Day: July 20, 2018

Choosing ColorsChoosing Colors

Choosing the perfect color to paint the outside of your house

Color impacts how you feel. And while many people are familiar with the psychology of color and what you’re surrounded by an your internal space, many people don’t realize that the same thing applies to the exterior of your home as well. If you drove into a neighborhood and all the houses we’re beige and there is nothing distinctive about them it would be very appealing. You want to convey a feeling through the exterior paint color.

When there’s so many colors to choose from how do you decide which color to choose? One of the best ways is to decide how you want to feel when you pull up to your house at the end of the day. Choose a color scheme based on that. Here are some examples.

Traditional or contemporary colors?

Dark shades of blue work really well with wood colored porches is it really brings out the comforts and inviting escape that someone would want on a hot summer day.

If you want to feel of traditional and down-home, consider painting your house a farm color red. Those deep reds are eye-catching and give a very inviting feel especially when placed with light trims, stone and surrounded by green grass.

Gray is another great option. This can go for contemporary or traditional homes. Parrot with Rockford traditional or metal for an industrial feel.  You can even add pop of color such as yellow. This helps take a contemporary looking house and turns it into a family-friendly space.

Escape with color

If you want to bring a little beach to your house, consider buttercup yellow. Yellow is such a happy color when paired with white trim the exterior feels bright and fresh.

Do you love the desert and Aztec colors? Don’t shy away from Earth colors like warm pinkish sand color, a reddish clay color, or rosy shades with trims of turquoise and cream.

Sage green is often one of the safest exterior colors next beige.  This calming shade will look good with whatever landscape do you have. Think about stress relief in-house this color.  You can brighten it with shades of red as accents.

Look at your surroundings and decide what you want to feel when you pull up to your house everyday and start planning a color scheme based on that. Don’t forget to check with your homeowners association if you have one to see any restrictions on color that your neighborhood may have.

Old Paint ProblemsOld Paint Problems

Why does the chalking phenomena happen?

Paint can often develop what looks like a covering of powder.  This is what is known as the chalking phenomena.  While it may be frustrating, paints that Chalke powder buildup is better than dealing with paint that has peeled. Is the exterior of your house is light-colored take a dark color rag and wipe it over the surface. If you see a powder that is lighter than the paint then you’re dealing with the talking phenomena.

What causes the chalking?

Natural sunlight breaks down the chemicals inside the paint that keep the paint bound together. Oxygen is also a oxidative and then also reacts with the binding elements of the paint. This is often why you see paint lighten over the years. Is more of the powder is removed from the surface of the paint over the years with the natural elements of mother nature. The pain becomes thinner and thinner.

What paint is best for exterior painting?

Acrylic paint is typically better than oil based paint. Acrylic paint or oxidize slower than oil. You also want to pick a paint that is high-quality. If you’re on a budget you might be tempted to go with lower budget paint but the chances are that you’re exterior paint will not last as long. Higher quality paint tends to be more expensive. More expensive paint tends to have better residents that help bind and retain the colorants. Acrylic paint will typically be more expensive and last longer then latex or oil.

Remove the chalky powder

You will need to prep the surface before you paint. Renting a simple pressure washer with a simple solution should work. Let the pressure washing solution stay on the walls of your house for up to 15 minutes before rinsing. When you rinse, rinse between 1500 and 2000 PSI. Make sure walls dry completely before painting. Also don’t skip in acrylic primer this will help in the durability of your paint.

Don’t Neglect Your NeighborsDon’t Neglect Your Neighbors

Painting by neighbors

When painting the exterior walls, you have to be very concerned about your neighborhood. Even though it is called, to do outer wall painting it is necessary to set up a foothold, but since scaffold can not be painted on the wall as it fits snugly on the wall, it is absolutely necessary to have at least 30 cm. It is important it doesn’t go of over. If that happens, in the event that the land is narrow and the neighbors are close, such as the city center, there are times when you have to scaffold beyond the boundary line.

At that time of painting the exterior wall, if you think that there is no choice but to extend the property line like normal and say nothing, the relationship with your neighbors will be badly worse.

Even if you paint outer walls in the first place, it will bother the neighbors with sound, smell etc etc. So, it is courteous to say something to your neighbor whether or not you will have to cross a boundary line.

A firm outer wall paint shop usually will inform the neighbors before construction, but sometimes a neighbor cannot be contacted so it is your job to follow up.  In fact, even if a painter caused a trouble, if it is from a neighborhood, they will most likely complain directly to the person who is asking for the construction. So notifying the neighborhood properly ends the construction problem and possible risks.

There is also a possibility that the paint etc will fly to the other car so it is very important that they know ahead of time and sometimes a simple apology will be okay.

Legal issues

It’s important to understand that your neighbors have a property owner rights. The general rule is that an owner of the property next to you is not liable for a company that I come into painter asked your your. So if you hired a painter for that outer part of your house and the painter over sprayed and the neighbors car or house gets painting on it, as a homeowner you are not responsible for that damage. But your neighbor’s not to be happy with you and there is an exception. If the work that was being done by the painter that caused the unreasonable risk and precautions were not taken then you are responsible. So if a painter decides to paint some trim but then goes over on the driveway closest to your neighbor’s house and start spraying that would be unreasonable risk.

Things to consider when having your house painted:

  • What can you do or what precautions should be taken when your house is being painted.
  • Make sure you look at the contract and ask your painter what he will do to ensure unnecessary risk.
  • Don’t sign a contract unless the unnecessary risk precautions are spelled out.
  • During the project make sure that the painter is taking the precautions.
  • Make sure you let your neighbors know that the outer part of your houses being painted.