Tag Archives for " Painting "

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.

 

 

Should You Paint Your Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinets?

By Mack.Painters | Painting

Painted cabinets can transform an ordinary kitchen or bathroom into an extraordinary one – but how do you know if they’re the right choice for you, and if they are, what colors should you choose?

Should You Paint Your Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinets?

Painted cabinets can define your space’s color palette, but how can you tell if it’s the right choice in your home? Have a look at the pros and cons.

Pros of Painting Your Cabinets

• Painting your cabinets in the kitchen or bathroom is much more cost-effective than replacing them entirely.
• A fresh coat of paint makes your cabinets look brand-new.
• You can create a look you love – and you can use just about any color you want, with the option to change it again in a few years.

Cons of Painting Your Cabinets

• Not all cabinets are good candidates for paint. If they’re warped, chipped or otherwise damaged, you may need to replace them instead.
• Painting them yourself is a time-intensive job – you have to take the doors off the hinges and clean them exceptionally well. You have to prime, paint, and put it all back, too.
• You have to paint carefully if you’re an amateur, or you’ll probably be unhappy with the results.

What Colors Should You Use to Paint Your Cabinets?

The colors you choose will set the tone for your kitchen. Check out:

• Greens can create a cozy, cottage-style look
• Dark grays can create spectacular contrast
• Blue – especially light blue – can create a crisp, clean look
• Yellows can add a soothing brightness

Pro Tip: You can paint only the interior of your cabinets to add depth, which is a great choice if you have windowed cabinets.

Lacquered cabinets reflect light and make your space appear larger, so you may want to gloss over your paint job when you’re done – especially if you live in a small space.

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.

 

5 Creative Kitchen Painting Ideas

By Mack.Painters | Colors , Painting , Tips and Tricks

If you’re remodeling your kitchen, or if you just want to freshen up its appearance, a new paint job is in order – but what if you don’t want run-of-the-mill, plain walls? Check out these five creative kitchen painting ideas.

5 Creative Kitchen Painting Ideas

How can you turn your kitchen into a dream space with paint? Check out these five creative kitchen painting ideas.

Ceiling Paint

When you choose a new color for your kitchen, it can be pretty overwhelming – but if you limit yourself to just the ceiling (or even an accent wall), you can create a fresh, amazing look.

 

Chalkboard Wall

Paint a whole section of a wall – maybe the one that juts out on the side of your refrigerator – as a chalkboard. You can also add a colored border for added effect.

Color Blocking

Choose colors that sit beside each other on the color wheel and remember that warm colors look great with cool colors, and create a blocked look by painting upper cabinets one color and lower cabinets the other.

Paint Inside Cabinets

Painting the inside of your cabinets – particularly if your cabinet doors have windows – can create a wonderful look. It can also give you time to adjust to a new color.

Pro Tip: Glossy paint reflects light, and it can brighten and open up your kitchen.

Pantry Paint

Paint your pantry to try out a new shade or design. It’s also a great way to add color that’s too bold to use elsewhere.

Want to Spruce Up Your Kitchen With Paint?

We can repaint your kitchen for you and make it look amazing – 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.

 

7 Signs You Need New Exterior Paint on Your Home

By Mack.Painters | Painting

If you’re like most people, you don’t think too much about your home’s exterior paint – it’s just kind-of… there. What you may not realize is that the paint on your home’s exterior isn’t just there to make your house look nice. It’s also a layer of protection that seals your house against the harmful effects of UV rays, moisture and temperature changes, which means that you need to keep an eye on it.

Fortunately, there are seven signs that can let you know if you need a new exterior paint job on your home.

7 Signs You Need New Exterior Paint on Your Home

Peeling Paint

If paint is peeling off the surface in strips or flakes, you need to call an exterior paint expert immediately – especially if any of the underlying materials are exposed.

Wood Rot

Test for wood rot by gently pressing on the area where you suspect it is. If the wood moves or has any give to it, it’s likely to be rotten and needs to be replaced before you paint.

Rough Texture

Exterior paint that looks like alligator skin is starting to fail – and it means that moisture is starting to get in.

Caulk Problems

If caulk is separating from the surfaces, or if it’s already detached, you probably need to repaint your home’s exterior.

Mold or Mildew

You don’t always have to repaint if you see mold or mildew (or both) – you may just be able to clean it away. However, the cleaning process is rough on paint, so if you’ve repeated it multiple times, you could be wearing it down to a dangerous point.

Chalking

Paint that looks chalky, or that leaves a residue on your hand when you brush at it, has reached the end of its lifespan.

Fading

When paint starts to fade, it’s failing. Even if it fades in some spots and not others, it’s a sign that you need to call a professional painter.

Do You Need to Talk to a Painting Pro in Myrtle Beach, Pinehurst, Aberdeen or Southern Pines?

We can help keep the outside of your home looking its best, from Myrtle Beach to Southern Pines – call us at 910-725-3227 to find out how. We’ll be happy to give you a free painting estimate for any of our services, too, so call today!

 

What is Primer for Interior Painting (and Why Do You Need It)?

By Mack.Painters | Painting

Any professional painter can tell you that the walls in your home have to be primed before they’re painted, but what is primer, and why do you need it?

What is Primer for Interior Painting?

Primer is a layer of coating that belongs on the walls, beneath fresh paint, to help ensure that the paint job comes out looking great. It prevents stains from peeking through the surface paint, and it helps paint stick to your walls so it looks its best.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Some stains are impossible to paint over without priming.
• In some cases, odors – like smoke from cigarettes or house fires – can come right through paint, no matter how many coats you apply.
• “Self-priming” paint doesn’t always get the job done.
• Primers can make a huge difference in imperfect drywall by improving the surface appearance.
• High-moisture areas are more prone to paint flaking, peeling or gathering mildew, which means you need a vapor-barrier primer to help seal the surface and help prevent moisture from seeping through the walls.
• Most people have better luck hiring an expert to repaint their home’s interior than by attempting to do it themselves.

Why Do You Need Primer?

In most cases, professional painters use one or more coats of primer before using visible wall color. It’s especially important when:

• The surface that you need to paint is bare wood or new drywall. Both are porous, which means it’ll be tough to get paint to stick to them properly.
• The drywall surface is skim-coated. A “skim coat” is drywall compound wiped over bare drywall – and it’s also very porous.
• The previous paint was glossy. If your walls had a gloss finish (learn more about paint finishes), a new coat isn’t going to stick. Your painter will sand it down and put on one or more coats of primer to make sure your new color looks great.
• The previous paint was dark. If you’re switching from a dark color to a light color, your painter will most likely put down a couple of coats of white primer to make it look better.

Should You Use Primer if You’re Doing Your Own Painting?

You should almost always use primer if you’re taking a DIY approach to interior painting – but it can be difficult to sand and prime properly. In most cases, you’ll actually save money on paint and supplies (as well as on repainting jobs and touch-ups) by hiring a professional painter.

Need a Painter in Pinehurst or the Surrounding Communities?

We can come out to your home and give you a free painting estimate. Call us at 910-725-3227 or get in touch with us online. We’ll be happy to answer your questions and get you pointed in the right direction.

 

Selling Your Home: What You Need to Do About the Paint

By Mack.Painters | Painting

If you’re selling your home, it’s often a good idea to give the interior a fresh coat of paint so it’s as appealing as possible to potential buyers. But should you repaint every room, or just small patches on the walls to repair dents, dings and holes?

Selling Your Home: What You Need to Do About the Paint

Ask your real estate agent, a family member or close friend to give you an honest opinion on the condition of your home’s interior paint. Walk through each room and be on the lookout for:

• Paint that looks dingy or dirty
• Holes (including small nail holes where pictures used to hang)
• Scratches
• Scuffs
• Chips

Sometimes a quick wash can solve your paint issues, especially if the paint isn’t very old – but be careful, because some paints are not washable.

If it’s been quite some time since your home’s interior was painted, it might be time for a fresh coat anyway.

For most people, it makes sense to hire professional painters who can perfectly match colors, prepare the area for painting, and leave your walls looking brand-new. Do-it-yourself painting isn’t as easy as it looks on Pinterest, and it requires a lot of prep work and patience to ensure that it’s done right.

Do You Have to Repaint When You Sell?

A home that looks clean and well-maintained sells faster than one that doesn’t, regardless of the price range, home style or even location. While you don’t have to repaint, most Realtors® will tell you that it’s a good idea, particularly if you have lived in the home for a while without repainting. It’s also a good idea if you’ve had a little damage to the walls, like scratches or gouges, or nail holes from hanging paintings.

If You Choose to Repaint Before You Sell…

If you choose to repaint the interior of your home, rather than just hire experts to patch up spots that need a little TLC, remember that wild colors don’t tend to sell as well as neutral colors do. Buyers may end up repainting the walls to the colors they love, but your home will appeal to a wider variety when the walls are neutral and look like they’ll complement any decorative style.

Do You Need to Talk to Professional Painters?

If you’re thinking about painting your home and would like an estimate from the area’s most trusted 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.

 

 

Finding the Best Deal

By Mack.Painters.NC | Aberdeen , Mack Painters , Painter , Painting , Pinehurst , Southern Pines

There are many ways you find a painter in your area but the cheapest isn’t going to guarantee that you are getting the best deal just like the most expensive will assure you will get the highest quality work.

Safety First

By Mack.Painters.NC | Aberdeen , Mack Painters , Painter , Painting , Pinehurst , Southern Pines

Ok so that sounds like the beginning of the 1950’s “Duck and Cover” video but when you are painting there things that would surprise you about painting your home. First do you know the types of paint and could they have elements you are allergic to? Some people have allergies to certain types of paints and finishes so if you are doing this project yourself be sure to talk to someone that knows about paint not someone just covering for the paint department that day.

Next is making sure you have proper ventilation and air filtration. People have been known to get sick and pass out due to fumes.