Calgary Painters
Monday, November 19, 2018
Saturday, September 8, 2018
10 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Professional Painting Company
1. How long have you been up and running?
It is important to select a reputable company who has been in business for at least 5 years. The more years they have been serving customers, the better. You can also ask how many years of experience each painter has in the industry.
2. Do you use sub-contractors?
Many not-so-reputable companies will use sub-contractors (unskilled laborers) instead of professional painters. If an estimate seems too good to be true, it probably is. Most companies who offer highly skilled professionals have to charge more.
3. Is my paint job covered by warranty or insurance?
It is crucial to ensure that the painting company you hire is fully licensed and insured so that you are never subject to liability. Any reputable painting company will also offer a paint guarantee or warranty to protect you from paint failure.
4. Can you provide me with a couple references?
Protect yourself by requesting to see at least three positive references. Most professional painting companies will also have testimonials visible on their website. You can also check out online reviews to see what other customers have said about them.
5. Do you have a portfolio?
Just as you would ask to see references, you can ask to see a portfolio of their completed projects to get a sense of the quality of work they produce. Don’t settle for low-quality photos. You’ll want to see details like clean lines as well as photos of the staff working to make sure they aren’t just stock photos.
6. Do you keep a clean workplace?
Any company worth hiring will handle the cleanup – before, after and in-between. No one wants to come home to a huge mess, so cleanliness is important.
7. How much wall preparation is included in the estimate?
Wall prep is a very important aspect of getting a great paint job that lasts. You will want to make sure that this is also a priority for the company you are hiring. Most reputable companies will include any necessary repairs in the quote.
8. Do you prep the rooms before you paint?
It is important to find to before the day of the paint job if you have to have each room prepared. Do they bring their own drop cloths, etc? Will they help you move heavy items? The more they are willing to help you with, the more convenient the job will be for you.
9. What brands of paint do you use?
The quality of the product is just as important, if not more, than the quality of the work. Even a great painter cannot produce good work if the products are low quality. Most reputable companies use professional quality paints from brands like Benjamin Moore, Dulux, General Paint or Sherwin-Williams. High-quality products may be slightly more expensive, but they add years to your paint job.
10. Can you help me pick out a color palette?
A great company will assist homeowners when it comes to choosing which colors will work best for their tastes as well as each individual room. Same goes with choosing a finish. A professional company will have the experience necessary to help you as well as the industry connections to recommend another home improvement professional.
For more info contact:
380 Canyon Meadows Dr SE #2106, Calgary, AB T2J 7C3, Canada
Phone: (587) 887-8374
Email: info.calgarypainters@gmail.com
Website: https://calgary-painters.ca/
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/ex8fSe8h26K2
Painting A Ceiling Like a Pro
Summoning up the enthusiasm to do a little home decorating is usually pretty easy, but when it comes to painting a ceiling, most people either call in a professional decorator or just completely ignore it! If this sounds familiar, don’t worry because our guide on painting a ceiling like a pro will demystify the process and, hopefully, leave your hair paint free too!
Tools For Painting A Ceiling
As with every DIY job, it’s essential to be prepared and have the right gear. Fortunately, you can paint a ceiling without investing in expensive specialist equipment – although there are a couple of things that’ll make this task easier. Let’s take a look at what you need:
- A decent roller set
- A paint bucket
- Easy-fill filler and filling knife
- A good quality 2” brush
- An extension pole (or old broom handle)
- Lots of dust sheets!
- Maybe a sanding pole
- Sugar soap and sponges
- Step ladders
When it comes to buying paint for the ceiling, it pays to spend a little more and get specialized ceiling paint because it’s designed to be almost splatter-free – something your hair will thank you for! We also recommend using good quality stain block paint if there are any water leak patches on the ceiling.
Preparation
Before you start make sure everything is covered with good quality dust sheets because it’s much harder to contain the mess from a ceiling paint job than almost anywhere else. Use Easy-fill to deal with any holes – it’s so easy to use, dries quickly and sands effortlessly.
If the ceiling is flat painted, a quick rub over with 100 grit drywall sandpaper will help to cut through years of dirt and neglect – after all, who washes their ceiling? Follow that with a wash down with sugar soap and water and you’re ready to go.
Painting
As previously mentioned, you’ll need to go over any areas of water damage with a stain-blocking primer first. A couple of coats should do it, but some stubborn stains may need more.
The devil is always in the details, so take the time to cut in – time spent here will make or break your finish so give it your best attention. Using a quality brush and a paint bucket means that you can focus on the job in hand – you only need a little bit of paint at any one time, and a paint bucket helps prevent major spillage accidents.
After cutting in you can get down to the fun part: using the roller! Investing in the best quality lambswool roller will help keep the splatters to a minimum and ensure a really good coverage in the least possible time – that’s the combination a pro looks for. Work the ceiling in small areas, around 5’ square, first rolling one way and then back across the area at 90° to the first coat. Try to keep one edge wet for the next section to avoid overlapping marks, and feather the paint out on the areas you’re not painting next.
Textured Ceilings
With a previously painted textured ceiling, it’s quite tough to get the same level of finish, but if you work slightly slower you should be able to get a good coverage. Be careful not to overwork the paint because you risk pulling the old layers from the ceiling – another job for your high-quality lambswool roller.
As with every DIY and decorating job, if you’re careful and prepare properly there’s very little that can go wrong, but Painters Calgary is always here for friendly advice or a quote if you’d prefer to let the experts take over. Painting a ceiling isn’t the most fun decorating job, but neglect it and you’ll regret it!
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Popcorn ceilings came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s and were a very popular ceiling treatment in homes across America. They became popular because of their inexpensive price tag and ability hide most ceiling imperfections. Rather than applying 3 coats of mud (joint compound) and sanding to perfection, builders could apply just one coat and then spray this thick covering over everything.
Once the 1980s were over, popcorn ceilings fell out of fashion along with leg warmers and, sadly, parachute pants. While I may break out my parachute pants to buck style trends occasionally, there is no love lost between most folks and their popcorn ceilings. Most of us want them gone and are willing to pay, but the truth is that you can do this yourself if you’re not afraid of getting a little messy.
Tools Needed:
- 2 mil. or thicker Plastic Sheeting (lots of it)
- Ceiling Texture Scraper
- 6″ Drywall Knife
- Masking or Blue Tape
- Pump Sprayer
- P100 or N100 Dust Mask
- Safety Glasses
- Canvas Drop Cloth
- Ladder
- An Old Hat
Step #1 Mask off EVERYTHING
Seriously, this is a messy process. Get all of the furniture out of the room. Put a layer of plastic on the floor and then put the drop cloth on top of that. Without the canvas, you’ll be sliding all over the place when any wet popcorn comes off. Tape plastic sheeting around the entire perimeter of the room at the top of the walls to keep the walls, windows and doors clean.
Step #2 Wet the Ceiling
Fill the pump sprayer with water and spray the ceiling down to wet the popcorn. This will allow for easier, more dust-free removal. You want the popcorn to be good and soaked but not so much that it affects the drywall underneath. A garden hose is not the right tool for this. You’ll have to let the ceiling sit for about 10 mins before scraping it off. Only wet as large of a section as you can work with. If you have a helper, one person can spray the ceiling as the other removes the popcorn. Find a system that works for your situation. Start with a 10 SF section and see how that works and then go up or down from there.
Step #3 Scrape it Off
Using the ceiling texture scraper, scrape the popcorn away. This unique tool allows you to attach a trash bag to it so that as you scrape the unwanted popcorn ceiling falls cleanly into the bag. It works well, not perfect, but it’s much cleaner than trying it without the bag. It takes a little bit to get used to the tool. Be careful not to gouge the drywall underneath. Use the drywall knife for the smaller nooks and crannies that you can’t get the texture scraper into.
Step #4 Sand it
Underneath the popcorn ceiling, you might find a fairly rough coat of drywall mud. It will likely need some sanding to smooth it out. Use a pole sander to smooth this out. If you had a plaster ceiling underneath the popcorn, you may find some chips and gouges that need repair.
Step #5 Skim Coat it
To get the ceiling finished and looking nice, you can either skim coat or touch up and patch any rough spots.
Step #6 Prime and Paint
Especially if there are any stains on your ceiling, use a good stain-blocking primer and then a couple coats of flat ceiling paint. Ceiling paint is extra flat in sheen to hide imperfections and covers very well at an affordable price.
Step #7 Clean Up
This is the fun part. Since you took the time to plastic off and cover everything clean up is a cinch. Just roll up all the plastic and put it in a garbage bag. Voila!
There you have it! Popcorn ceiling removed and the 1980s have been banished from your old house. You deserve a well-earned shower and the rest of the night off!
At Calgary Painters, we can help you with the popcorn ceiling removal and repair. If you’re looking to get the popcorn ceiling removed then you can give us a call @ (587) 887-8374.
https://calgary-painters.ca/popcorn-ceiling-removal-repair/
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