Interior Painting Season has officially arrived in the PNW! Getting a fresh application of paint is always exciting; both for the crisp clean feel and for the change of color! You’ve had your home measured and you’ve signed the estimate! What happens next?!? Here are 5 things you can do to make your paint project go as smoothly as possible!
interior painting
1. Respond to Calls and Emails from your Painter
In many cases; your painter will have a calendar that they will want to schedule you into as soon as possible. The better you are at keeping in communication with them; the more quickly you can move through the interior painting process! If you work with Sir Paints A Lot, one of the first things you will need to schedule (if you want it) is your color consult! Making the time to have one of our color specialists come out and help you choose a color scheme can really help you feel confident and happy with the paint you choose! Also: the sooner your painter knows which colors you are using, the sooner they can order paint and get your project started! If you’re curious about the color consult; check out this blog: Pros and Cons of a Color Consult!
2. Mark Your Calendar!
Once you get the estimated date for your interior painting project, Mark Your Calendar! Paint companies do their best to keep in contact with you to let you know whether they are on schedule for your project or if they are ahead or behind. It is important that you also keep track of when your project is supposed to happen so that you don’t plan other events too close to the time of your job. Allow a little wiggle room before making plans to host a family dinner, for example, so that you do not end up disappointed if the painters run into a little setback. Even though the date may not be “exact”, keeping track of it will help you be more prepared.
Keeping track of your appointment time also prevents most complications where you would end up needing to reschedule. Not only does last minute rescheduling ruin other customer’s plans and schedules; but you also may end up having to wait longer than you expected, depending on how busy your painter is. No fun 🙁
3. Make Plans for Pets
Once you have a good idea of when your paint project will happen; make plans to keep your pets out of the area that will be painted. If your whole house will need painted and your pet cannot stay outside; ask a friend to help watch them or find an animal kennel you can bring them to. We have heard great things about Willamette Valley Dog and Cat Motel! No matter how friendly your pet is; paint is one thing you don’t want them getting into! The painters cannot be efficient at getting their work done if they are trying to keep your pets out of the paint. Or worse; cleaning up paint messes of cute paw prints tracked all over your floor! 😉
4. Remove Knick-Knacks and Pictures
To help us save time (and you money), you will want to remove all the pictures from your walls and any shelving or knick-knacks from the room. Also remove rugs, TV’s and other electronics. Large furniture should be moved to the center of the room, at least 3 feet away from each wall. The painter will cover it with plastic and drop cloths. Do not pile *all* of your things into a mountain in the middle of the room though; bring your things somewhere safe and make your walls ready for paint! You also need to remove clothes and other items from closets that need painted. You can expect painters to move large items for you like refrigerators, washers, dryers, couches etc… But please remove all your other belongings before the painters arrive. If your ceiling is being painted as well, the room will need to be 70% empty.
5. Go Enjoy A Vacation!
Not to be rude— Painters love to chat with customers and get to know you! If you only are having one or two rooms painted and you don’t need to be in them all the time; that’s different! We would love for you to stick around and tell us about your life and your adventures!
But!I If you have scheduled a full interior painting project, join me on this imaginary journey…
The painters have been in your house all day and you just return home from work.
You’re feeling like you need a snack so you try to get into your masked off freezer for some pizza rolls. You glance at your oven and see it is also covered in plastic. A moment of irritation passes… You decide to leave and get some food somewhere else. Your fingers peel at tape so you can make your way through the doorway of plastic.
You return with your food. The daylight has faded away and you need to turn on the light. The switch is covered in paper. The light is dim and covered in plastic. The drive-through forgot to give you a fork…You complete the obstacle course of getting into your silverware drawer.
Now you want to relax and watch some TV. Then you remember that your TV is in another room covered in a drop cloth and so is your couch. You decide to go to bed. If you are lucky; that won’t be covered yet… You stare into the hazy paint dust and wonder what you are doing here….
That was enjoyable right?! 😉
Your house is not the place you want to be when you are having interior painting done! Trust us! Once your appointment time is confirmed; make plans to go anywhere but home! Stay at the coast or in a fun air-bnb or even just a hotel or friend’s house for the duration of your project! Almost everyone loves coming home after a getaway! Imagine how much fun coming home will be after a fresh paint job!
Keeping these steps in mind will make your interior painting experience much more pleasant! Don’t stress! Just remember to stay in contact with your painter so that you get updates regarding your project. Put your possessions somewhere safe and out of the way, and plan a fun getaway for yourselves and your pets! 😉
Thank you for taking the time to read this to be prepared for your upcoming interior painting project! If you have not scheduled with us yet and would like an estimate, click here, or call 541 600 2025! Have an Awesome Day!
When it comes time to paint our home’s interior; the first decision we have to make is whether to hire a professional house painter or just do it ourselves. For some of us it is an easy choice! But if you fall into the “others of us” category….keep reading! There are pros and cons to both- so let’s jump into it!
Price Point: Doing the work yourself will cost less money. Usually this is still the case even if you have to buy a ladder or tools!
Your Time: You can do the work on your schedule, whenever it is convenient for you. No rush. No strangers in your house!
End Result: You can be as picky as you want to be! The job is not done until you say it is done! 😉
You Da Boss: You’re in charge of everything: surface prep, masking, paint selection, material costs, you name it! You want to skip a step? No one can stop you!!! Muahaha!
Cons
Price Point: Doing the work yourself will cost more time. Which currency is more important to you? Time or Money?
Your Time: Youwill spend more time on this project than a professional will, due to lack of experience and efficient tools.
End Result: Moooost of the time the end result is not going to be as nice as it would be if a professional were to paint for you.
You Da Boss: It can be a lot to make sense of: which materials, how much material, and where to even begin! Don’t forget to give yourself a good warranty! …wait! 😉
While the painting itself might be totally up your alley; a lot of other work goes into an interior painting project that often gets overlooked… at first… Things like moving or covering furniture, masking or removing light fixtures, sanding and cleaning trim…. Knowing which materials are going to work best for you is a whole other pile of research you will need to do if you don’t want to waste money on things you don’t need. However, some people really enjoy this process and love the sense accomplishment and capability at the end! And then there are the “others of us” again…. hahah Just keep reading if that is you!
Interior Painting by Professional
Pros
Efficiency: Professionals have a system they follow day to day. They will get a lot of work done in a short amount of time.
Knowledge: They already know which methods and products will work best for reaching your project goals.
Experience: Skills improve with consistency! You get good at painting in a straight line when you do it every day!
Tools: Ladders, Paint Sprayers, Hand Maskers, Extension Poles, Vacuum Sanders, Drop Cloths…. They have what they need to do the job right. This is Especially beneficial if your home has tall walls and ceilings or other challenging obstacles.
Warranty: Most professionals have a warranty on their work, and if something goes wrong they will take care of it- sometimes for years!
End Result: Crisp and Clean! (disclaimer: it DOES matter WHO you hire – if you’d like some tips about that click here!)
Cons
Price Point: It will cost you some dollars. You could probably try and fail to paint your own house a couple times before it cost the same amount of money.
Personal Space: You will have painters and plastic all up in your face and in your doorways. You might not have doorknobs. This doesn’t have to be a con though… Its an excellent time for a vacation!!! Or fun conversations with painters!
You Da Boss… with limitations: You and the contractor will put together a plan based on what your goals are. You still get to make decisions but there is a point at which you can no longer change your mind “for free”. They have a schedule to stick to; and as much as they will try to accommodate you, they have already made and agreed upon plans with other customers too. If you have big changes or additions, they might have to be scheduled at a separate time.
When you hire a professional to do your painting, there are a lot less things you have to figure out alone! Some professionals will even send out a color consultant to help you choose your paint colors. They have everything they need to come in and do the job efficiently and effectively. They have insurance in case anything Were to happen (idk about you but I (the wife) am much more likely to spill paint on the floor than my husband, the painter 😉 ).
Either choice can be a good one depending on what your goals are and who You are. If you have a particularly challenging job with damaged walls or peeling paint or some other obstacle that makes it so you can’t just roll it out; give us a call at 541-600-2025. We would love to come out and give you an estimate so you can make the decision that is best for you! If you’d like to book an estimate with us online- click here!
They really should call it a color Prosult because there are a lot more Pros than Cons…despite “cons” being right there in the word itself 😉 . Advanced English aside… What even is a Color Consult? The definition of consult is “to seek information or advice from some with expertise in a given area”. A color consultant is someone with expertise in color and design. For many of us, choosing the color for our home is a big decision. We only want to pay for that decision once, so we really want to get it right the first time. A color consult can help you consider things that maybe you hadn’t thought of to make sure you’ll be happy with your choice! So let’s jump into some of those!
Pros of Color Consult
1. Color Consults Help Us Understand Color
Color may not seem that difficult to understand…But in fact, colors are perceived differently based on other colors around them. Its all fun and dandy to flip through the paint swatches and snatch out the colors you like best..but will they look that way in your space? A color consultant will be able to tell you! They will know if the color of your cabinets or your roof (or something else in your space) will make your chosen color appear warmer or cooler in contrast. And they will have alternative suggestions based on what you like that might just fit your space better! Its easy to say “Just pick the color you like!”. But there are a lot of variables that might make the color you like on the swatch appear as a color you don’t actually like. They will show you!
2. Color Consults Remind Us To Consider Light
Again; this seems like something the average person can understand also… But most of the time we forget to take it into consideration at all beyond simple things like “This room feels dark so I want to paint it a brighter color”. The particular kind of light is another thing that will affect the color we choose! Soft light casts a subtle warm hue over the room, and bright light casts a sharper cool hue over the room. Daylight is another factor to consider. Paint colors look very different with direct sunlight on them, especially with certain sheens! A color consultant will take all of this into account to help you meet your color goals. A color that doesn’t even stand out to you in the paint swatch book might be the color that will get you the look you are trying to achieve!
3. Samples and Examples
A color consultant often has larger paint swatches to hold up in your space. This helps to give you a better idea of how a color will actually appear. Sometimes they even will do a limited amount of paint samples. This allows you to see a large section of wall with the color you are considering. They have experience with many other customers and the specific paint they are consulting with you about. They can also show you real examples of how a paint color looked in a certain environment.
4. Timeless or Trendy
Many of us don’t actually want to choose our favorite color at all. We just want a color that’s going to live its life to the max and work well with changing decor. Color consultants can usually tell if that trendy color you saw on pinterest is going to stick around a couple more years or not. They also know by experience which colors get chosen over and over and are well loved by their choosers. During a color consult, they will find out what you, specifically, are hoping for as a result, and help you get there.
5. Personality
Another thing a color consultant is very aware of is your personality! Ultimately, they want YOU to be happy with your choice so they’re going to be paying attention to whether you are bold or reserved, creative or simplistic, extravagant or minimalist 😉 . If they know you want to sell the house, they might talk you down from your extravagance a little towards something that might fit most buyers. You might say that you wanted to make your color scheme more exciting even though you’re scared of everything that isn’t white. You name it- they have an idea and advice for you! They’ll help you choose a color and feel confident with it!
Cons of Color Consult
1. You Don’t Agree
This really isn’t a real problem because ultimately you get to choose the colors for your home. Sometimes we can hear all the logic and we still want the color we wanted. Except now we know that the expert doesn’t think it will work well. 🙁 I’ve been there.
I learned during my color consult that the name of a color could be enough to turn me off to it…which is ridiculous! I was attracted to names like “Rock Garden” and “Succulent” and “Sea Serpent“… But after painting samples and realizing they were way more intense than I actually wanted… I ended up with colors named “Filmy Green” (ew?) and “Pewter Green” and “Black Emerald“…(just want to state that these are not all in the same area!) I genuinely did like the colors of the ones with pretty names… buuut they were not the right fit at all for the look I actually wanted. And I like to think I understand color pretty well!
The point is- even if you don’t like everything you hear during the color consult, and they don’t give you a suggestion you actually like… Chances are you still learned something that will help you out moving forward! At Sir Paints A Lot- you literally have NOTHING to lose! We include a color consult in your project with us! If that sounds as cool to you as it does to me…why don’t you go ahead and book an estimate with us by clicking here! 🙂
When I say “coolest”, I mean two things. I mean cool as in cool, and cool as in cool. 😉 Shades of gray that are well liked with cool undertones (as in not warm). It is true that the warmer greiges and beiges are what seem to be trending right now by that definition of cool, but those shades might not work well in your space. Many people think the solution is to find a gray paint that has NO undertones…. if that is you; you are out of luck. Cool grays will have either blue, green, or violet undertones. While some shades have more undertones than others; all grays will flash those tones in certain lighting.
Cool grays look excellent with white or black trim and cabinets. They also pair very nicely with dark wood floors. All of the grays I am sharing with you are by Sherwin Williams, and all of them do fall pretty close to the neutral side of cool. While the more pigmented shades can be fun; I recommend using them only if you actually want that color of wall rather than a gray wall… so keep in mind that it doesn’t take a lot of undertone to overpower!
Airy Cool Tones
These gray colors are light and airy and even a little stormy. Blue and Green undertones here, but just barely 😉
Earthy Cool Tones
These grays have a little more green (and even red- just not enough to tip the color to warm) in their undertones and take on a natural rocky, earthen look.
Grayer than Gray
What else can I say 😉
I hope this was helpful! If these cool grays are not your style- check out my blog 7 Of The Best Gray Paint Colors to see some warmier, trendier shades of gray or head over to Sherwin Williams to discover even more! When you book an estimate with us, our color consultant can help you choose the gray that is right for you! Click HERE to book an estimate now!
Ahhh. The anticipation of peeling off masking tape to see crisp, clean paint lines…. Only to discover that the paint has leaked through, the lines are squiggled, and the tape is stuck… in some places… Below I will share some dos and don’ts that may just help you avoid this messy fate!
First things first! There are several different colors and varieties of painting tape or masking tape. I’ll just go over the reason for this and which tape to use where!
White Tape: White tape is just your basic masking tape and it is commonly used to hang plastic or paper up around window sills or trim. It works well in most painting situations and can be found in different widths. It is not as highly recommended as blue; but it is much cheaper and works well in all the same situations.
Blue Tape: Blue painter’s tape has medium adhesion and is practical for using on slightly more delicate surfaces that you don’t want to risk damaging. For example; You are painting a kitchen and need to mask off the cabinets which have been painted in the past. Blue tape is less likely to pull up the old paint. If that were to happen; then you would need to repaint the cabinets too. Not a fun add-on if you were not planning on it! Go with Purple if you’re really cautious.
Green Tape: Green painter’s tape has very strong adhesion and is the best choice if you are relying on tape to get crisp, straight lines with no bleeding; especially if the surface you are applying it too is a little rough. It can pull up the material underneath, though; so use with discretion.
Orange Tape: Orange Tape is Basically white tape but stronger. The adhesion level is the same but the strength of the tape (how easily it tears or rips) is a little more heavy duty.
Yellow Tape: Yellow tape has strong adhesion that works excellent outdoors. It is waterproof and works great on exterior windows because it will not leave any residue which would later collect dust. Nobody likes dirty windows…
Now here are some tips for How to use masking tape; How to not to; and a few bonus tips at the end!
DO
Clean the surface you will be masking first. Your tape won’t stick to dust….well, scratch that, it will! Dust won’t keep your tape stuck to the wall though!
Apply your masking as straight and smooth as you can. Avoid using multiple pieces of tape for the same stretch of masking. A tiny bit of uneven overlap will show!
Be sure to press down on your tape as you go. This seems like a given; but it can be easy to get moving along a trim board or other lengthy surface and forget to press your tape down the whole way.
Allow 2nd coat of paint to dry before removing masking. You want your paint to Just be dry to the touch so that you cannot accidentally smudge it as you roll up your masking.
Stick in in the trash. Even obvious things can be forgotten. 😉
Sir Paints Crew putting that green and orange masking tape to good use! Can’t forget the coffee…;)
DON’T
Drown the masking tape with a super heavy first coat. If you take it easy on the first coat, it will help to seal the tape to the wall and give you a clean line. If you bury tape with too much moisture; it will not remain adhered to the wall. We all know what happens next.
Forget to bolt down free edges of plastic and paper. Wind and even pressure from the paint sprayer will cause these to blow around into your freshly painted surface.
Remove masking after each coat. It is very difficult to match your original line if you decide you want a fresh batch of tape for the 2nd coat. Apply both coats (Or more if necessary) before removing tape.
Leave tape too long. You want the paint to be dry before you remove your masking; but if you let it dry more than 24 hours it is much more likely to pull the paint right off with it. This completely ruins that perfect line. Epic Fail. (Fear not! There is a tip below just in case this is happening!)
Mask around lightbulbs with paper. Some people still use lightbulbs that get hot. Charred accents can be nice sometimes; but that is probably not what you’re going for if you are painting!
Throw all your masking on the floor. Dry paint flakes make a big mess and its better to put them straight into the trash. Sometimes there can even be slightly wet paint still hanging out on the plastic; and that will make an even bigger mess.
BONUS
Get yourself one of these masking tools! It is a serious time saver that helps you get straight lines and also lines up your tape perfectly with either paper or plastic.
Hand Masking Tool
If you have the time and REALLY REALLY want a perfect line; paint a light coat of the color you are hoping to protect against the masking tape’s seam (provided you have it). This will seal the tape with the color behind it, and then you can continue to paint your new color worry free.
The Grande Finale of Tips! When you remove your masking tape; first use a blade to score the edge of the tape so that it doesn’t pull any of the new color off with it. This is especially useful in tight areas like along the inside corners and edges of window trim, or in any circumstance where you find your tape is pulling new paint up with it.
Hopefully these tips make the time you spend masking well worth it! If not; at least you will get practice at cutting in and doing touch up! 😉 Thanks for reading! Have a Great Day! If you would like to see how our team gets all the things masked off; give us a call at 541-600-2025 or click HERE to book an estimate now!!!
