"As a paint store owner, I can say Doug Gorton is a true craftsman! Doug will tackle a major restoration to a homeowner's complete satisfaction. Doug is always a pleasure to work with. THUMBS UP!
The test of the craftsman does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces. It's what we do BEFORE WE PAINT that makes us GREAT PAINTERS.
Cover all floors, countertops, appliances, furniture, etc. prior to painting.
Tape all glass if necessary with 1” blue tape to protect glass from sandpaper, easy removal even after extended periods of exposure to sunlight, and for clean, sharp edges after painting.
We will move and cover the furniture and replace after painting.
Remove outlet covers and switch plates cover with tape and replace after painting.
Tape all trim edges before painting walls.
Do all necessary and agreed upon wall and trim repair. We look for all cracks, water damage and defects, repair, and do any re-texturing necessary.
Prime all bare wood, wall or wood repairs, and any other necessary areas with the appropriate primers prior to painting.
Sand, clean, prime and paint all enamel specified. Sanding is necessary to insure good adhesion between coats.
Check for all cracks in woodwork, doors, windows, and wall corners, etc., and caulk with a premium caulk.
Ceilings are recommended painted in a flat paint in color chosen. This is to minimize light reflection or sheen, which on ceilings highlights any drywall imperfections, and is distracting. Although high moisture areas like bathrooms may benefit from a glossy paint on the ceiling.
Walls are recommended painted in a top line interior wall paint in color and sheen specified. There are many types of wall paints available in a wide variety of prices.
All enamel (washable and hard) surfaces (usually trim or doors) are recommended to be finish coated with a top line interior enamel paint. Oil or water based depending on your preferences and circumstances
The number of coats of paint on drywall or enamel work is usually two finish coats after preparation, whether applied by roller or sprayer, but the application methods and times between coats are different.
After all work is done, we clean it all up, remove all the tape, replace all the hardware and outlet covers, put all the furniture back, clean all interior glass, remove all unnecessary paint cans, label all paint cans accurately, (we will leave touch up paint for all areas and colors).
1.Set all nails below surface using a hammer and nail set.
2.Scrape any paint that will come off with scraper.
3.Strip all paint agreed upon with chemical stripper and or sanding. We cover the ground to catch all paint being removed and clean up daily.
4.Neutralize stripper with tsp substitute. Applied, scrubbed and rinsed with hose.
5.Sand all wood with 80 grit paper and palm sanders. Wood is bare at this paint and does not put out paint dust.
6.Clean siding. (Cleaning is done by hand with damp painting rags folded flat)
7.Putty all nail holes; caulk all cracks and seams, and spackle wood defects. (Do not caulk along horizontal undersides of siding. Not designed for it. Will hold water and cause peeling.)
8.Sand all spackling and clean siding again.
9.Prime siding by brush with first coat exterior oil primer thinned about 10% with paint thinner to promote penetration into wood.
10.Do second prep. (Spackling, wood defects again, etc.) When wood is primed, it shows up any wood defects missed, or nail holes needing more putty.
11.Sand all siding with 120 grit sandpaper. This will sand down any wood fibers that stiffen with first coat of primer, and second round of spackling.
12.Clean siding again.
13.Prime all siding by brush again with oil primer (full strength) to fully prime and prepare for painting.
14.Sand primer lightly by hand.
15.Clean siding again.
16.Apply by brush first coat exterior paint.
17.Check for defects, and hand sand lightly if necessary.
18.Apply by brush second coat exterior paint.
The above procedures apply to all wood being stripped, including door and window frames, trim, columns, etc.
Why pressure washing is bad for your house, why we hand wash, and why this is much better and safer for your home.
Houses are, and always have been designed to protect from rain falling down from above. It is counter intuitive and a bad idea to shoot highly pressurized water at a house from the directions they are not designed to be protected from.
Shooting water under pressure from below behind your siding, under your eaves, and through your windows, puts water behind wood where it does not belong, and where it can cause water damage, wood rot, and mold.
Pressure washers can also cause a lot of wood damage to siding, especially on older homes, and many operators do not have the experience necessary.
Pressure washing can be fine for rock, cement and decking, but even with wooden decking, pressure washing blows off the softer top layer of wood cells, leaving the wood rough and “furry”. Nails should be set below the surface, and then lightly sand the deck with palm sanders and clean, after the pressure washing is done, and before any stain or wood preservative is applied.
There is also hot water “low” pressure washing – not much better.
The problem besides the pressure is the angle that the water is sprayed at. When washing, the operator will spray this water at a 45 degree angle to the siding and eaves. This is optimal for getting water under your wood where it can cause damage.
Many of these house washers do not use a cleaning solution to remove the dirt and mildew. You cannot get something clean simply by spraying high pressure water at it. You must WASH it with a cleaning solution and scrub the surface. Period.
You would not clean your dishes simply by running them under water; you would wash them with soap and a cloth or a brush, to make sure they were clean.
Hand washing uses a gentle cleaning system that will remove all dirt, and mildew from your home.
We remove and clean all screens, wet your home down, apply cleaning solution, and use soft car wash brushes to gently scrub and wash all windows and painted areas, and use stiffer scrub brushes, for rock or brick. We then rinse your home, clean, squeegee and buff dry all windows clean, (saving you the $200 – $300 charge of window cleaners) before replacing all screens.
Please call us before you let anyone damage your home with a little bit of knowledge, and a lot of water pressure.
