Hot Trends in Home Improvement for Homeowners
Exterior painting is reported to be one of the top home improvement projects this spring that will boost curb appeal and property value. In fact, expert sources and realtors say that exterior home painting and upkeep can increase current market value of a home by 200%.
“With the struggling real estate market, it’s important for homeowners to know that most homebuyers make their decision – subconsciously or consciously – within seconds of viewing a home’s exterior,” Chris Ring said, Vice President of Operations and Training for ProTect Painters. “Homeowners who aren’t selling also benefit greatly from a strategic, eye catching exterior paint job as it increases the home’s value and can even help increase the value of the neighboring homes.”
Potential sellers should also focus on the home’s exterior simply because of the ROI. Seven of the top 10 home improvement projects for 2012 are exterior projects garnering anywhere from 69% to 78% return on investment — the highest of any other projects this year.
We, along our preferred home painting partners Behr, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams, three of the nationwide leading paint companies, share tips on color selection and the architectural elements to focus on:
- Energize the Exterior: Bright, bold exterior colors are popular this year particularly shades of tangerine, yellow or deep purple. Behr suggests their color popping yellow shade Desert Glow while Benjamin Moore offers its deep purple hue Vintage Wine. Sherwin Williams recommends their vibrant tangerine orange shade called Daredevil to give a home a cheery look heading into spring.
- Front Door: A new coat of paint on your front door creates a visually pleasing focal point. It plants the seed of first impression that sets the tone for the rest of the house.
- Shutters: Whether blending to the body color or serving as a cosmetic accent to the overall color scheme of the house, freshly-painted shutters serve as instant exterior updates.
- Trim: New trim paint beautifies the façade, highlights the design of your house, and gives special emphasis to its attractive architectural features.
- Garage Doors: Another way to enhance curb appeal is to paint your garage doors to coordinate with the house body color—or make it standout by using a complementary hue.
- Fences: The right fence color can underscore the architecture of your home and add character to your yard. Fences provide a color frame for your property and give the house a distinct personality.
What do you think of our color and painting tips? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below.
If the exterior of your home could use a fresh coat of paint — or two — start the process by getting an estimate that includes any and all work required for a high-quality, long-lasting paint job. Use the following checklist to ensure your estimate includes everything it should.
Power Washing
Power washing the exterior of your home with an environmentally safe detergent should be included in the painting estimate, as should hand washing of any areas a power washer could damage. Proper cleaning methods remove dirt, chalk and chemicals from the surface of your home, all of which can prevent fresh paint from adhering to the exterior of your home. These cleaning methods also remove mildew spores that destroy even the freshest of paint jobs. If your home’s exterior was recently power washed, this step might prove unnecessary; discuss the issue with your painting contractor as part of the estimate process.
Prep
Do not simply accept “Prep” as a line item in the painting estimate. Have your contractor detail in writing the prep work to be done. For example wood requires that loose or peeling paint be thoroughly removed and any bare wood primed before the finish coat is applied. Gaps should be filled with caulk before a penetrating primer gets applied. And before any of the prep work begins, the landscape must be protected. All of these steps should be included in the estimate, as should the product name of the primer to be used.
Painting
The painting estimate also should stipulate that all non-painted areas be covered and that cleanup be complete after the work is done. Request that your painting contractor also detail how the paint will be applied and in how many coats. Ask how the contractor handles weather conditions such as rain. The best painters suspend work when a 50 percent or more chance of rain exists. Request that the brand of paint be noted in the estimate and ask your contractor for recommendations on which paint will work best on your home.
Final Inspection
If your painting contractor ranks as one of the best in the area, he will include a final inspection in the estimate without you having to ask. It will include a complete and thorough walk-around during which areas requiring touchup will be determined and additional cleanup tasks will be noted. When you select ProTect Painters, you also will receive a final walk-around at the completion of the job.
If the estimate you receive includes all of the above, you can expect a high-quality, long-lasting paint job. If sticker shock sets in upon seeing the final cost, keep the following in mind: An exterior paint job should not be viewed as one-time cost but instead as an annual investment. A high-quality paint job can last more than 10 years, while a low-quality one could require redoing in as little as three. By no means should you consider tackling this work yourself, unless you work as a professional painter and can carve time out of your busy schedule to paint your own home’s exterior.
One final estimate issue to keep in mind: Discuss the payment schedule up front and put it in writing. It’s common for professional painters to receive a deposit when the contract is signed and progress payments during the job.
When you’re ready to paint your home—interior painting and/or exterior painting—be sure to contact your local ProTect Painters and click here for a free estimate.
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Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
ProTect Painters Expands with New Owners – ProTect Painters In the News, March and April 2012
ProTect Painters recently added two new owners to its franchise family. America’s fastest growing painting franchise added new owners to McKinney, Texas and Covington, Washington. These owners were promptly featured in their local publications, highlighting the ProTect Painters Difference: FREE Estimates, Dependable Scheduling, Professionally Trained Crews providing 100% insured work, and Reasonable Prices
ProTect Painters opens a franchise serving the local area
On March 29, the Kent Reporter interviewed Chuck Reger, the new owner of ProTect Painters of Covington, WA. The article announced the presence of Reger’s new business, and the benefits of hiring ProTect Painters for residential or commercial, and interior or exterior painting needs.
“People throughout Covington, Auburn and surrounding communities are always searching for new, affordable ways to freshen up their property,” Reger said. “ProTect Painters has a trusted reputation across the country of providing home and business owners with exceptional value and the highest level of customer service. We look forward to bringing this to the greater Auburn, Covington market.”
With the housing market and general economic climate continuing to encourage people to keep versus sell their existing property, professional painting contractors, like ProTect Painters of Covington, are in high demand. Reger is providing residents of Covington, and surrounding areas, the opportunity to affordably maintain the appearance of their homes and businesses.
Service Franchise comes to DFW
The Star-Local News, out of McKinney, TX recently featured new ProTect Painters of McKinney owners Eric and Cheree Smith, in an article announcing their first day of business in the Dallas-Forth Worth area.
Eric and Cheree, who recently ended their previous respective careers in information technology and medical assistance, saw an opening in their area for a business like ProTect Painters. “One of the things that seemed to kind of be lacking in the corporate world is the relationships that you can build with the people in the community,” Eric said. “We really wanted to get involved a little bit more and feel like we’re accomplishing something.”
The Smith’s were also looking for career moves that would allow them to spend more time with their children, and as interactive members of the community. “It’s improving the community, offering different services, (and) making the area a little bit nicer to live in,” Cheree said. “McKinney has got such a wonderful, very interesting flair to it with the historic district, but also with all the new people who are moving here. We’re providing services for those people.”
ProTect Painters stands by hiring professional painting crews from the area, providing jobs for local painters. “We can draw from a large base of individuals that we have to try to select the right crew,” Eric said. “By us being able to have various crews…we’re able to select the right crew for the right person and the right job.”
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ProTect Painters In the News – January and February 2012
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Preparing your Home for Winter with Quality Painting Service: ProTect Painters In the News November 2011
When you’re ready to paint your home—interior painting and/or exterior painting—be sure to contact your local ProTect Painters and click here for a free estimate.
Homeowners often ask, “Can I paint over my existing stain?” or “Can I apply stain over my existing paint?” The answer to both is yes, but each requires extensive prep of your home’s exterior or you will end up with a big mess.
Paint vs. Stain
One benefit of the staining process involves its ability to penetrate, providing protection while enhancing the natural beauty of surfaces with complementary stain colors. Paint, on the other hand, coats surfaces to provide protection; the beauty comes from the paint colors, which cover the surfaces.
Painting Over Stain
Most woods stains call for a protective finish as part of the process, such as varnish, enamel or lacquer. To properly paint over stain, you must remove the stain’s glossy finish so that the paint has a surface to which it can adhere.
For best results, hire a professional painter who will sand down the entire area to be painted and clean up the resulting dust and debris; left-behind dust and debris diminishes the paint’s ability to adhere and also results in an unsightly mess in the coats. Your painter will next apply a primer to prevent the color of the stain from seeping through and to help the paint adhere; darker stain colors require primer tinted in the same shade to properly cover up their appearance. Your painter also may sand the primer coat and clean the surface again before applying the paint, which will be oil-based for best results over a stain. He will finish the job with a second coat.
Staining Over Paint
If you do decide to switch from paint to stain, you also will have extensive prep work to do, or have done by a professional painter as recommended. The only difference in prep involves primer; stain typically does not require it.
Choosing Between Paint and Stain
Sticking with one or the other product offers the best results and the lowest maintenance. When deciding between the two, consider the following:
- Paint comes in thousands of colors, while stain colors can be quite limited in comparison.
- Paint comes in multiple sheens, whereas stain comes only in a flat sheen.
- Paint provides more uniformity in coverage than stain does.
- Stain allows the beauty of a surface to be seen, in terms of both color and texture.
- Stain costs less per gallon than paint, which can greatly affect the total cost of the project.
- Stain typically does not require a primer.
A professional painter can walk you through additional pros and cons of each product and help you decide which will work best for your home. For example, if you have textured siding and shingles, he likely will suggest a stain to allow the natural color and surface to serve as an architectural element of your home’s exterior. If you want to hide flaws in your home’s exterior surface, your painter likely will recommend paint to create that uniform look and feel. Where you live also can factor into your decision regarding the best coating for your home’s exterior, as weather will affect how long a particular product will last and how well it will fare in your area’s climate.
Once you decide on a product, your painter also can help you choose paint or stain colors if necessary, including applying samples to your home so you can see exactly how it will look at different times of the day. The expertise and skill of a professional painter proves invaluable for such an important job as the appearance of your home’s exterior.
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Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
When you’re ready to paint your home—interior painting and/or exterior painting—be sure to contact your local ProTect Painters and click here for a free estimate.
Deck Makeover – Your Summer Showcase
With the summer fast approaching, we all look forward to trading in our snow shovels for beach towels and scarves for sunscreen. After months of snow and frigid weather, it’s about time for some fun! Nothing says fun like a backyard barbeque with friends and family. Is your deck ready for the coming season? If you’re like a lot of people, you have probably neglected your outdoor entertainment space. Luckily, you can transform your deck into a centerpiece that you will be eager to show off in most cases well under $75, depending on the size of your deck.
The key to any project involving your deck is the prep process. With BEHR Premium No. 63 ALL-IN-ONE Wood Cleaner, you can clean your uncoated deck and revitalize the wood to its original, beautiful color. This will brighten the wood and make it look like new, as well as prepare the wood for optimal acceptance of a stain or
finish.
If you really want to elevate the look of your deck, you should apply one of BEHR’s long-lasting wood coatings. Recently re-formulated for maximum durability with an Advanced 100% Acrylic formula, BEHR’s Premium Line of wood stains and finishes deliver the ultimate in quality and performance.
If you are looking to show off the natural beauty of your deck, BEHR’s line of Transparent Finishes are perfect for the job. If you are looking to highlight the grain of your wood while looking for some additional color options, you can pick from an array of 60 custom colors offered in our line of Semi-Transparent Wood Stains. If you are looking for maximum durability as well as computer color matching, then our Solid Color Wood Stains are the perfect choice.
If you have peeling stains or finishes on your deck, don’t forget to use No. 64 Premium Stain & Finish Wood Stripper prior to applying a top coat. After stripping the old coating, use No. 63 Premium ALL-IN-ONE Wood Prep to brighten the wood for the best visual appeal, and to promote optimum adhesion and performance.
ProTect Painters Partners with Leading Paint Companies
Annual Convention Boasts Laudable Sponsors
ProTect Painters, a national franchise specializing in exterior and interior residential and commercial painting projects, has vetted the best paint companies in the industry. For years, ProTect Painters has chosen Behr, Glidden, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams as preferred vendors. In return, these companies have chosen to back ProTect Painters because they trust ProTect Painters’ use of their products. As a show of that support, they sponsored the recent annual ProTect Painters national convention held January 17-20 in Orlando.
“Benjamin Moore was delighted to meet the Protect Painters franchise owners. It was nice to see a group like Protect Painters working together to grow not only each individual’s business but each others. We look forward to helping when and where we can, moving forward,” said Dean Pectal, Senior Manager of Residential Contractor Business at Benjamin Moore Paints.
Specializing in residential and commercial painting projects, ProTect Painters provides local homeowners and businesses across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
About ProTect Painters
ProTect Painters is a professional painting contractor franchise specializing primarily in exterior, residential painting projects. The brand’s strong foundation is built on franchisee training and support created by founder Wayne Scherger, who started the company in 1994. In 2009, ProTect Painters was acquired by Service Brands International to join its forces with Molly Maid, Mr. Handyman, and 1-800-DryClean brands. Under the SBI umbrella, ProTect Painters is expected to grow to 200 units during the next five years. For more information about ProTect Painters services, please visit www.protectpainters.com. For more information about the ProTect Painters franchise opportunity, please visit www.protectpaintersfranchise.com.










