You can employ a variety of methods to update and redesign your home—but installing crown molding is one of the most effective. Though they may not seem like much, these architectural design pieces can take an ordinary room and make it extravagant and inviting for you and your guests. However, this isn’t the only advantage that crown molding offers a home. Read on to learn more of the key benefits of having crown molding in your home.

Hides Imperfections

Older homes can shift and expand with time, creating inevitable cracks and blemishes along our walls—especially in tight corners. Because crown molding is installed where the wall and the ceiling touch, these blemishes can be a thing of the past. By placing crown molding around the perimeter of a room, you’re providing it with an instant upgrade that shields these cracks from sight.

Enhances Visual Appeal

While blocking your view of any wall imperfections, crown moldings also enhance a room with their own designated structural design. These styles are what make a room appear more elegant and inviting to those spending time in that space. Depending on which you choose, you can find a style that works with your décor to create a cohesive look throughout your home.

Diversifies Design Options

Crown moldings come in a wide range of design options for you to choose from. This ensures that you’ll be able to find one that complements the established style of your home. Remember, however, that when in doubt, going with a simplistic design is a great way to enhance a room without overpowering it.

Increases Home Value

Because of the benefits that crown moldings offer your home, they also have the additional perk of raising its overall value. The more visually interesting a home is, the more likely it is that buyers will want to pursue purchasing it. This makes it more desirable on the market and raises the potential for greater profit upon selling.

At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, we don’t just provide professional painting services. We’re also well versed in the craft of wood-rot removal and crown molding installation. With our carpentry services in Cumming, Georgia, we’ll be sure to complete your projects in a timely and effective way.

If you’ve ever rented an older apartment or bought an older home, you’ve probably been warned about lead exposure and its associated risks. At the time, this may have seemed like a standard piece of paper you needed to sign before you could move in, but lead is a very real threat for many residents across the nation. As such, it’s important that you’re informed about the signs and risks of lead poisoning and how you can protect yourself and your family. Here is everything you need to know about lead paint in your home.

The Dangers of Lead-Based Paint

Initially used in early paint products to accelerate drying time and the overall durability of finished products, lead is a heavy metal mined from beneath the Earth’s crust. These paints were stronger and longer-lasting than anything else on the market, making them the logical choice for home painters for several years. However, as knowledge of chemicals’ effects on the human body grew, people came to realize these products could be harmful in various ways. Lead paint was officially banned from home application in 1978, but many homes built before that date still utilize them. As such, it’s important that you’re aware of the signs you could be at risk and how you should respond.

The primary health hazard associated with lead exposure is lead poisoning. We illustrate some of its potential consequences here:

Lead Poisoning

Lead poisoning results from the ingestion of high quantities of lead over time and can lead to potentially serious damage to a person’s vital organs and base functions. Once lead makes its way into the bloodstream, an individual will often begin experiencing symptoms such as frequent headaches, stomachaches, nausea, tiredness, and irritability. All these traits are common signs that your body is fighting off a foreign chemical. As more lead concentrates in your blood, these signs will worsen and make you vulnerable to other ailments.

In severe cases, lead poisoning has been known to cause a series of lasting physical conditions such as hearing loss, slowed development, fertility struggles, and even nerve disorders. Unfortunately, these cases also worsen with an increase in lead concentration, and they can lead to permanent health issues later in life. Because this condition also results in high blood pressure and bone marrow problems, it can also make you more susceptible to developing other illnesses after the fact.

How to Protect Yourself

Among everything you need to know about lead paint is how to properly remove it in order to protect the health of yourself and your family. Paint isn’t the only household product that contains lead, but it poses the most risk with frequent contact. As such, be sure you follow these steps to ensure your safety.

Determine Whether Your Walls Have Lead Paint

Since lead paint isn’t used in current renovation projects, you may never even have to worry about exposure. However, if your home does end up having lead paint, you’ll want to be aware of it so that you can respond to any problems. Many homeowners or renters ask when their residences were built for this reason. If your own home was built prior to 1978, you’ll need to be conscious of the possibility of the presence of lead paint. Though landlords are legally required to tell their tenants if lead is present in the building, homeowners may need to get an official inspection to be able to tell for sure.

Regularly Check Your Paint for Damage

Fortunately, lead paint only poses the above risks if it’s been damaged. If your paint has remained intact, harmful lead particles don’t have the opportunity to be ingested. However, if you notice that your paint is beginning to peel, chip, chalk, or crack, you should take immediate action to remove yourself from the environment and to properly remove the product from your walls. When inspecting your walls, be sure to keep an eye out for excessive levels of dust in certain areas as well as any locations where the paint is thinning or becoming brittle. If you’re pregnant or have young children, it’s especially crucial to remain informed on the condition of your walls to ensure your safety and health.

Clean Areas Where Paint Dust May Collect

Dust can easily form in sections of a home where painted surfaces commonly rub together, such as doors, windows, and stairways. To ensure that your home is clean and that lead particles aren’t floating freely, take some time to wipe this dust away by wetting the area with a spray bottle to reduce any fly-away debris, making sure to wear the proper safety equipment when you do so. Keep up with your regular chores to rid your home of any additional dust and dirt that could harm you.

Wear Protection When Altering the Paint

Whether you’re repainting or performing construction work, altering the lead paint in your home can release harmful lead particles into the air. This makes them very easy for you to ingest in high amounts, putting you in danger. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t complete these projects at all. Wearing protection such as a facemask, gloves, and HAZMAT suit is key to maintaining your safety during these endeavors. If you must alter the paint in any way, it’s crucial that you wear these items to keep the lead from infiltrating your system—especially during winter interior painting projects. Ultimately, if you don’t want to take the chance of exposing yourself to lead, consider reaching out to a professional to remove the paint for you.

Hire Professionals to Remove it

The best way to protect yourself from damaged lead paint in your home is to have professionals take care of it for you. Trained and experienced enough to handle these situations, these individuals know the ins and outs of lead paint removal and how to best protect themselves while completing the job. Many house painters are even specially qualified to take care of your lead paint as part of their initial painting services.

For more information about lead paint and about how you can protect yourself and your loved ones, reach out to Bear Mountain Custom Painting. Our experienced, EPA-certified house painters in Cumming, Georgia can further inform you of the risks as well as help you remove the problem. We aim to make your space just as safe as it is beautiful by assisting you in eliminating lead paint particles from your home.

When you prepare your nursery for a new arrival, you want it to be the perfect environment to raise and nurture them. This is why many expecting parents will go the extra mile to make their baby’s room one with personality as well as practicality. But painting has a lot of components that you’ll need to account for. It’s crucial that you utilize a few tips for painting your baby’s nursery to ensure the best, safest results.

Use Low VOC Paint

Though efforts have been made to make paint products less hazardous, they often still contain volatile organic compounds. These chemicals can have a negative effect on the human body when ingested or breathed, so you don’t want them anywhere near your baby. Fortunately, several types of low VOC paint have been released, making it possible to cut back on the amount of toxins in your nursery.

Protect Your Walls with a Finish

It’s no secret that children can be messy—that mess can begin to show itself on your walls. If you want to keep them clean and sanitary, make sure to use a paint finish you can easily wash. For many homeowners, eggshell offers the perfect option. It’s strong enough to hide scuffs and marks, but you can quickly clean it when spills occur.

Think About the Potential for Glare

A child’s developing eyes are very sensitive to excessive light, putting them at risk for potential damage if you don’t take care. Though the level of light may not harm you, it could be another matter entirely for your baby. It’s for this reason that when painting your nursery you should check the light reflectance value of the products you use to cut down on glare. Since nurseries need to be slightly dimmer, it’s recommended that you use a paint with a reflectance value of 60 or lower.

If the task of repainting your baby’s nursery has become too large of a job to handle on your own, remember that you can always call in reinforcements. At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, it’s our mission to provide you and your family with quality, professional interior painting services for your home Cumming. This could include everything from the kitchen cabinets and your living room walls to, of course, the nursery.

As shocking as it may seem, many homeowners consider winter the perfect time to repaint the exterior of their home. With ample time spent within its walls, and plenty of opportunity to notice potential repairs, this season is actually one of the best for this project. While painting your home during the wither months seems unusual, it isn’t so unrealistic if you take steps to accommodate the weather. Utilize these tips for painting your home’s exterior in cold weather for successful results.

Don’t Forget Primer

Primer is an important component to any painting job, as it helps protect the paint from damage and helps it bond to the surface it’s applied to. This is why you must use a primer when painting your home in the winter. Fortunately, most modern paint products already have a primer mixed in—but you’ll want to make sure. If your paint doesn’t already have a primer, ensure you incorporate a bonding primer before applying it.

Use Cold Weather Paint

You’ll also want to ensure you obtain paint rated for colder temperatures if you’ll apply it outdoors in the winter. Doing so guarantees that the paint bonds correctly to the surface and that the harsh weather conditions will not damage it. Since many common house paints are only rated for more than 50 degrees, you might need to do a bit of research to find a brand that works well for the situation.

Monitor the Weather

Before beginning your exterior painting project, you must ensure the weather will cooperate. It’s not the best for you to paint with snow on the ground or temperatures below the paint’s minimum limit, as you risk incorrect drying and paint chipping. You’ll want to pick a few days where the temperature is at its highest. You should also plan each coat of paint to times of the day where the sun will shine directly on the home. This will assist the overall drying process and keep the surface temperature high enough to help the paint stick.

If you find yourself struggling with any of these steps, you can also reach out to a trusted professional painting service like Bear Mountain Custom Painting. It’s important to us that you have the resources to finish your painting project regardless of the time of year. That’s why our trained and experienced exterior painters in Cumming are here to answer all your questions and help you out.

With a new year comes new opportunities for updating styles, designs, and even lifestyles. Through our new year’s resolutions, there are various changes to be made—and a lot of fun to be had while doing so. But these resolutions don’t need to just include our bodies and clothing choices. In fact, many homeowners consider the new decade a fresh start to update their homes with the latest color of the year. Learn how to incorporate the 2020 color of the year into your home and develop a design fitting for the adventures to come.

This year’s official color is the deeply-rich hue of classic blue. Symbolic for great change and regal class when confronted with adversity, this color is perfect for kicking off a new year and a new decade. It’s also considered a tranquil color, one that can help the mind rest after a long day and promote calmness in a person’s routine. As such, it’s a wonderful addition to a home that’s in need of a relaxing space.

Ways to Incorporate It

When deciding how to best incorporate the 2020 color of the year into your home, it’s important that you first decide what purpose you have for the color. Whether you want to create a relaxing sanctuary or want an elegant touch in your design, choosing this purpose first will help determine where it would best fit. From there, you can choose the rooms where the color would be beneficial and narrow down your options for how to use it.

In the Bedroom

If you want to create a haven to retreat to after a long day, you might want to consider incorporating some classic blue into your bedroom design. But don’t worry; you don’t have to change the room’s entire style to do so. With neutral-colored walls, it’s very simple to switch out the colors of certain focal points, such as your bed sheets and throw pillows. This allows you to add some soothing qualities to the space without compromising your current design.

However, if you do want to create a more drastic transformation, you can also consider painting your home’s interior—specifically, your bedroom walls. Classic blue is often more effective when applied in this way, as it has a clearer effect on the room’s overall atmosphere. With the vibe itself becoming cozier and more supportive, it’s significantly easier to get into a relaxed mindset.

In the Living Room

A classic blue bedroom, however, might not be the ideal for some homeowners. In this case, they can always use the color more creatively in their entertainment spaces. When used in the living room areas, this color gives off a regal and confident vibe that accentuates your décor and brings classiness to your style. As such, these spaces often use the color in the form of decorative pieces, wall art, and furniture fabrics. Even using it to give the room a noticeable pop of color is also effective, due to the classic blue hue’s richness.

It’s important to remember, however, that if you’re going to use this color for your furniture, you’ll need to treat it as the focal point for the room’s design. Since this is a very strong color, it can quickly take over a room if used in large quantities. You’ll have to adjust the room to match the piece.

In the Bathroom or Kitchen

From cabinetry and tile to backsplashes and appliances, a home’s kitchen and bathroom areas offer ample opportunity to mix up the color scheme. Kitchens, for starters, allow you to display appliances that demonstrate unique pops of color. This draws the eye and adds additional appeal to the layout. You can also use a classic blue backsplash tile to create an extravagant space to prepare your meals. But these aren’t the only possibilities.

Since bathrooms are typically where we go to care for ourselves, it’s also common to see different blue shades in this space. For personal bathrooms, homeowners often add a bit of atmosphere by painting the cabinetry and incorporating soothing décor. These touches are generally in a bluish hue because of the color’s ability to promote calmness and relaxation.

Tips for Household Application

As exciting as it is to use a new color in your home, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t overpower the space with the additional style. At the end of the day, your home’s design needs to suit your personal tastes for you to get the most out of the space. This is especially the case here, since classic blue is such a strong, vibrant color. If you don’t want to devote an entire room to the color, it’s often best to use it in small doses here and there.

Remember that you can also tweak the color to better suit your needs. For instance, if the color is too dark, you can look at swatches a few shades lighter to find a closer match. While classic blue is currently the trending color, it’s also important that the one you choose works with what you want. You can even use the trending colors as inspiration if you so choose.

Other Expected Color Trends of 2020

If classic blue is too rich of a color to incorporate into your preexisting design and color scheme, don’t feel like you have to force it in. In fact, there are a series of other color trends for 2020 that are easier to use. These colors are more neutral in appearance and, therefore, lend themselves well to experimentation and creative designing. So, if you’re looking to redesign your home for the new year, keep an eye out for hues like:

White Herron
First Light
Crystalline
Golden Straw
Oxford Gray

Starting a full-scale decorating project in the new year can be a stressful process. Take some of the difficulty out of it by hiring Bear Mountain Custom Painting. Our professional interior and exterior painting services in the Atlanta area are the perfect tools for transforming your home and starting the decade off right.

Gutters are essential components of the home for a variety of reasons. They might seem like small details in the grand scheme of your home’s design, but they play a larger role in your home’s value than you might think. Because of this, it’s crucial that your home is equipped with newer, more effective gutter models. Below you’ll find just some of the ways that gutters affect home value.

Provides Additional Home Protection

Gutters are designed to channel rainwater and direct it away from your home’s foundation. This significantly cuts back on the risk of flooding and protects your siding, foundation, and roof from deterioration. The decrease in overall risk to the home helps prove to potential buyers that its current state will last. As a result, the home becomes more desirable, and the market value increases.

Enhances Curb Appeal

A nice set of gutters also does a lot to tie the look of a home together—especially for more modern designs. As such, they play a key role in making the home look more appealing and generating buyer interest when it’s time to sell. With more interest in the home, the listing process becomes more competitive, and you’ll be able to adjust the sell price to fit the demand.

Prolongs Roof Lifespan

In addition to protecting your home from floods, effective gutters also make it easier for you to maintain your home long-term. Your roof, for instance, can weaken when clogged gutters overflow and saturate the shingles. This can lead to expensive repairs for you and a loss of interest from potential buyers. As such, it’s recommended that you get in the habit of replacing your older gutters if you notice they’re no longer working properly.

Potentially Decreases Insurance Costs

The less risk of damage a home has, the more likely it is that your property insurance bill will decrease. This, of course, depends on your insurance provider and your region, but the lowered cost is an important benefit for people looking to purchase a home.

Whether you’re looking for the right type of gutters for your home or someone to install them, Bear Mountain Custom Painting can fulfill your project needs. Our qualified gutter installation professionals in Cumming, Georgia, know how to best position your new gutter systems for optimal function in severe weather.