Preparing For Exterior Painting

Posted on May 10, 2013 by James Dowd

You should spend some time examining your home before you decide to paint it. This is how you should address the situation in order to provide your home with the glamour it deserves.

Remove Mildew

Among the many problems that mildew will cause to your exterior paint are peeling, blistering and chalking. Water leaks for instance will bear discolored patches, and mildew and rot as well. Specialists from the Paint Quality Institute instruct that you should remove mildew with a solution consisting of three parts water and one part bleach. This mixture needs to be placed on the surface and allowed to breathe for about 20 minutes – when it dries out, you should apply more and rinse thoroughly. You should be mindful of your safety and wear eye and skin protection at all times while doing so.

Clean the Surface

Since paint will not remain fixed on dust or other types of dirt, you should clean the exterior of your house thoroughly. If you use a power washer, you should know that it extends pressure up to 3,500 pounds per square inch when it leaves the wand. If you have enough experience, the power washer will prove to be a remarkable tool. If you do not use this tool properly however, you might cause a lot of damage. When the pressure is high, the stream might etch wood, break glass and will moisturize the whole area, which naturally means that you will need to wait for it until it dries out before you start painting.

Sand and patch

You will need to commit to some scraping and sanding when everything is cleaned out. If there are gouges or holes on your wood siding, you should use an exterior-grade patching compound in order to pluck them. You should place new siding on areas, which are too damaged to fill. All cracks or gaps in the wood need to be filled with paintable exterior caulk of high quality. Make sure you fill in any holes, which are situated between windows, doors, corners and edges on the exterior.

Cover Edges and Trim

For the areas which are not to be painted, you should mask them. The edge of the house trim should be covered by painter’s tape, and this should apply to door frames, window frames and part of trim, which you want colored differently. In order to protect them from drips, you should place newspapers or cloth on windows and doors. Make sure you place drop cloths on various portions you do not want covered in paint, such as plants, porches and roof areas.

Apply Primer

You might want to use a primer or sealer before starting, if you want to get the best results. The primer will make the paint react better to the surface you are painting. Primer is useful in pretty much all occasions, but it is especially needed when you are painting things that have never undergone the process before, or when you are working on new wood or bare stucco. Primer finds its use greatly on highly damaged surfaces as well.

It might sound like a long process, and it is – preparation might take you more than half the time of the whole Denver exterior painting project. It is important however, since a properly preoared surface will last for up to 15 years.

Employing a Professional

If you think that you cannot cope with the job yourself, or you don’t have the time to do it, you should consider hiring a professional. In order to make sure you have found the right person for the job, you should meet up with more than one contractor and ask them the following questions:

What are the materials they will use? Who will decide on the paint – the contractor or you? If the choice would fall on the contractor, will they offer a paint of high quality?

Make sure you inquire about and then check out references. Ask all referred customers whether they are satisfied with the job at hand and how the contractor treated them. You might want to go for a visit and see their homes yourself.

Inquire whether the contractor has the right licensing and insurances. What is the timeframe in which the company has been operational? Does the company have any business affiliations? The Better Business Bureau will tell you about any complaints against the contractor. Ask about the terms of payment before any work is started. Never pay anything before the painting job begins.

At DOWD RESTORATION we not only do a great Denver house painting job at a great price, we believe that its the “little” things that can make a BIG difference in your overall satisfaction, whether you are selling your Denver home or plan to live in it for decades to come.

Call Us – 303-522-8730

Commercial Painting in Denver

Posted on April 2, 2013 by James Dowd

There are many folks that could put a ladder on their van, get a paint sprayers, and then call themselves professional painters. Nevertheless, these people most likely do not possess the legal licenses and insurance, nor the skill it takes to paint your commercial property. Talk to your local chamber of commerce, Better Business Bureau or PDCA for a list of qualified commercial painting contractors in Denver.

All of the paint and paint type coatings may be used on different types of surfaces. However, Commercial Painting is extremely different from House Painting. Many companies in Denver use the terms residential and commercial in their marketing information, although a few of them might be in a position to do both.

When you really do not have a great deal of time to spend exploring solutions for commercial and industrial painting firms, envision producing a lot of effective telephone calls to fellow business operators that you are keen on. Inquire further about companies they have dealt with previously and see if they would hire them again. Learn whom they can compared the painter to prior to hiring them, or what they would do differently when they had to paint their commercial property.

Denver painting contractors are necessary whenever one is redesigning or renovating a business. The painting company you hire will handle the painting of your business greatly determines exactly how trendy and comfortable your business will be. This is therefore quite important to opt for capable skilled painters to obtain the type of work you be expecting and deserve.

The providers of exceptional Denver commercial painting companies will definitely make your business look brand-new and restored. There is however, plenty of painting contractors Denver, which makes it difficult to select who to go to when you are to find a great paint job. When choosing a painting contractor, you can find a few points which have to be taken into account. The primary points you need to look for are the type of guarantees, recommendations offered as well as the contract. if a contractor is unwilling to discuss about their previous job, they are not worth using their services.

Make certain that you have the legal documents as guarantee that the job is going to be carried out based on the agreement agreed on. Painting contractors need to be bonded to have them undertake to your job. A bond means if the contractor fails to perform the job, the bonding company will pay another contractor to complete the job for you. A good painting contractor will have plenty of references that one could turn to as a means of gaging precisely how good they are in their work. A commercial painting contractor without any references should be avoided.

It is essential to get the best commercial painting contractor for your Denver business. Dowd Restoration is experienced in all phases of commercial painting. Give us a call today for a FREE estimate. 303-522-8730

Dowd Restoration (Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:56:38 +0000): Commercial Painting in Denver.

Denver Historic Home Renovation

Posted on March 25, 2013 by James Dowd

There is one major problem with our historic homes in Denver, and this is the fact that with age, they require a lot of maintenance. Pipes start creaking, doors jam frequently, and the humidity, which can start building up can be unbearable. This is why you might consider a few projects in order to spruce up your living space. Not everyone can afford a new home, and fixing the old one will need to do the trick. If you live in Denver, Denver Historic Home Renovation is exactly the thing you need if you want to live in comfort once again.

First of all, we must know what renovating a home in Denver really is about. There could be small renovations carried out, or it could be a one-time overall Renovation of the whole house. The two things will always cost differently, and even if you can carry out the smaller things yourself, you will need professional help for the bigger things. There are a lot of intricate processes when Historic Home Renovation is considered, and you should become familiar with all of them, especially if you do not have a general idea of what exactly you want to do with your home.

In general, Denver Historic Home Renovation will deal in changing the whole outlook of the house by replacing old and deteriorated portions of it. For instance, in your bathroom, due to high humidity, your tiles will start cracking and will need to be replaced. Apart from this, you might want to open up some additional space in your kitchen, and you may need to knock down a wall or two in order to fit in the new appliances. The amount of things to do during Renovation is huge, and you need to take all of them into consideration.

When professional help is considered, if you want to restore your home in Denver, you should know that there are both good and bad contractors. The good contractor will always know how to put your ideas into action, provided that they are plausible. The bad contractor will know nothing of this sort, and will use cheap materials as well, which will only last for a very short while. The key to finding the proper contractor, is spending a lot of time in research. Internet forums are a good place to start, because the users there will always be able to share their opinions on the matter with you.

In general, Denver Historic Home Renovation is something, which is quite obligatory for people who see that their home’s condition is going downhill. You really need to contact a professional as soon as possible and make sure you find a good one as well. Along the process of working on Renovation, it is normal for a few new things to come up, but pay mind that careful planning will save you a lot of troubles. This is why you should invest your time and patience, and try to chart the Renovation plan in a detailed manner.

Dowd Restoration (Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:43:48 +0000): Denver Historic Home Renovation.

Professional Denver Exterior Painting

Posted on March 13, 2013 by James Dowd

Elastomeric Exterior Paint

Elastomeric Best Exterior Paint

Elastomeric Paint

Denver exterior painting professionals and contractors are usually challenged by various conditions or requirements that differ from one project to another. Throughout the last few years, Denver exterior painting professionals have been able to successfully accomplish thousands of projects and overcome several challenges. Most contractors agree that the most popular factor that needs to be considered in these projects is the location.

Geographical differences can be very apparent when it comes to construction, painting styles, and the preference of materials. For example, Denver is known for being the home of stuccos exterior and these substrates usually require primers or top coats. In this condition, Denver exterior painting professionals also use formulations that are weather resistant to protect the paint from exposure to wind or rain all the time.

On the contrary, Denver exterior painting professionals will have to use resinous formulations during summer to protect the paint from excess exposure to the sun. Denver exterior painting professionals have been able to develop special formulations to successfully cater for the most important factors that are influencing their projects and this is the weather. The changing climatic variables in Denver are always considered by contractors especially when it comes to the products they are going to use, application of the paint, and the different techniques utilized.

All the Denver exterior painting professionals comply with federal laws on environmental protection and this is why their work is outstanding all the time. They also focus on decreasing the negative effects of paints that emit VOC. Other important factors that need to be considered during the process of exterior painting is the type of paint that is going to be used and the type of surface that the paint is going to be applied on. There are two popular types of exterior paint that are commonly used and they are latex and oil. Latex paint is usually easier to apply as it dries very quickly and can be removed using soap. It is usually used by Denver exterior painting professionals during colder weather conditions and it is also known for being extremely durable.

On the other hand, oil paint takes a very long time to dry and this is something that needs to be considered during exterior painting projects especially if they need to be done quickly. However, it can be used if there isn’t a tight deadline to the project. Most professionals use special rollers to apply it and usually use two coats to ensure that it won’t get removed in warm weather conditions.

Before the Denver exterior painting project begins, the surface will have to prepared and this includes it being clean and completely dry. This is even more important if the surface is wood because holes can easily appear and this will ruin the overall look. Most professionals first come to the location and assess it before they start working on it because this will give them a better impression on what needs to be done such as the tools and paint that should be used.

Call Us – 303-522-8730

Tips for Professional Home Remodeling in Denver

Posted on March 6, 2013 by James Dowd

Denver House Remodeling

Denver Remodeling Contractor

Denver Restoration

There is no doubt that the process of home remodeling can be somewhat exhausting and time consuming. This is why most people utilize the services of professional Denver remodeling contractors because they are known for their outstanding and high quality services. Remodeling your home also have several important benefits such as making your house a lot more comfortable, increasing the value of your home, decreasing maintenance costs, decreasing utility costs, and the whole experience itself can be very enjoyable especially if it is done with the help of professionals. There are various tips you can follow to ensure that your Denver remodeling project will go as smoothly as possible and will live up to your expectations.

Home Remodeling Tip 1

The first thing you have to do is always inform your Denver remodeling professionals exactly what you want. Even if you aren’t that amazing in drawing, you should at least provide them with a sketch or try to explain to them in details what you have in mind. You should show them which areas in your house needs to be remodeled and improved as well. This will enable them to assess the overall situation in the correct manner.

Home Remodeling Tip 2

Always speak with your Denver remodeling contractors on a daily basis and follow up on everything they do. You should also make sure that you inform them about any electrical outlets or water passages in your house as these are aspects that require attention. Make sure that your electrician or plumbers have mutual understanding with your interior decorators as this will save a lot of hassle and money in the future. There are certain areas in your house that won’t be able to be remodeled successfully without the electric issues getting sorted out first especially when it comes to the kitchen or bathrooms.

Home Remodeling Tip 3

If you are going to add furniture to your Denver remodeling project, you should make sure that you write what you lacked previously and what exactly you need now. Most Denver remodeling contractors know the best furniture stores in town and this will assist you greatly when it comes to the quality of the furniture and its affordability. Most of these contractors have also been working with these furniture stores for a very long time and will probably be able to get you deals.

Home Remodeling Tip 4

You can take your time in deciding the type of lightning you are going to use in your house because this can make a big difference in the overall outcome. For example, if you would like to have more sunlight, then you should speak with your contractor about it and he will probably makes several significant changes such as adding larger windows or increasing the size the verandas.

Home Remodeling Tip 5

You should focus on exterior work as well such as gardening and garages. This is even more important for individuals who are remodeling their homes to increase its value. There is no point on owning a house that looks great when the garage looks awful.

At DOWD RESTORATION we understand that a quality end result when Remodeling your Denver home or business is of high importance to you. We believe that it is the “little” things that can make a BIG difference in your overall satisfaction. Call us for a free estimate on your next Remodeling Project! 303-522-8730

Spring Cleaning For Your Deck

Posted on February 27, 2013 by James Dowd

Spring is right around the corner! Before you move your deck furniture out, you should check your deck for safety. You may need to restore and protect your deck so you can get the most out of it during the spring and summer months ahead.

Look your deck over for loose fasteners, nails and screws that stick up. These should be hammered or screwed down securely. Look closely for Loose or rotting wood and be sure to check your railing for cracking or splitting. If there are no problems found, you may only need to clean your deck to prepare for the up coming season, however rotten or loose wood, split or cracked railings is a safety issue and should be fixed before you start entertaining friends and family.

Spring Denver Deck Restoration

Spring Denver Deck Restoration

Deck Restoration for Spring Denver

Denver Spring Restoration Deck

Denver Spring Deck Cleaning

Spring Deck Restoration

Deck cleaning

Debris that clogs the spaces between deck boards traps moisture, encouraging mildew and rot. Blast out the debris, using a powerful nozzle on a garden hose, and then push out remaining debris with a putty knife or a laminate scoring tool is a great tool for this job. Thoroughly scrub the surface with a sudsy mixture of water and laundry detergent, using a stiff fiber brush on a long handle. Work in small areas and rinse periodically. This may be all it takes to return much of the wood’s natural tone.

For a large deck, you can rent a power washer that delivers 1,200 psi of pressure or less to blast and rinse the decking. It should have a nozzle that fans an arc of about 25 to 40 degrees. Wearing safety goggles, hold the nozzle about 6 inches above the deck’s surface and spray slowly in line with the wood grain, overlapping your path. Be careful: The powerful spray can erode soft wood grain. After washing, allow the deck to dry for several clear days before use. In just a couple of days your deck will be an inviting place for relaxing outside in the peace of nature.

Deck Refinishing

First you will need to clean your deck as described above. If you found rotten or cracked wood on your deck or railings, these should be repaired or replaced next. Now you are ready to sand. If you don’t have a sander, you can rent one from a hardware store or tool rental store. Many national hardware chains such as Lowe’s offer sanders for rent. You could get on your hands and knees with sandpaper, but for most decks this would mean a lot more manual labor. You’ll want to use goggles and mask to avoid getting particles of old finish into your eyes, nose and mouth. Make sure you sand evenly over the surface of your deck removing all traces of old finish as you go. Afterwards, we always rinse our deck again with the pressure washer to remove any dust and debris from sanding. You will need to let your deck dry for a couple of days before staining or painting your deck.

You have countless choices when it comes to finishing products for your deck. You can paint it or stain it. There are two basic types of stain on the market, lightly tinted and solid. Once you have gone to the hardware store and chosen the type of finish you want on your deck, test the finish in a hidden area of your deck to ensure it is the shade that you want. For continuity of color between the cans of stain you should mix them all together to make sure the color is uniform. You should also, check your local weather forecast to make sure no precipitation is predicted for at least 24 hours after application. This will prevent water damage to the finish before it has had time to dry.

Application with a brush has always been easiest for us, however on large horizontal surfaces some people prefer to use a sprayer which also works well. Two coats of finish applied while the first is still wet are ideal. This allows the wood to “soak up” the finish and for cracks and crevices to be penetrated.

There are many reasons to restore your deck. The main one for most people is so that you can enjoy it for many more years while feeling safe. Your friends and family probably love it when you host cookouts and other events because they enjoy being out on your deck as much as you do. If you are not a “do it yourself kind of person” hire a Denver deck restoration company to transform your deck back to the way it once was.

DOWD RESTORATION is a trusted and knowledgeable contractor in the Denver area. If you have questions about your deck restoration project, Give us a call – 303-522-8730.

Dowd Restoration (Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:06:51 +0000): Spring Cleaning For Your Deck!

Exterior Paints – So Many to Choose From

Posted on January 30, 2013 by James Dowd

Denver Exterior Paint These days, manufacturers have created a variety of exterior painting products for an assortment of projects and painting problems. Whether your painting concrete block or need a protective coating for raw wood you can be assured a paint manufacturer somewhere more than likely makes it, and you can easily find a Denver painting contractor to apply it.

Below you will find a list of exterior painting products followed by information regarding the type of paint, solvent, coating or filler.

Oil Based Paint

Oil Based Paint contains pigments usually suspended in oil (normally linseed oil), a drier, and mineral spirits or some other type of thinner. The oil serves as the binder for the color pigments, the drier controls drying time and the thinner controls the flowing qualities of the paint. As the thinner evaporates, the mixture of color pigments and oil gradually dries to an elastic skin. As the oxygen is absorbed from the air by the oil (or curing), the curing action bonds a tough paint film to the surface. Oil paints are used inside and outside and are regarded as the traditional house paint.

Varnish

Varnish consists of a solution of resins in a drying oil. Varnish contains little or no pigment. It dries and hardens by evaporation of the volatile solvents, oxidation of the oil, or both.

Varnish is recommended for both outdoor and indoor applications where a hard, glossy finish that is impervious to moisture is desired. For a satin finish, the gloss varnish surface can be rubbed down with steel wool, or a satin varnish can be used. As a floor finish, varnish provides a hard, durable film that will not greatly alter the tone of the wood.

Enamel

Enamel is a varnish with pigments added. Enamel has the same basic durability and toughness of a good varnish. It produces an easy-to-clean surface, and in the proper formulation, it can be used for interior and exterior applications. For the highest quality interior work, an undercoat is required.

Latex Paint

Consists of a dispersion of fine particles of synthetic resin and pigment and water. Latex paints are quick drying, low on odor, and thinned with water. They permit the repainting and decorating of a room within a day. Because latex paints set quickly, tools, equipment, and splattered areas should be cleaned properly with warm, soapy water.

No special primer is required for interior applications except over bare metal or wood, or over highly alkalined surfaces. Spot priming with shellac should be avoided because shiny spots will bleed through the latex film.

Exterior latex house paint can be applied directly to old painted surfaces. On new wood, it should be applied over a primer. For other surfaces, follow specific label directions.

Water-Reducible Paints

The term “Water-Reducible Paints” has come into wider use in the paint business within the past few years. These products are also called water-based or water-borne paints. They include the well-known latex products, as well as products based on new synthetic polymers. While both groups employ water as the reducing agent, the chemistry of each is different.

For example, most latex coatings dry by solvent evaporation or coalescence. The new synthetic polymeric paints dry by a combination of solvent evaporation and chemical cross-linking.

Chemical cross-linking frequently requires the blending of two materials (these products are called two-component coatings) and a digestion time before the coating can be applied. The blending of specific materials results in chemical cross-linking and outstanding performance features, such as mar resistance, scratch resistance, washability, and stain resistance.

Alkyds

Alkyd finishes are produced in four sheens: flat, semi-gloss, low-luster, and high-gloss.

Flat finishes have a velvety texture and are used to produce a rich, softly reflective surface. Alkyd flats can often be applied to painted walls and ceilings, metal, fully cured plaster, wall board, and wood work without a primer. When required, the primer should be a similar material. For high alkaline surfaces, an alkali-resistant primer should be used.

Semi-gloss or low-luster types add just enough sheen to wood work and trim for contrast with flat finish wall surfaces. Each offers great resistance to wear and washing. Low-luster enamels are preferred in such areas as kitchens, bathrooms, nurserys, and school rooms.

Alkyd high-gloss enamels are often used for even greater surfacability and washability.

Call Us – 303-522-8730

The Perfect Building Material For Home Remodeling – Plastic

Posted on January 2, 2013 by James Dowd

Not many people enjoy adhering to a tight budget, particularly if it’s their own. However when it comes to a home remodeling project, homeowners must begin to establish a realistic budget and actively manage their financial affairs. Making preparations for a home remodeling project is similar to preparing to purchasing a car. You may know the style you are after, but the options you decide on may increase the price higher than you can afford. However there are many ways to cutting the remodeling budget and end up with stylish results.

Paying the cost of remodeling your home with a credit card is more advantageous than paying it by cash or check. According to Denver remodeling contractors, many home owners have already started using credit cards to pay the high cost of remodeling their homes. Credit cards are now being used to pay for small as well as very large remodeling projects.

When you use your credit card to pay for home remodeling expenses, you get points from the credit card company as rewards which you can redeemed for things like VIP packages to sporting events and luxury vacations. If you pay your remodeling costs in cash or with check, you get none of these extra rewards. Homeowners are using credit cards for their home remodeling cashing in on whatever benefits they can get on their spending.

Greg James says he has put well over $1 million on his American Express (US:AXP) card over the previous four years to pay for his kitchen remodel, landscaping and a unique personal lighting system for his home situated in Denver, CO. James, a 53-year-old owner of a marketing related consulting firm, says he constantly pays off his credit card balances in full so there is nothing owing each month while attractive a vast number of points, which he and his partner have redeemed for vacations. Much earlier on in the month they took a week long vacation to St. Thomas that was funded by his points. “If I’m just going to write a check at the end of the month, why not get those extra points?”

Lots of people who make large credit-card purchases often attract elite-level perks. The rewards tend to vary by issuer but often incorporate yacht cruises which offers views of the America’s Cup sailing race, four-night packages to the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, and access to privileged events which involves athletics, celebrity chefs and designers. Or possible, really depends on the card they can earn cash back at an attractive rate – often 1% – 2% of the purchase, which generates a higher return than a bank account.

Funding expensive home improvements make it simple to save points quickly. For 2012, it is estimated that homeowners will spend approximately $120.7 billion on home improvements, which is an increase over last year and the highest amount since 2007 based on information provided by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Based on information from the National Association of Remodeling Industry, most customers will write a check to pay for the work, but credit cards are the next most popular method of payment, about 28% of companies report that credit cards are used to fund services or materials provided.

Trends are emerging with respect to home renovations and the use of credit cards. Information shows that the majority of clients that reside in high end homes are funding their home renovations with credit cards, according to Mel Orellana, who is the Vice President of Financial Operations at Prime Home Improvements. Unique, niche specialty firms are also stating there is an increase. “It’s gotten even more common over the past year,” according to Darren Kammer, president of KL Automation, a company located in Texas that specializes in the design and installation of home-lighting control systems.