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The exterior of your home can look quite good but there are things that you can do to improve upon the look of it and exterior painting is one such thing — and this is even more the case when you are careful in how you paint your home exterior.

The thing that you should realize is that when you are painting the exterior of your home you can make use of some pretty straightforward tricks to enhance the overall painting project.

Let’s have a look at some exterior painting ideas that are going to help you to revamp your outdoor space and make your home look much more amazing.

1. Paint Your Shutters

One thing you might want to think about doing when you’re looking to paint your home exterior is to consider the shutters of the house, and whether your home exterior can be substantially improved just by painting those.

If the exterior of your home looks quite good, and yet you want to change up the look in some way you may want to look at the shutters as they don’t have to be the same color as the rest of your house.

Indeed, you can make use of a contrasting color and your shutters will stand out a bit better from the rest of the house, which is in fact a look that many people like — that you can tell that the shutters have their own identity, so to speak.

2. Take Care Considering Color

Speaking of color, it’s a generally good idea to think well about the color or colors that you are going to be using to paint the exterior of your home.

Indeed, you aren’t going to want to pick a color based on how good it looks as a paint swatch in the paint store and then come home and apply it and find that it looks entirely different given the number of lighting environments that your home is in and how that differs from the store’s light.

Likely the best thing you can do to establish the best colors for your home exterior is to get a few small samples of paint and apply them to your home exterior so that you can get an idea of how they are going to look in different lighting conditions.

3. Use The Best Kind Of Paint For Your Exterior

Though you surely know that you are going to be making use of exterior paint to paint the exterior of your home and not interior paint (that almost seems like a bit of a given) you should know that there are other factors that go into what kind of paint you are going to use.

This is the kind of thing we can go into in greater detail in a future article, but remember that when you are painting a home exterior you should be thinking about the sheen of the paint as well as whether you want your paint to protect against the elements and what weather you are going to be expecting in your area.

If you have very snowy winters, for example, you aren’t going to be using the same kind of paint as you would if you know that when the summer comes you will have great light exposure that would likely fade paint that is not ready for that kind of exposure.

4. Primer Before You Apply Paint

Lastly, remember that you are going to always need to make sure that your first coat is primer and not just the paint directly to the exterior of your home.

Doing this will ensure that the paint will go on more smoothly and on top of that you will have paint that stays on the surface for a longer period of time — certainly a good thing!

At We Paint Indy, we are a dedicated team with full-time, professional field staff to make sure your jobs are done on time and to your satisfaction.  We are active members of the Mooresville and Plainfield communities. You can contact us by phone — call or text (317) 528-9500 to setup an appointment time convenient for you.

Related : Enhancing Curb Appeal: Exterior Painting Ideas in Mooresville, IN
Safer Exterior Painting Tricks In Plainfield, IN

In painting the exterior of your home, you have to think about how the painting process is going to have an impact on the environment — which is just about impossible to reduce to zero — but you can get it down too close to it.

There are things that you can do that are going to help you make your painting process to be more environmentally friendly while at the same time keeping up the quality of the painting project — what good is it to paint your home if your home doesn’t look any better at the end of the process?

With that being the case, let’s have a look at some eco-friendly exterior painting solutions to learn when you want a better painted home?

1. Dispose Of Paint Properly

One important thing you’re going to want to do when you’re looking to be more ecological in your efforts is to be sure that you are careful in disposing of your paint in a correct manner.

There are as you can imagine quite a few ways that you can dispose of paint, but many of them are going to be quite bad for the environment — and only a few ways that you can dispose of paint that is more environmentally friendly.

The most friendly way is to get it into the hands of someone who is going to make use of that paint — that way, the paint is getting a second life as it were.

If that doesn’t work out, you can always take it to a hazardous waste reclamation center for processing — in any case, you cannot just put it out with the trash.

2. Make Use Of High-Quality Paints

Though it may not be entirely clear why there is any correlation between the quality of the paint and how good your paintwork is for the environment, this is entirely correct.

This is so because when you make use of better quality paint, you are going to have a lot longer time before you are going to need to paint once again and with this being true, you aren’t going to need to get more paint and primer to apply to the surfaces being painted.

For this and other reasons (such as you generally want your paint to look nicer and this is much more likely when you are making use of a higher quality paint), it’s a good idea to make use of one such higher quality paint.

3. Avoid Lead In Paints

Though it’s just about impossible to legally purchase paint that has lead in it anymore, since it has been determined a few decades ago that lead in paint can lead to all kinds of health hazards, nevertheless, we must warn you to avoid any lead that may be found in paints.

This includes and extends to when you might think that you have found a really good bargain on paint at a thrift or second hand shop — be careful to see what you are buying and ensure that you aren’t buying paint that has lead in it.

Though the chances that you are going to find paint with lead in it in the wild are extremely rare, it’s well worth being educated on the matter so that you will know what to do if you happen upon it.

4. Prepare Surfaces Before Painting

When you prepare the surfaces that you’re going to be painting before you paint them, you are helping to extend the life of the painting project that you are engaging in and thus is another way to be more environmentally friendly.

The smoother the surface that you are painting, for example, the more easily the paint will ultimately go on it and so it will stay on it for a longer period of time.

Moreover, by applying a coat of primer before your first coat of paint you help to extend the life of the painting project because primer gets paint to stay on the surface longer.

At We Paint Indy, we are a dedicated team with full-time, professional field staff to make sure your jobs are done on time and to your satisfaction.  We are active members of the Mooresville and Plainfield communities. You can contact us by phone — call or text (317) 528-9500 to setup an appointment time convenient for you.

Related : Enhancing Curb Appeal: Exterior Painting Ideas in Mooresville, IN
Safer Exterior Painting Tricks In Plainfield, IN

In the course of enhancing the look of your home, many elements are considerable in importance, but the element of color can be one that people are drawn to almost immediately upon seeing it.

The question really becomes how you are going to choose a color or two for the exterior of your home, given that it’s something you’re committing to for at least a few years.

With that being the case, let’s have a look at some tips for choosing exterior paint colors for homes that will help you have a better looking home.

1. Use Color Visualization Tools

One good thing that you’re going to want to do when you’re looking to paint your home exterior is to make use of color visualization tools, such as the kind that paint companies offer for smartphones.

What these tools do is to allow you to get a somewhat good idea of what color or colors you are going to ultimately choose by giving you an idea of what your house is going to look like when you paint it a certain color.

Of course the caveat here is that it’s not quite a perfect science and it’s not going to be precisely what the house is going to look like, so bear this in mind and perhaps use it as a general idea of how you’re going to paint your home rather than a solidly decisive way to do it.

2. Take Your Time

There are going to be a lot of things that you will need to be doing to paint your home the exterior color of your dreams but it’s quite important that you don’t rush the process of choosing a home exterior color.

The thing is that you are going to be looking at the color or colors that you have chosen for your home for quite possibly a long time, so rushing to pick a color is quite a mistake — the time that you save by not being more careful in your choice will ultimately hurt you.

By making sure that you are careful in taking time to choose a good color for your exterior painting project, you know that you’re not going to regret the color or colors that you chose and have to live quite unhappily with those choices for years to come.

3. Start With A Neutral Base

Though it’s entirely possible that you’re not going to know straight away what color you will want for your home exterior, you may find yourself getting some kind of ideas for your home painting if you start by painting your siding a more neutral color.

In doing this, you are possibly going to come up with some nice accent colors that are going to take advantage of the neutral colors you have chosen for your main colors, and overall it will make for a nicer looking home.

Of course this is in consideration of the likelihood that you are a fan of this kind of color combination — the neutral colors and the brighter accent colors — if you don’t care for neutral colors, this would not be a good way to make such a determination.

4. Look At Surrounding Houses

Somewhat of a good way that you’re going to be able to choose a good color or a couple of good colors for your home is to have a look at some of the surrounding homes in your neighborhood.

Though of course you don’t want to just paint your color necessarily the same color or even the same colors as any of them, you can get inspired by what color or colors they have chosen for their home, and do something similar in nature or perhaps even to contrast with their homes.

By doing this you’re going to be able to make your house look nice in the neighborhood without making your home look like a clone of any given home in the neighborhood.

5. Test Sample Paint In Different Light Environments

Lastly, remember that there is great importance in getting color samples in the form of sample paint from your provider of paint — they will allow you to get paint samples in small cans in a number of colors depending on what colors you are considering.

When considering these samples, you don’t want to just paint the samples and immediately make choices based on how the colors look then as the colors change their look over the course of the day.

Make the time to see how these colors look throughout the day and night and you’ll be able to make a better informed choice on what color or colors you will want for your home exterior.

At We Paint Indy, we are a dedicated team with full-time, professional field staff to make sure your jobs are done on time and to your satisfaction.  We are active members of the Mooresville and Plainfield communities. You can contact us by phone — call or text (317) 528-9500 to setup an appointment time convenient for you.

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When you’re looking to make your home look nicer on the outside (and thus enhance your curb appeal, the perceived value of your home by an onlooker standing at the curb) one thing you might want to do is to paint — but there are so many things you can do in terms of exterior painting.

You will find in today’s article some helpful ideas when it comes to painting the exterior of your home that will help make for a better painting project as well as help to get your home to look its best from the outside.

With that being the case, let’s have a look at some exterior painting ideas that will help you enhance your curb appeal and overall value of your home.

1. Classic Elegance

One helpful thing to consider when painting the exterior of your home is to go for the classic elegance look, which is the use of classic colors such as cream and light gray as the main colors.

You’re going to want to consider using darker colors to contrast with these main colors, if you are going to be making use of any contrasting colors at all of course.

The good thing about this approach is that you’re going to be enhancing the look of your home with a look that is fundamentally timeless and can be appreciated for years to come, regardless of changing styles.

2. Consider Your Architecture

Not all painting styles are going to be appropriate to every style of architecture — if you have a home that has certain styles of architecture, it would look really bad if you choose colors that do not go with those styles, for example.

Making the time to consider your architecture is also useful as far as being authentic to the style of the architecture that you have chosen and keeping it authentic is important in terms of the historical significance of the architecture.

All in all, you are going to pretty much know right away if you have made the right choice when it comes to this because your home might have looked great beforehand, but you can get it to stand out like a sore thumb if you make the wrong choice.

3. Coastal Charm

Coastal charm involves blues, beige, as well as accents of aqua that will give your home exterior a good refreshing and inviting look.

These are the sorts of colors that are most associated with a feeling of positivity and tranquility and an overall sense of calm — and this is a positive thing when it comes to your home exterior.

This will not only make for a better looking home but also a better overall neighborhood as it will enhance the look of the neighborhood with all of the pleasantness that it will bring.

4. Test Your Paint

It’s key for you to test out your paint before you commit to applying it to the exterior of your home — as you know, you are going to be applying quite a lot of paint to the exterior of your home and so it behooves you to test it on the surface for a couple of reasons.

One of these reasons is that you want to make sure that the color or colors that you have chosen are going to look good on your home exterior in a number of different light conditions.

Another reason, and there are still more yet that go beyond the scope of this article but will be discussed in a future article, is that you want to make sure that the surface you are painting is going to be adequately painted by that sort of paint or if you will need a different sort of paint.

At We Paint Indy, we are a dedicated team with full-time, professional field staff to make sure your jobs are done on time and to your satisfaction.  We are active members of the Mooresville and Plainfield communities. You can contact us by phone — call or text (317) 528-9500 to setup an appointment time convenient for you.

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You may be well aware of the fact that an exterior painting project can be just the right thing to get your home to look better — and indeed it can do so if done correctly.

However, what some people don’t realize is the various ways in which exterior painting can be a bit on the dangerous side if precautions are not taken — and it does happen that people can get hurt while doing an exterior painting project for lack of preparation or taking unnecessary risks.

Let’s have a look at some safer exterior painting tricks that will make for a better overall painting project.

1. Plan Ahead For Safer Painting

An important consideration for you to have when you’re looking to paint the exterior of your home is the amount of planning that you put into the project — generally speaking, the better you plan, the better you will be as far as safety is concerned.

A good example of good planning is when you check the weather forecast and ensure that you are not going to be facing the kind of weather that is going to be too hot or cold for you to be painting.

Since you’ll be checking the weather anyhow, you should be sure that it’s not going to be raining when you are planning on painting as this would make for a bad painting project, and perhaps one that would be needing to be redone.

2. Be Aware Of Your Surroundings

While you’re painting your home exterior it’s important to be fully aware of your surroundings before and during your painting endeavors.

This can include things like being careful around things like low hanging branches that can seriously hurt you as well as things like electrical wires that can of course be quite dangerous for you while you are painting.

Other hazards in your surroundings you may not even consider are your own pets and children, who could mean quite well and just be having fun but they could easily cause your project harm in the process of doing so.

3. Properly Dispose Of Your Paint

The way that you dispose of your paint that you are not using can be easily disposed of in ways that are not only hazardous to you but the entire ecosystem that is around you.

Pouring your paint down the drain is of course a huge no-no, as it’s going to be going to the same place that water goes when it goes down the drain, which ultimately is getting back to you in the form of drinking water.

The effort it takes to clean the water of the toxic chemicals is quite incredible — do not put paint there, and do not put it in the trash as it can still ultimately get out there,

You need to take your used paint to a proper treatment facility plant where they will be able to take care of the paint in a safe and non-hazardous manner.

4. Take Regular Breaks

Remember that you should be taking regular breaks while you are painting your home exterior — your home exterior might be quite large and the time involved will surely be quite a lot, but breaks are important.

Not taking breaks will expose you to making possibly dangerous mistakes — you should be resting and of course hydrating while you are painting your home exterior.

5. Consider A Painting Contractor

Lastly, you should remember that there are professional painting contractors out there (Such as We Paint Indy, of course) that will be more than happy to help you paint the exterior of your home.

There are many benefits to making use of a painting contractor which we will cover in future blog articles — but remember that your safety when getting your exterior painted is much greater when you trust an experienced painting contractor to get the work done.

At We Paint Indy, we are a dedicated team with full-time, professional field staff to make sure your jobs are done on time and to your satisfaction.  We are active members of the Mooresville and Plainfield communities. You can contact us by phone — call or text (317) 528-9500 to setup an appointment time convenient for you.

Related :

When you want the exterior of your home to look better, there are quite a lot of things that you can do — and painting is one of them, but it’s fundamental to properly prepare for the paintwork that is going to be done.

The thing to bear in mind is that without preparing for any painting project (even an exterior painting project) you will have a much more difficult time with the painting project.

With this being the case, let’s have a look at some tips for preparing for exterior painting that will help your home look significantly better.

1. Wash Your Home Exterior

One thing you should always make sure that you do when you are getting ready to paint your home exterior (or even to help a professional painting contractor do it) is to properly get the exterior cleaned.

Though you might think that the paint and primer that is going to be applied to the exterior alone is going to be alone to change the fact that the exterior is quite dirty, this is not the case and it will make for a rather unpleasant painted home once you have finished.

It’s far better to get the exterior fully cleaned and then allow time for the surface to dry before you move on to the next step in the process, paint and primer wise.

2. Test For Lead Paint

Depending on when your home was built and painted most recently, there exists the possibility that the paint on it (even on a lower level if it has been painted over) contains some lead in it.

There is significantly less of a concern if your home is newer and certainly one that was constructed in the last few decades but if it is an older home (built before 1972) then it is an issue you certainly want to investigate.

The good news is that the kind of testing that you should do for lead on your home is relatively simple and can be done with a home kit that checks for lead in the paint on your home — and if a lead is found, steps will have to be taken to safely paint your home afterward.

3. Protect Your Plants

Your exterior plants are not exactly friendly to paint, and it’s not so great to get paint on them — and yet just tarping over them for days at a time is not exactly the best solution, given that your plants need sun and somewhat regular watering to continue growing and stay alive.

One option you have is to gently sprinkle water over your plants and to then drape a clear plastic sheeting over them — and even with this technique of protecting your plants, you’re going to want to make sure that you uncover the plants at night while your home is not being painted.

Doing this will protect your plants during the painting process while at the same time making sure that they get adequate light and water so they can continue to thrive and flourish.

4. Check The Weather Forecast And Consider Your Options

Lastly (for now — we will surely return to this topic) remember that not all weather is going to be suitable for your exterior painting project — if you try to paint when the weather is too cold or too hot, you will find the painting results to be less than ideal because the paint will either dry too quickly or slowly.

Aim for weather that is between fifty and seventy degrees Fahrenheit, and certainly do not paint when it is raining outside or you will have a fundamentally ruined painting project.

At We Paint Indy, we are a dedicated team with full-time, professional field staff to make sure your jobs are done on time and to your satisfaction.  We are active members of the Mooresville and Plainfield communities. You can contact us by phone — call or text (317) 528-9500 to setup an appointment time convenient for you.

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As we meet more residential clients, one question we always get is ho do you remove old wallpaper without damaging the drywall. I should start off this post with a few caveats. First, it is always possible. It depends on the type of wallpaper and the type of glue used. The best scenario is that you have vinyl faced wall paper and the glue is a simple starch based glue. The worst case is you have paper faced wall paper and the glue is not a water soluble glue. Here is the reasoning. Vinyl faced paper can be easily peeled. Your goal is to peel the vinyl face off leaving only paper and glue behind. Once peeled, you can roll on the wallpaper removal gel and within 5 minutes the paper and glue residue will easily scrape off. If it is paper, you will have to lightly score the face with a “Tiger” tool to make lots of small holes through which the water can seep to reactivate the glue. Now for the nightmare scenario – a solvent based glue. It is rare, but we occasionally meet a glue that does not dissolve when re-hydrated with water. These are very difficult to deal with. If you run into that scenario, call a professional, he is well worth the money and will earn his keep for the day!

So, here are the steps to remove wallpaper as safely as we know how. Peel the vinyl face or, if it is paper (you will know because the face comes off is small pieces), score it with a “Tiger” tool to allow the gel to penetrate more quickly. Patience is the key here in the next step. Roll the gel (available at most box stores that sell wallpaper tools) on generously. The key here is to catch it at the right moment. If you don’t let it dwell long enough, it won’t come off easily and will be very difficult to work with. Waiting too long and the water will soften the drywall paper and paint underneath. We usually work in a five to six foot section of wall at a time to avoid over hydrating the drywall paper. You will know that you have over-wetted if the drywall surface tears easily and comes off with the wallpaper and glue. Once you’ve let this happen, it will never be the same and your strategy will need to change.

It is inevitable that you will do some damage to the wall with your broad knife while scraping off the glue. Our process includes taking a warm rage and removing as much residue as possible without harming the drywall itself. Then, we apply a layer of Gardz primer to the wall affected. Don’t skip this step! This seals any glue residue into the Gardz so it can reactivate with the application of drywall mud or paint. Let the Gardz dry for 24 hours – this time frame is necessary unless you are a professional who knows what to look for and can competently determine that the surface is ready for mud or paint.

Now you can begin the repair work. Some walls might require a full skim coat, if you are lucky, you’ll just need some drywall patching. Once your walls are smooth and acceptable, prime the drywall patches and now your are ready for paint! Wallpaper removal is for the patient. Don’t hesitate to give us a call with any questions you have, we are always happy to give you our advice when we think we can be helpful!

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From time to time, we get asked a question that shows how thoughtful our clientele can be. One such question is do you caulk or prime first. This is a great question to ask your painter! Not only do we have an answer, but we have an explanation and are happy to tell you all about it. In fact, there are a few different ways to approach this question. First, is the siding and trim painted or is it raw wood or other substrate. Second, what kind of caulk are we using on the project. The assumption we will make here are that the wood or siding is bare and the caulk is a premium grade urethanized acrylic.

The short answer is that we prime and then caulk. No matter the gap size, the job that is asked of caulk is not easy task – to expand and contract at all the wrong moments. So, let’s say it is 110 degrees outside. This pushes the gap together as the substrate expand with heat and the caulk compresses. So far, not too difficult! But take the winter months, the bulk is cold and more rigid at the same point the substrate is shrinking and stretching the caulk. Okay, don’t stress out! This is what caulk is designed to do. So why is is so important to prime first. It has to do with the grip of the adhesion. Caulk stick to primed wood quite a bit better than bare wood. So as the tension build to pull the caulk away from the wood and then back to pushing it into the wood, your caulk has a good and compatible surface to adhere to. This gives your caulk a better chance of sticking to it.

The short answer is that we prime and then caulk. No matter the gap size, the job that is asked of caulk is not easy task – to expand and contract at all the wrong moments. So, let’s say it is 110 degrees outside. This pushes the gap together as the substrate expand with heat and the caulk compresses. So far, not too difficult! But take the winter months, the bulk is cold and more rigid at the same point the substrate is shrinking and stretching the caulk. Okay, don’t stress out! This is what caulk is designed to do. So why is is so important to prime first. It has to do with the grip of the adhesion. Caulk stick to primed wood quite a bit better than bare wood. So as the tension build to pull the caulk away from the wood and then back to pushing it into the wood, your caulk has a good and compatible surface to adhere to. This gives your caulk a better chance of sticking to it.

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People are always amused when we tell them that we love to paint. Most people hate to paint. So what is it that we love about painting? First, it takes a ton of manpower and trades to transform a kitchen, but it only takes one painter. Okay, you’re right, it isn’t the same thing. But think about bang for the buck. You can’t find a lower cost way to reinvigorate a room or a bunch of rooms quite like paint. A thorough sanding, some extensive patching and caulk, and a few gallons of paint and a day or two and we can have your kitchen and dining room looking like that local Starbucks you love so much! That is the main thing we love about paint.

Having spent the last 20 years serving general contractors the thrill was taking the homely shell of a building and dressing it up with all the colors and finishes. It’s almost like you brought the whole thing to life! Yes, all that other stuff needs to be done well too, but it your finishes aren’t right, no much else matters! Most builders look at paint as a minor trade, and, in dollars, it is. But paint often makes up over 70% of what you see when you walk into a building. That’s no minor trade!

And how about the exterior! Nothing brings attention to you and your home like a great new color scheme on your business or home. After years of dirt, rain, and the sun beating down on your home, things start to look worn and tired. You’d be surprised how much energy comes back to your family, guests, and customers when they feel that clean new paint job! You know the feeling, don’t you?

A great paint job makes all the difference. Do you want to spice up your home or office areas? What a great idea – don’t wait! We are eager to get your project underway!

Perhaps the most helpful article on why deck coating failure is so common is one found at this link https://thepaintpeople.com/painting-101/why-is-my-deck-stain-failing/. We get a lot of calls to stain decks and, honestly, it used to be one of our least favorite surfaces to paint. The ugly truth is that decks are one of the most difficult things to paint or stain. Combine that with the fact that most customers want the deck coating to last for five to ten years, every painting contractor cringes at the thought of staining deck. Here are the unique challenges that your deck and your painting contractor face when finishing decks.

First, is the condition and nature of the wood. Most homeowners call us only after the wood on their deck degrades past a realistic state where you can actually get coatings to adhere. Wood fibers degrade rather quickly with water and UV exposure. If you stained a piece of paper and left it outside for a week, you would see the effects of the sun and rain on the paper. Why, if it was coated well, does it matter if it is exposed to water or sun? The simple answer is that most coatings are breathable or permeable and they are for very good reasons. The second has to do with the nature of paper. When exposed to the elements it will expand and contract and experience a lot of movement. The wood fiber in the paper is basically the same as the degraded wood fibers in your deck. One way to help minimize deck failures is to clean them thoroughly and sand them down thoroughly. This will help removed any degraded fibers and to open areas so the stain can penetrate down to a stable fiber to help them stay in tact for longer. And keep in mind that every time your stain or paint is scratched, it give water a new opportunity to get underneath the stain or paint and work to separate or delaminate the paint from the wood fibers. The article explains this well. If you pull the loose paint off the the deck and you can see wood fibers on the back of the paint, you have unstable wood on your deck and this will have to be dealt with. Sanding and wire brushing will go a long ways to a better prep job. Wood that is deeply split will need to be brushed out well to ensure all the wood inside the split is coated too.

The second has to do with surface contaminants. Most of us keep our grills on the deck, a very logical place to cook your food out on nice afternoons. I would never argue that you shouldn’t cook on your deck, but I do want you to understand how this works to affect the adhesion of the stain or paint to the wood. Grease sinks very deep into the wood fibers and is nearly impossible to remove it all from the wood fibers. If you stain or paint is popping off in areas where your grill is or was placed, chances are the oils are causing an adhesion issue.

Finally, conditions in nature will often have a huge effect on paint or stain performance. UV rays and water are the main enemies of paint. This is one reason we try our best to steer customers away for transparent or semi-transparent stains for decks. The best way to keep the UV rays from degrading your wood is to block them by using an opaque stain. With any deck job, the two main objectives for a coating is they must keep the water from touching the wood fibers and it must block the UV rays from getting to the wood fibers. If you could achieve this with a coating, you could have a real chance of a long lasting job! Trouble is, this is harder to do than you think. My advice is to have it done right with a quality solid stain and get the deck re-stained at least every four years.