5 Tips and Tricks For Preparing For Interior Painting in Colleyville, TX

When you are remodeling your home, you will sometimes look to do some interior paintwork to change the look of one or more of your rooms.
In the process of getting ready to paint your home interior, there are some steps that are good to take beforehand to make for a better painting project overall.
With that being the case, here are five tips and tricks for preparing for interior painting in Colleyville, TX.

1. Sand First

The best way to ensure that your paint will go onto the walls of your home smoothly is to first make sure that your walls are as smooth as possible, and that entails sanding them first.
You will find that the surface of your walls will be much more leveled and free of the rough spots that tend to come up over time.
The best way to sand your walls is using a fine sanding paper attached to a sanding pole, making sure that you don't put too much pressure on the pole lest it flip over and possibly cause damage to the
wall.
Once you have finished sanding, it is necessary to remove all of the sanding dust that comes up from the wall using a vacuum cleaner to get the majority of it and a damp cloth to get the rest -- and of course, you will need to allow the walls to dry before you proceed.

2. Better Supplies For A Better Paint Job

Though it is surely tempting to go into the dollar section of your favorite retail outlet, you're going to want to skip it when it comes to both painting supplies as well as paint for a couple of reasons.
When it comes to painting supplies, you will find that the cheaper supplies tend to do a considerably worse job of painting your walls than the better made ones -- at some point it may be easier and effective to just toss the paint directly onto the wall and have your walls resemble a Jackson Pollock work than to use cheap brushes.
At the same time, you will find that cheaper brushes make it harder to paint and often bristles will come right off and go into the paint itself, making it so that you have to pick out the bristles so they don't get stuck to the wall.
Cheaper paint is often made a lot worse, and is considerably more difficult in terms of how smoothly it goes on and the consistency of the paint.

3. Tint The Primer To Go With The Intended Paint Color

​In terms of the primer coat that you should always make sure to apply prior to painting with
your choice of paint color(s), it is actually better to use a primer that has been tinted to be either a shade of grey (just one is necessary) or a color that is close to the one that you will be ultimately using on the wall.
This is because as far as coverage goes, it is better to use a primer that is not white -- the existing color on the wall will be much better covered if you don't use white.
On particularly bright colors you will be doing yourself a big favor by using such a primer, and save yourself from having to do extra coats of paint.

4. Canvas Drop Cloths To Protect

​Dripping paint and painting projects go together and when you are painting the interior of your home, it really can't be avoided.
There are few things that will protect your floors the way that canvas drop cloths will, as far as both the level to which protection is offered as well as how prone the protection is to slipping
all over the place.
A well placed canvas drop cloth will stay in place and not expose your floor to dripping paint, and unlike a
plastic covering will properly absorb the dripping paint and not allow it to get through to the floor.
The benefit of the cloth absorbing the paint lies in the fact that when you later walk on it, the paint doesn't get on your shoes and ultimately your floor.

5. De-grease Before Painting

A dirty wall is one that is not going to take primer and paint well, and your best bet for properly removing all of the dirt and grease and gunk that just accumulates on a wall over time is a good de-greasing agent.

When using such agents you are going to likely want to take a good amount of care to protect your hands as they are quite strong and will require gloves as well as something you can use to apply the agent.

Need some advice on a project in Southlake, TX? Illuminate Painting can help you with your painting needs. Schedule an estimate or call us at (325) 305-6005.

7 Ways To Avoid A Mess While Interior Painting in Grapevine, TX

When you are looking to paint the interior of your home, you will frequently find that the process of painting can make a bit of a mess.
This doesn't necessarily have to be the case, however -- with the right knowledge on your side you will know that there are things you can do to avoid messes.
As this is the case, let us now look at and consider seven ways to avoid a mess while interior painting in Grapevine, TX.

1. Consider Rosin Paper For Your Hardwood Floors
Drop cloth has its place in the painting world and it definitely does a great job of protecting, but when it comes to hardwood floors you might find that even the best drop cloth sometimes will slide.
The better solution comes in the form of rosin paper, which is both lightweight while also being able to protect your floors.
Using rosin paper you can rest assured that you won't have to worry about paint spilling onto the floor.

2. Move Furniture Out Of The Room
When you are painting the walls in a room, you'll want to to make sure that anything that could possibly get in your way is removed so that you neither stumble over it while painting nor possibly get paint on them.
Furniture, for example -- it can be quite inconvenient to try to maneuver your way around the furniture in the room.
The best thing you can do under ideal circumstances is to remove the furniture in the room prior to painting.
If you're not able to remove the furniture, you can try to cover the furniture with drop cloth after moving it to the center of the room to try to get it out of the way.

3. Remove Electrical Outlet Covers And Cover Them With Painter's Tape
There are few things that are quite so difficult to clean as the cover of electrical outlet covers as well as the kinds of covers you find on light switches and the like.
You can begin by removing the covers and then since you will have exposed outlets and those need to be protected in some way.
For this you can turn to painter's tape, which will keep paint away from the sensitive areas.

4. Mix Paint Inside Paper Bags
When you are mixing paint, you can really get a lot of paint places where paint just shouldn't go (unless you are working on an abstract work of art, that is.)
If you mix the paint inside paper bags, the kind of bags that you might find distributed at grocery stores for example, the paint will stay inside the bag and not cause as much of a mess in your home.

5. Hair Dryer For Releasing Tape
If you have a problem getting off tape when you are removing it during the painter's process, a hair dryer or another portable source of heat will go a long way.
The heat will soften the bond between the tape and the wall and you will be able to more easily remove it without having it tear.

6. Do Not Use Cheap Paint Rollers
If you're in the dollar spot of your local store and find paint rollers, you do not want to take the opportunity to invest at that time.
Cheap paint rollers do terrible things to your paint job and will often require you to spend two to three times as much time painting than you would with a well made paint roller -- and if you're spending that much time painting because you saved a little up front, are you really saving money?

7. Use A Pie Tin To Catch  Dripping Paint From The Can
The best way to catch the dripping paint coming off of your paint can is to attach a disposable pie tin to the bottom of the can -- it will catch the drips and is a lot easier to get rid of than the paint that would otherwise fall onto the floor.
Once you're done painting, you can dispose of the tin.

Need some advice on a project in Southlake, TX? Illuminate Painting can help you with your painting needs. Schedule an estimate or call us at (325) 305-6005.

9 Colors To Use When Painting Your Brick Exterior in Southlake, TX

We have previously discussed the pros and cons of painting your brick exterior, so if you have decided that you are going to do it, how do you determine what color is right for you?
There are many colors out there in the world of brick painting and some are better than others for your personal brick painting needs.
With that being the case, let us look at and consider nine colors to use while painting your brick exterior in Southlake, TX.

1. White
Though you may be inclined to think this an odd choice, this color actually makes sense from a couple of different perspectives.
White is  a color that reflects light and so a brick house that is painted white tends to stay cooler in the summer time.
If you live in a warmer region you may want to consider white as a color for your brick house.
2. Green
​Green works well if you are a fan of nature though you have to really be careful about what green you choose for this as there are some greens that are quite unnatural.
You may do well to choose a forest green as this will look more like the kinds of greens that you see in a wooded area.
3. Blue
Blue brings to mind the color of the sky and of course also the color of the ocean.
It may do you well to take a few samples of the paint in different shades of blue to see which one is most appropriate for your home.
4. Red
True, brick does tend to come naturally red, but there is something that is just aesthetically pleasing about a painted brick that is red.
Though to some there are certain shades of red that bring to mind a firehouse, you can get away with painting your brick house red if you are careful with the colors that you choose for the trim.
5. Gray
Gray sometimes will come across as a rather dull color but it absolutely doesn't have to be -- there are many shades of gray (excuse the pun) that are rather bright and vibrant.
You can use yellow to go with it on the trim to really accentuate the gray color.
6. Cream
If you like the idea of a lighter color house but don't want to go all the way to the extreme of white, you can opt for a cream colored brick house.
Cream gives some of the benefits of the white house in that it reflects much light but it has a different aesthetic that some people prefer.
7. Maroon
Maroon is a brownish-crimson color that may be a nice alternative to painting your brick house strictly red.
It can likely go well with accents and trim that are brown to complement the crimson elements.
8. Yellow
A yellow brick painted house will of course remind people of the Wizard of Oz but there is much more to it than that.
You can consider using white and gray for trim to your yellow brick house if you go with a more pale shade of yellow, or perhaps use a green or brown trim if you have a deeper yellow that may even trend toward looking gold.
9. ​Plum
Plum is a purple like color that is rich and will add a splendid look to your brick home.
It will enhance your home and improve the overall curb appeal.
Overall it has a regal sense to it and may be your best choice if you are going for a certain elegant look.

​Need some advice on a project in Southlake, TX? Illuminate Painting can help you with your painting needs. Schedule an estimate or call us at (325) 305-6005.

5 Benefits of Painting Your Interior Walls in Coppell, TX

​When you are looking to paint the interior walls of your home, you may be thinking that making your walls look nicer is the chief reason to want to set about painting.
There are many reasons that go well beyond just outward appearances, many of which are not so well known to the people that consider interior home painting.

That being the case, here are five benefits of painting your interior walls in Coppell, TX.

1. Improving Protection Of The Walls

When you paint the interior walls of your home, you are more than just making them look better, you are providing a good amount of protection to them as well.
One thing that you get protection from is dust and mildew, two of the worst kinds of allergens that can be in your home.
If you use low or zero VOC paints, moreover, you will find that you have healthier overall air and will present none of the fumes that you will find in paints that have VOCs present.

2. Increased Property Value

Painting the interior walls of your home does a great deal for improving the property value of your home.
When you paint the interior walls of your home, you will also greatly improve the likelihood that you will get the actual asking asking price, which is most usually a good thing when you are trying to sell your home.
It bears mentioning that when you choose colors for painting the interior walls of your home, you will want to be careful about what colors you choose as some will boost your property value by more or less and some will actually bring down the value of your home, as  new as they may be.

3. Personalized Walls

As you move into your new home, you will note that the colors of the interior walls are determined not necessarily by what you like, but what the previous owners chose for the home.
When you paint the interior walls of the home, you can choose any color you like for the walls with no regard to anything other than your own wants.
It's worth noting, of course, that when you are choosing colors, if you have any intention of selling the home down the line you will want to choose certain colors that are more likely to increase the value of your home.
Naturally, you can always choose to repaint the interior walls of your home closer to when you are looking to sell it.

4. Scuffs And Damage Removed

When you paint the interior walls of your home, you can at the same time take care of any of the scuffs or damage that may be present on the wall.
Part of the process of painting your interior walls involves cleaning, sanding and priming the walls, which will first and foremost get rid of any stain that may be present, as well as cover up any stain that cannot be removed.
Moreover, the process of sanding and priming your walls will take care of the scuffs and damage that may be present -- and if the damage is sufficiently significant, there are ways of taking care of that as well.

5. Give Your Walls A Brand New Look

Painting your interior walls gives them an entirely new look -- you can go from having walls that are covered with wallpaper to having walls that are a color or colors of your choice.
When you are living in your home for a certain period of time, you will possibly become accustomed to having your walls look a certain way.
It should be noted that it is perfectly okay and acceptable to mix up the look every once in awhile and to give the interior walls of your home a new look.

Need some advice on a project in Colleyville, TX? Illuminate Painting can help you with your painting needs. Schedule an estimate or call us at (325) 305-6005.