5 Steps To Removing A Water Stain From Your Ceiling in Grapevine, TX

When you find yourself with a stain in your home, you might have to take measures immediately in order to take care of it.
When that stain happens to be a water stain on your ceiling, on the other hand, you have to be a bit more careful as you could easily find yourself getting the stain back again if you don't do the right thing in working with it.

With that being the case, here are five steps to removing a water stain from your ceiling in Grapevine, TX.

1. Finding The Source Of The Stain
The first thing you absolutely have to do when you're working with a water stain is to determine what brought it about in the first place -- because if you don't do this, you can take all of the other steps to clean it up and paint and then just have another water stain in its place days or weeks later.
There are typically about two kinds of things that could bring about a water stain on your ceiling, and both can be resolved though of course some professional help may be necessary.
The first is if you have some sort of appliance that is leaking water above your ceiling -- in which case the appliance should be repaired or replaced.
The second possibility is that you might have damage on your roof that may have allowed water to leak in through it in which case you would have to have access to your roof and determine the extent to which the damage took place and if it's possible for you to repair it.
Either way -- whether you get someone professional to fix it or do it yourself, make sure you get it done before you take care of the stain.

2. Clean The Stain
The stain is going to have to be cleaned, and that is going to involve a solution that you can either try to buy in a cleaning store or make yourself with one part bleach and three parts water.
You will want to make sure that you apply this well to the stain because as much as the stain might look bad, it may be harboring mildew or mold that is just waiting to grow on your ceiling -- just about the worst thing you can breathe in.
Make sure that once you have finished washing the ceiling that you allow it to fully dry.

3. Sand The Area
In order to make sure that your painting surface is as smooth as possible, which is good for getting the paint that you apply to properly adhere, it's a good idea to sand your ceiling, or at least the area where you will be painting.
Make sure that you do not too rough of a sanding, but just gently enough that your paint will go on smoothly.

4. Prime The Area
You will next apply a coat of primer paint -- it is the next thing that will be tremendously helpful in assuring that your ceiling is properly painted.
Primer paint comes in many varieties, and one that you will want to think about getting for your ceiling painting project is one that will block any remnants of the stain that may be left over.
With the right stain blocking primer, you will have a ceiling that is ready to be painted - -make sure of course to allow plenty of time for the primer to dry.

5. Paint The Area (Possibly The Whole Ceiling)
The last thing you will do is to actually paint the area of your ceiling where you had the stain -- and possibly more, depending on how the ceiling starts to look as you paint it.
Specifically, if you note that the color of the new paint looks nothing like the color that your ceiling previously was (as much as your paint might be coming from the exact same bucket) it may be a good idea to paint the rest of the ceiling to match the one area.
Once you have accomplished all of this, you will be able to allow your ceiling to dry and then have a ceiling that is free of a water stain and looks much better.
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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 Colors To Consider For Your Stucco Exterior in Colleyville, TX

Having a stucco exterior can be quite fantastic in terms of how durable it is, how long a good paint job will last, as well as just how good it can look if done right.
Of course the big question is when you are looking to paint your stucco exterior -- what is the color paint that you should use for your home?
With this being the case, here are seven colors to consider for your stucco exterior in Colleyville, TX.

1. Dark Red
Dark red is one of the classic colors that a person might want to use for a stucco exterior as it brings to mind a nice vintage looking brick exterior that looks just right.
Dark red has a powerful look to it and it will certainly make an impression on those who see it on the exterior of your stucco home.
As far as good colors for stucco homes go, you really can't go wrong with the classic look of dark red and if you're stuck looking for a a basic color you most likely will do well with this one.

2. Brown
Though to the untrained eye, brown on stucco looks remarkably like plain stucco that isn't painted at all, this is not the case.
With the right shade of brown, a well painted brown stucco exterior can look positively fantastic and give your stucco exterior home the right look.
It has a look of earthiness and a good home like feel, one that people might want to look forward to going home to at the end of the night.

3. Blue
Blue brings to mind the sky, which depending on the shade that is used to be painted on the exterior of your stucco house can look like anywhere from the sky to the deepest ocean or beyond.
There are quite a lot of shades of blue that would look quite nice on a stucco exterior that would really bring a lot of light and levity into the neighborhood into which it would be introduced.
You could do a lot of good by painting the exterior of your stucco home blue.

4. White
White is one of the best colors that you can use when you are thinking of painting the exterior of your stucco home.
White is really nice because it will do you a lot of good especially depending on the average temperature in the hotter months of the year.
This is the case because a white stucco house will tend to keep the interior of your home cooler, as it will reflect light from the sun which is one way to cool our home.

5. Gray
if you're looking to have a more neutral color on the exterior of your home but are not quite ready to commit to something like white, you can do a lot of positive in terms of painting the exterior a good solid gray.
There are many shades of gray that you can choose for the exterior of your stucco home (certainly more than fifty of them, in any case) and they will all do well in terms of improving the look of your stucco house.

6. Light Green
Light green is the sort of color that a person might associate with a shamrock or certain kinds of grass but there are so many other things that are green other than these things.
Light green really is a positive color that is full of nature and the glory of it -- and who wouldn't want the exterior of their home to have some association with this kind of positive energy?
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7. Black
Black is a bit iffy as far as colors go for the exterior of your stucco home as there's a possibility that your neighbors might not be so happy with your choice in color.
If you are determined to have a black stucco home, however, you might  want to use some other colors for the trim to offset the darkness of the exterior.

​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 Tips And Tricks For Painting Your Living Room in Southlake, TX.

Your living room is a delightful place for you to spend time when you are at home, whether it is lounging on the couch and watching television or even playing a board game with friends and family.
Having a well painted living room is important not in terms of aesthetics but for the overall health of your home.
Painting your living room doesn't have to be too difficult of a thing though it sometimes can end up being so when we are not careful with what we do while engaged in the painting project.
With that being the case, let's look at five tips and tricks for painting your living room in Southlake, TX.
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1. Make Time To Paint Your Living Room
It's rather unfortunate, but a lot of people will look at a painting project for their living room and presume that they know how long it is going to take them.
The truth is that the majority of these people will be completely wrong about how long it will take and based on that will not properly prepare for the painting jog.
Of course this problem leads to a bigger problem in that if you start off thinking you know how long the painting will take and you start running out of time, you might end up trying to take painting shortcuts such as not waiting long enough for your coat of primer to dry before painting the first coat of paint.

2. Make Sure To Clean Before Painting
A wall that is not cleaned before being painted is one that will not be painted well -- can you just imagine with the dust and dirt that accumulates on the surface of a wall over time how poorly it would take the paint.
The best thing you can do to ensure that your paint project starts off well is to properly clean everything on your wall including all of the various mites that have deposited themselves on your wall over time -- a good microfiber cloth that is slightly damp over the surface of the wall will take care of most of it if not all of it.
After you have done this make sure to allow time for your walls to dry -- you can use a dry microfiber cloth to help expedite the process.

3. Protect The Floor From Paint
As you may know, getting paint on the floor is a sure-fire way to make sure that your floor will be somewhat painted exactly there -- and no matter how you try to get that paint off of the floor, you're going to have quite a hard time getting it to be completely clean.
As an alternative to this, think about the possibility of protecting your floor from the paint instead -- there are so many ways to protect the floor including tarp and drop cloths made of various materials like canvas.
Using a drop cloth that uses canvas for the purpose of weight and a plastic liner to ensure that no paint gets through to the floor.

4. Sand Well
As you should be aware, a surface that is smooth is better for the purpose of painting than one that is not as smooth.
One way to get a smoother painting surface is to properly sand your living room walls -- you're not sanding so hard that your wall comes off but just enough so that the surface is smooth -- think of it as gently sanding the surface of your living room walls.

5. Test Out The Color At Home
The way that some people test out paint colors is that they go to a paint store and get a paint swatch and then look at it and think about what they think of the color and decide in the store if the color is right for them.
This works in some cases but in many instances you get the paint home and apply it to your living room and realize only after the fact that the way the color looks in your living room at night with the lights on is not the same as how the color looks in a well lit paint store.
It's far better to get a paint sample and to paint a small area of one of the walls and then see how the color looks in different light conditions.

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.
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7 Ways To Improve Your Curb Appeal in Coppell, TX

In the world of home selling, one thing that can tip the balance in your favor in terms of getting a better sale and doing it in a timely manner is curb appeal.
Curb appeal refers to the value that people see in your home from a distance -- specifically, the distance that one would have in walking past the house or even driving nearby it.
With that being the case, let us consider seven ways to improve your curb appeal in Coppell, TX.
1. Paint The House
One commonly overlooked method to improve the curb appeal of your home is to paint the exterior of your home.
If a person sees your home and they see peeling paint or a color that is clearly worn, it is something that depreciates the value of the home.
It is well worth making an assessment every now and again to see if it is worth repainting your home exterior such that it gets a better look and overall curb appeal.

2. Trim Your Trees
Your trees may look good on their own, but with the proper trimming they can look even better.
A tree that has branches that are flailing all about, so to speak, does not look nearly as good as a tree that has been well trimmed.
Of course this doesn't mean that you should embrace some kind of particular shape or style -- just that your tree shouldn't look like your home was abandoned years ago.

3. Painted Front Door
One of the more simple ways to boost your curb appeal is to paint your front door.
Specifically, one should consider painting the front door a color that contrasts with your existing home color -- not necessarily the same as your existing home color.
Having a contrasting front door color is a good way to boost your curb appeal.

4. Expanded Porch
Your porch is an important part of your home -- it can be seen as an external area where people can still enjoy being in your home while enjoying the outdoors.
Having a good porch can help you with entertaining guests as well as just having a simple place to have a cup of tea while reading a book.
Expanding your porch will make it such that you can have a better time -- and it certainly looks better to not have a cramped porch.

5. Window Planters
Window planters can be hung from every window or just from some of them, perhaps even to form a pattern outside of your home.
Window planters add a certain element of nature to the exterior of your home and also add to the curb appeal.
It also can be used to grow herbs that you may be able to use in your daily cooking.

6. Walkway To Your Front Door
As nice as a house as you may have, if you don't have any way to get to the front door other than cutting through your grass it's a bit of a let down.
This is something that can even be seen as far away as your curb, meaning that the look of your house without a walkway is not as good as the look of your house with one.
Constructing a good walkway to your home can also make the walk simpler and safer for people as you can add lights to the walkway, illuminating it at night for evening visitors.

7. Festive Flag
Flags can add an element of aesthetic value to your home and can also tell passersby your interests in a glance -- or your heritage.
You can, for example, hang up a flag with kittens on it -- perhaps even one that resembles a kitten dwelling in your home -- to show off your fondness for kittens.
Alternatively, you can have perhaps a flag that shows off your own background -- even if that means musical theater!

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.