Designer Secret: Make Vents Disappear!

Designer Secret: Make Vents Disappear!

 

For some reason many homeowners leave their wall vents (usually cold air returns) the original white. But look at one in your own home. Doesn’t it kind of stand out like a feature? Doesn’t it detract from the decorative things you have on your wall or nearby? I’ve seen many homeowners try to hide theirs by putting furniture in front of them.

Interior designers have a secret to making those vents disappear.

Well, at least to make them blend in. How do they do it? Most interior designers will have a painter paint vents the same color as the surface they are on.

Good designers always pay attention to this detail. The effect is visually amazing…these HVAC eyesores fade into the background. Your eye no longer stops on the giant white return vent! The pictures are from our personal house. One room has not been painted and has the original white vent. The other is in the hallway by the kitchen. See the difference?

What about drips and chips?
If a professional is painting the vents you shouldn’t have any drips. They will most likely use a sprayer. Even if they don’t, brushed paint done well looks great. If the vent is chipped, use very fine grit sand paper to simply scuff the surface and dislodge any loose pieces around the edge. Then, simply use a small artist brush and some of the leftover paint to cover the area.

Won’t the vent get kind of thick and gunky if we paint over it?
How many times do you plan to repaint the room? A couple of times, no. If you plan to do it 3 or 4 times it could. Most homes use standard size vents that can be found inexpensively at hardware stores or ordered online and are easy and inexpensive to replace.

Does it cost more to have return vents painted?
It may add a little more to your bid but not a lot more. Each return vent we do runs between $10-15 each. And most painters will only do them when you are having the room painted. In our home we have 5 so that would only add about $50-75 to the bid if we were having all those rooms painted.

Every homeowner we’ve done this for has LOVED the results. When you have your interior painted, consider asking your painter to paint the vents as well.

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Best Paint for Exteriors

Best Paint for Exteriors

The Exterior Paints We Use Most and Why!

 

Whether you’re hiring a painter to paint your home or being a weekend warrior and painting your own tool shed to match your house, it is important to know your exterior paints.

It may be tempting to go to a local big box store and buy whatever paint the salesperson recommends. The price is comfortable and it seems easy.

Using professional paints makes a huge difference in how your paint project will turn out. They cover better and stand up to the elements better. Colors even looks better in those paints because of the quality of pigments.

HOT TIP: Follow Sherwin-Williams® on Facebook or watch for their ads. The specials they run on the products we list below are as good and sometimes even BETTER than the volume pricing we receive as pros.

This article assumes you’re going to paint siding or wood. Furniture, metal, plastic…that’s a whole other ball game.

SuperPaint® by Sherwin-Williams

SuperPaint is a mid-grade paint and the most budget-friendly option we offer to most homeowners. Choosing this paint will save you a few hundred over the other choices we list. But it won’t last nearly as long as the other two.

This is a great DIY paint for exterior projects.

It carries a 25 year limited warranty. This paint covers and flows through a painting pump very smoothly. Correctly applied with two full coats this paint holds up very well on vertical surfaces (like the side of your home or a shed). Flat surfaces, like deck floors and steps, will show wear much more quickly.

Emerald™ Exterior Acrylic Exterior Paint by Sherwin-Williams

This is the Cadillac of residential exterior paint products and is more durable than SuperPaint. It is a self-priming paint that lets you do only one coat, but needs to be built to a certain thickness. We really suggest this paint be applied by professionals only.

It comes with a limited lifetime warranty. And it is amazing at resisting peeling, cracking, chalking, and fading.

Duration® Acrylic Exterior Coating by Sherwin-Williams

Without getting into all the technical mumbo jumbo, this product is considered a coating, not a paint. The molecular structure is different. This technology mimics what is used on bridges and other outdoor structures subject to the elements. It fades evenly over time, bonds really well to the surface, and is more durable than paint. We also recommend this product be applied by a professional only.

Sherwin-Williams gives this product a Lifetime Warranty.

We used Duration on our personal home several years ago. The sheen looks as good today, six years later, as it did the day we applied it. It has also held up well against every hailstorm we’ve had (even one that caused our roof to be replaced.) We recommend Duration if you’re going a little darker in your color choice.

Since it’s a “coating” there is a specific one-coat thickness that needs to be applied by a pro using a sprayer and a tool we call a “mil gauge.”

We do not recommend any paints of lower quality or durability. We believe painting should be done well and should last.

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7 Things to Ask Exterior Painters Before You Hire

Every homeowner needs this list!

 

Painting your home exterior is a considerable investment. We know it can be hard to know if a paint contractor will give you your money’s worth. Here are a few quick and easy questions you can ask in the estimate appointment to help you with your decision.

First, we recommend getting three paint bids. Usually one company will stand out above the others.

1. How long have you been in business in Colorado or elsewhere?
2. What is your method for applying paint? (We apply a true two-coats of paint. “Wet-on-wet” application is NOT a true two coats and will void a manufacturer warranty. There are a few products like Sherwin-Williams™ Duration® or Emerald™ that are one-coat products but must be built to a certain thickness.)
3. Who do I contact if there is a problem during the paint project? (It should be the owner or the project foreman.)
4. Do you warranty your labor?(Some charge for a warranty. Some don’t.)
5. Do you scuff sand areas of peeling paint or do you just primer it? (No matter what primer they use they should ALWAYS scuff sand.)
6. What’s your typical amount of time spent on prep? (At least a full day)
7. Are you using actual primer or are you just painting? (They should use primer unless they are using Sherwin-Williams Duration or Emerald.)

Simply print this article and check off the questions as the estimator covers them. Make note where they fall short of the standards we share. Be proactive and ask the questions they haven’t answered.

TIP: Be sure the written estimate reflects the answers they gave you for each question. For example, if they say they will do two coats, make sure it is detailed in the bid. When you sign a paint bid it becomes a contract.

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Paint Color of the Year 2013 Aloe

Aloe is the HOT color of 2013!

 

This year Sherwin-Williams and other professional paint companies announced Aloe (SW 6464) as the color of the year. Closely related to the Pantone color of the year, Emerald, Aloe is a light vintage green color. In fact, it’s part of the color collection Vintage Moxie at Sherwin-Williams.

If you follow women’s fashion, or shop in a department store, or have looked on Pinterest recently you will see “mint” colored pants, dresses, shirts, home accessories splattered all over! Aloe is a slightly more gray version of mint which keeps it from looking neon or juvenile on your walls.

This color is what we call a pseudo-neutral. It can be paired with a lot of other colors and not be the center of attention. Because of it’s vintage appeal it will look classic, yet fresh for years.

Pair Aloe with

• Neutrals
• Metallic
• Natural textures and colors
• Brighter colors like coral, yellow, blue
• Emerald green

I’m considering painting my office this color—just to liven things up!

We always recommend getting a sample of the paint and either using a product like Small Wall® to see where in your home you’d like it best.

SHARE WITH US: Are you going to give a trendy color like Aloe a try on your walls at home?

Things That Make or Break Exterior Painting Time Tables

 

When gathering paint estimates here are a few important factors to keep in mind when asking for a timeline.

1. Damage. More specifically, the amount of time it will take to repair the volume of damage. This is the single most important factor in timeline. We can paint a large home with minimal damage (1 day prep) faster than a medium sized home with extensive paint damage (2-3 days prep).
2. Weather. In Colorado Springs we have a window of warm weather to paint exteriors and have them cure properly. Summers can have daily storms and a brief monsoon season. Most of the time, though, our crews can make progress each day.
3. Size and shape of home. If you have a large home it will take longer to paint than a smaller home. Even if your home isn’t large, but you have 2-3 stories it will take longer to paint than a larger ranch style home.
4. Crew size. The contractor just starting out by themselves with no help is going to take longer. The painting crew of 2-4 is where maximum efficiency is reached. Crews larger than that actually decrease quality control.

Check out our recent article Typical Timeline for Exterior Painting in Colorado Springs for more specific information about how long it could take to paint your home.