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Is It Important to Clean Walls Before Painting?

A fresh coat of paint can work wonders for your home. It can beautify your space while increasing the value of your home and make it more inviting. Read on to learn some of the circumstances in which home painters in Santa Rosa suggest cleaning your walls.

Why Clean Walls Before Painting Them?

Before painting your walls, clean them. Like surfaces, floors, and furniture, walls can get dirty over time. However, they aren’t cleaned as frequently as the other circumstances in your home. Cleaning walls before painting them is a great way to get rid of cobwebs, grime, dust and stains.

It may be tempting to skip this step and start painting walls straightaway. Painting over dirty walls is a waste of time, resources and effort. Paint may not adhere properly to dirty surfaces. Even if you are able to paint a dirty surface, mold and mildew can grow over it or the paint may crack, blister, chip or peel prematurely. If this happens, you may have to paint your walls again.

The walls in some rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom need more attention than the walls in other rooms such as the bedroom and living room as they get dirty quickly. This is why you should expect to spend more time cleaning your kitchen and bathroom walls prior to painting.

The Right Way to Clean Walls Before Painting

➢ Remove dust from your walls: Clean baseboards and the upper corners with a duster. Remove any dust or cobwebs with a broom. Using the dust brush attachment and vacuum your walls.

➢ Wash the walls: Prepare a mixture of water and a grease-cutting detergent. Soak a sponge in the mixture and scrub your walls with it. Once you get rid of dirt, stains, and dust on your walls, rinse them with clean water. Wipe clean with a damp towel and allow your walls to dry.

➢ Get rid of mold and mildew: If there is residual mold or mildew-usually the case when repainting the basement, bathroom or any other area that is more humid than other areas in the house, use a cleaning solution of three-parts water to one-part bleach. Be careful when handling mold and mildew. Use protective equipment to avoid breathing in mold spores and prevent cross-contamination.

When To Use Trisodium Phosphate for Cleaning

For stubborn stains, consider using Trisodium Phosphate (or TSP). To make an alkaline cleaning solution, mix TSP with water. The cleaning solution dissolves greases and oils and can be used to clean kitchen walls and bathrooms walls. The solution also removes crayon stains from walls.

Soak a sponge in the solution and clean your walls with it. Work in sections of three feet square. Allow the solution to dry, then scrub again. Immediately scrub each section with another sponge.

Pellegrini’s Platinum Painting Services is a leading painting contractor serving the Santa Rosa and Sonoma County. Our team consists of seasoned home painters. We have extensive experience giving tired and dull areas a chic makeover with a fresh coat of paint. To learn more, call (707) 291-2615.

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Planning Your Commercial Painting Project

A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for your workplace. It can liven up dull spaces and have a positive effect on employee productivity and morale. Whether you are painting your commercial complex for the first time or plan to repaint several walls and surfaces, plan your project accordingly.

Here are the steps to planning a commercial painting project.

Choose the Right Contractor

Commercial painting projects are usually more complex than residential projects. A residential painting contractor might not have the skills and experience required to handle complex commercial projects from start to finish.

Look for a commercial painting contractor with a proven track record of success. Talk to fellow business owners who have just wrapped up a painting project. Ask them if they’d recommend their contractor. When analyzing contractors, check customer testimonials and reviews.

When considering a contractor, check if they offer the services you need and have experience managing projects similar to yours. Look for an insured and licensed contractor.

Set a Budget

When determining project budget, consider the types of services you need, the scope, and nature of the work involved. Calculate labor costs and the cost of extra services.

Painting projects can cause disruptions to normal business operations. Remember to account for the cost of partial business closure if required. Ask your contractor to give a detailed cost estimate. Compare your estimate with the contractor’s quotation to determine if you could cut costs without cutting corners.

Choose the Right Color and Finish

When choosing the color and finish, consider your brand’s values. If you want to motivate your employees to give their best, choose colors that boost productivity including red, blue, yellow, green, and purple.

Do your homework. Find out what colors other businesses in your niche are using. Conduct a survey to find out which colors are most appealing to your customers.

When selecting a color pattern, consider the nature of your business. For example, if you own a restaurant, choose bolder colors. For a hospital or health clinic, go with neutral tones. If you’re not sure, ask the new construction painting company in Sonoma County you have hired for your project for advice.

Inform Employees, Customers, and Visitors

To avoid any liability, inform people about changes due to your painting project. Install signage to warn people about hazards. Send out memos and give instructions to your employees through mails.

Pellegrini’s Platinum Painting Services is a leading new construction painting company in Sonoma County. We use time tested methods designed to ensure paints adhere properly to surfaces and last long. To learn more, call (707) 291-2615.

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4 Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring a Painting Contractor

Painting your house is a great way to enhance its aesthetic appeal and value while transforming it into your dream home. Whether you want to paint a new home from scratch or plan to add a splash of color to any room in an existing home, hire a painting contractor in Sonoma County for your project.

An experienced painting contractor has the skills and knowhow required to manage painting projects from start to finish. They use specialized tools designed to help ensure flawless execution.

Not all painting contractors are created equal. Some so-called know-all experts claim to be the best, but fail to manage their clients’ expectations nor deliver their projects on time. In their eagerness to start their project, many homeowners ignore the basics and commit several mistakes when hiring a painting contractor.

Here are some such mistakes to avoid when looking for a reputable painter in Sonoma County.

Not Doing Your Homework

Many homeowners take everything their painter says on face value. This is a flawed approach. Before hiring a contractor, it’s important for you to verify their skills and make sure they deserve your trust.

When considering a contractor, do your due diligence to determine if they have the expertise required to manage your project.

Visit the professional’s website and take a look at the projects they’ve handled in the past. Check their ratings and customer testimonials. Talk to the contractor’s references. Ask them if the project was finished on-time and on-budget and if they are satisfied with the quality of workmanship.

Hiring the Least Expensive Option

Though the contractor’s fee is an important factor to consider when deciding whether or not to hire them, do not base the decision solely on it. If a contractor is charging an unrealistically low fee, there is a high probability that they’re compensating for something-they might not be qualified to perform the essential duties of a contractor. They may be using subpar materials or deliver low-quality work in general.

Not Gathering Multiple Quotes

Shopping around for quotes can be a time-consuming endeavor. That being said, you should not settle for the first quote you receive, as you can’t be sure if you are getting the best deal.

Get at least three quotes by three different contractors. When evaluating a quote, if you do not understand a particular cost element, call the contractor. A reputable contractor would be more than happy to clarify your doubts and answer any questions you might have.

Overlooking Insurance

If the painting contractor you’re hiring does not have liability insurance and workman’s compensation, you may be held liable for any damages should someone on the contractor’s team gets injured on your property.

When you hire a professional painter with insurance and an accident occurs, their policy will pay the cost of any repairs and replacement.

Want to give your home a makeover? Pellegrini’s Platinum Painting Services can help. Our pros have years of experience helping Sonoma County homeowners and businesses transform their spaces into something extraordinary. To learn more, call (707) 291-2615.