Archive for category: TIPS

From our ask the expert files comes this little time test question: “Do Magic Erasers really help keep my house clean?

The Magic Eraser is a product made by Proctor & Gamble. The product is made of melamine, no more than amazingly hard plastic created as tiny bubbles. From there the product is cut to some form, usually a rectangular block, and is sold as a household stain remover – specifically a stain “eraser”.

We get it, life is messy. Especially with children who use the walls of our house as artwork or a place to dry and clean their dirty hands.

Unfortunately the Magic Eraser product is really, really fine sandpaper.  Should you use it over and over, you’re going to notice the fine paint finish you once had getting dull, getting lost.

It stinks, yet, the most stubborn scuffs and wall stains can’t be removed with the magic eraser. Continual harsh usage of the product and the paint comes right off your walls. Likewise, should you actually have scratches and not stains, unfortunately your paint’s already gone.

Working with a quality painter can help you determine the style of paint to repair the damage – as well as – set up areas of common use for future cleaning.

We know a thing or two about paint and we know thing or two about life’s little messes. Or shall we say, opportunities?

Be sure and call us @ 314-282-6080 for more information and additional interior painting tips to save your day!

Somewhere a home owner is thinking:

“Exterior Painting done – check. Interior painting done – check. So next on my list, hmmm, well let’s see I remember the garage floor looks like it needs a little TLC. Wonder if I should get a chemical cleanser to clean the oil stains? Then how long should I let that dry before I consider getting a clear coat sealer? Better yet, who do I get the stuff I need to do it from? Home Depot? Lowes or my local hardware store? Awe man, forget it. This is just too much.”

As a professional painter we can tell you that this is 90% of what we hear from great home owners who care about their home. They want to take care of their garage, but it’s a job just a little past their expertise. They want garage floor epoxy or paint, yet the balance between it being a DIY project and the floor turning out like they want is a fine line.

SO PAINTING OR A GARAGE FLOOR EPOXY SYSTEM?

Let us help clear something up.  Epoxy garage floor coatings and standard floor paint are not the same.  The typical paint for garage floor application is a latex acrylic product.  While it’s true some floor paints have a small portion of epoxy added to make them more durable then regular paint, in the end, it’s still paint.

Garage floor epoxy is an actual thermosetting resin applied as a true floor coating.  It is a two-part combination made when mixing one part epoxide resin with a one-part polyamine hardener (catalyst).  The catalyst is what gives epoxy its strength, durability and variety of finishes.

Paints dry while garage floor epoxy actually cures.  The chemical reaction from the combination of resin and catalyst is an exothermic curing process.  This polymer structure gives epoxy its superior strength and durability and finish.  The end product is a coating much thicker than floor paint and is actually bonded to a properly prepared concrete surface.

WHAT’S THE BENEFIT TO GARAGE FLOOR EPOXY?

What’s the benefit to garage floor epoxy? True, it REALLY looks nice and the hardened thick application you receive from epoxy sets up a coating that is very durable.  But then what?

FIRST – Garage floor epoxy is resilient to sudden impacts, chipping, chemicals, stains, and even surface abrasion.  There is not much to be worried about when damaging your floor if you drop a tool or a yard equipment falls over on it.

SECOND – A well applied garage floor epoxy system does a masterful job of covering things such as small spider cracks and flaws in the concrete. Maybe even some foolish stuff from previous home owners (ahem, ahem).

THIRD – Garage floor epoxy is a topical sealer, completely non-porous leading it to be ideal for anti-dusting.  Most dust is created from the actual powder that a cement floor sheds.  Regular floor traffic on untreated concrete floors kicks up this powder. It has the tendency to collecting on cars, tool benches, and storage items.

FOURTH – Garage floor epoxy applied as a topical coating is a highly functional moisture resistant compound.  Regardless your environment in the north, south east or west there is great benefit to people in all climates.  As an example: garage floor epoxy makes for ideal and simple cleaning of the icy brines from most road salts that continually collect on your floor during winter. Just wash, rinse and repeat.

WHAT ELSE?

Past the benefits of resilience, covering flaws, eliminating dust and being moisture resistant there are a few additional things to consider with garage floor epoxy.

Most garage floors become decorative at some point. Whether you added colored acrylic flakes to the floor or a type of topcoat was used, some garage floor epoxy surfaces can be slippery when wet.  Should you live in a drier climate where moisture is scarce, this won’t be an issue.  Yet, should you want some extra ‘grip’ the addition of simple slip resistant aggregate to a final coating will provide a non-skid surface to your floor.

WHAT’S THIS GONNA SET ME BACK?

As usual, the most inexpensive method to receiving a quality coating is to apply the garage floor epoxy yourself as a DIY project.  Even for the most ardent DIY’er as professionals we’ll go on record as saying, “It ‘might be hard even with the proper tools”.  You can purchase a quality-grade single coat 100% solids epoxy kit that will cover a standard 2-car garage.  A typical purchase price is for just less than $300.

REMEMBER: This doesn’t include any expense for your garage floor preparation (100% removal of oils, contaminants, etc.) or additional tools necessary.  You should expect to pay approximately $200 more if you want to add a quality clear top coat.

Professional installation usually starts around the $4.00 a square foot installed.  Typical work includes a minimum of 3 coats and your costs rise depending on various top coats involved, how much color flakes and aggregate are applied in the base coat and top coats.  Standard 2-car garages are approximately 400 square feet so build your costs from there.

Past your expense is the issue of time. Due to curing time necessary between epoxy floor coatings times to complete a project where you can park your car on your floor range 4 to 5 days.  On the market today and available to professional installers are newer polyaspartic and polyurea garage floor epoxy systems. These fast curing systems are applied in one full day and can be driven on the next.  Professional installation of these garage floor epoxy systems start just north of $6.00 a square foot.  In all seriousness, due to their incredibly fast cure rate, we appeal to the average DIY’er NOT attempt this type of installation.

So there you have it. When you review your own garage floor remember there are different garage floor epoxy and paint solutions available. The best garage floor is going to be an epoxy based system with a 100% solids multi-coat system.  Yes, it is more expensive than the standard option of floor paint for a floor covering. By far it’s hands-down the most economical of floor installations compared over the duration and livelihood of the actual floor.

 

In the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a Redneck” we bring you the Top 5 Reasons you might need to paint the exterior of your house this Spring.

IF YOUR NEIGHBORS AFFECTIONATELY CALL YOU THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON CAUSE YOUR HOUSE HAS A TAD BIT ALGAE AND THINGS GROWING – IT MIGHT BE TIME TO PAINT THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR HOUSE.

Algae and mold are a common problem in the Midwest. With the natural pollens and overstimulated tree growth in our marketplace algae and mold have a great time growing in the Missouri river delta of St. Louis. As a homeowner algae and mold can lead to the natural breakdown of painted surfaces. Pro Precision Painting can clean those surfaces, prepare them and apply new painting products with built in protective measures to protect against breakdown.

IF YOUR HOME HAS MORE PEELING THAN DO THE ORANGES YOUR KIDS HAVE AS AN AFTER SCHOOL SNACK – IT MIGHT BE TIME TO PAINT THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR HOUSE.

One of the tell tale signs that your homes exterior needs to be repainted is the paint is beginning to peel or crack. This is an open invitation for moisture to penetrate your wood framing and foundation, which, down the road can be a costly repair. Have someone inspect it soon.

IF READING THE THREE LITTLE PIGS TO YOUR CHILDREN YOU ENVY THE PIG WITH THE STRONGEST HOUSE – IT MIGHT BE TIME TO PAINT THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR HOUSE.

As a professional painting company we have a little saying, ” Straws, Sticks or Bricks”. That is, many homes come built in a wide-array of building materials. When it comes to your specific home what is made of will affect how often you may need to paint it. It is reasonable to expect painting your home every 7-15 years if you home is made from some type of shingles, cement fiberboard, cedar and or other wood.

IF YOU PREFER LOOKING OUT OF YOUR HOUSE RATHER THAN AT YOUR HOUSE 9 OUTTA 10 TIMES – IT MIGHT BE TIME TO PAINT THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR HOUSE.

Take a look around. Notice the trim on your house, around your windows and doors. They may need to be painted more often than the rest of the house. These areas get the most wear and tear and should be touched up every few years.

IF YOUR SPOUSE TELLS YOU THAT YOU’VE SAID “I’M GONNA PAINT THE HOUSE THIS SPRING” MORE THAN 2 YEARS CONSECUTIVELY – IT MIGHT BE TIME TO PAINT THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR HOUSE.

Life gets busy. Things we want to do get replaced by other things. Hiring a professional painter to paint the exterior of your home may just be the solution for you to move onto other projects – and to help you – from keeping your spouse telling you you’ve already told them you’re going to paint your house, for the umpteenth time.

There are consequences for NOT painting the exterior of your house appropriately:

Exposed materials will definitely rot

Severely damaged materials must be replaced, caulked and painted when they fail. Additionally, rotting materials may compromise the structural integrity of your home! To test for rot, use a screwdriver to see if any materials break apart easily.

You give algae and mold a reason to grow and proliferate

Removing mass quantities of algae and mold requires additional cleaning supplies and intense work. For example some products require a bleach additive to kill the spores. In those cases, spraying with a garden hose does not work! As a homeowner look behind vines or ivy that may have grown on the side of your house. These create an ideal environment that can cause algae and mold.

If you’re interested in a no-risk inspection of your property with a proactive plan to restore your home please contact us today.

It’s all the rage – TRIVIA CRACK. Seriously, how many of you and your friends have Trivia Crack loaded on your phones and play it with at least 1-3 of your close Facebook friends?

Why not spin the wheel when it comes to St. Louis Painting and take our short painting quiz to see if you qualify for an additional 5% to our 15% offer on interior painting this month?

The person submitting this trivia form with the most accurate answers will gain a 20% discount off all interior painting scheduled between February 19th and August 15th, 2015. St. Louis Painting trivia answers must be submitted no later than the close of business, 5:00 PM February 20th.

Good luck to everyone entering the St. Louis Painting Trivia Challenge!

St. Louis Painting Trivia Crack Challenge

Tune in Friday February 20th and see who has won the St. Louis Painting Trivia Crack challenge! We’ll post the top 5 high scores and share the fun!

Kyle McClaskey, owner of Pro Precision Painting takes a few minutes from an interior painting project to share 4 key reasons why home owners should select a professional painter now. He shares the benefits to interior painting done today, as opposed to waiting for Spring to arrive.

From Kyle:

My team is hard at work this week. While they have another project well under way, I wanted to share some information that may benefit you as a home owner. After painting a number of homes in St. Louis I’ve learned value to doing interior painting work during winter months and before the Spring kicks in.

Here are four things I’d enjoy sharing with you:

1. Now’s the time to have interior painting done before the spring rush comes and we’re focused on exterior projects.

Like you, life for me can get very busy. Sometimes my schedule goes the way I’d like and sometimes it doesn’t. As a small business owner I can tell you a good number of home owners often let interior painting decisions go a little too far into spring. When this happens, as our company is flooded with exterior projects, sometimes you get raw or bad deal. Here’s the effect:

• The top quality painters in St. Louis get booked first and often – so – you as a homeowner are left with a lesser choice of quality professionals

2. QUESTION When is it more convenient for your interior painting to be done? Now or in the Spring when everyone has activities and events?

Being around families is our livelihood. From where I sit, I can tell you the most frustrated I’ve seen a home owner is in the Spring when many families are trying to tackle so many projects.

From my side of the equation, I see people at peace during the winter. True, you’re in your house more than normal – and – we are right there with you getting cozy and getting work done. Yet, in the scores of families I’ve worked with I can share the spring rush pulls families apart and a painting project getting tossed in that mix could prove a little more stressful.

• How can we help lighten the load and make life easier for you right now?

3. Got the Blues? If you’re thinking about interior painting don’t let the cold gray skies keep you from moving forward! Let’s brighten up and warm up those walls with new fresh colors!

This single idea could prove most beneficial. Science shows the winter has an effect on people. In an article written by WEB-MD the issue is a lack of sunlight. Our bodies naturally crave sunlight as a means to get motivated.

Science also shows that we as people crave color! In an article written by Douglas Fields for Psychology Today, he shares: “Color preferences are deeply rooted emotional responses that seem to lack any rational basis, yet the powerful influence of color rules our choices in everything from the food we eat and the clothes we wear to the cars we buy.”

• So is your homes color ruling you or are you ruling the color of your home? We can help you with that.

4. Don’t forget, with spring coming soon it’s not to early to start thinking about your exterior projects.

As with interior painting projects flooding our work schedule, guess what also clogs the request lines? Yes, you guessed it, exterior painting projects.

The first week of clear weather our phones get busy, quotes and estimates get rolling and calendars get booked solid. We’re so very grateful for the business rush. Just remember, sometimes waiting a little longer than necessary can put you in a bind and getting the best deal for the best price may become a little harder. Michelle McMahan tackled an interior painting project this winter and is a raving fan.

• Make sure to get the best deal, the best price by the best provider today. Waiting too long may cost you.

I’m hopeful this quick article has been of help. If you’d enjoy communicating with me feel free to email me directly @ kyle@proprecisionpainting.com

Receive a 15% discount on interior painting projects booked by March 1st, 2015 and performed by April 15th, 2015