Archive for the ‘exterior Painting’ tag
Exterior Painting – Choosing a Color You Can Live In no comments
A house is the structure that keeps you safe from the elements, as well as the place where you build a life with the people that you love. When people come to your home for the first time, their impression of your home is very important, as it is an extension of who you are as a person. If you’re tired of welcoming people to your home that is an abrupt color, faded, or peeling, you might be thinking about starting an exterior painting project. Before you hire a company to start stripping, sanding, and painting, you have to choose a color that you’re going to be comfortable living in for the next few years.
One of the first things you have to do before you start looking for someone to head up your exterior painting project is to decide which colors are going to combine in just the right ways to draw out the features that make your home unique, and blend in the little blemishes that you might not want people to be able to see from the street. Choosing paint combinations can be terrifying, and everyone has at least one friend that is living in a loudly colored house simply because “the paint looked different in the can!” If you don’t want to have that experience, it’s important to keep these tips in mind.
One of the most time tested rules of exterior painting is to choose colors that honor history. If you’re trying to spruce up an older home, it’s always better to stick with colors that were popular in the time that the home was built. Many professional painters can be hired to analyze the old paint chips from older layers of coloring, and match the hues to paint colors that exist today. You might not get it exactly right, but you’ll be able to create an age appropriate effect.
Another thing that always works when you’re struggling to choose colors for an exterior painting project is taking a hint from your neighbors. If all the houses on your block tend to be lighter whites and grays with darker shutters and trim, your house is really going to look out of place if you paint it primary colors. Even though you want your house to be unique, the most useful color palette to choose from can be the ones that already exist in your neighborhood.
A Few Home Exterior Painting Safety Tips no comments
When I was a child, the most annoying thing I ever heard an authority figure say was “Safety First”. My goodness, did I despise that phrase.
Why?
Because when you are a child the last thing you are ever concerned about are safety precautions. Actually, when I was a child, if it was safe I didn’t think it was fun! Well, 15 years and numerous injuries later I do see the fundamental value of this seemingly archaic parental phrase.
I never would have imagined that I would be writing articles on how to do things home exterior painting safer; however, when you are home exterior painting avoiding unnecessary injuries can be very beneficial.
Safety First!
What I have concluded to do here is compose a brief list of safety tips that could potentially save you a very large hospital bill.
So, let’s start with the most obvious and work our way down.
Ladder Considerations
When using a ladder to execute your home exterior painting job, there are a few things that you can do to decrease your risk of injury.
• Consider the Surface
Before you haggle your way up the ladder, be sure that it has a very FIRM stance.
What do I mean by firm?
I mean that it should not toggle back and forth at all; I mean that it should be on a flat surface; and I mean that it should be on a solid surface. Grass (for instance) is NOT to be considered a solid surface even though it is a flat surface.
• Consider the Ladder
Now, we all know that everybody wants to save a buck; however, when your options are reduced to possibly breaking a leg or saving a few dollars which one sounds more appealing?
I don’t know about you but I would rather keep all of my body parts in tact. So, be sure that your ladder is new or at least in excellent condition. It should be a very firm structure and be able to support 2-3 times your actual body weight. Be sure that there are no broken pieces. If the ladder is made of wood, make certain that there are no cracks in it.
Protect Your Body
After you are certain that your ladder is in excellent working condition, you will want to purchase personal safety equipment.
• Dust Masks
Dust masks will help prevent you from inhaling any harmful chemicals.
• Steel-Toe Boots
I know this sounds a bit extreme but you would be amazed at the number of toe injuries incurred by home exterior painting accidents. So, in order to prevent ALL of your little piggies from going to the hospital, purchase a pair of steel toe boots.
Neat Freak
I think we can all agree that neat freaks are difficult to live with. They are overly observant and often times create the potential for a WW3 break out over a spoon being left unwashed. However, when you are planning for a home exterior painting, it would be wise to take on some of these “Neat Freak” traits.
It is vital that you keep your workspace clean so as to avoid any unnecessary injuries. After all, who wants to go to the hospital in a stretcher because they tripped over a paint bucket?
Follow These Tips and you will be sure to avoid injuries while executing your exterior home painting.
Good luck!
More information on home exterior painting and a College Works Painting in your area is just a click away.