There are few things more frustrating to a homeowner than a bad paint job. When inquiring about getting your home painted, you need to know that the business you hire is authentic and that they can provide answers to your questions. Here are the things to look for before hiring a painting contractor.
Aim for Quality over Cost
Quality is the most important aspect when it comes to home improvement services. For example, one company or worker has a lower cost to cut corners, reflecting the work’s quality.
To avoid potential problems, ask the company about their work process and why their prices are low. For example, at times the prices are low because they cut certain things out—find out what those cut areas are before hiring a painting company or contractor.
Research and Ask Questions
Be wary of contractors or companies that don’t have a significant amount of information on their website So, while you’re researching a company, contact them and ask about their services. If they don’t provide enough information, they likely won’t give you the right job.
Typically, companies will have a section on their website that lists positive reviews. If there isn’t a section like that, go through review websites and find customers that talk about their services. Additionally, a company that offers house painting services in Cumming, GA will have a list of frequently asked questions and a customer service form to request additional information.
Review All Guidelines in Your Contract
When you encounter any form of bound contract, sit down and read every detail. Otherwise, you and the contractor will have difficulties not seeing eye to eye on certain aspects of the project, and there’s likely to be tension.
Ask the contractor about their procedures and the preparation process to remove worries and concerns. Also ask them about the guidelines and payment plans. Give suggestions if it’s possible.
As you hire a painting company or independent worker, keep our list of things to look for before hiring a painting contractor in mind. That way, there are no miscommunications or errors as you go through the process.
Bear Mountain Custom Painting provides the needed services and guidance to help achieve the paint job you want for high-quality home improvement jobs such as home interior and exterior painting. Contact us for more information on our home painting services.
Prepping the home for winter is a task that’s hard to accomplish, especially since winter appears out of nowhere. From the kids taking off for winter break and the holidays creeping up on us, we forget to administer checks to ensure that the house is ready for the first snowfall of the year. So here’s our guide on the four must-know tips for winterizing your home.
Inspect the Gutters
Inspecting the gutters is a task that should be done at least three times a year, especially for cleaning. As you clean them out, you’re preventing debris from clogging your drains and long icicles from hanging from your roof.
While you’re maintaining the gutters, install a gutter guard to prevent water from spilling over and freezing.
Test the Detectors
The most dangerous part of winter is that house fires can break out. At times it’s due to cluttered and overcrowded spaces, creating a fire hazard. Other times, someone left the fireplace going, or didn’t blow out a candle. Either way, checking your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detectors can help save you and your family from a disaster.
Inspect and Change Your Doors and Windows
If you’re considering changing your doors and windows before winter, now’s the perfect time to hire a company for a quick window and door replacement in Cumming, GA. Bear Mountain Custom Painting can easily replace all of your doors and windows for better insulation and improved curb appeal.
Most importantly, having the ability to save on energy and keep your home insulated are the main reasons to get new doors and windows for your home.
Check Your Thermostat
To help keep your home warm, you need a thermostat. If yours is old and undependable, it’s time to go out and purchase a new one. Having a thermostat can help keep the home at a stable temperature.
Additionally, go with a digital thermostat; that way, you can control it with a smartphone or tablet. Most thermostats also have weekend and vacation settings.
After reading our must-know tips for winterizing your home, start making changes and checking areas that can cause flooding and ruin your home’s foundation. After confirming that all is well, your home’s ready to take on winter.
For more information on door and window replacement services, contact Bear Mountain Custom Painting. Our services range from replacing doors and windows for energy savings to placing shiplap on your walls; we can provide your project with exemplary service and guarantee that with every service completed, your home’s ready for the first snowfall down to the last.
Dark colors aren’t a poor choice for your home’s walls, and they can fit any personality or home décor theme. However, if dark colors get you down or you want something to bring more natural light in, you should learn how to cover dark paint with a lighter color.
Choose Your Paint Color Wisely
When covering up any portion of dark paint, the color you pick makes a huge difference in how the paint job turns out. We recommend going with a shade at least two to three tones lighter than the current wall. If you choose something too light, such as a yellow, your contrasting won’t look sharp. Consider your choice of paint before you start covering the original color.
Prep the Surface Area Thoroughly
Don’t leave any space untouched. If one area has even a speck of dust, it can throw off your entire effect. Also, as you transition from dark to light, the light paint makes it apparent that your walls are dirty, and you’ll need to chip the paint to get any remaining dirt or mildew out.
If you want to prep properly, first clean your surface area with a lathered soapy washcloth and wash away any stains, grease, dust, and mildew. Next, use a scraper or sandpaper to strip away peeling or bubbling paint. Also, cover holes and cracks with spackle.
Prime the Area
Priming your wall is an important step, as it helps cover old paint and prevent stains from bleeding through to the new coat of paint. Also, without a primer, the paint won’t stick well. So, use a primer to keep the surface area smooth.
Once you’ve applied the primer, allow the area to dry. Then, place a coat of white stain-blocking primer on the wall before you get started. If you want to block more stains out, put a little bit of primer into some paint. If you’re at the store, ask one of the workers to tint the color for you.
Use High-Quality Paint
If you’re looking for another way to paint your walls, such as DIYing, then you’re doing more work than you need to. Instead of going in the DIY route, spend a little more on a higher quality color compared to other paints. By using high-quality paint, you won’t have to go to the store five times throughout the day to purchase more paint.
Painting walls is hard enough but painting light colors over a dark color is another task entirely. Aside from doing the job yourself, you can reach out to Bear Mountain Custom Painting, where we have many of the best interior home painters in Cumming, GA.
After reading how to cover dark paint with a lighter color, make sure to contact us for more information on our services—ranging from interior painting to help planning out a skylight. Our serious painters don’t leave a single wall unmarked.
As you prepare your home for new renovations, consider adding additions to your home. For example, aside from another guest bedroom or a second living room, adding a skylight or roof window can elevate the house and bring in more natural light. Consider our list on why you should consider installing skylights or roof windows onto your home as a sign you should get one.
Understanding the Terminology
The terms “skylight” and “roof window” go hand in hand, but they often get misconstrued with other similar words. Below are more phrases that can have similar definitions.
Skylight
A skylight is a fixed window that gets placed in the roofline. Usually, the skylight has venting options placed inside, but the window can’t open. (In Europe, many people refer to it as a “rooflite” instead of a skylight.)
Roof Window
A roof window can open by pivoting with an awning-style device. Similar to sidewall awning panels, the roof window can have a screen installed. Many manufacturers call this window type a venting skylight.
Light Shaft
A light shaft refers to a structure’s connection to the skylight or roof window. It acts as a shaft that links trusses and joists to the roof for easy placement. The light tube (or “chase”) is found mainly in one-story homes that have horizontal openings as part of the roof. Keep in mind that the framing system’s price adds up to the cost of installing the window.
Tube Window
The tube window is an inexpensive version of the light shaft, as it lifts a dome-like window from a flexible reflective tube. This skylight style can be seen in small spaces to add natural light to smaller places, such as the closet, bathroom, or laundry room.
Your Skylight and Roof Window Options
There are plenty of roof window or skylight options to pick from. You can also select the best type of glaze and glass for the panes. Other options to enhance the window include the ability to open them with remote control. The motor-powered window is an excellent purchase for properly ventilated windows in a light shaft.
Prevent window glass from breaking by using opt-in or shatter-proof glass. Then, as the weather becomes severe, you won’t need to worry about the windows breaking from hailstorms or tree branches falling onto the roof. Shatter-proof glass also improves your home’s security features.
Installation Options for Skylights and Roof Windows
You can install your skylight or roof window in one of three ways. Below, we’ve listed out three different approaches to install a skylight or roof window onto your home, even if you don’t have experience.
A Homeowner Installation
If you have basic carpentry skills, you can set up a skylight or roof window on your own. It’s even possible to DIY your skylight installation. The same core skills you’d use to install a side window can help place in a skylight or roof window. However, if you have a motor-operated window, hire an electrician. They can ensure the wiring is secured correctly before and after the window is mounted. Before beginning your home setup, consider your strengths and weaknesses to determine an efficient installation strategy.
A Window Company
Looking for window replacement or installation company in your area can lead you to many well-known companies, such as Bear Mountain Custom Painting. At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, our services extend beyond house-painting services. We also take time to service areas with our window installation.
With our services, we can equip you with the skylight or roof window of your choice. Before installation, we recommend picking an area that’s fully framed so the installation process can happen faster. After setting up, the rest of the process is up to you.
Hiring a Carpenter or Contractor
A carpenter, contractor, or handyman can install your skylight or roof window for you. This suggestion is inexpensive and, depending on whom you pick to set everything up, it can help you save money. For example, if you decide to use a contractor, they can plan everything with you, from inspection, choosing style choices, and hiring outside help. A carpenter or handyman will do the job solo or bring on one different partner.
Our best advice is to go with a carpenter or contractor who has good recommendations and is trustworthy. Do a quick background check on them and check that you can contact their references for questions or insight on their work ethic.
Roof Windows and Skylights Limitations
With every renovation project, there’s going to be some limitation on what you can do. However, this list is comprehensive and explains more about understanding your restrictions as you dive deeper into your home remodeling project.
A building code limits you on what modifications get made to the house. Typically, windows grant easy access to escape a disaster like a fire or a flood. Unfortunately, roof windows or skylights aren’t great in these situations; one has a permanent seal and the other doesn’t have enough space to allow others to go through. Luckily, many window companies offer the option for roof windows to have an extra opening that allows for more space. To have an egress window installed, you also need a ladder attached to the side of your home so people can get down safely.
Skylights are perfect for people who want to save on energy. Unfortunately, no blinds or curtains are included, so you’ll have to buy them separately.
Installing a skylight or roof window is an exciting venture to take when improving your property value and energy costs. However, it’s essential to keep costs in mind before you go and install a window on your roof. There’s more than style to choose from; you can decorate how you want it or even decorate the room to make the window stand out.
At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, we do our diligence to ensure all services we provide get adequately done. We let you be the deciding factor when you’re figuring out the style of your windows—or even house painters in Cummings, GA. Now that you’ve read about why you should consider installing skylights or roof windows, contact us for more information. We can help you improve the interior and exterior of your home.
When you’re working on your home’s exterior, avoid making mistakes such as not cleaning walls before painting or not using a compatible surface primer. To help you avoid such troubles, here’s a list of mistakes to avoid when painting your house’s exterior.
Not Taking Your Time
When you rush through a project, you make and see lots of mistakes. As such, it’s essential to take your time when you’re painting your exterior. Bear Mountain Custom Painting has professional services that provide exterior painting in Cumming, GA. From helping you choose colors and assisting with the prep beforehand, we can help you plan everything out.
Not Preparing for Inclement Weather
Dancing in the rain is one thing—but painting in harsh weather conditions can delay the process and even ruin the work. If there’s bad weather, our painters will work around your schedule to pick a day with suitable conditions. If you’re worried about the paint getting ruined from moisture, you can purchase paint made with moisture-lock components. In other words, your paint won’t melt, chip, or warp the material when it’s humid.
Not Using a Primer
As a homeowner, you want the best shield against weather and other harsh conditions that could ruin your paint job. Unfortunately, a mistake many novices commit is not using a primer—or if they do, they use the wrong one. When you use our services, we guarantee a primer is placed on in several coats to protect wood after every paint job.
When exploring your options for the best painters in Atlanta, Bear Mountain Custom Painting is here to help you plan every step of your process. So, when selecting a painting company for your next exterior painting job, consult Bear Mountain Custom Painting. We can help you learn what mistakes to avoid when painting your house’s exterior while completing your first exterior home painting project.
Say goodbye to ordinary swinging doors and say hello to sliding barn doors. Barn doors are a new modern approach to use in a home because of their functionality, space-saving abilities, and much more. Read on to discover our list of the benefits of installing sliding barn doors.
Barn Doors Save Space
Do you need a new system to help divide rooms into separate areas? Sliding barn doors are what you need. Having barn doors can allow tight spaces to feel more spacious rather than swinging doors that take up an entire room. You won’t need a ton of floor space when you have a barn door since it rests up against the wall. Barn doors are especially ideal if you have a tiny home or apartment.
Barns Door Are Easy To Install
Compared to other door types, barn doors don’t need to get measured before installation. Measuring for a traditional door requires cutting down the doorway before placing the door in, but a barn door is installed in a simpler way. Because it’s simpler to install, attaching it to your wall won’t take a long time.
Barn Doors Are Functional
Your space can become more open due to the functionality of barn doors. They’re made from lightweight materials and are easy to open if you have your hands full. With them, your doorway develops into a walkway that doesn’t require you to prop the door open. They’re also useful when you need to move furniture or other items through the doorway.
Barn Doors Match Every Style
They’re chic, fabulous, and entirely up for interpretation on taste. A barn door is multifunctional and can suit every homeowner’s style; they range from rustic to shabby chic. They can even match different finishes, configurations, and wall colors.
When you’re looking for door and window replacement services, consider replacing your doors with barn doors. They match every home style and make life easy. Our contractors at Bear Mountain Custom Painting are more than happy to help you learn more about the benefits of installing sliding barn doors. Contact us, and we’d be glad to help discuss more options for you and plan your next door replacement.
