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What to Look for in a Great Painting Company

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There are many factors you should look for when choosing a paint company for interior and exterior projects.  GreenWave Solutions is going to begin writing a series of articles discussing what to look for when hiring a paint contractor.  Our first topic discusses paint company websites.

When meeting a new individual first impressions are very important, the same goes for a company’s website.  The website, for the most part, is going to be your first impression of the company and the of quality of work they bring to painting interiors and exteriors.  The website should be viewed as the contractors office.  You should feel welcomed and impressed by what you see when visiting.

The content of the company’s site is very important.  Is the website clean, organized, easy to navigate, helpful, etc?  All of these are key factors to think about when considering if you want to contact the company for an estimate or quote for the project you need completed.

Overall, the company website should be representative of the quality of work they provide, the people they hire, and the professionalism they will bring to your home project.  Make sure you do your homework and visit several websites before choosing the right paint company for the job.

 

GreenWave Solutions is a premier painting company in Atlanta, GA.  We offer the discounts for painting in Roswell.  Our painters in Roswell GA are the most skilled and professional.

Interior house painting in Roswell, Exterior Painter Roswell

Pros and Cons of Painting with Dark Colors

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When I do both paint estimates and color consultations, I find that many people are intimidated by dark colors.  I understand that dark colors may seem scary because of all the things you hear people say about them –

“They make rooms look small”

“They can make rooms too dark”

“You have to use too many coats and it’s too hard”

“They are hard to match”

These are reasons I hear people use for not wanting to use dark colors when painting.

While all of these statements can be true, they are not always true.  If you know when, where, and how to use dark colors you can enjoy the beauty and benefits of them.

Dark colors are cool because they are more bold and expressive than lighter ones.  They are, however, more difficult to use.  No pain, no gain, right?  Let’s discuss how to minimize the pain.

First off, painting is not permanent.  You aren’t choosing a tacky spring break tattoo, you choosing a paint color.  Worst case scenario, you have to repaint.  So the stakes aren’t really that high.

Now that we have everything in perspective and no one is worried about destroying their house with a dark color, let’s discuss places where dark colors can always work.

  • Powder Rooms – Who cares if it’s dark in a powder room?  It is supposed to be tranquil and serene.  And I am leery of anyone who needs a ton of light for whatever they’re doing in there.
  • Dining rooms – Dark colors like reds and blues can evoke hunger or passion.  That is why they can work really well in dining rooms and…
  • Bed Rooms – Bed rooms can be tricky.  If your bed room doubles as a work space or family area, then you probably should stay neutral.  But if you have large or private bed room, dark colors are conducive to bed room activities.
  • Libraries – Not all homes have libraries or studies, but if you do have one, then you should explore dark colors when painting them.  These rooms usually will have judges paneling or wainscoting which can add to the beauty of these areas.

Now that you know where dark colors are appropriate to use, we will discuss when to use them.

Whenever you want.  That is the beauty of painting in your home – you can do whatever you want.  It looks good if you like it, Shallow Hal!

I want to address the limitations of dark colors.  These are the cons of using dark colors:

  • They don’t touch up.
  • They show wall imperfections, lap marks, and bad drywall finishing much more than light colors.

These limitations are real.  If you have kids or animals that are going to abuse the wall, then I don’t recommend dark colors.  If you have poorly hung or finished drywall, I don’t recommend dark colors.

Now that you know a little bit more about dark colors, I hope that you are feeling bold and ready to make a room in your house look like a magazine picture.

I do have one trick up my sleeve that makes using dark colors easier.  Sherwin Williams’ Color To Go quarts.  For $5, you can get a quart of sample paint in any color of the rainbow.  Buy these and use them.  Also, look at the color during morning, afternoon, and night.  Dark colors can change their appearance based upon natural light, artificial light, and shadows.

GreenWave Solutions offers color consultations and interior painters in Roswell.  We are offering Roswell house painting specials so call today to schedule your estimate when you need a Roswell painter – 404-549-7776.  We also serve Atlanta and its affluent suburbs.

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GreenWave Solutions – Simply the best painters in Atlanta

Atlanta Wallpaper Removal, Roswell, Alpharetta, Decatur, Sandy Springs, Buckhead, Chamblee

How to Remove Wallpaper

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We are going to tackle one of the most tedious and annoying jobs for do-it-yourselfers – wallpaper removal.

Anyone who has removed wallpaper knows that it is a horrible experience.  The scraping is horrible enough, but after it is done, you are left with dirty damaged drywall.  Then you learn that refinishing walls is harder than it looks on HGTV.  After that you get to have fun priming and painting.  I can’t tell you that there is secret to make wallpaper removal easy, but I will tell how professional painters do it.  Here we go.

1. Gather all you materials.  This is list of almost everything you need (there may be other items that I take for granted because I see this all the time.  Please don’t send me hate mail if I forgot something).

  • a steamer
  • scrapers
  • construction paper and plastic
  • painters tape
  • sponges and rags
  • wallpaper removal gel or solution (optional)
  • powder drywall joint compound, “mud” (45 minute)
  • mud pans
  • finishing knives
  • paint brushes
  • rollers, frames, pole
  • sand paper and pole sander
  • dust masks and eye protection
  • alkyd or shellac based primer
  • paint

2. Prepare your work area.  Cover floors with the construction paper.  Try and close off the area using the plastic.  This is for keeping the dust contained.  Remember to close any intake ducts or turn off HVAC.  Take off switch plates, electrical outlet covers, and anything else that’s in way.  This process is annoying, but you will be glad you did it at the end.  It controls dust and makes clean up MUCH easier.  Trust me.

3. Time to start removing the wallpaper.  If you are using wallpaper scorers and gels, follow the manufacturers instructions.  If you have a steamer, start steaming.  I recommend using a scoring tool to make holes in the vinyl layer.  This helps the heat and steam get through the paper for better release.  This can go two ways; either the paper is going to comes off in nice big pieces or small ones.  Pray for the first option.  Use your scraper to get under the paper and GENTLY scrape the paper and adhesive from the wall.  Try your best to avoid gouging holes in the wall.  The more damage you do during the removal, the more difficult refinishing the wall is going to be.  Keep a bucket of warm water and wipe off the wallpaper adhesive while its wet.  This also will facilitate next steps.

4. By now you are ready for a break.  Take a break, eat something, drink a beer and let the walls dry.

5. Refinish the walls.  This can be tricky.  Make sure you mix the drywall compound using the ratio on the bag.  Only mix small amounts at a time.  Using your finishing knives, apply a THIN layer of mud over the areas that have damage or are rough.  The trick here is too use as little finishing compound as necessary to bury imperfections.  Remember the more you put on, the more you are going to have to sand off to achieve a professional finish.  Also, it is much easier to apply a thin 2nd layer coat having to sand down a even a 1/4 inch of excess.  Putting too much joint compound is one of the most common rookie mistakes.  After the mud dries (about 45 min depending on temperature and humidity), sand it down.  I recommend 150-220 grit paper.  Wear a dust mask and even goggles.  It is going to be disgustingly dusty.  That is why we made a barrier with plastic and closed intake vents in step 1.  Drywall dusts really sucks.  I’ve seen projects where people forget to turn on HVAC and the dust gets sucked up and blown through an entire house.  Not cool.

After you have sanded the walls, refinish any areas that need more work.  After everything is dry, take a damp rag or sponge and wipe all of the loose dust from the walls.

6. Take another break.

7. Now that you have smooth, clean walls you are going to prime everything that had wallpaper on it.  I recommend using an alkyd or shellac based primer for this.  Wallpaper adhesive is a water soluble, starch based product.  Using a waterborne primer can sometimes reactivate the glue and cause problems for the paint.  Alkyd and shellac based primers are going to have higher VOCs and typically have bad fumes.  Get fans blowing and open windows because these are bad to breathe.  Use a respirator if you have one.  Keep kids away, too.  They will have plenty of time to damage their brains in college.  The good news is that these products do dry quickly so the fumes dissipate quickly.

8. You’re almost done.  All that’s left is the easy part – painting.  Everything should still be prepared from priming so painting is super easy.  Choose your favorite paint and color and paint.  If you are using a dark color, have the paint store tint your primer so that one coat of paint will cover adequately.

Congratulations!  You have successfully removed and repainted a wallpapered area.  You also learned why so many people opt to call professional painting companies to do this job.  Doing it yourself can save you money, but the hassle and stress may cost you your sanity.

GreenWave Solutions specializes in wallpaper removal.  We remove residential and commercial wall coverings.  Call us to schedule your free estimate today!

GreenWave is also the best interior house painters, exterior house painters, and house painting company and serves Atlanta, Alpharetta, Brookhaven, Buckhead, Chamblee, Doraville, Dunwoody, Grant Park, Inman Park, Johns Creek, Duluth, Milton, Roswell, and most major suburbs.

By: Daniel Macris, President of GreenWave Solutions, the best house painters in Sandy Springs.

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