Tag Archives for " How-To "

3 Paint Touch Ups That Can Make a Huge Difference in Your House

By Mack.Painters | Painting

If you’re like many people, you want to freshen up your home’s look but you’re not quite ready to invest in a full-house repainting job.

Fortunately, these three touch-ups (which you can do yourself) can make a huge difference.

3 Paint Touch Ups That Can Make a Huge Difference in Your House

These three paint touch-ups can make a huge difference in your home:

• Interior trim
• Doors
• Bathroom

Interior Trim

Touching up your interior trim can actually brighten any room. Like other painted surfaces, trim can fade over time – and when you repaint it, you’re restoring it to its original luster. It’ll add a bright vibrancy to the room that wasn’t there before.

Doors

You can paint interior doors, exterior doors or both – the point is freshening things up. If your goal is to create curb appeal, start with the outside of the front door. (Make sure you use the right paint, though – the front door gets sun, rain and other weather, and the paint needs to be able to meet those challenges.) If you’re doing interior doors, you don’t have to stick with standard white. Go ahead and get creative if you’re up for it!

Bathroom

The bathrooms in your home get pretty steady traffic, which means the surfaces could probably use some fresh paint. Humidity and fumes from cleaning chemicals can do a lot of damage to the walls, so updating the paint in your bathroom might be long-overdue.

Do You Need Painting Help?

We can repaint your kitchen, your dining room, or any other room in your house – just call us at 910-725-3227. We’ll be happy to give you a free painting estimate for any of our services. Aberdeen, Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Myrtle Beach painting pros are right here waiting to help.

 

 

How to Estimate How Much Paint You Need

By Mack.Painters | Painting , Tips and Tricks

 

If you’re painting your home’s interior on your own, especially if it’s your first time through this, you need a solid way to figure out how much paint you’ll need.

Here’s what you need to know.

How to Estimate How Much Paint You Need

There’s a mathematical formula you can use to figure out how much paint you need – and it’ll work whether you’re painting a small bathroom, a big kitchen, or the entire house.

As a general rule, you can get about 400 square feet of painted surface from one gallon of paint. However, some paints provide more – and some provide less. It’s better to have more than you need than less than you need, so round up!

Pro Tip: Even if a can of paint says you only need one coat to completely cover another color, be leery – that’s a bold claim to make, and we haven’t found any that can actually live up to that promise.

The way to figure out how much paint you need is to add up the square feet you need painted, then divide it by 400. The resulting number is the number of gallons you need to buy… but don’t forget to round up.

If you have to paint 2,500 square feet, this is what your math will look like:

Pro Tip: If you know you’ll need 5 gallons, buy a 5-gallon bucket of paint – don’t buy five 1-gallon cans.

Other Things to Know Before You Paint

• Semi-gloss paints usually require more coats than flat paints do.
• If you buy 3 gallons of paint, mix them all together before you start painting – that way you can be sure the color is perfectly matched.
• Standard doors are 21 square feet.

Do You Need Painting Help?

We can handle all your interior painting for you – just call us at 910-725-3227. We’ll be happy to give you a free painting estimate for any of our services. Aberdeen, Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Myrtle Beach painting pros are right here waiting to help.

 

How to Fix a Hole in Drywall

By Mack.Painters | Tips and Tricks

 

If you’re like many people, you’ve seen how bad a hole in drywall looks – and if you need to paint over one, you know that it’s tough to get it just right.

Here’s how to fix a hole in drywall so you can paint over it. (Remember, if you need help, we can repair the holes in your drywall and give your whole home a fresh coat of paint!)

How to Fix a Hole in Drywall

There are basically three categories of holes in drywall: Small, Medium and Large. The size of the hole will dictate how you fix it.

How to Fix Small Holes in Drywall (Under 3 or 4 Inches)

You can use a drywall patch kit for small holes in drywall, like the ones a doorknob would cause. Follow this step-by-step guide:

1. Place a self-adhesive mesh patch over the hole.
2. Use a drywall knife to cover the patch with joint compound. Feather the edges so it blends into the wall.
3. Apply a second coat of compound if necessary, but wait until the first patch dries.
4. Sand the patch down so it’s smooth.

How to Fix Medium Holes in Drywall (Under About 6 Inches)

For holes that are about 6 inches across (or smaller), you can cut drywall to fit inside. Follow these steps:

1. Cut a piece of drywall into a square that’s about 2 inches larger than the hole.
2. Score the back of the drywall about 1 inch inside its borders. Make the cuts close for a perforated effect.
3. Break off the gypsum without tearing the paper backing.
4. Hold the cut drywall over the hole and trace its outline. Don’t outline the paper – just the drywall.
5. Cut out the traced square with a drywall knife.
6. Spread joint compound on the back of the paper.
7. Put the cut drywall in the hole and smooth the paper edges over the wall.
8. Cover the whole patch with joint compound and feather the edges.
9. Apply a second coat of compound when the first is dry.
10. Sand the patch down so it’s smooth.

How to Fix Large Holes in Drywall (Over 6 Inches)

You can use drywall to patch a large hole, but it might require a different method. Follow these steps:

1. Cut a piece of drywall into a square that’s larger than the hole.
2. Hold the square over the drywall and trace around its edges.
3. Cut a hole in the drywall that matches your patch using a drywall knife.
4. Add a small, thin piece of wood to each side of the hole from the inside, using screws on the outside. Sink the screws beneath the drywall’s surface so you can patch them later.
5. Put the drywall patch in place and screw it to the wooden strips inside the hole.
6. Affix joint tape all around the patch.
7. Cover the patch and the joint tape with joint compound. Feather the edges.
8. Apply a second coat of compound when the first is dry.
9. Sand the patch down so it’s smooth.

Want to Skip All This Hassle?

We can handle this for you and repaint your wall so it looks like there was never a hole there in the first place. We work in Aberdeen, Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Myrtle Beach. Call us at 910-725-3227 to get a free painting estimate for any of our services today!

 

3 Reasons You Need a Professional Painter in Southern Pines

By Mack.Painters | Painter , Painting , Southern Pines

Sometimes a little bit of paint can change a home’s entire appearance – and that’s true whether you’re adding an accent wall or you’re touching things up because you’re moving out.

But should you tackle painting your house yourself, or leave it to the professionals?

Should You Paint Your House Yourself, or Hire Professionals?

For most people, the time and preparation involved in painting a house – inside or outside – is a little too much. Those people hire professional painters so they don’t have to worry about a thing.

3 Reasons to Hire a Professional Painter

If you know that you don’t have the time, skill or patience to paint your own house, skip these three reasons to hire a professional painter and call us at 910-725-3227. We’ll set up your appointment right away. If you’re not sure, keep reading!

Reason #1 to Hire a Professional Painter: Prep Takes a Long Time

A little less than half of the time it takes to paint a house goes into prep work. Pros clean the walls from top to bottom (and ceilings, too, if those are on the schedule for a new paint job), move furnishings so they don’t get paint on them, set up dropcloths to protect flooring and other items that can’t move, and ensure the perfect color match.

All this takes quite a bit of time. It’s worth it, though, because everything’s just the right color and your furniture (and floors) are paint-free.

Reason #2 to Hire a Professional Painter: Pros Catch Every Detail

When you paint your house yourself – especially if it’s something you don’t do every day – you’re bound to miss a few things. While you can always go back and fix them later, it’s best to get everything the first time (and a pro painter will be knowledgeable and experienced enough to catch everything).

Reason #3 to Hire a Professional Painter: Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness

Pro painters make a living painting homes, which means they’ve got it down to a science. They’ll be able to paint your house efficiently, as quickly as is possible, and as cost-effectively as possible. Think about it this way: If you paint your house and screw something up big-time, you’ll end up paying to repair the damage, and it’ll take a lot longer than it would have if you’d hired a professional in the first place.

If You Do Decide to Paint Your Own House…

If you choose to paint your own house, interior or exterior, use these tips to help you do it properly:

• Roll the roller across the full height of the all and keep a wet edge of paint so you can avoid lap marks (those unsightly stripes that show up when you roll over paint that’s partly dry)
• Reload your roller before it becomes nearly dry
• Mix all your cans of paint for each room in a large bucket to ensure a perfectly consistent color
• Don’t just pull painter’s tape off the trim; cut it away after the paint has dried for at least 24 hours
• Prime and texture the walls before you paint to avoid a blotchy, ugly appearance
• Make sure your walls and ceiling are spotlessly cleaned before you start painting
• Use a roller on edges and in corners so you don’t get mixed textures

Do You Need to Talk to a Professional Painter?

If you’re thinking about painting your home and would like an estimate from the Southern Pines painting experts, call us right away at 910-725-3227. We’ll evaluate your needs and give you a free painting estimate so you can make the best possible decision for your home.