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

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.

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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.

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Denver Painting Contractors

Posted on October 25, 2012 by James Dowd

Some home improvement projects require a professional, without any other option available. There are few homeowners who are ready to install their own Heating Systems, add on an addition, or pour a foundation. Other projects, such as painting, are more feasibly Do it Yourself projects. After all, who isn’t capable of dabbing a brush in paint? But painting is more difficult than it looks. So, it is with great pleasure that many DIY painters decide that it is now time to hire a painting contractor to take on the job. Let us find out what painting contractors do, how to hire them, and how to negotiate the best price for your Denver painting job.

What is a Painting Contractor?

A Denver Painting Contractor can function as a sub-contractor, under a general contractor, or they may hire themselves out directly to the homeowner. Typically, the painting contractor can be a fairly small operation, such as a sole owner operator, to a large contractor with twenty or thirty painters.

How will you Find a Painting Contractor?

It is sometimes complicated. Denver Painting Contractors tend to be localized to neighborhoods (by this we mean there aren’t any country wide painting contractors). Although most painting contractors focus on Painting, a few perform connected jobs such as plaster fixes, minor drywall work, cut and creating, as well as wallpapering.

One other challenging part is getting the painting contractor to show up on time. While this is not typical of every Denver painting contractor, most contractors make it a habit of showing up on time to look at the job, also to later create a complete estimate. We scarcely see this problem from most painters, since the problem is a mix of the good painters getting more jobs plus a high demand for their services.

Since it is practically impossible to unearth info about Denver painting contractors on the Internet, the old adage “talk to neighbors” applies here. Many painting contractors display signs on the lawns of houses they are working on, but you find this more with general contractors and siding and replacement windows companies. So, besides the painter’s white panel van out front, you often are not aware of what is going on inside your neighbors’ houses.

Denver has several local magazines, and many of them have features on recently renovated houses. These articles will usually list the names and phone numbers for the contractor and sub-contractors, but be warned, these sub-contractors are often very expensive.

What are the Painting Contractor’s Responsibilities?

The majority of Denver Painting Contractors will take on just about any job, from merely painting your window trim to a full-house paint job. In contrast to speaking with a mason, you don’t need to know specific lingo. Many Denver Painting Contractors are good at making points clear to the homeowner. Most painting contractors will have formulas they use, using square footage of wall space and ceilings, in addition to linear footage. They’ll calculate planning time, along with the “hard costs” regarding primer and paint.

The majority of painting contractors will provide you with an estimate, using their work on prior related jobs as reference. These estimates should also be linked directly to the specifics of your job. They are normally reasonable estimates, however the homeowner should compare estimates from several contractors.

Call Us – 303-522-8730

Dowd Restoration (Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:25:14 +0000): Denver Painting Contractors.

Painting the Interior Walls of Your Denver Home – 4 Simple Tips

Posted on September 24, 2012 by James Dowd

Interior Painting Contractor Denver

Painting Contractor in Denver

Painting Denver

You may have received various bits of information on how to properly paint the interior walls of your home in Denver. This article will give you some basic tips and pointers as to what you need to do so the inside of your home looks new and feels like a rejuvenated place to live.

When you do things like painting the walls on the inside of your home, it makes you feel as if you accomplished something. It’s because you have. Your home is your place of purpose, it’s where you wake up and where you sleep. It’s where you have family and friends come visit you at certain times of the year. On that note, you want to be prepared.

The best way to properly paint the interior in your Denver home is to make sure you have all the right materials, the right attitude, and to take your time. Don’t be in a rush to get it done. Having patience while doing something that pertains to your household of living is an important aspect of how you live within yourself.

The things in your life such as how you go about making your home look nice, ultimately reflects the interior of your mind. So, let’s go over a few tips that can help you resurrect the vibrancy of your home where you can feel good and be stress free.

Here are 4 Simple Tips To Properly Paint the Interior Walls of Your Denver Home:

Simple Interior Painting Tip #1: When you listen to soothing music it helps rid of the thought of not wanting to do the interior painting. You have to keep your mind focused by doing what is required. Music is a great method of therapy to getting things accomplished, such as interior painting in Denver.

Simple Interior Painting Tip #2: When you paint the lesser areas first it psychs out mind to thinking that there is much do to, especially when you have a vast area to paint. Get the small section walls out of the way and target the bigger sections afterwards. Once the major section is completed, you don’t have to worry about the rest because it’s already done.

Simple Interior Painting Tip #3: Get all valuable and important pieces of furniture out of the way. The last thing you want to do is splat paint all over your nice new armoire, elegant couch, or brand new rug. Be neat about your painting performance and do it before you open the gallon of paint.

Simple Interior Painting Tip #4: This tip is critical and demands your undivided attention. Clean up after your done and don’t wait for tomorrow or leave it for when you feel the need to clean. Procrastinating will only hinder your results and keep you from completing your interior painting mission. Get it done, and do it right!

Denver Exterior Painting – Increase the Value of Your Home

Posted on September 14, 2012 by James Dowd

Exterior Painting Denver

Exterior Painting in Denver

Denver Painting

Denver Exterior Painting Contractor

Painting the outside of your house is a great way to improve the look and feel of your Denver home. The popularity of exterior painting in Denver is increasing. It does wonders for people who are looking to sell their homes.

Exterior painting adds a new layer of life to your house and gives off a vibrant look appealing to the eye of the public. You can find a number of exterior painters in the local Denver area.

Changing the outside color of homes today has become a common place. Others prefer to stick to one solid color. It’s all personal preference, but you still have the option to do what you want. It’s finding a paining contractor who is experienced, reasonable, honest, and who takes their line of work seriously.

It is a good idea for your Denver home to be synchronized with the other houses in the neighborhood. Drive around your community and see what other colors are being used. Perhaps there is a color scheme you would like to stick with or create. Either way, you’re going to choose what color you want in the end. Painting the outside of your home is a big project and requires a team of effort. You must know what you’re doing and being careful at the same time.

Local exterior painting businesses in Denver are equipped with the right tools, the manpower, and the knowledge to give you a quality service. A good professional painter will take his time (but not too long) when coating your home with a new look. It is a skilled art to paint. It takes an artisan to create a good feel and a likable imagery. The same applies if you’re painting a house inside or outside, molding a sculpture, or painting a picture. Each require a mind frame that is willing to focus and concentrate doing great work.

There’s nothing wrong with improving the value of your home by fixing things up and making fine adjustment along the way. As long as you’re in a position to do so, then by all means, paint it. Remember, the exterior part of your home is what people see before they pull up and enter into your driveway. The front of your house is part of the face of your neighborhood.

At DOWD RESTORATION, we know that you have a lot of choices when selecting a professional external painter to complete your Denver house painting project. We believe that it is the “little” things that can make a BIG difference in your overall satisfaction.
Call Us – 303-522-8730

Painting the Interior of Your Denver Home

Posted on August 17, 2012 by James Dowd

Painting Contractors Denver

Adding a good color tone to liven up the inside of your home is a great reason to put in the efforts and make it look more modern than it ever did before. This article will give you some basics about painting the interior of your home.

The ideal place to begin is with interior painting. It does wonders when you re-paint a room, it completely livens up the area.

The smell of a freshly painted and updated environment brings an energy of life to each part of your home. This is especially true if you do interior painting in Denver.

Denver Painters

Denver has a great amount of professional painters to give you exactly what you’re looking for if you know that painting is not for you. Or, if you’re looking to be productive in other important areas of your life and don’t have the time.

Interior painting requires 5 most important credentials in order for the job to get done correctly.

Whether you hire someone or simply do it yourself, make sure the following bullet points are a part of your interior painting adventure:

- Materials (paint brush, paint, cloth)
- Ladder (16-20ft)
- Experience
- Tape for painting the edges
- Clean up items (leave it spotless)

Interior Painting Denver

The above are important, yet basic things you need to now and do before you attempt to pick up that paint brush and begin interior painting. The same applies for when you hire a specialized interior painter in Denver. Let’s break down the list as to what you need at the beginning to get your moments of painting headed in the right direction.

Materials are a high priority. If you don’t have the right materials you will not be able to effectively get the job done correctly. You must have the proper paint brushes, the right amount of paint, some cloths to prevent the paint from splattering on the furniture, and some rugged painting clothes.

Make sure you have a 16 – 20 foot ladder to get up to the high ceilings, especially if you have cathedral ceilings. Also make sure you have a helper with you, or someone who can hold the ladder for you while your painting high areas. It is important so you don’t fall and get hurt.

Be sure you have the right amount of experience before attempting to be the next famous painter. If you don’t or feel confident enough, then you want to consider hiring an interior painting professional from Denver. Experience is the best teacher as Julius Caesar once said; and you need to be experienced or watch someone who is, pay attention, and inherit the knowledge of painting for yourself.

Having tape on the job is important for when you’re trimming the edges or painting the corners and getting up high in the crevasses of the ceiling. The blue tape helps you be more neat and fine tuned when doing your interior painting.

The best of all, when all said and done, is the clean up. There’s nothing worse than having a mess and cloud of dust and paint all over the place. This goes for your own home or if you painting the interior in someone else’s house, you need to be neat and clean up after yourself.

One thing is for sure, if you leave a mess behind and don’t do the right thing, no-one will ever call you back in the Denver area for another painting job. Leave the way you came in, and make sure there are no paint spots on the rugs, furniture, or tools left on the premises. Keep this up and you’ll be on your way to experiencing more interior painting projects in Denver.

If you have any questions about painting the inside of your Denver dream home, contact us at DOWD RESTORATION and we will help you make your dreams come true.
Call Us – 303-522-8730

Restoring Your Historic Denver Home

Posted on August 7, 2012 by James Dowd

Denver Historic Home Restoration

There’s nothing more exciting than going through the actual experience of owning your own historic home. The best part is when you are able to engage in home restoration. When you restore your home, historic home or not, it makes you feel good. Let’s face it, it’s quite an accomplishment. You can do this anywhere in the United States, such as places like Denver, Colorado.

In addition to the fact that Denver is a great place to live, the historic home renovations in the city of Denver are growing in numbers. You will feel good about yourself once you start seeing results and the value of your home increasing. It helps better your overall lifestyle.

Before you consider doing this, you must do your homework and find the best home restoration company available. Here’s an analogy for example: The quality of the paintbrush has to be equivalent to the quality of the painter. Or else, you’re better off using a white out brush to paint the outside of your house.

When it comes to restoring your historic home, you want to have confidence in the workmanship that’s going into your house. Not to mention, the confidence you gain in making your own decisions for home improvement reasons.

You must decide what areas of your historic home you want to restore. Is it the roof, the floors, the kitchen cabinets, opening up a new area, raising the top floor and expanding it by a certain amount of feet? The choice is yours, just be wise in your choosing. Restoring your historic home is a project and an adventure all by itself.

The other good thing about historic home restoration is building up equity. When you add value to your home, it enhances the resale value to help improve the possibilities of getting a good return on your investment. This is true when it comes time to selling your home. Make sure it’s at the right time!

Keep in mind, Denver Colorado has a lot of great communities and areas that have historic homes and vintage houses that will immediately catch your eye. The next time you look to buy a home, be sure to check out some of the historic home restorations in Denver so you can see the elegance and craftsmanship for yourself. You may want to someday own a historic home in Denver.

DOWD Restoration has restoration experience from repairing weathered worn and damaged structures to recreating historic architecture to both private homes and commercial properties. Refurbishing a timeworn, derelict or mistreated piece of the past and renovating it for future generations to relish is tremendously satisfying work. Let DOWD Restoration help you with your next historic restoration project!

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