Exterior Paint Maintenance Every Homeowner Should Know

 Exterior Paint Maintenance You Must Know

 

If you’ve had your home painted two years ago or longer it’s time to check for damage and do simple but important maintenance to keep your paint job doing its job longer.

There are 3 types of damage easy to detect and fix but left untreated may cost you hundreds.

• Cracking or missing caulk around windows, doors, trim or between side boards. Caulk eventually uses elasticity when exposed to the elements or cracks when a home settles. This unavoidable damage WILL allow moisture to destroy your paint job.
• Dirt or other substances on your paint job. These are abrasive and corrosive and can compromise your paint job and usually appear on the bottom 10’ of the paint job.
• Loose or damaged siding boards or trim. Paint is a coating that prevents moisture and pests from destroying building materials. When a board is loose or obviously damaged the coating has been compromised.

We now offer annual maintenance services to extend the life of your paint job.

The cost of maintenance that extends the life of your paint job is significantly less than repainting your entire home. The more time your paint job does its job, the more money you can keep in your pocket. Each year at the end of Spring we offer a limited number of maintenance appointments.

Based on the damage we find during an inspection we can:

• Re-caulk all windows and doors.
• Re-caulk and touch-up paint gaps between side boards and trim.*
• Power wash up to 10’ high.
• Replace loose or damaged boards, touch-up paint, and caulk.*

Contact us to book your inspection NOW. Appointments for maintenance work are offered on a first-come-first-serve basis during a 1-2 week period at the end of Spring and is determined by forecasted weather.

*Note: Touch up paint may not be an exact match and “flashing” may occur due to the effects of the elements on your existing paint job. The match will be as close as possible and the cost is less than repainting the entire home.

A Quality Paint Job Earns Angie’s List Super Service Award

A Quality Paint Job Earns Super Service Award

 

We are so thrilled to be honored with the Angie’s List Super Service Award for 2013! Awards are amazing, but we want to give credit where it is due. So our biggest THANK YOU is for our clients for providing great reviews on Angie’s List! Your willingness to share your experience and praise with a review site has allowed us to be seen and honored. We have love being invited into your home and business to provide valuable paint services. We have the best clients in Colorado!

What follows is the press release from Angie’s List. You can learn more about what we’ve been recognized for.

A Quality Paint Job Earns Esteemed 2013 Angie’s List Super Service Award

Award reflects company’s consistently high level of customer service

A Quality Paint Job has earned the service industry’s coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award, reflecting an exemplary year of service provided to members of the consumer review service in 2013.

“It is an honor to receive this award from Angie’s List, an organization that cares about what customers want. We are encouraged that the work we do and service we provide is appreciated in Colorado.”

“Only about 5 percent of the companies A Quality Paint Job competes with in Colorado Springs and Monument are able to earn our Super Service Award,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “It’s a mark of consistently great customer service.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2013 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, which include an “A” rating in overall grade, recent grade, and review period grade; the company must be in good standing with Angie’s List, have a fully complete profile, pass a background check and abide by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List. Companies are graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from price to professionalism to punctuality. Members can find the 2013 Super Service Award logo next to company names in search results on AngiesList.com.

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 Angie’s List helps consumers have happy transactions with local service professionals in more than 720 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to healthcare. More than 2 million paid households use Angie’s List to gain access to local ratings, exclusive discounts, the Angie’s List Magazine and the Angie’s List complaint resolution service.

How to Check for Paint Hail Damage

How to Know If Your Paint Job Has Hail Damage

 

Colorado Springs has pretty epic hail storms. We usually think of the damage to our home’s roof or our car’s hood. But your paint job can be damaged as well. And even minor paint damage can lead to more expensive damage. It’s important to inspect your home’s exterior painted surfaces for damage.

There are two things to look for to determine if paint on your home’s siding was damaged by hail.

#1 Dents
Hail of any size can cause dents in your siding. Look for several indentations about the size of the hailstones that fell on Friday. The paint around the edge of the dent may or may not have visibly broken. If you see any of these hail-shaped dents, the surface of the paint has been compromised and will over time let moisture into your siding and cause problems like warping and peeling paint.

#2 Missing Paint
This one may seem more obvious. Hailstones can fall with great force and at times can take a chunk of paint off your siding. Look for small or large spots of missing paint or exposed siding. This needs immediate attention.

Your insurance company may allow you to choose your own painter. If so, please contact us immediately. We will be happy to take a look at the damage, verify that the insurance adjuster’s amount is accurate, and get you on the schedule for paint damage repair.

3 Tips for a Great Outdoor Living Space

3 Tips for a Great Outdoor Living Space

 

In Colorado our outdoor living season is short. Unless we install a fire pit (and there are no fire restrictions), and are willing to bundle up.

I absolutely love summer and early fall in Colorado. The evenings are cool and there are very few bugs with which to contend. Our rental property is small which meant when we lived there we were also in need of extra living space. We put an outdoor tent over our patio, bought cushioned chairs and created an oasis which acted as a second living room day and night for several months.

Here are a few tips for making a great outdoor living space.

Tip #1 Treat it like an indoor living space.

I found I was more inclined to go outside and stay outside when I was comfortable. Two things that made the list were shade, and lots of it, and cushioned furniture. The hard plastic chairs may be inexpensive, but they are uncomfortable. We weren’t willing to pay full price for furniture, either so we hit Craigslist and found a used patio set with cushioned chairs, a loveseat, and footrests. Jackpot!

Items you may want for your outdoor living space:

• Furniture with cushions
• Side tables or coffee tables (to eat and set drinks on)
• Covering like an awning, tent, or umbrella. Bonus to having a tent, you can put up curtains to block intense sun.
• Rugs made for the outdoors. We used this on a concrete patio to save our crawling baby’s knees.
• Lighting for evening. White Christmas lights do the job well.

Tip #2 Play with color.

Because the sun is so intense here in Colorado, it’s a good idea to add a punch of color to your outdoor space to give it some presence and pop! I like to experiment with color outside—so bold bright yellows, pinks, and greens become center stage for me. If you’ve always wanted to try bold color inside, but were afraid to, use the outdoor space as a testing place for your interior décor ideas.

Tip #3 Bring in plants.

Unless your living space is surrounded by lush gardens, you may want to consider large pots of plants to bring a sense of coziness and privacy to your living space. Plants liven up an interior and will do the same for your outdoor space. Flowering plants may be nice, but be ready for bees to do their job. You may want to do an all green planter with a tree you can bring inside during the winter months. Or use ornamental grasses and succulents to create a modern feel.

One of my favorite things about all outdoor living spaces is that when you spend time making it comfortable for you it will be very comfortable for others. You are able to go from yourselves to a party quickly! Now’s a great time to start.

More inspiration is available on our Pinterest board: Outdoor Living Space.

What do you like most about your #outdoorlivingspace ? What do you wish you had?

4th of July Kid Crafts

4^th of July Kid Crafts

 

Independence Day is Thursday.

I love July 4^th! Nice warm weather, celebrating with friends and family, and a day off. I try not to think about the fact that summer, my favorite season, is half over. Since there are likely to be no fireworks because of the massive fire danger this year we will be making merry with friends and probably a movie or two.

We want to celebrate this important day with our young children and hands-on projects usually fit the bill. I, Lisa, may have combed Pinterest a time or two for great kid crafts. Here are a few that I thought would be fun. Will I be doing all of them? Um, no. But maybe you can find one you’ll enjoy. Click on the image to visit our Patriotic Pinterest board and get to the original sources for these projects.

Confetti Poppers

Nothing says holiday like a big mess. So here is a way to let your young ones spray as much confetti everywhere as possible. But the kids I know would LOVE this. Especially if they are allowed to aim it at each other.

 

Popsicle Stick Flags

These are quick and easy to glue together. I’ve found colored craft sticks like this a our local craft store. Otherwise some quick acrylic paint would do the trick.

 

Patriotic Pinwheels

These pinwheels seem easy enough. Looks as though they used scrapbook paper and some wooden dowels. Check the craft stores for sales on all 4^th of July related paper and goods.

 

Pipe Cleaner Fireworks

Now we’re close to my speed. I have pipe cleaners and thread. Maybe even a couple beads. These would be fun to hang from our dining room chandelier.

 

Pipe Cleaner Sparklers

Now, this the craft most likely to be done at my house. I have all the pipe cleaners I’d need for this. It may not look like much, but my little ones would LOVE this. Hopefully they won’t poke each other with the finished product. No guarantees.

Do you have any favorite ways you help kids understand the importance of Independence Day?