Proper Order For Painting Interiors, Doors, and Windows

Of course, the question is what do you paint first, after all other work is done and everything is cleaned up and dust removed. The obvious answer is that you begin by painting that which is higher and which can drip down, such as the ceiling. The trouble is that obvious answers aren't always right.

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It all depends on your plans for the trim. If you're going to be painting your trim (with latex or oil-base paint), then the proper order is as follows:

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When Painting Trim

1. Paint ceiling
2. Paint walls
3. Paint doors and windows
4. Paint trims around doors, windows, and baseboards.

If, however, you're going to be staining your trim, then a different plan of action is in order. It looks like this:

When Staining Trim

1. Stain all trim, preferably before installing it. Use sanding sealer to raise the grain; then sand and varnish the trim.
2. If trim is already in place, stain as above, allow the stain to dry, and mask the trim.
3. Paint ceiling
4. Paint walls
5. Paint doors and windows
6. When all the paint is dry, either put in trim or remove masking from existing trim and touch up as necessary.
Remember that, if you get paint on the trim, you will have to sand it carefully-a tedious job-before you can restain it. Therefore, you want to do the painting and the staining separately.

What's the Proper Procedure for Painting Doors and Windows?

For doors, start at a top corner and work your way across and down. Use a brush and be sure that you work quickly to avoid having the paint dry. It's much harder to paint a glossy acrylic latex on a door than a glossy oil paint.

Beware of backpainting a door with acrylic latex. This common practice involves painting the entire door with a roller, then using a brush to smooth out the paint and give it "brush marks." The problem is that acrylic latex dries quickly and unless you work fast, the bottom of the door (the last place you'll be working) will be dry before you get to it, leaving brush or roller marks.

For windows, particularly French windows (with lots of small panes of glass), painting can be a real hassle. You'll need to use a small (1-inch) trim brush for the dividers. You can try masking the glass, but that will take longer than the actual painting. Instead, use a plastic putty knife, found in paint stores, as a shield. Hold it against the surface you are painting to keep the paint away from the glass.

If you use a shield, you'll have to clean it off with a rag after each use, else some paint will get behind it and onto subsequent panes. Usually a little paint won't hurt. You can clean it off quickly with a rag, or come back later on and remove it with a razor blade. Beware of window glass that has a rough surface. It will be almost impossible to remove any dried paint from the glass.

Wear eye protection when painting. Getting a drop of paint in the eye, particularly oil-base paint, can be very painful and could damage the eye.

Proper Order For Painting Interiors, Doors, and Windows

Paint rollers play an important role while painting. If you chose a wrong paint roller, you might end up with a mess. You should really learn how to choose a good paint roller and also how to paint windows and pipes which is not an easy job but doable.

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Painting Tips For Sliding Panel Doors

Doors are often the few things in the house that are overlooked yet normally abused. They get bumped a lot, they get kicked a lot and they get a lot of dents, if not the most of them. Thus one of the central issues to sliding panel doors is the maintenance. But this doesn't mean that one has to bend his back over it just to attend to the newer dents on the doors. Sometimes, painting, thus adding some sort of surface protection, could be enough to increase the lifespan of the door.

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But how is this done? Let us give you some instructions and tips on painting the doors.

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First, handles, mechanism, plates and components that are not really part of the door's body must be removed. This would not only prevent such components from being painted but would also make the painting process a lot easier as there are no obtrusive things that could avert the painting process.

Second, prepare the wood of the door. Whether it be a new wood or a repainting job, the first thing to be done is to sand the body of the door. Sanding should be in accordance to the grain of the wood. Slight sharp edges must also be rounded off as this gives the door some degree of refinement.

After which, wipe the surface of the door to remove the debris and dust. Also, knotting must be applied to prevent any leaks that could damage the finish later. For cracks and joints, appropriate wood filler must be used.

Third, the actual painting process begins by applying an even coat of primer. Allow the primer to dry and smoothen the surface by using sandpaper. Rub with a clean cloth to remove debris.

Fourth, apply the undercoat. By following the natural grain of the wood of the door, apply one or two undercoats, if necessary. Preferably, the undercoat and the actual paint must come from the same manufacturer to achieve consistency of result. Let the undercoat dry and rub with sand paper. Using a cloth, remove dust and prepare the door for the last coat.

Finally, the top coat. Careful attention to details must be observed. Painting a panel door is not as simple smudging crayon into paper.

There are several panels and areas in the doors. Choosing any one of these as the starting point for the top coat is not really a good idea. It is always best to begin with the top edge of the door, painting it carefully while making it a point not to let the paint run. Then, the side parts of the doors should be painted, observing the same care. After that, coat the panels of the doors themselves using smooth strokes of the brushing while following the grains of the wood. Followed by the area in between the panels, begin with the vertical area then the horizontal area.

Painting Tips For Sliding Panel Doors

For tips on choosing sliding doors, visit http://www.slidingdoors101.com

EXTERIOR DOORS

Western Painting - Folk Art - The Cultural Pulse of Mexico and America

Western Painting includes the art forms originated in European countries. Folk Art is the subtle and traditional art form that emerges out of a rural or country scene. It has a naïve enduring style that captures the simplicity and innocence of the places, people, or things. Western Folk Paintings, as the name suggests, depict the rich cultural grandeur of Europe and Americas. Western Folk Art has many fascinating features and can wondrously depict the rich colorful natural landscapes, green forests, and life at the local level. Renowned western artists, such as Goya, Picasso, and Rembrandt derived heavy inspirations from Western Folk Art. American Art is especially prolific and notable. Famous Mexican and American artists use many types of canvas or bases such as wood or handmade tiles, to display their talent. This article picks up the best wings of Western Folk Painting, American and Mexican.

masonite drawing board

Mexican Folk Paintings: Mexican Folk Art though western, is mingled with ancient Indian tribe culture and Spanish traditions. Every single region in Mexico has its own artistic side, handed down through ancestry. Some Mexican Folk Painting types are:

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Bark Painting: Also known as Papel Amate, Bark Painting originated from the Guerrero Mountains of Mexico. These paintings are specialty art works of skilled Nahua Indians.

Clay Paintings: Mexican Clay Folk Paintings are usually done with and on pottery, plaques, and clay masks. The themes here are varied, spanning from a general village life to their gala festivals and rituals.

Wood Paintings: Wood Paintings employ Pyrography techniques. For this purpose, handmade special tiles are hand painted, depicting the interesting lives and scenes of Mexican pueblos.

American Folk Paintings

American Folk Paintings are done on glazed surfaces and Masonite bases. 18th and 19th century American paintings richly depicted village life, simple homes, vast farmlands, animal portraits, and sketches of fruits, flowers, & plants. Many American artists also dabbled in painting Biblical scenes of holy churches and the inner peripheral wonders of a church. Some important features of American Folk Art Paintings are:

o Competence: Due to their simplicity, originality, and great visual appeal, American Folk Art forms, such as polychromed wood based paintings and sculptures done during the 18th century, became very popular in the 20th century and have managed to gain prominent space in many American art museums.

o Themes: They are centered on local life, mainly young Americans, wild nature, cultural sequences, and ancient churches.

o Quality Artists: Gifted artists such as Barbara Steele Thibodeaux have given new life and meaning to Contemporary American Folk Art. American Folk artists mostly depict rich American culture and places of interest. The scenery down Old South, Louisiana, grand biblical sketches, and the portraits of American people are captured effortlessly by the talented artists of the new American Folk Art generation.

Western Painting - Folk Art - The Cultural Pulse of Mexico and America

Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Is is also a venue for artists to display and sell their art . Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited. Please visit the website at http://www.Labedzki-Art.com.

Annette has bonus offers on her work only. Buy 2 paintings of any size and receive 1 painting of your choice for free of equal size and value. SHIPPING IS FREE IN CANADA AND US ON SMALLER ITEMS.

Please feel free to subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.Labedzki-Art.com.

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Seven Things to Consider When Painting Bathroom Cabinets

It does not take great powers of imagination to understand how painting bathroom cabinets can infuse dollops of sunshine into their dark, inky existence. But this fast and exceptionally easy way to adding spunk to the cabinets is sure to fire your imagination in more ways than one. Bold, vibrant colors can become the supreme inspiration behind the most artistic of all creations.

masonite cake boards

A few deft strokes are all it takes to guarantee a makeover that is sure to make every wannabe Hollywood diva extremely envious. And the fact that this process does not wreck havoc on your bank account has financially astute homeowners in raptures. Your perfectly functional but slightly worn-out bathroom cabinet can become the cynosure of all eyes in a matter of a few hours.

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A Few Priceless Tips

I know my rather expansive account has your spirits soaring like a party balloon. But before you let your mind leap, jump and vault with joy, and allow the painter in you to run amok, make sure you take some time off to read these tips:

It is important to ascertain the material used in making the cabinets, to avoid calamitous results. While your efforts on wood, veneer and metal are sure to bear fruit, you're certain to be sorely disappointed in case of cabinets with thinner melamine plastic or plastic laminate. It makes sense to remove all doors and paint them separately, rather than when they are hinged to the cabinet. Use the services of an effective cleaning agent. Rinse thoroughly with water, after which sand paper must be brought into action to create a smooth, paintable surface. A damp cloth will obliterate all traces of fine dust particles. The use of tape around the edges next to the walls will help in getting that impeccable professional finish. You can set the ball rolling with a paint brush or a roller, depending on your style. A roller will not leave any tell-tale marks like brush strokes, and does a more competent job on large surfaces. Choose from a dazzling array of cabinet paints or satin enamel paint in the hardware store near you. Paint inside out; so you deal with the insides of the doors first, followed by the main body, and culminating with well-defined strokes on the outside. A second coat is advised, but only after the first dries completely.

You can let your heart swell with pride before you attach all the doors and handles. Make sure you are ready to handle the deluge of compliments, though.

Seven Things to Consider When Painting Bathroom Cabinets

Here's exactly how you can generate 100's or even 1000's of positively brilliant Bathroom Remodeling Ideas ... FAST ! And you could easily increase your home's value by several 00s fast with these 25 street-smart tips for Dirt Cheap Home Improvement.

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Painting Boards

If you are interested in exploring a new form of art, you should consider painting boards. Painting boards give you a much different style of art than canvas and other traditional painting surfaces. And they are very easy to display as well. Use painting boards to let your creative side run wild and in the end you'll have a great piece of art for your home.

masonite drawing board

One great painting board option is plywood. Plywood is great because it is texturally rich, meaning you can create something very unique. It is also very affordable and it can be purchased in any size. Use smaller pieces for wall hangings or paint a large board and lean it against a bare wall in your home. Your local home improvement store can cut it to your preferred size. You can use a variety of paints on plywood, including spray paint. Many professional artists love to do graffiti-style art on plywood. You can try it too and spruce up any room in your home with an exciting piece of art.

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Another painting board option is masonite boards. Masonite boards are made by compressing wood fibers and wax together to create a very durable and solid wooden board. These are fun to paint and they can be purchased in any shape or size. They are available in a wide range of textures as well. They are also sturdy enough to be used as display stands or mixing boards. You can do a lot with just a couple of masonite painting boards.

In addition to traditional painting boards, you might want to consider using natural items in your art. You can easily gather twigs, rocks and wood from outdoor areas and use them to create art that is unique and nature-based. Consider using natural paints such as ones created with vegetables or dirt to really bring this concept full circle.

Painting Boards

Masonite boards are used in many ways. One of these ways is to use them in the place of siding on your home. Masonite boards are also used in furniture and cabinet production. Looking for a sturdy way to decorate and transport your cake creations? Consider purchasing masonite cake boards. Cake boards made of durable masonite are stronger and easier to use than traditional cake boards. If you are interested in exploring a new form of art, you should consider painting boards. Painting boards give you a much different style of art than canvas and other traditional painting surfaces.

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Increase the Selling Price of Your House with House Painting

Bob Vila of This Old House fame tells people to "...be kind to their neighbors when picking a color scheme." His house painting advice is echoed by realtors and builders across the country. The color that you paint your house, they say, can affect the value of all the other houses in your neighborhood. That's one of the reasons that many homeowner associations limit house painting color choices for homes in their communities.

exterior doors with glass

While you might feel that house painting is a personal choice, there's a good deal of sense to the painting restrictions that some homeowners face. A garish purple house with Halloween orange shutters on the block can effectively make it almost impossible for anyone else in the neighborhood to get full value for their home if they choose to sell. A cohesive house painting color scheme that's carried on from property to property adds enormously to the appeal of a neighborhood.

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In some cases, the house painting restrictions are based on more than just owner preference. On the West Side of one New England town, for instance, is a neighborhood of historic period houses all built in a similar Edwardian style. Owners who purchase houses in the Tatnuck community usually sign an agreement upon purchase that they will maintain a white or gray exterior with shutters in black, green or red - and that they will only use white Christmas lights at the holidays.

So what colors are good choices for exterior house painting?

According to Realty Time magazine, the choices are, in order, white, gray, blue, tan or brown, cream, beige, green, yellow and red. Of those, the overwhelmingly most popular house painting color is white, with over 37 percent of all homeowners stating that if they were repainting a house, they would choose white. While gray is the second most popular color, most realtors would recommend painting your house a pale shade if that's your choice. The reason? Lighter colors brighten a house and make it seem more spacious.

Among the other colors, the favored shades tend to be muted tones, often in 'historical' themes. House paint manufacturers like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams often name their paint colors to cater to that trend. Thousands of houses across the country are painted Williamsburg blue or Colonial green.

If you do want brighter accents in your exterior house painting scheme, advise Realtors, confine yourself to the front door and shutters. A front door that's painted a friendly blue or warm red, they say, puts buyers in a good mood as they enter your house. And who'd know better than the guys that sell houses?

Increase the Selling Price of Your House with House Painting

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Visit this Home Improvement Website and Majon's Home Improvement directory.

EXTERIOR DOORS

Tips on Oil Painting - Oil Painting Supports

A ground or support is any kind of surface you can paint on. The choice of ground is in quite important because it determines in part how your painting will be perceived by the viewer.

masonite

Your support must satisfy a minimum of conditions. It must accept the paint well (i.e., the paint must stick in one stroke) without absorbing too much of the pigment.

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The least expensive oil painting ground is treated paper. It is very useful for practice and even for doing certain commercial work. You can also buy canvas pads. These pads usually contain 10 sheets of medium tooth 5-oz cotton canvas that has been triple-primed with acrylic gesso. The tooth of paper or canvas is the degree of roughness or smoothness of the canvas. You can tape the oil paper or canvas pad paper to a drawing board. Make sure it is secure and does not shift when applying brushstrokes.

Next in line are the popular canvas boards or panels which are sheets of cardboard covered with inexpensive white painted cloth. These panels are very popularity because they are inexpensive (particularly when bought in bulk), easy to store, and easy to carry outdoors. They are however not permanent, i.e., they will deteriorate over time.

Good results can also be obtained from un-tempered Masonite or 3-ply chipboard prepared with three coats of gesso on the front and one coat on the back to prevent warping.

You can also use so-called museum board which is on the order of good-quality mat board. This board is quit absorbent but is inexpensive to practice on.

The ultimate ground for oil painting is canvas stretched over a wooden frame. It has wonderful elasticity and resilience, and history has shown that it has very good permanence. Canvas is of course more expensive but when you're ready this will be your ground of choice and you'll never want to go back to anything else.

You can buy commercially pre-stretched canvas. In fact, there are plenty of brands, sizes, weights, and qualities to choose from. Only experience will teach you which type of canvas is best suited to your style and subject matter.

Canvas cloth is either cotton or linen. The finest canvas and most expensive is made of linen, which stretches better and has a better tooth. Cotton can be a bit difficult to prime.

Look for cloth with an even weave. The canvas texture can be tightly woven and smooth to fairly coarse with an open weave. That means the tooth of the canvas can be fine or coarse and anything in-between.

If you paint a lot, even commercially pre-stretched canvas can become expensive. If so, you can buy rolls of primed or unprimed (raw) canvas. Then with stretcher bars you can create a support of a certain size. If you bought unprimed canvas, you still have to prime the canvas with an oil-based primer.

To save money you may be tempted to work on small canvases. This is not recommended. Unless you are an experienced artist, working on a small ground can easily result in tight, overly controlled paintings. So use supports of at least 16" x 20".

Tips on Oil Painting - Oil Painting Supports

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and expert teacher. Check out his Pencil Portrait Course and his Portrait Print Package Special

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Exterior Painting Tips

Painting the exterior of your house is part art form, part science. Because your house might have many different surfaces, you will have to be familiar with a wide variety of preparations as well as a number of paint products and application techniques. In addition to that, you'll need to consider upcoming weather and organize your work based off of local forecasts. Also, you should consider the path of the sun throughout the workday. Since the exterior of your house is probably the largest surface you will ever work on, you'll need to do much of the work from work platforms or ladders. All of this requires a level of planning, preparation, and patience.

exterior doors for home

Preparation of the surfaces that you are going to paint is essential to your eventual success. In fact, preparation can consume a majority of the total time you devote to the project. In the long run, this preparation will most certainly pay off. If done correctly, this extra care taken before you paint can help a surface to last for decades.

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Preparing the exterior of a building for painting begins with the site itself. The whole idea is to cover up or remove anything that you do not want paint on. Also, it is important to move objects that might get in the way during the painting process. Take a tour of your yard and move items far enough away that they won't get any paint on them from spatter or overspray. Next, go around and remove any items fastened to the house like light fixtures, electrical outlets, address numbers, flagpole holder, doorknobs, hooks, brackets, etc. Finally, tape or mask anything that you do not want or cannot remove. With the careful application of masking tape, you can easily mask door hardware and other smaller objects. Remember to tape down all tarps and plastic sheets as well. This will keep them secured despite movement and weather. If you are planning on painting all the way down to ground level, dig a small trench around your house, exposing the entire surface of the siding.

No matter what kind of siding you have on your home, you should always perform a general inspection before preparing it for painting. Check it for damage, rotting, mildew, or mold. After you've inspected the siding, preparation follows a general order: remove mildew and mold, wash away dirt, replace or repair damaged siding, remove excess or loose paint, and spot-prime the affected area. On glossy surfaces, scuff sand to get the best finish.

In the end, water is the chief enemy of both wood and paint. Because of this, it is very important to caulk any gaps. Apply a top-quality all-acrylic caulk to the inside and outside corners, joints, seams, and other gaps where water could possibly seep in. Most caulks will adhere to a range of materials, even when they are wet.

When painting the exterior of your house, take ample time to plan and prepare the job. The most common mistake that people make when taking on a project of this caliber, is to jump right in without prior thought. You can plan for most problems and avoid them in the future with the right amount of preparation.

Exterior Painting Tips

Check out more information on Denver Painters | If you are interested in more articles from this author, please visit Denver SEO

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Why So Many Old Masters Used Impasto Painting Techniques

The impasto painting technique involves varying the thickness and texture of paint on the canvas. This results in paintings that offer an exciting emotional response that is quite different from artwork with a more uniform application of paint. If well done, the subject of a piece of art will almost appear to leap out of its frame.

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Some of the old Masters like Rembrandt and Hals, employed impasto techniques to selectively add depth and emphasis to specific areas of a painting such as the folds in clothing or wrinkles in skin. Monet used a widely variable thickness of paint to increase excitement and therefore hold and direct the eye of the observer. Van Gough utilized these techniques to evoke certain emotions.

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Oil and acrylic paints dominate impasto for the simple reason that straight out of the tube they are already very thick. Their viscosity naturally allows the paint to stand out from the surface. Simply put, the more paint applied the more it raises off the canvas. Other types of paints like watercolors can be used but require a thickening agent.

The painting surface needs to be somewhat rigid and non-porous. If traditional canvas is used then it must be tightly stretched on its wood frame and coated with several layers of Gesso or toned thoroughly with oil paint. Since any stretching or bending of the surface can cause the paint to eventually crack, an extremely rigid Masonite board is often used.

Because creating texture is the name of the game with impasto painting techniques, it is necessary for the artist to develop many different stroke styles. Also a wide range of brushes and knives are employed for unique effects. Some painters have been known to raid the kitchen for utensils that may yield unusual textures.

Why So Many Old Masters Used Impasto Painting Techniques

Learn Impasto Painting John Mackinnon has posted a series of detailed reviews and comparison charts of some of the best video painting courses. Learn which Painting and Drawing lessons are gems and which to avoid before you buy... Go to Painting Lesson Reviews

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Spring is the Time For Exterior Home Maintenance - Painting, Roofing, Siding, and Window and Doors

In the cold, wet months of winter, it's easy to procrastinate on home improvement and repair projects. Exterior tasks simply aren't as feasible. But now that it's spring, you need to get those pesky problems taken care of-before they get any worse!

exterior doors with glass

Roofing

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If your roof is deteriorating, or allowing water to penetrate into your home, you need to have it assessed by a professional roofer immediately. The stakes are high when it comes to roofing repair because if you wait too long or have it installed improperly you could end up with damage to the insulation, drywall, paint, furniture, and everything else that's under your roof!

Signs you need new a roof can include:

Curled up shingles Asphalt worn off the shingles Loose or missing shingles Cracked shingles Spots on your interior ceiling Black or green streaks The age of your roofing

When it comes to protecting your home and family, professional roofing contractors are a must. Not only can they accurately evaluate the state of your existing roof, but they also have the skills and experience to install your roof properly.

Windows and Doors

Windows and doors are the gateways to your home; however, many people don't realize the importance of maintaining and replacing these fittings. If a window or door is old or damaged, it needs to be replaced. Old windows leak heat and air-conditioning, raising energy costs, while new thermal windows can help you conserve energy. Broken windows and doors are not only dangerous to your family, but they also leak heating and cooling, allow pests to enter your home, permit moisture to pass through, and can even grow mold and fungus.

Door and window replacement is an easy and relatively hassle-free process. Adventurous DIYers can handle most types of window and door replacement, but using a professional will guarantee correct installation and make the process totally stress-free.

Siding Installation or Replacement

Tired of your old aluminum siding? Sick of scraping and repainting your wood siding every few years? Looking for an energy-efficient house siding solution? Then it's time for siding replacement. With the great selection of siding products available today-including high-tech insulated vinyl and cement fiber, you're sure to get great looks and superior performance out of your new siding!

The two most popular options in house siding today are vinyl and cement fiber. Vinyl siding is hugely popular because it is low maintenance, long-lasting, durable, good-looking, and affordable. Unlike wood siding, vinyl siding won't rot or need painting. A new option in vinyl siding is insulated vinyl, which offers low maintenance and attractive appearance as well as the added benefit of thermal insulation to increase your home's energy efficiency. Cement fiber siding, a newer exterior siding material, is made from compressed concrete and wood fiber. It has the strength and longevity of cement and the appearance of wood. Cement fiber siding is extremely durable and offers the beauty of wood siding without all the maintenance. And, although cement fiber is more expensive than vinyl, it can easily last the lifetime of your home, making it a fantastic value over the long term. Contact your local siding contractor to learn more about the options available for upgrading your siding.

Exterior Painting

When your house paint is starting to flake, peel, chip, or just look dull, it affects the whole appearance of your home-and it also leaves your house exposed to damage! You need to call a professional house painter today. They'll be able to correctly prepare the surfaces, repair damage, and apply paint to get your home looking great again.

Many homeowners don't realize that house paint is about more than aesthetics: the paint is there to shield your house from the elements and environmental dangers, not just to look pretty! Exterior paint is designed to safeguard your home from UV rays, mold, moisture, and even insects. However, when the paint starts to wear off, it no longer fulfills these roles, leaving your house vulnerable! That's why it's crucial to keep your house paint in good repair, and to have your home promptly repainted when the paint does begin to wear off.

So if winter weather has kept you from going through with exterior home repairs, now is the time to get them fixed. The longer you put off home improvements like window replacement or a new roof, the more likely it is that your house will develop real (and expensive) problems. As with most things, an ounce of prevention goes a long way! Call your localhome improvement contractor today.

Spring is the Time For Exterior Home Maintenance - Painting, Roofing, Siding, and Window and Doors

Matt Gallo is a home improvement specialist and the Internet marketing manager for Prospect Genius, a leader in online local advertising

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Scary Low Exterior Painting Bids

With people spending less money during these economic hard times, painting contractors are struggling for work and offering crazy low bids just to get work. The bad side of this scenario is that it can cost the homeowner three times the amount of money to paint their home if they accept a crazy low bid.

door sweeps for exterior doors

If you accept Joe Blow's scary low bid, Joe Blow can and probably will quickly turn into Joe Blow-and-Go. Anyone who bids low on a paint job will have to cut as many corners as possible in order to earn a respectable wage.

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Joe Blow-and-Go will buy cheaper paint if possible and he will add ¼ gallon of water or more in each gallon, instead of the standard half gallon of water per five gallons of paint recommended for spraying.

If your home is being painted with the same color as the existing paint, Joe Blow can get away with murder in savings and be able to use a lot less paint than it should really take. If there is any color change, Joe Blow-and-Go will need to be slightly more careful about getting the paint to cover. I will soon add a video to show what will happen to your home, in a couple of years, if the paint is applied too thinly and watered down.

Joe Blow-and-Go will then spray the extremely watered down paint on thin and you'll end up with a bad looking paint job in a year or two.

Since your surface will be covered, you won't know if you got a good paint job or not until it's way too late. You won't even know if they prepared the surface properly. One or two years later, when the thin spots start wearing down from the weather, you're going to be furious. But, Joe Blow will be long gone with your money by then laughing on some bar stool.

Since you will be furious about the shoddy paint job, you'll want to have it done right the second time. That's when you'll end up paying the RIGHT price to get it done and you will more than likely do your homework getting bids and checking references.

Basically, you lost all that money to Joe Blow-and-Go and now you're having to pay for another paint job all over again.

What else can happen as the result of scary low bids from an inexperienced painter?

Joe Blow-and-Go will not prepare your surface properly, because he won't make any money if he takes the extra time to do the proper preparation.

Surfaces that are not cleaned, scrapped, sanded or primed properly will result in continued aggravating problems.

If quality products, primers and paints are not used, your problems will grow faster and can be more costly in the long run.

Scary Low Exterior Painting Bids

Dave Drew

Phoenix, Arizona house painting contractor for 18 years.

http://www.drewpainting.com

EXTERIOR DOORS

What You Should Know About Painting Exterior Steel Doors

Painting exterior steel doors is a very manageable home remodeling project for most homeowners. You do not need any special tools or equipment, just some basic knowledge of how to select paint, how to prepare the surface, and how to actually do the physical painting. None of this is terribly complicated or difficult, so you can even make it a chore for a parent and a child to work on together.

wood exterior doors

When painting exterior steel doors, your first consideration is paint. Do not just head straight to the paint store, because the type of paint you need to use will depend on the type of paint already on the door. You can apply latex paint over the top of existing latex or oil-based paint but you cannot apply oil-based paint over existing latex paint. If you are not sure what kind of paint is currently on the door, then opt for the highest quality 100% acrylic latex paint (gloss, semi-gloss, or flat). Think also about the color you choose, especially if the door is subject to direct sunlight, rain, or wind. Bright colors look terrific at the start but tend to fade more noticeably over time, requiring more frequent repainting.

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Painting Exterior Steel Doors

Preparing the surface and doing the physical painting are next to consider. The surface must be free of dirt, debris, and flaking paint. It should also be thoroughly rough sanded to ensure the new paint will adhere properly. Many people choose to do the surface preparation and painting with the door still installed, but this makes the job much harder.

A better way to do it is to remove the door and take it into a sheltered area such as a garage or covered porch. Lay the door on a pair of sawhorses so it is easier to work on it. The sanding will be easier and the painting will be easier as well. Painting on a flat surface makes it possible to apply a heavier (more durable) coating of paint without the problem of runs or drips. If you follow these simple guidelines, your project of painting exterior steel doors will be both fun and easy.

What You Should Know About Painting Exterior Steel Doors

This article was written by Gregg Hicks of http://www.reliableremodeler.com which provides Internet-based home improvement information and services. Offering homeowners a simple, quick, and free way to access, qualified home improvement remodeling contractors.

EXTERIOR DOORS

Exterior House Painting Ideas

The most important house project that can be done is exterior house painting, and with some exterior house painting ideas you can save a lot of time and effort. The effects of the weather can have devastating consequences on your home, so it is important to obtain tips on how to minimize these effects. There are many different types of surfaces in the exterior of homes and a general knowledge of these is advisable. Due to the uniqueness of each home, some of these exterior house painting ideas may or may not apply in your situation.

Exterior house painting ideas can be used to save you money from the weather and water. Oftentimes, nothing is stopping further damage from occurring than simple paint and caulking. The use of high quality products and materials in the painting of your home is one of the best exterior house painting ideas around. Better quality painting products can add many years to the live of the paint and save you money in the long run. You can minimize the effects of weather damage by utilizing top quality products and by hiring a professional contractor, whose knowledge and on-the-job experience, will lead to lower maintenance and repairs bill in the future. Professionals may have additional practical and useful exterior house painting ideas to offer the home owner.

MASONITE EXTERIOR DOORS

In most homes, exterior house painting ideas would be applicable in the largest exterior area which is the body. It is usually composed of stucco or siding. Wood siding is extremely common and relatively easy to paint or stain. A lot of homes have wood siding called T-111. The T-111 siding is very hard to keep painted, because of the large number of cracks that develop in the plywood. If you have this particular type of siding and it is currently stained, a good idea is to not paint it, but re-stain it. Masonite is also used often in the exterior of homes. It is an artificial material that is embossed or smooth, wood grained. While it is a stable form of siding, it does require back rolling to avoid water damage in the future. Vinyl and steel siding is a great alternative for the exterior of your home, as it can easily be revitalized. Exterior house painting ideas that also save your home from water damage are helpful suggestions to follow.

An excellent idea for your home is to use stucco as your finish. It rates high in exterior house painting ideas, due to its ease of maintenance and inexpensive costs, as well as its usable lifespan. Painting your stucco finish is an excellent way of changing the color or hiding those unsightly stains of your exterior surfaces. Commercial buildings often use concrete block due to its ability to be stained or painted, and its capacity for achieving many decorative effects. Exterior brick is also often used with a low maintenance finish and the color can last a long time.

Applying exterior house painting ideas to the renovation or upgrading of your home will add true value to your investment. You can put these ideas to use yourself or consult with a professional contractor for an exterior paint job that will be the envy of all your neighbors.

Exterior House Painting Ideas

David has been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his latest website that helps people find the best exterior house paint colors and some of the best exterior paint to use on their house when deciding to remodel it.

MASONITE EXTERIOR DOORS