January 1, 2012
Interior painting and how to calculate materials
Few things are more annoying than running out of paint in the middle of repainting a wall. Have your home interior painting redone is a great way to spruce up your living space. However, it does require some proper planning if you are going to do the job right. Before beginning any painting project, it is important to figure out how much paint you’ll need, as the only thing more frustrating than running out of paint halfway through is completing your task only to find you have lots of leftover paint and nothing to do with it. It’s important to buy your paint all at once to ensure a uniform color through out the project. Even with the exact same color from the exact same company, tones and pigments vary from batch to batch!
Interior painting starts with calculating how much paint is needed.
Interior paint guidelines
Calculating how much paint you’ll need is a fairly simple task. First, you have to determine what type of surface you’ll be painting on. A smooth, even surface will require a lot less paint than a rough or very porous surface, which will soak up paint and require extra coats. Most paint contractors provide guidelines regarding how much paint is needed to cover a certain amount of square footage, but for most paints, you can assume that one can of paint will cover at the most about four hundred square feet, assuming you are putting on one coat. For rougher surfaces, you can assume a coverage of about one-hundred fifty to two hundred square feet. That said, two coats is always best to ensure a true color and a beautiful, long lasting finish whether you’re considering interior or exterior painting.
House painting costs less if you know how much paint you need!
Free painting estimates
Once you have figured out how much a gallon of paint covers you need to calculate how much square footage you are trying to cover. This requires some simple calculations. For blank walls, without windows, measure the width of the wall by the height. Multiply the two numbers – this is your square footage. For example, if a blank, windowless wall is fifteen feet wide by ten feet high, you would multiply fifteen by ten, for a total of one hundred fifty square feet. If the surface is smooth, you should need less than a half gallon of paint for that particular wall; if textured, about a gallon. Of course, you need to do this for all of the walls that you are painting, and then add up the total square footage before deciding how much paint to buy. In addition, you’ll need to allow for painting ceilings, doors, and trim as well if you’re including those. All too much for you? We’re here to help. Give us a call for a free painting estimate and our professional painters will walk you through the whole project from start to finish. All you need to do is pick your paint colors – and we can help with that, too!
Interior House Painting, Paint Color & Design Tips, Painting Contractor Wisdom, Professional House Painter Advice, Professional House Painters, Reference, Uncategorized | No comment
October 16, 2011
This Canton client rated our painting service 10 out of 7!
Finding a painting contractor to paint your house can be a daunting task, but it’s usually not as dreadful as performing the work yourself, getting up on the roof and climbing on ladders craning your neck and hauling buckets. When hiring a contractor becomes the logical decision, there are things to look for to guide you to the best possible experience. That’s why we give each of our treasured clients a survey to rate us from cost to communication on a scale of 1-7. We were thrilled this past week to receive the survey below from a new client who gave us 10 out of 7 for understanding their individual goal and needs! We’re so pleased that our project manager Randy exceeded their expectations in every way!
Our latest Canton client rated our painting service 10 out of 7!
What makes a good painting company?
A professional painting company can perform wonderfully for you in all of your house painting needs. Many first time house painting shoppers may consider an excellent finished product to be the sole sign of a good house painter, but there are several other important factors to consider. Many of these may not seem obvious at first, but take one of them away and you might be left with quite a mess on your hands. When I talk to homeowners every day to schedule free painting estimates, I hear horror stories about experiences they’ve had in the past that made the project miserable. Poor communication or customer service can stress you out, disrespect your property and cause your neighbors to become annoyed. The best painters take a personal interest in each project, and take pride in their work. A great paint job means thorough prep work, accurate estimates, friendly and clear communication, and a warranty you can trust.
Elysium Painting company only trusts the best craftsmen to serve our clients.
Canton painters that care
When a contractor takes a personal interest, they become invested in the outcome of the project and care on a personal level that each home owner is pleased with their craftsmanship. This means that they not only will put in hard work and attention, attend to detail, and be as efficient as possible but that they will provide up to date, clear communication with you during and after your project. This means you don’t have to worry about the work ethic of the contractor, or about the team being committed to a positive outcome for the project. It will just go without saying that the contractor will put in all of his or her efforts. A good house painting contractor will make certain that him and his team of contractors are clean and respect the property they are working on. Sometimes home improvement contractors have a bad rep for being messy, sloppy, or poor communicators – Elysium Painting Company is committed to changing the image of house painting contractors. Ken, Randy, Cesar, and Chris are master communicators and detailed craftsmen and we love to hear from their clients every day. Our craftsmanship will stand the test of time and our crews will make you smile!
Community Information, Examples of great customer service, Painting Contractor Wisdom, Professional House Painter Advice, Professional House Painters, Reference, Uncategorized | No comment
September 30, 2011
Interior and Exterior Painting Client Reference
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August 15, 2011
House Painting Nostalgia
One of my favorite smells on earth is fresh paint. It reminds me of when my mom finally got that new kitchen she’d been wanting when I was 13 (pale mint green), the first apartment of my very own (gold with a red accent wall in the living room) and my son’s nursery (blue with fluffy white clouds). Fresh paint smells to me like new beginnings and a clean start. Usually when someone inhales and says, “Ah, smells like Fresh Paint” it’s with a sense of approval. Even though these aromas can be pleasant to our noses, they can be harmful. The chemicals in interior paint that cause odors can include compounds known as VOCS (volatile organic compounds). With the introduction of new kinds of paint, we can benefit by having their interior painted without these chemicals.
Ann Arbor Painters
We talk to homeowners in the Ann Arbor area every day, and two questions are most common. As a consumer and a house painting contractor, I understand! An experienced interior house painter looks into a couple things with every paint product, when getting ready to paint an interior. “How well does the interior paint cover?” and “How well does this interior paint’s color last?” are things I hear every day.
Low VOC Interior Paint Comes In Every Color!
Interior Paint Coverage
Many low VOC paints can provide uniform coverage with just one coat, but as with any paint, 2 coats is best. High quality low VOC paints commonly have the same viscosity as high quality conventional interior latex paint.
Interior Paint That Lasts
How well does this interior paint’s color last? Will this paint’s color retain it’s original paint tint and color hue? Professional painters know that clays and minerals from the earth in the formulation mean it can and will last as long as other interior paints. Clay based paints were once used over 2000 years ago by the Romans and King Tut’s era. On a recent vacation in Mexico, I was thrilled to tour the ancient Mayan capital of Tulum. The ancient temples still retained traces of the azures and oranges of the clay based paint applied hundreds of years ago!
House paint that’s safe for your family
As a mother of 4, I understand being concerned about your child’s environment. Some older conventional brands of interior latex paints have chemicals like ammonia and formaldehyde and can continue to release trace amounts of them for up to 3 years! From your newborn to Great Aunt Millie, low VOC paints are safe for all. No matter what age group, those with any breathing concerns do not have to be affected having an interior painting job completed within their confines. Asthma, bronchitis, those on oxygen, and sensitive bronchial and respiratory passages, may particularly be concerned with paint’s affect on their indoor air quality.
Interior Paint Can Have Hazardous Fumes
Residential Paint That Is Environmentally Friendly
All those actively taking steps to create a greener more sustainable place to live can benefit from low VOC paints. Painting a home with fewer harmful chemicals is a small step to a healthier earth and a more beautiful living space. The new high quality low VOC paints offer the best in paint coverage, paint color retention, elasticity, elongation, tensile strengths, viscosity, spread-abilities, and paint color choices! If you’d like help comparing, call us for a free painting estimate and we’ll give you the inside scoop.
Cost of Paint Jobs, Interior House Painting, Painting Contractor Wisdom, Reference, Uncategorized | No comment
July 23, 2011
Residential painting – how many gallons do you need?
Professional Painters Pick a Plethora of Paint Colors and Pigments!
Whether you’re hiring a painting contractor or doing it yourself, it’s helpful to know how much paint it’s going to take to complete your residential painting project. For this blog, I’m going to concentrate on interior painting. No matter what aspect of your home you are painting – walls, ceiling, trim, doors, or windows, you’ll need to estimate the amount of paint needed to do the job right. There are specific calculations you can use for each surface you want painted or stained.
Paint estimates
To estimate the amount of paint you need in order to cover the walls of a room, add together the length of all the walls and then multiply the number by the height of the room, from floor to ceiling. The number you get is the room’s square footage. Don’t worry – it’s easier than it sounds: length x height of walls.
Interior painting calculations
The next step is to figure out how much of that square footage is actually going to be painted (paintable surface area). Because you use a different paint on the doors and windows, subtract those areas from the room total. For average sized doors and windows just subtract 20 square feet for each door and 15 square feet for each window in the room. Very large custom doors or windows will of course be larger and you may want to consult a professional painter for a more accurate assessment.
Finish painting considerations
Usually if you’re using quality paint you can expect 1 gallon to cover about 350 square feet. If the walls are unpainted drywall they will absorb much more paint so you may want to err on the side of caution. Of course, if you’re planning on using 2 coats, you’ll need to double your number. Unsure how many coats you will need? If you’re painting walls that are unfinished, heavily patched, or creating a drastic color change, 2 coats is probably your best bet.
House painting – rounding up the gallons
The last step is to divide the paintable wall area by 350 (because that’s roughly the square-foot coverage in a gallon can, remember?) to find the number of gallons of paint you need for the walls. You can round uneven numbers; if the remainder is less than .5, you may need a couple of quarts to go with the gallons; if the remainder is more than .5, it might be a better bed to plan on an extra gallon (especially if you have very large or custom made doors and windows). Homeowners may be surprised that buying in bulk can be much more economical, so you may discover that 3 quarts of paint cost as much as a gallon.
Professional painting help
If you’re like me and math is not your strong suit, I found a nifty calculator online here. This calculator is a great way to get a quick and easy round number so you can roughly calculate how much paint you’ll need if you have pretty standard sized and shaped rooms.
If you have a larger or more intricate project, calling for a free painting estimate from a licensed house painter might be your best option.
Residential Painting - How Much Paint to Buy
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May 26, 2011
WANTED: People Person.
While scrolling through the usual cookie cutter job postings, that really stood out. The company requested that applicants not send the usual cut and paste resume but read about the position and then write a thoughtful response detailing why they may be a good fit.
Ann Arbor Painting Company
As a good prospective employee should, I researched my potential employer. The thing that stood out most on Elysium Painting Company’s website was in this very blog in a post titled “Who Runs This Place”. The owner talked about “integrity strong as iron.” I needed a job, but I wanted a job I could be passionate about. After reading their blog, I thought Elysium was something I wanted to be a part of.
Painting Background
Were these people serious? I was worried it might be too good to be true. It was worth my time to find out. So… I went out on a limb and applied. Is this a cult or are they just passionate about what they do? One small problem… I didn’t have a painting background. I didn’t know anything about painting a house! My background in customer service and project management made me a great fit for the position, but I needed an education in paint and I’m getting it!
Professional Painters
Elysium is consummately professional. They are licensed, insured, bonded, and fanatical about customer service. Every painter is a craftsman in his field with years of experience who takes fierce pride in his work. Elysium performs background checks, interviews, supervises training, and performs onsite inspections to verify everybody is absolutely top notch and trustworthy before allowing them to work in your home.
My Prep Work
I’ve been here two weeks and have yet to take a call from a client. In preparation for helping you coordinate your project my training so far has included reading numerous books about paint and color theory, visiting job sites and paint stores, reading training manuals, consulting with professional artists, one on one training with the owner, extensive job shadowing, and a professional offsite customer service class.
Painting Job Site First Visit!
Today I went to my first job site to meet one of the painting crews and see their work first hand. I drove to a beautiful blue colonial house in Ann Arbor. Caesar the crew supervisor is personable, neat as a tack, and painstaking in detail. The work site was tidy enough to please my grandmother – and that’s difficult to do. The painting crew took the time to explain their rigorous preparation, safety standards, and cleanup procedure.
Painting Crew
Caesar and his crew had painted the house exterior last year. The homeowner loved the crew so much, they insisted on having the same crew back this year to do the entire house interior including drywall repair and staining the deck and all the window frames. Repeat customers and referrals to friends and family are usual rather than the exception with this company.
Painting Service from Jessica
I love my job! As I learn more I’ll post it here to share with you. When you call in, I may be lucky enough to take your call. When I do, I hope to help you with your own adventures in paint!
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August 14, 2010
Perp work: The key to longevity on exterior paint jobs!
Yes, it’s hot and humid. Should you paint your house? Even with good prep work, will the job still last as long? These thoughts and more wander into people’s heads during the hot August and September months, and safe to say, you don’t have to worry.
To maximize job longevity and minimize the chance paint could dry out too fast without properly curing, painters shouldn’t paint in direct sunlight during the hottest part of midday. Elysium Painters follow the shade around the house, so even at noon, we’re not painting the hottest, most extreme areas. Exterior house painting can go on without concern, especially if the crew starts early or works strategically loooong days when it’s overcast, as we tend to do.
The only thing we don’t recommend in high humidity and heat is deck staining, especially if you live near a lake. Stay tuned for our next blog article to cover this specifically.
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April 8, 2010
Is it warm enough to paint? Could it be too humid? If you’re planning to paint your exterior this spring, you can be confident that we will only work on days that are appropriate for the paint to cure properly so the job can last as long as possible. We try to avoid painting within 12 hours of light rains and 36 hours of heavy rains so moisture can fully dry out from the wood siding, trim and other areas of the house.
Additionally, as long as the temperature is consistently above 45 degrees, the paint will cure properly and there will be almost no chance of the resins and binders in the house paint to freeze overnight. A good test is the presence or absence of frost: if the grass is dotted with white in the morning, it’s too cold to paint! Overcast and sunny days are best to commence with residential painting, and you absolutely don’t want your deck stained when expecting rain.
Some homeowners ask about the heat of midsummer and potential risks of painting above 80 degrees. Truth be told, there are many more factors to consider. First, high humidity can affect drying times (increasing the amount of time between coats if you are planning on a two-coat paint job). Second, darker colors tend to absorb more heat, and should best be painted either very early or very late during sunny days in August and September.
The beauty of hiring Elysium is that we keep watch of all these factors for you! While some painting contractors would rush to get the job done, we are committed to only commencing with work when we know it is proper to do so. We check humidity levels, pay attention to the sky, and know the differences in the chemical compounds between brands. Benjamin Moore and Graham Ceramic are generally very durable products, and are requested by a majority of our customers. If you are on a tight schedule and can’t wait for ideal conditions, we may suggest Resilience by Sherwin Williams; this paint is specifically formulated to cure properly during higher humidity and low temperatures. If the day is extremely hot, we will either recommend painting in multiple layers of thin coats, or we will arrive early and stay late to take advantage of the cooler early morning and early evening times.
Since your goals are our goals, you can take heart that we will do our absolute best to ensure:
1) Your paint job will last as long as possible
2) The project will not be compromised by easily avoidable weather conditions
3) Your job is completed on deadline, even if we have to begin several days early to rule out the chances extreme weather may delay the project
Questions about whether the weather will affect your paint job? E-mail us today!
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August 6, 2009
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