off of the back of the patch and place it over the hole. With a spackle knife press down and move across the patch for a nice smooth tight fit against the wall. Then just spread a thin smooth layer of spackle over the patch.

Repair A Hole In The Wall - Step 3 Finishing Coat
For a final finish just spread some spackle over top of the patch once everything has dried and hardened over night from step 2. This coat should be a thin coat making sure to cover over any part of the patch from showing. If done right just a light sanding with some fine sand paper is needed once it has dried. Then of course it will need to be painted. Painting may require that the entire wall be painted to make sure the paint matches up well.

Part 2 Larger Holes
These holes will vary in size from a 4 inches to any size. Rather than a patch drywall ( sheetrock ) will be used to fix these holes.

Repair A Hole In The Wall - Step 1 Cut Hole
In the case of larger holes the hole will need to be  cut larger so that a piece of drywall can be installed. The reason for this is the drywall needs to be nailed or screwed into the studs. For that reason when cutting the hole larger a straight edge and exact measurements will be needed. Using a key hole saw or razor cut across from the hole to the nearby studs on both sides. Then using a straight edge draw a line down the middle of the studs on both sides to size you need that is lager than the hole. Once you have drawn straight level edges and are in the middle of the studs on both sides then cut the hole with a keyhole saw and a razor for slicing down the middle of the studs.

Repair A Hole In The Wall - Step 2 Install Drywall
Now that you have a nice square or rectangular hole, in which the studs are available to screw or nail a piece of drywall into, the hole must be measured. With that measurement cut a piece of drywall that is the same thickness as the drywall on the wall. Place the drywall into the hole and nail or screw it to the studs on each side.

Repair A Hole In The Wall - Step 3 Tape and Spackle
Now all that is needed is some tape and spackle to seal the joints for a smooth look. Place a thin layer of spackle over all of the joints making sure it is smooth and thin with no air pockets or drywall showing. The spackle also needs to go beyond all the edges of the paper tape that need to go over top. Deal with one joint at a time. Once the tape has been placed on use the spackle knife real tight to the wall and scrape up all spackle for a smooth tight finish. Once all the joints have been completed place a thin layer of spackle over top of the tape. Very thin but smooth layer so there will be minimal sanding. Once this has dried over night a final skim coat over top will fill in the edges and any air pockets, or tape that may be showing. If done right very little sanding will be needed. Using a very fine grit sand paper make sure everything is smooth as can be. Once done and everything has dried painting can now take place.

This is how to repair all holes in walls so that any damage that once was is no more. Good luck!

Guest Post House Painting

Hello all my painting friends. What I am looking for are some great articles on your painting expertise.Exposure will be on the homepage. There was a Page Rank of 2 but I believe the home page is now a PR1 as well as some inside pages.

Whatever your stories are it must pertain to any type of painting project, interior or exterior. The article must be 400 to 700 words in length and must be proof read. 

Compensation will be considered once a guest writer has had 3 posts published. of course all posts that are published can have three links within the body of the post, These links must be relative and not just promotional links for your website. Promotional links will be reserved to  the Author signature box which can be written at the end of the article as a last Paragraph. Should you get 3 posts published you will then get 20 dollars. Payment will be sent via paypal.

Email all guest posts to ljsberger@hotmail.com All posts will be considered. If your post is chosen you will receive an email conformation stating that your post has been chosen and when the publish date will be. Once published you will recieve any payment due within 7 days. Thank you.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Paint Cost Calculator

Painting Cost Calculator

This calculator can help in figuring out the cost for painting the interior of you home or the exterior of your home. This is a simplified calculator and only to get an estimated cost based on square footage. Material costs are not included within the total cost. You must get the square footage and then figure how many gallons and the brand of paint you want to use to get a material cost which then you can add to the labor cost that this paint calculator gives.

If there are areas of the house that have corners that step in or step out just add the total length and total width then input those numbers.
The number used for the square footage cost are listed below.

Interior Painting Calculator: Square Footage Price Input - .85 to $2.00
( .85 would be on the low end and $2.00 would be on the high end - There are many factors that are considered when figuring out what the actual square footage price will be such as location,amount of prep work and amount of fine detail. You should use both numbers to get an range of what the labor cost will be, the labor cost should fall somewhere in between.)

Exterior Painting Calculator: Square Footage Price Input - $1.25 - $2.50
( $1.25 would be on the low end and $2.50 would be on the high end - Again there are many factors that There are many factors that are considered when figuring out what the actual square footage price will be such as location and amount of prep work and amount of fine detail. You should use both numbers to get an range of what the labor cost will be, the labor cost should fall somewhere in between.)

once you hit the calculation button a small alert window shall appear which will give you your total square footage and painting labor cost. Just remember that the cost of material is not included nor will things such as removing wall paper or any power washing that is usually preformed before painting the exterior of homes. I hope painting calculator helps out!

Paint Cost Calculator   (feet) Length  (feet) Width   Cost (per square foot)

How To Paint Over Stain

Learning how to paint over stain is very simple. There are some steps that must be taken to ensure the stain does not bleed through the paint, but these steps are very simple. Once the stained wood has been painted there will be no hint that the wood had ever been stained. The following steps will show you exactly how to paint over stain and use the best product successfully for a beautiful long lasting finish that everyone will enjoy.

How To Successfully Paint Over Stain

Stain is made up of an oil base so when applied to wood there is oil products that are always on the wood that has soaked through the wood. This oil can cause the stain to bleed through any paint that is applied over top of it causing a yellowing and discoloration of the paint.Because of this the oil needs to be sealed in so it cannot bleed through anything. Ironically the products used to paint over stain and seal it in has an oil base itself. However the product is very useful in creating a barrier that seals any surface it is applied to. The product that needs to be applied is a stain killing primer. There are many products on the market. However, there are only a couple which work best.


Products Used To Paint Over Stain

The first of the products is a stain killing primer that is not oil based. This product may work for crayon markings and such, but these types of markings on a wall or wood do not work well for wood stain. This product does have a low odor as well as low VOC's ( volatile chemicals) compared to oil based products but for our purposes we really need to use an oil based product. There are two products that can be used, however only one can definitely insure the stain will never bleed through or discolor the final finish.

The first of these products is a fast drying stain killer, which is good if there is a polyurethane finish over top of the stained wood, but in reality the best type of product to use is a slow drying oil based stain killer. Unfortunately, the VOC's can be dangerous and this product once applied it must be left to dry for at least 24 hours. Caution must be used when using this product, a well ventilated room should used as well as properly disposing of any waste or rags. Wearing a charcoal mask to filter any harmful chemicals from getting into your system is extremely important. This product will definitely insure there will not be any bleeding or discoloration through the finish coat.


Paint Over Stain - Buying The Best Stain Killer

When you go to the supply store for your products you may ask the folks who work there how to paint over stain and they will lead you to the products needed to complete the job. But no matter what product they suggest you use an oil based stain killer, I cannot stress this enough, just explain to them you need a slow drying oil based primer, which comes in a couple of different brands. Some of the larger supply stores may have workers who are not professionals who work in the field, and know exactly what works and what does not. This can cause them to lead you to a product that may not work, such as a water based stain killer, just because it says it covers stains.


Paint Over Stain - Applying The Stain Killer

To get the job done now all you need to do is brush and roll the stain killer over the stain letting it dry for 24 hours then apply you finish coat of paint which can be a water based or oil based finish. Make sure you use a brush that is good for oil based products, any roller sleeve will work, then once done the brush can be cleaned with mineral spirits and the roller sleeve set out to dry so it can be thrown out. Any left over stain killer can be saved or disposed of properly according to your township rules as well as the mineral spirits used to clean up.

Now that you know how to paint over stain get going on your project! Good luck and drop a line in the comments to let me know how things turned out. Check this out if you liked this article and you want to know How To Paint Paneling

How Much Does It Cost To Paint A House

How much does it cost to paint a house? This is a hot topic I have covered this in previous article but feel as the economy changes there is a need to cover this again.
There are numerous factors involved in coming up with how much it cost to paint a house such as the condition and type of house and location. Aside from these factors there is interior painting and exterior painting are two different things.

VIEW PAINT COST CALCULATOR HERE

Cost to Paint The Exterior Of A House

On average there is a quick formula which involves the square footage. Generally to get an idea you can take the square footage and multiply it by 2 dollars. If the condition of the house is in bad condition requiring a lot of prep work it can be as high as 3 dollars a square foot.. So if you have a 3,000 Sq Ft house it would be somewhere in the range of 6 to 9 thousand dollars. Now if you have one of those neat Victorian houses with elaborate trim everywhere then you can expect to pay a very high price especially if there will be many colors used in intricate areas. These houses can cost up to 20,000 dollars to paint but are well worth it in beauty when completed. The economy has squeezed prices so you may receive some crazy estimates that range from very low to seemingly high prices. There are many desperate people who are out there seeking to make money including folks who are really not that skilled in painting so when choosing a contractor choose wisely and do not let money be the deciding factor. There are many headaches you will have down the road if you make a poor choice or push someone way below what their bid is.


Cost to Paint The Interior Of A House

Figuring out the cost of painting the interior of a house can be slightly complex since there are many different types of rooms and varying degrees of prep work involved. On average a normal room will cost about 300 in labor plus the cost of paint which would be like 150 to 200 dollars. Bathrooms may be a bit less. Great rooms and foyers can run anywhere from 800 to 1500 to paint. I would stick with these numbers just to get an idea of what the costs may be. Using the Sq Ft method can also work as well in knowing how much it will cost to paint your house. 1.50 to 2 dollars a square Ft is about right. If there is heavy prep then use 2.50 a Sq Ft. I would be interested in hearing from some folks just what they have paid for painting their house.

When stating how much you paid to have your house painted please state the following.

• State
• Square Ft of house
• Interior / Exterior
• Amount paid

How To Paint Doors

This article is going to show you how to paint doors. Flat doors are easy to paint but paneled doors are time consuming if you paint them with a brush. Each panel needs to be painted then the middle of the panel and lastly the outer part of the panels. But what if you have 50 doors to paint. Brushing these doors can be very time consuming. So for this article we will cover how to spray a nice professional smooth finish on these doors. Spraying doors also poses issues as well especially if you have 50 doors to paint.

The first order of business will be finding a location to paint the doors. An area such as the garage will do but the doors must be shut so that dust or dirt does not blow on the doors when they are wet with paint. So lets get a clean area and cover the floor with a drop cloth or cardboard or paper. Cover the entire floor of the garage or half of the garage and block off the other half so the over spray and paint dust doesn't settle on the half that is not covered and probably has stuff stored their. Remove all vehicles and cover items that are stored in the garage, Now that we have a suitable area we need to get our doors.

Take the doors of of the hinges and remove the handles and all hardware. Stack the doors in the garage. You may label the doors with tape at the bottom or top edge. We are now going to attach the doors to each other and create an accordion. What you need is some  metal angles with holes in them to screw to the doors each angle should have two holes on each side so two screws will hold each door. One angle on the top edge of the doors is suffice for two doors. Attach the angles to the doors and make them go in opposite directions to create an accordion design. Four doors at a time will be easy to handle.

Make one area where the spraying will be done and one area where the doors will sit to dry. You may even create some sort of dolly with two by fours and some wheels to move them around with ease and you can set out two by fours where they will be placed to dry so they are not setting right on the floor.

Hang some sort of paper or drop cloth behind the doors where you will spray so it will not go all over your garage wall. It is now time to spray the paint on your doors. Once you spray one side you can flip them around and spray the other side. Once both sides have been sprayed the set of 4 doors can be moved to the drying area and the next set can be moved in place for spraying. Once the doors have dried then you may take them apart and re hang them on the hinges they came off of.  Learning how to paint doors is really very simple and you should be able to paint 50 doors in just a few hours and they will have a shiny smooth professional.

Stink Bugs Infestations

When painting the exterior of a house there are many insects and bugs you will encounter and one of the newest ones are the Stink Bugs, the brown marmorated stink bug. They have literally littered window sills that have to be painted. You must clean them off before painting. They really pose no harm to the house but are a serious problem for farmers and their crops.

These stink bugs are not native to the United States, they are from China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. They are of the Insect family Pentatomidae and known as an agricultural pest. In 1996 it appeared in Allentown PA which is the eastern part of Pa.

These pest can be extremely annoying as they enter the house and can be in the hundreds all over walls and windows. When crushed they do emitt a foul smelling odor hence the name "Stink Bug".

Flemington NJ Interior Exterior House Painter

Welcome to my blog, my name is Jeremy and if you are looking for a Flemington NJ Interior or Exterior house painter you have found the right person for your project. I am sure it must be difficult to find the right person to trust in completing your painting project. You have to worry about whom you are letting on your property or inside your home, how the job will turn out, will you get your monies worth.

I have been working painting in the Hunterdon County, Somerset County, and Warren County area mostly for 12 years now. I have worked other counties and states as well so don't hesitate to call. I have plenty of references and have completed many different types of projects. Basement walls and floors, patios, garage floors, brick, stucco, wood, Chimneys, Stained wood, vinyl siding, aluminum siding, metal doors, staining, power washing. You name it I have probably done it.

WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT BERFORE FINDING A CONTRACTOR IN THIS ECONOMY

What is important is that all these surfaces must be prepared correctly and have the material applied correctly to get the best results. In this tough economy a lot of bad things can happen which you would not know about in order to make money or get the job. Estimates have come way down in price and there are corners that can be cut to make up for these low estimates. You must know about your project before looking for a painting contractor. GET INFORMED. Go to your local paint store and find some information out about your project, what it entails to be completed correctly. Then make sure this is discussed when getting your estimate and be clear as to the work being preformed. Say you are having wall paper to be removed - would you know that the wall should be primed with a special primer to seal any possible glue residue and what may happen if you do not. I have seen it and it is not pretty and very well could cost you to have the entire wall resurfaced or even possibly be removed for new drywall to go up. KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROJECT. You may get three estimates and chose to ge with a lower bid and that fellow may skip that step to make up for cost and he also got in on the job because he had a reasonable price. I have seen a lot of very bad things. How would you feel if two years after building your deck you find you have to completely strip the solid color stain off off the deck because it was not prepped right and is now peeling so bad and when you try to roll more stain on it just picks up the old stain on the roller. OH WHAT A MESS! An Boy is that going to be expensive to fix! Do not just trust the contractor he may just be out for money especially in this economy.

Over the years my experience has taught me how to paint various surfaces properly so that it will get the best performance and last for quite some time.I will be honest with you and work to come to a fair price. I take pride in the finished work and want to make all of my customers happy.

So, if you live in Central New Jersey you may contact me for an estimate on painting your home.

Again my name is Jeremy and I am a professional painter living in Flemington NJ my cell phone is 908-455-1302

I look forward to helping you out and providing the proper service for your project at a fair price.

Marketing Your Painting Business in a Bad Market

Marketing your painting business in a bad market can be difficult. However there are some very effective ways you can get results. When a market is bad you must put forth extra efforts to get somewhere.

What you can do is what is called proximity Marketing, which involves concentrating on a small demographic area over a period of time in multiple ways. You will need to make door hangers, post cards, and signs. These will all be used in the small concentrated marketing plan. You will need to hit a number of neighbors close to this particular job.

We will start with the post cards which will promote your business and let neighbors know you will be starting a job within the area soon. When you start the job you will send out the post cards again to promote yourself and let them know you have started the job. At this point you are beginning to set an image of your company in their minds.

Once you start the job you will then begin to hand out the door hangers again promoting your business. While you are at the job place a sign in the front lawn where the neighbors will see it. By now you have definitely created an image of your company in their minds and they definitely know who you are and what you do.

At the end of the job you will send out post cards promoting your business again and let them know you have completed the job. You will have effectively marketed to the neighbors and should they be thinking of painting they know who you are and what you do and they see you have started and finished a job close to them so a small level of trust has been created.

This is one very effective marketing tool you can use to market your painting business in a bad market without busting your wallet.

How to Prepare the Outside of Your House for Painting

This article will help you in learning how to properly prepare the outside of your house for painting. Preparation is extremely important for getting the best results from the paint as well as the longevity of the paint holding up through the extreme elements of hot summers and icy cold winters.

The paint used for exteriors differs from that of interior paint for it must hold up against the outdoor elements as well as ultraviolet rays (UV) rays from the sun. There are usually parts of the house that seem to deteriorate more than others because the exposure to the sun is more than other sides. For better results as well the house should be painted every 5 years or less depending on exposure. It is possible that the one area that gets the most exposure should be painted every 3 years and the rest of the house every 5 years ( and the area with the most exposure might as well be painted at that time as well) The idea is to catch it before the peeling and splitting of caulk happens, because once the wood has been exposed and caulk has split damage begins to happen in the form of rotting wood. Once rotting has occurred the structure inside is at risk of being damaged and may result in extremely expensive repairs.

So you have decided to paint the outside of your house or your hiring a contractor and you want to know how to prepare the outside or exterior of your house for painting. Maybe you just want to know so you make sure the contractor is doing things correctly or maybe you are going to do the work. First we must understand there are a few different ways to prepare the outside of your house for painting. There are some that are exclusively to yourself and not a contractor. Let me explain: There are heat plates that can remove all the paint to bare wood which obviously would be the very best thing for the final finish would be like brand spanking new and looking very even, smooth and beautiful. However, that is time consuming and you cannot expect a professional painter to do that unless you have an awful lot of money to spend on painting your home. So if that is the finish you are looking for then you must do the job yourself or fork up some serious cash.

This is the method of preparation I do on all homes:

First the home must be power washed to remove any dirt of paint powder that forms over time. These will interfere with the bonding of the new layer of paint. When power washing you can buy a power washer for around 500 dollars or rent one for 75 dollars a day. Power washing should take 1 to 2 days. Buying the machine is a great investment. They are great investment for cleaning your walk ways, driveways, garage floors, vinyl and aluminum siding, your vehicles and much more. There is a way to add cleaning solutions and bleach to the wash which aids in cleaning and getting rid of molds.

There are numerous tips to use which you will need to get familiar with. Getting too close with a smaller tip can cut your wood. You must be careful. They make a soaking tip which you can use to soak the house while you have cleaning solutions going through the machine. Once an area has been soaked with the cleaning solution you can remove the cleaning solution and put the proper tip on to remove dirt, looses paint chips, and the powdery film from older paint. Sometimes the peeling and cracked paint does not come off easy and if you get to close with the stripping tip you run the risk of damaging your wood siding by cutting it. Loose paint must come off however, or when you paint it will come right off which defeats the purpose of you painting your home. There are two options you may take, one is scraping it after power washing or they make a special tip for the power washer that spins and does an awesome quick job of stripping those troublesome spots that normally will not come off with a regular power washer tip. This tip can be easily manipulated to not damage your wood by cutting it, yet still stip paint very good. Even scraping can sometimes not get these troubled spots. The reason why is the paint is in place and just has a crack but behind it is air and it is not really adhered to the wood.

Once the house has been power washed it must dry completely before scraping and sanding can occur. When paint peels, blown or scraped off there is usually an indentation where the paint chip was. If you paint directly over it it will be easily seen and your house can be very pocketed with these and not be very appealing to the eye. So once you have made sure all peeling or loose paint has been removed you can get an orbital sander to feather the edges to be a bit smother. There is an even better tool called a paint eater which is more like a grinder. This tool is great and with ease you can smooth out these areas. Just have to use light pressure when finishing so you do not see circular marks on the wood.

once you have power washed and then removed all loose paint and feathered all your edges it is time to spot prime any bare areas where wood is showing. You can use a brush or even a roller - Brushes provide a nicer finish unless it is a flat surface such as the ceiling under porch roofs. Using a slow dry oil based primer is best. This is a pretty straight forward process.

Once you have finished spot priming and 24 hours have passed you are now ready for painting which can be rolled, brushed or sprayed. Brushing and spraying produce the nicest finishes. Spraying can get into areas a brush does not get into well and can speed the job up.

I want to mention one other product you can use to fill in those paint spots that have peeled. They make an exterior Spackle that can be sanded down after filling in the area. Again a contractor will most likely never use this product. Now you know how to prepare the outside of your house for painting. It is hard work and it must be done right which is why there are painting professionals. However this is not rocket science and for the ambitious home owner wanting to save lots of money this is a fairly easy project to undertake.

What does it cost to paint a room

What does it cost to paint a room? Well there are many variables to figure in. What size is the room to be painted? How much trim and decorative wood work. Are the windows going to need to be painted? Are there closets? Are the ceilings high? The variables are endless. One for sure way is to call at least three contractors to get an estimate on what the room will cost to paint. We can discuss some important factors to consider and give some rough estimates.

A normal bedroom from the size of 10 ft x 10 ft to 15 ft x 15 ft will average between 300 dollars to 500 dollars for labor. This would be painting the ceiling, walls and trim. Also would include a couple of windows a door and two doors at the closet. Now if there are other decorative moldings or you are doing more than on wall color add about a hundred dollars to two hundred dollars. Using all of one color for ceiling and walls can reduce the price by a hundred dollars possibly and so would one coat if you are using the same color and just freshening the room up. Remember adding a second coat is quick its the set up and tedious wood work that takes all the time. Also not included in any of this is the material. A gallon of paint is 30 to 50 dollars. Rooms of this size will require 2 gallons for the wall, 1 for the ceiling and 1 for wood work. So lets have a look at an estimate. Also repairs can add to the cost as well.

ESTIMATE:

Room 1

Paint ceiling 2 coats
Paint Walls 2 coats
Paint trim and base board 2 coats
Paint 3 doors 2 coats
Paint 2 windows 2 coats

Labor 350 dollars

2 gallons of wall paint
1 gallon of ceiling paint
1 gallon of Wood paint

200 dollars

Repairs couple of cracks and few nail pops

100 dollars

1 wall different color

50 dollars plus 50 dollars for gallon of paint

Crown molding detailed plus chair rail

150 dollars

Total 850 dollars.

Foyers with high ceilings can cost 800 to 1500 dollars and up if there is repairs and moldings.

Great rooms can cost 800 to 2000 dollars depending on repairs moldings and windows.

Most normal rooms can be between 300 dollars and 600 dollars.

A tree thousand square ft house can cost between 5,000 and 10,000 dollars to get painted.

It all depends you have got to get those estimates and be sure to check references and do not just go with the cheapest bid. Beware of ridiculous low pricing as well.

Epoxy Your Garage Floor

It's warm out and you are sick of that dingy floor in your garage and decide it is time you want to Epoxy your garage floor. There are some preparations you will need to take care of before your will be ready. Also the Epoxy is not cheap by any means. It may run as much as a hundred dollars or more. If you are ready there are some tests that you will need to do to know if you actually can epoxy your garage floor.

What you must do is tape some plastic to the floor, a square piece of plastic wrap about 6 inches will suffice. This is to see if moisture is coming through the floor.If it is then you may not proceed. If all is good you will be ready to move ob to the next phase of preparing your garage floor to be epoxied.

You must remove any loose paint that may already be on the floor or better yet remove all of it even if you must apply chemicals to remove the paint. If there is no paint and you have a sealed floor the sealant must be removed or pitted. If you have a high polished cement floor you must use some acid wash to etch the floor. The floor should be etched with an acid wash no matter what. All debris and dirt needs to be washed off the floor. Powerwashing the floor may work well.

Once the garage floor is ready and all dirt has been removed and it has been etched you may begin to epoxy the floor. The best way to epoxy your garage floor is with a two part epoxy. The parts a and b are mixed together. Once mixed you have about two hours working time.

Epoxy is toxic and a chemical respirator should be worn.. First cut your edges out with a brush and then roll the epoxy onto the garage floor. Only one coat is necessary. Usually you can walk on it in twelve hours and after 72 hours you can park your car on the floor. They do make additives that are like little chips that you may add to the epoxy. These chips act to prevent slipping on the floor. I find the best product to use comes from Sherwin Williams .

The product comes in many colors but a favorite color is called pewter. Enjoy your epoxied garage floor for a long time. It will be easy to clean up and will look a whole lot better.

Termite Infestation

Sometimes when painting a home the discovery of termite infestation is discovered,  When termites are discovered it is time to call in a pest control company so they can rid the home of them. Damage assessment must take place to see the extent of damage that may have occured. Damage can not be seen easily because it happens behind wall where you cannot see. This is the problem with termites, they silently eat your house up from the inside. Termites literally eat wood at which point the wood begins to weaken and decay and the structure of the home becomes compromised and begins to fail, They like to eat wood that is already decaying and wet as well so as a prevention of termites it is important to keep all of the wood on the house dry and replace any rotting wood.Also keep firewood and debris far away from the house.  Insurance companies will usually refuse cover the damage caused by termite infestation.

Unfortunately, unlike most pest infestation that are easily noticeable, termites are not until it is usually too late. If you should see finely  shopped  wood bits on the floor in corners of the home it is safe to say there are termites. In order to determine what, if any, damage the termite infestation may have caused, and what must be done to rid of them there are steps that must be taken.

Drilling small holes, removing Sheetrock and pieces of wood may be necessary in order to see how far in they have gone and what damage they may have caused. Any damaged wood will need to be replaced.. Getting rid of the termite infestation can be tricky and requires some knowledge of termites and how they exist. Calling in a professional may be the way to go since they are experienced in getting rid of these pests and have a good understanding of how termites live.Getting rid of termites is really not a do-it-yourself type of job.

Termites usually commute to the wood they eat up. If they have colonized they will have created tunnels to where they actually live up to your home. The problem with this is you may get rid of the termites in the home but they will return through the tunnels they have created. Usually a tent is placed over the home and a chemical and or heating the home up to 120 degrees is used to kill all of termites existing in the home.Once this has been done dealing with the tunnels and homes of the termite colonies has to be dealt with..Usually a toxin is injected into the ground to destroy them. There are other methods as well. Talking with a couple of pest control professionals about the best methods to get rid of the termite infestation is very important. also discussing prevention methods is very important, Good luck in exterinating any termites you may have.

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Cheap Business Insurance For Painting Contractors

Obtaining Cheap business insurance for painting contractors depends upon what type of insurance you will need. There are two types of insurance, general liability and workman's compensation. In order to start deciding what insurance policy you need to obtain it is best to understand what each policy is and what it may cover, in addition to the knowing what the nature of your work, such as having employees or subcontractors or will you be subcontracting.You may need just liability insurance to operate or you may need to carry workman's compensation. In the beginning, if you have no employees and you have no subcontractors and will not be subcontracting, you  can choose to carry just general liability insurance for your paint contracting business.

When discussing issues involving workman's compensation policies this article will pertain to NJ laws, as each state may be different when dealing with workman's compensation policies please check your state laws. In NJ you must have a workman's compensation policy for any employee you have, even if you have dayworkers or illegal aliens working for you. You also have the option of carrying a workman's compensation policy for yourself.in case you become injured.

The cost or premium for a workman's compensation policy is based upon a rate determined by your state's Workers Compensation Bureau times your payroll, plus some fees. When getting the policy they will ask you what you pay yourself and what do you pay your employees to determine an amount. At the end of the year they will set an appointment to audit you and determine how much your payroll actually was. If it was less than what you stated you will receive a reimbursement check, if it was more then you will owe money.

If your business will be sub contracting then you should have a workman's compensation policy and in NJ you must elect to have one for yourself,  employees will then automatically be included. If you do not provide the General Contractor with an certificate of insurance that states you elected coverage for yourself / proprietor, then that General Contractor paying you will be charged on their policy a premium based upon your payroll as if you were an employee not a sub contractor.

As a General Contractor, if you plan on using sub contractors you should carry a workman's compensation policy for yourself which will automatically cover any employees if you have them. However, although not required, if you do not have a workman's compensation policy any sub contractor who cancels their policy or lapses without you knowledge may come after you and sue you if they become injured as well as any employee of theirs who may become injured. It is important as a General Contractor to get a certificate of insurance from all sub contractors that states they have elected workman's compensation for themselves / proprietor.

If an employee is hired from another state and will be working in another state then the workman's compensation policy must be purchased from that state. There is also a part II of the workman's compensation policy that is rarely used which is Employer's Liability. This covers claims arising out of injury to an employee that are not compensated under the applicable workers compensation law. An example would be - Suit brought by an injured employee who is illegally employee.  In certain instances illegally employed minors or illegal aliens are not entitled to WC benefits and may elect to sue the employer under common law.

Liability insurance will cover any damages that may occur to the property while work is being preformed. This is a set amount and a yearly premium that is usually very affordable. Some places that may contract you may require a certain amount of coverage. If you only do residential maybe you want a premium base upon a million dollars, however a commercial establishment may require a policy based upon a few million dollars.

In order to get cheap business insurance for your painting business you must know the exact policies you must carry and get multiple quotes.

Starting a Painting Business In a Bad Economy

Starting a painting business in a bad economy can be done. Lets face it folks it will require effort and serious planning. This article will discuss what efforts you will need to put forth to start and run a successful painting business.

Just a couple of years ago you could place an ad in the newspaper and off you go the clients poured in, this is no longer so. To start a painting business in a bad economy is going to require much more effort and tactical thinking to get clients knocking on your door. The good news is there are clients out there that need painting. However, they know this is a bad economy which poses another issue. Clients looking to get painting done will get multiple estimates and will choose the ones with the lowest estimates. Competition among Painting contractors and competitive painting estimates and pricing will also be briefly covered in this article.

You have purchased all your equipment that you will need and obtained the proper licensing and insurances for your Paint contacting business, placed two ads and you are now ready to go. A month has gone by and your phone is quiet, you have recieved one call for an estimate on painting the entire inside of a house. You do the estimate and the potential client has called you back to thank you for the estimate, unfortunately they have chosen someone else that had a much lower price and did not want to call you to ask if you would lower your price because your price was so much higher than the other estimate. The talk of a bad economy is everywhere and you are becoming discouraged and wonder why you decided to start a painting business in a bad economy.

Yes a few years ago there would be so many calls on the phone that you could not physically return every call and book estimates for all of them. Clients would have trouble getting someone to come do an estimate let alone the job so when they received a price they would jump on it whatever the price was.

Just because the economy is bad does not mean you cannot increase your phone calls and secure painting contracts in a bad economy. We just need to take some different approaches to get clients to call and accept our painting contract prices.

We need to increase calls for estimates if our painting business is going to succeed. There are a number of ways to do this.


Advertising

The most obvious is advertising - You need to research what is available to you as far as advertising is concerned. When researching advertising you must keep in mind your budget and the target market you are trying to reach. When keeping budget in mind there will be decisions to make such as one ad for one month that covers an entire page or a smaller ad that runs for a year.

Here is what is known about advertising. You need to brand yourself so you are recognizable and seen often. When an individual decides they need painting there are a couple of things they will do to start looking for a painting contractor. They will go to friends family and coworkers for a referral first, look in the newspapers or local home improvement monthly magazine that sits in stores (not all towns have these), or jot down a number from a sign out front of a house that has been recently painted. Not all folks can get a referral or see a sign and must rely on an ad of some sort or may want more estimates and will draw from multiple sources.

In the beginning we are stuck with advertising. I feel when it comes to advertising that yes you need to be seen but you will be seen if you are consistent in multiple areas of advertising. I believe it is better to spread yourself about than to get one big ad. Place your Painting truck or vehicle with your branded company name and logo on it where it can be seen a lot. Get some signs made up and see if friends and family will allow you to place them in their front lawns. Advertise in multiple places such as newspapers ( get your branded logo in the ad as the least smallest and not just a classified), home improvement magazines (the local ones they have in the supermarkets), place mats, local mailers an so on. Try to be seen as much as possible everywhere you can and consistently. This will help increase your chances of a potential client to call YOU and give your Painting Business an edge in a bad economy.


Networking

Networking is a powerful tool in promoting your painting business in a bad economy. Not all individuals are good at networking or just do not know how. You need to practice chatting with other individuals. The best thing to do to do this is by placing yourself in a position where there are many people to chat with. If you belong to a church then start getting invilved with your church or other place of worship. Volunteering to help out is one way to get involved, but once you begin to get involved everyone will begin to get to know you and will be coming up to you to chat. Everyone will know who you are and that you are a painting contractor. Should they need painting they will come to you or they may refer you to others they know that need painting. Be consistent with getting involved with your church or other place of worship.

Looking for other volunteering opportunities is also a good idea as well. Getting involved with your community will help your business grow, it just works.

There is one last tool I would like to mention that will enhance your business. It is also very powerful and will definitely bring you clients.

Local Business Re feral Marketing Groups

These groups recruit a couple of individuals from each profession category such as lawyers, plumbers, dentists, carpenters and so on. These groups have a small nominal membership fee and usually have weekly or biweekly meetings. The members strive to hand out as many referrals as they can for the week This means your business card will be handed out regularly and targeted to folks who really need your services. That is very powerful because referrals have more weight than someone who is in a newspaper ad ( of course your pricing must be correct to).

With these tools implemented you WILL receive plenty of calls looking for your services. Now you must deal with competitive pricing. In a bad economy people will be seeking the lowest price and everyone has lowered their pricing all around except material. I used to charge a daily rate of 350 to 400 dollars, now it is 250 to 300. Other painters may divuldge thier daily rate if you ask. Just keep yourself in range. I also tell the client that no matter how many bids they get and whatever the prices are to please give me a call I may adjust my price.

With all these tools you should be able to start a painting business in a bad economy. Good Luck!

Green Home Design - Paint

Paint is leading the expansion of the green home design building movement. Manufactures are being forced to produce paints with less dangerous and smog-producing compounds as regulations become tighter, increases in consumer demand for eco-friendly products and pressure mounting from environmental groups who closely monitor the green home design building movement.

Not everyone is happy about the changes paint manufacturers have had to make over the past few years towards the green home design movement. Many designers, painters and consumers who are for the green home design movement are becoming worried about increasing restrictions on oil-based paints (which contain high levels of harmful volatile organic compounds), and even on less hazardous water-based latex paints.

Some are arguing that with current products moving towards the green home design building movement it is impossible to replicate the integrity of an oil-based paint especially for the use on cabinetry, trim and other specialty jobs. In addition, painting walls and ceilings can require additional applications of the newer paints made with low volatile organic compounds or V.O.C. 's than the traditional latex blends.

VOLATILE organic compounds, or V.O.C.’s, are gases emitted by products like paint, lacquer, cleaning supplies and pesticides.

Over the past decade, many regulations have been enacted by the state and federally to reduce V.O.C.'s that are in paint and other products as part of a movement towards green home design. Federal V.O.C. limitations are 250 grams per liter for flat finishes and 380 grams for other finishes such as semi-gloss. An advisory group created under the Clean Air Act of 1990 (The Ozone Transport Commission), has recommendations limiting V.O.C.'s even further to 100 grams per liter for flat paint and 150 for other finishes. States that are in the process of adopting these limits or already have are: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Southern California has the most stringent rules in the country in which the South Coast Air Quality Management District requires all paints sold to contain less than 50 grams of V.O.C.'s per Liter. Many of today's new paints on the market have already been manufactured to comply with this so that they will not have to reformulate their products in the future as the regulations change and the movement towards green home design grows. Meeting these standards are Benjamin Moore's Aura, Home depot's Freshaire Choice and Sherwin-William's Harmony. Some other companies like Yolo Colorhouse and AFM Safecoat produce only low or "zero" V.O.C. paints.

Green Seal a nonprofit environmental organization are the ones who certify products as eco-friendly. They have listed 21 brands that have passed their environmental saftey and performance tests. Coming in third is Benjamin Moore's Aura with Sherwin-William's zero V.O.C. line Harmony, did not hold up to the performance test well along with several other brands. As the movement towards green home design continues to grow products through research will eventual increase their integrity and become standard among building products.

Curb Painting Business

A curb painting business is extremely lucrative and easy to start business that can make money fast. What might you be painting a curb for, you may ask yourself. Well, in many places people have their house number painted on the curb which is a necessity. This type of business requires only a small investment that anyone can afford. It is also extremely easy to learn. At a hundred dollars a pop you could be making very good money curb painting.

In order to start your business you will need some materials to start with. You will need stencils to produce the numbers on the curb along with the proper paint. You will want your numbers to be highly reflective so that night time viewing is possible. This will be your catch! Most numbers are painted cannot be seen at night. You will have a much better response for work if you do something or provide something most others are not. So when thinking of starting this type of opportunity you must make sure you have the correct materials.

Now in order to make money people will have to know you exist. You need to get the word out. You will need to make up some flyers and get them out there. Advertising in cheap places is also good just keep your advertising to a minimum. You can easily make around 200 to 300 per day with this opportunity. In areas that folks have their house number on the curb it is necessary for them to have it so there is a lot of potential for money here. You may also use internet advertising to spread the word of your business.

Good luck with this extremely low investment business opportunity that anyone can start. Curb painting is becoming evermore popular. You may want to also remove fading numbers as well for even more money. Just have fun curb painting and make some dollars. I would love to here from those that have done this and are making money!

Painting Business Property Insurance for Equipment

When getting general liability insurance for your painting business you may want to consider insuring your equipment by purchasing extra Painting Business Property Insurance Equipment you may own. Typically your home insurance may cover the equipment up to 3,000 dollars, so if you have more than that you should look into getting the extra Painting Business property insurance for equipment when you are away from home with your equipment.

You may ask yourself, “Should I get insurance to cover my painting equipment?”. The answer is; Yes! It would not cost too much more for having Painting Business Property Insurance for equipment. Ladders, sprayers, power washers and tools can run thousands of dollars and to have them stolen or destroyed could be very costly.


The premium is usually calculated per 100 dollars of equipment, but at a low amount. What if you were on the job and a fire broke out burning the house and your equipment to the ground. You would be out of luck if you did not have painting business property insurance. There are so many things that can happen. You should also have commercial insurance on the vehicle that you are using for business. Checking with various agents and insurance companies I am sure you will find a reasonably decent quote for your painting business property insurance.

Once you have found a few good quotes it is very important to read the document and understand all that is covered. You may find subtle differences between the policies. You must decide which is more important or which fits your needs closer. Once you have done that you will then compare the premiums and choose the one you like best.

You should have many local agencies in your area that you can get quotes from. Usually it will be the larger well known companies that will have larger quotes and more stringent rules. The larger companies will also make it difficult for the new business owners to get coverage by having strict qualifying rules that you will need to comply with. You will probably be better off finding a broker.

Never make an uninformed decision when getting insurance, and do not allow the agent to push you into making a quick decision either. Take your time and really investigate all the policies for what and how much each specific category covers. Good luck in getting your painting business property insurance for equipment.