Deck Painting, Staining and Refinishing – Why?

Your deck is an important part of your property and it should be protected and beautified so that it can not only add value to your home, but be enjoyed by your family and guests. Specialized deck paints are available to help add beauty while protecting your deck from insects, water and other degrading factors that you don’t want to come in contact with your deck.

These paints come in a variety of preselected colors or you can customize it yourself to match your home and make the entire home image come together. The best part is that these paints last a long time and only need minor touch ups when high traffic or other abrasive activity damages the surface over time.

Deck paints last much longer than stains and opaque stains which make paints more desirable when protecting your wooden decks. Paints also allow you to cover up imperfections in wood as well as remove rough textures on the wood by coating flat with a level surface.

Depending on the wood type you may have to apply a primer to have an appropriate surface for a paint application. Primers also help to protect the wood by giving it an extra layer of protective coating.

Deck paints can be applied in many coats to provide a much stronger barrier between the elements and other nuisances such as termites and ants which could bore into the wood. Extra coats make it difficult for insects of the boring type to detect that the surface is actually wood, so they stay disinterested in boring to build their paths and nests.

You may even want to prepare the wood by a pest control center with a layer of insect wood treatment before painting so that insects which do bore into your wood die quickly and prevent extensive damages.

Deck painting is simple and can be done by any do-it-yourself type of person, but unless you want to risk possible mistakes during a deck paint application, consideration of having a professional deck painter handle the job is recommended.

Many deck owners do enjoy taking care of the job themselves as it gets them involved in the beautification and protection of their property. This is perfectly acceptable and is encouraged to those who really want to apply the deck paint themselves or to those who cannot afford professional deck painters doing the job. Manual deck paint jobs can take much longer without the specialized painting tools that professionals use.

Why Hire a Professional Painting Company?

I found this story online and got permission to use it here – this lady’s experience about trying to paint her own home really mirrors what my clients tell ME.

“I recently moved to my first home. After years of saving I was finally able to afford a house and it was so cool to have a place of my own. I could not wait to start decorating every room. I had all these great ideas but a limited budget. Most of my disposable income was going to pay for the move and my mortgage. I knew that I was going to have to keep the furniture I already had for a while. I still wanted to make some statement showing this was my new home.

I decided doing some interior painting was the best way to go. How hard and expensive could interior painting be? I could do a room each weekend. It would only take a few months to paint the interior of the whole house. It was fun taking the time to pick colors and types of paint for each room. I decided to start painting the living room and then the kitchen. I was going to use the same colors to tie the two rooms together. I had this fancy multi layered pattern in mind. The lady at the paint department made is seam so simple and easy. I had all the paints and the painting equipment needed. I covered all my furniture, cleaned the walls and got ready to start.

Painting is hard work! I did not have half the room done by the end of Saturday. I was tired and sore. It was not a lot of fun. I was just working on the first layer. I was going to have to do the pattern and textures after. I learned that I am not very good at doing interior painting. It did not look at all like I wanted it to. I was hoping it would go smother on Sunday. I was in no condition to paint Sunday morning. I hurt. I accepted that it was going to take me a long time to paint the interior of just the living room.

I was not going to spend all my free time painting. I have a life I would like to live. I decided to find a local Interior Painting company. I spent the next week getting quotes from different Interior Painting companies and finally settled on a particular painting contractor.

He was not the cheapest, but he seemed to have the best references. Also he was available the next month to paint the interior of my whole home. It actually worked out to be only a little more expensive than if I did it myself. Paint supplies and equipment are not cheap. It was worth paying him for the quality work, and that it was done in a few days, not months.

Choosing a painter in Columbia, MO is getting harder and harder – dozens of painters and painting companies are touting their wares and their painting expertise.  So are there any particular tips or hints on choosing a professional painter?

The following info was from a company in another state but the general guidelines apply:

Finding a Painter

The best way to search for painters is on the internet. Using the phone directory will just cause you to become overwhelmed. By using the internet you can search the company more thoroughly. The internet will let you know how long they have been in business and if there are any unresolved complaints about that company.

There are many large painting companies as well as individual painters. It is not recommended to use an individual person for very large commercial jobs because not all are licensed or have the personnel to handle the work.  But for most residential, office and small commercial painting jobs, a small one or two-person painting company may be all you need and will almost certainly be more affordable.  Again, make sure these painters are licensed and insured – there’s no excuse not to be, even if you’re a small professional painting firm.

Missing an important inspection, or not following a specific code, can cost you more money than the painting job itself. The fines for not following a specific code are quite costly. They typically range from one thousand dollars and up. Not following the proper inspection schedules can also cost you a hefty amount in fines. This is why it is imperative that you hire a licensed professional – again, this is mostly for Commercial work, but codes are there for a reason – your home should also be properly painted!

If you feel overwhelmed while looking for a painter, ask a friend or relative. Odds are you know someone who has had to have painting done. Often times friends and relatives can save you the hassle of choosing the wrong person and having to find another company. Coworkers are another source that you can go to. By using a referral from someone you know, you are more likely to be content with the company that you choose to perform your painting task.

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I hope this info on choosing a professional painting service will help you find a painter right here in Columbia, MO – please call for a free estimate!  I AM licensed and insured and have 20+ years of experience.

Home Painters Can Be More Hassle Than They’re Worth – If You’re Not Careful!

This story is from a lady in Queens, NY:

Last year my husband’s employer gave him a choice regarding his employment. The options were simple, transfer to the office in Queens or find a new job. Because of the ever struggling economy we knew the only choice was to move. So we packed up the kids, the animals, and furniture and moved from Portland to Queens. Once we arrived in Queens, I had the task of looking for a new home to purchase.

The house hunting did not take long, and before we knew it we were closing on the sale. The only thing that my husband did not like about the house was the current paint job. He informed me, that painting the house would have to happen before we could move in. He then asked the realtor if she knew of anyone who did professional painting in Queens. She referred us to a company and we hired them on the spot.

I knew we had a problem the first day the painters came to the house. The first thing they failed to do was cover the windows. The home featured some beautiful stained glass windows that soon had paint spray all over them. The next problem came with the actual painting itself. The work was done sloppily. Doors had paint markings on them, and even the tile floor had paint on it.

After two days of frustration, my husband fired the painters. Now we faced the dilemma of leaving our home in disarray or finding another painter. So he called the realtor and asked if she could refer us to someone else who did professional painting in Queens. The next person she referred us to never bother to show for our appointment. Instead of calling again, we opted to finish painting ourselves. We ended up having to move in before we were finished. But now that we are, we are happy with the results.