[setup] as
each project begins, great care must be taken in the setup
stage. furniture & accessories, blinds, draperies &
hardware must all be moved & protected. typically, all
of these items are carefully moved to the center of the room,
organized neatly & covered with a heavy painter's
plastic. following this, drop cloths are laid around the
perimeter & other areas, making sure the floor is entirely
covered & protected in & around the work area.
of course, each
room in each home will have its own setup requirements & we'll
address those too. for instance, natural finished wood
baseboards, handrails & mantelpieces will be taped &/or
covered with plastic; ceiling fans & chandeliers will be
thoroughly protected; & (in the kitchen) countertops, cabinets
& appliances will be carefully draped with painter's plastic
as well.
[prep]
levels of preparation differ in each space, however, the focus of
our prep remains the same from room to room. proper
preparation is vital to the durability & beauty of the
finished product.
our standard
preparation includes minor & major plaster repairs, fiberglass
tape for all separations, filling of small nail & screw holes
& caulking all gaps in woodwork & between walls &
ceilings & trim.
at times the
condition of the walls may call for more drastic measures.
wallpaper removal, for example, may reveal cracked, scratched,
chipped or peeling walls that appear to be beyond repair. in
such a case, we recommend primer, a complete skim-coat of plaster,
sanding, more primer, & two finish coats. as a matter of
course, between coats, we search the walls with a light &
repair any small nicks, scratches, dents &
bubbles.
[materials]
knowledge, patience, experience & skill are essential to a
professional quality paint job. but lets not discount the
importance of quality materials. at the outset of every
project we determine the unique needs of each space. we work
with major & minor coatings manufacturers to find a material
solution for every surface. often we are faced with unique
challenges in preparation, application & finish. our
relationships with suppliers such as sherwin williams, benjamin
moore, xim primers, the flood company, zinsser & others allow
us to offer our customers the best the coatings industry has to
offer. better materials make good painters better.
[application] upon
completion of prep & selection of the proper materials,
application of the final coats is set to begin. quality
materials work best when applied with quality tools. we use only
the finest soft-woven roller covers & fine bristle brushes,
ensuring the most attractive wall & ceiling finish. we
apply only the best alkyd or waterborne enamels to woodwork &
trim, using soft, high quality bristle brushes & genuine
mohair rollers for the finest & smoothest finish.
[finish] throughout
the application stage (always two full finish coats) we study all
surfaces, looking to remedy any small imperfections before the
final finish is applied. smooth & contiguous surfaces,
consistency of sheen, texture & color and sharp lines between
colors are essential to a satisfactory
finish.
[clean-up]
of course, what good is a beautiful finish in a dusty or messy
room? clean-up is important in all stages of any project,
not just at the end. in fact, thorough clean-up as the job
progresses is essential to the quality of the finished
product. dust & dirt are the enemy of any particular
painter. throughout the preparation & application stages
work areas are kept as clean and dust-free as possible to ensure
the integrity of the materials being applied. we often
sweep, dust & vacuum as we work. in addition, we keep
tools & materials clean & neat & we organize the
jobsite on a daily basis. clean-up is not only the final
step, its an integral part of every step along the way.
