Best Practices For Removing Your Wallpaper in Denver Metro, CO
When you are looking to paint a room in your home but find that there is wallpaper there, you are faced with two choices — do you paint over the wallpaper, or do you remove the wallpaper first before painting?
If you choose to paint over the wallpaper — well, that is an entirely different discussion from the one we will be having here — it is a procedure of its own, and we will return to it another day.
If, however, you want to remove the wallpaper before removing it, there are certain things you should bear in mind that will help you in the process.
That being the case, let’s look at and consider best practices for removing your wallpaper in Denver Metro, CO.
1. Check To See If It Is Peel Off Wallpaper First
Before you do anything else, you’re going to want to check to make sure that your wallpaper is not the kind that easily peels off because if it is, you won’t need to do a lot of the below as it relates more to standard wallpaper.
You will know that your wallpaper can easily be peeled off if you start with one corner and, at a seam, use a putty knife or the like and loosely lift it up and gently tug on it.
If you find that the wallpaper peels easily, you can continue to peel it off of the wall and continue to repeat this procedure until you have removed all of your wallpaper.
2. Steam Or Moisten Your Wallpaper To Help
The best way to get your wallpaper off of your wall when it doesn’t just peel off is first to moisten it so that the underlying glue will loosen and allow you to remove it.
You can do this with a brush to the wall, a sponge, a paint-roller — and thoroughly apply it so that the wallpaper will be removed more easily.
You can alternatively use a steaming tool to saturate the wallpaper — steaming tools can typically be rented if you don’t have plans to use it in the future or even purchase it if you know you will be using it again.
3. Find Out If Your Wallpaper Is Easily Cleaned By Wiping It
There is a certain kind of wallpaper that can be easily cleaned just by wiping it with a moist towel, paper or otherwise.
If your wallpaper is that kind of wallpaper, it will be a bit more tricky to remove it than if it is not — which isn’t to say that it will be impossible, just more difficult.
If it is that sort of wallpaper, you will first need to get some holes in the surface of the wallpaper, and to accomplish this; you will need a scoring tool or just about anything that will be able to get small holes on the surface of the wallpaper.
The advantage of the scoring tool is that you will be able to get the holes into the wallpaper more quickly and easier — and with this, the application of moisture via the sponge, paint-roller, or otherwise will allow the water to get under the surface of the wallpaper and help you remove it.
4. Allow The Surface To Dry
Once you have finished removing the wallpaper, you will want to allow the surface of your walls to dry entirely before moving on to any other steps in the painting process that you may wish to take on.
This is particularly the case if you are thinking about sanding the wall, one of the essential steps you should do before painting your walls.
Don’t settle for just any painter when you can get the attention to detail and professionalism from Imhoff Fine Residential Painting in Denver Metro, CO. Call us today to speak with one of our professional color consultants.
5 Ways To Improve Your Curb Appeal in Denver Metro, CO
When you are looking to sell your home, or even just because you want to perhaps have a house that ultimately has a higher value, one thing that is quite useful is to have a greater curb appeal.
Curb appeal, if you are unaware, is the approximate value that a person might put on your home just by giving it a once over from their position driving by it on the street or walking by on the sidewalk — hence the curb in curb appeal.
There are ways that you can improve your curb appeal, some of which won’t even cost you that much but do a good job of improving your curb appeal by considerably more.
That being the case, here are five ways to improve your curb appeal in Denver Metro, CO.
1. Pressure Wash The Exterior
A question worth asking is when the last time you had your home cleaned on the exterior — whether you were personally involved in the process or you had a professional contractor do it for you?
If it has been at least a year or two since you got the house cleaned, you may want to consider getting your home pressure washed — if you’ve ever seen a video where they show a person pressure washing a surface and the difference it makes, you will know it can do wonders for your home.
The difference it will make with your curb appeal just by getting your home pressure washed is substantial — so you can either rent a pressure washer and do it yourself or hire a professional contractor to help you with it.
2. Hang A Wreath Seasonally
Years ago it was the case that you would see wreaths on doors about once a year and that was in December.
Now you will see wreaths for every holiday of the year — and not all of them have to necessarily be bought in big box stores.
You can find quite a few small independently owned boutique shops online that will custom make beautiful wreaths for you for any holiday of the year — even the ones that don’t get the Hallmark Specials made about them.
A beautiful wreath hanging on your door will look impressive up close and even make a good impression on people looking from afar.
3. Build A Picket Fence Around Your Home
When you think about a classic home in the suburbs, one thing that you might think about is a white picket fence — it’s the image that people have built up as the picture of an ideal home like this.
Though it may be tempting to build the fence yourself, you may want to consider getting a professional contractor to do it for you unless you are sufficiently experienced in doing so.
A picket fence, regardless of what color it is (with some exceptions of course), will improve you curb appeal and give your house the boost that it needs.
4. Replace Any Windows That Are Too Old
If you look around at the windows at your home and you notice that they are looking a bit old, you will want to replace them.
Even from more than a looks perspective — to have newer windows on your home is to have windows that will likely lower your cost of heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.
5. Get A New Doormat
It may seem overly simple, but something as easy as getting yourself a new doormat will boost your curb appeal.
There are numerous places where you can buy new doormats including Target, which has a fine selection of doormats.
Don’t settle for just any painter when you can get the attention to detail and professionalism from Imhoff Fine Residential Painting in Denver Metro, CO. Call us today to speak with one of our professional color consultants.
How To Remove Water Stains From Your Ceiling in Denver Metro, CO
When you have a home, it occasionally happens that you will have a problem with your ceiling that comes in the form of a stain that you will see on the ceiling caused by water.
For the most part, nobody wants to enter their living room and look up and see a water stain on the ceiling, having made the paint job that was there a rather unsightly mess.
You should know that it’s possible to remove the water stains, and not only do this but to make sure that they will not return.
With this being the case, here are some tips for removing water stains from your ceiling in Denver Metro, CO.
1. Find The Source Of The Stain
Before you do anything else, you need to pinpoint the source of the stain — the thing that made the stain appear on your ceiling in the first place.
If you do not do this and just take care of the stain itself, you’re going to find yourself with an entirely new stain where the old one was.
One thing that could cause such a stain is an appliance that is leaking water — sometimes heaters will do this — and when this happens, you will know that the appliance needs to be replaced or repaired.
It’s also entirely possible that the leak is a result of water coming in through a hole in the roof. If you don’t have the technical ability to fix such a problem, you will need to get a professional contractor to repair it.
2. Thoroughly Clean The Stain
The best way to clean the stain on your ceiling is to make a solution of part bleach and part water (one cup bleach to three cups of water) and apply it to the stain.
The benefit of using this kind of solution is that you will remove the dirt, mildew, and any other kind of unpleasant stuff that may be on the ceiling.
3. Sand The Stain Area
Before painting your ceiling, you are going to want to make sure that it is as smooth as possible so that it is possible to get the primer and paint to adhere properly.
It would be best to sand the area where you had the stain as well as the area close to the area.
4. Prime The Ceiling
Primer is a fundamental step in getting your ceiling painted — it will help your paint adhere to the ceiling and make the paint job last considerably longer.
The kind of primer that you will want to use will be the sort of primer that properly conceals stains — even though you have cleaned the stain with the bleach solution, it doesn’t hurt to cover where the stain was.
5. Paint The Ceiling
The last step that is the most important one is to paint the ceiling, specifically in the area where the stain was — though if you suspect that the paint you used will not perfectly match the color that you already have on the ceiling, you will likely want to cover the rest of the ceiling as well.
It may not necessarily be immediately obvious that the new ceiling paint won’t match, but if you give it time for the paint to dry, you will see that the new color may very well be a good match for the old color — if this is the case, you need not go any further.
Once you have painted your ceiling, you will want to give it adequate time to dry.
Don’t settle for just any painter when you can get the attention to detail and professionalism from Imhoff Fine Residential Painting in Denver Metro, CO. Call us today to speak with one of our professional color consultants.
Looking For A Painting Professional in Denver Metro, CO? Here Are Important Things To Remember
When you have a major or minor painting project to undertake, you may find that it is just too much for you and that you have to find help in the form of a professional painting contractor.
When you are considering hiring a painting professional, there are certain things that you should bear in mind prior to signing the contract.
With that being the case, here are things to remember when you are looking for a painting professional in Denver Metro, CO.
1. Make Sure That You Get The Proposal In Writing
It is a bit unfortunate, but you will sometimes come across a painting contractor that will insist that you don’t need to get your proposal for a painting job in writing and that their oral-contract suffices.
It’s all well and good until it comes time to settle up and pay, and they are telling you that you owe money for services that you never agreed to fund.
By getting everything in writing, you will know that you get what you are asking and nothing more.
2. Know If Paint Is Included In The Price
Along with having your contract in writing, it is good to know if the paint that will be used during the project will be included in the price that you will be paying.
It would be unfortunate if you went through the whole process and thought you knew what you were paying for only to have a substantially larger price at the end of the project after the cost of price was added to it.
3. Make Sure They Are Licensed And Insured
These two things go hand in hand — you cannot consider getting a professional painting contractor if they are not both licensed and insured.
Being licensed means that you will know for sure that the painting contractor will do the work correctly and in the most legal manner possible.
Being insured, of course, means that you will know that you are covered in the event of any kind of incident that may cause damage either to your home or possibly injure someone on the job.
4. Get Bids From Multiple Contractors
To be sure that you will be getting the best price possible for the project, you will want to submit the same project to a few different professional painting contractors.
Of course, you will want to make sure as well that you provide the same specifications to all of the contractors — if it turns out that one of them has a price that is much lower than the others, it may be that you should consider going with that contractor.
Conversely, you may want to have a second look at that contractor’s bid and see what distinguishes them from the other contractors and has them offering such a low bid for the same project.
5. Ask For Referrals — And Get In Contact With Them
You are looking and considering a painting contractor, so it is worth knowing who else has used their services — and so you should ask the contractor for a few referrals.
Once they have given you those referrals, you should get in contact with them and ask them what their experience was with the painting contractor.
You can further tell them about what your needs are, and you can compare and contrast what you need with what they have done in the past and if it meshes well together.
Of course, if you ask a contractor for referrals and they tell you they have none to offer — it may be a good idea to choose a different contractor!
Don’t settle for just any painter when you can get the attention to detail and professionalism from Imhoff Fine Residential Painting in Denver Metro, CO. Call us today to speak with one of our professional color consultants.
5 Tips For Using Mineral Based Paint in Denver Metro, CO
When you are working on improving the appearance of your home by painting, one of the challenges you will face is choosing what kind of paint you will use.
One of the paints that are available to use for painting your home (both exterior and interior) is mineral-based paint, which is made of water glass and mineral pigments.
Mineral-based paint has many fine qualities, among which is that it is water-resistant and good against things like acid rain, pollution, and mold.
With that being the case, let us look at and consider five tips for using mineral-based paint in Denver Metro, CO.
1. Shellac To Seal Knots On Wooden Surfaces
Wooden surfaces tend to have knots, at least if they are wood cut from a tree and aren’t a synthetic product made to look like wood.
Knots tend to come through to the surface and are visible, even if you use a number of coats of paint — with one possible workaround to make them no longer visible.
If you use good shellac first to seal the surface, you will note that you won’t be able to see the knots come through after a couple of coats of your mineral-based paint.
2. Use Plastic Wrap To Make Reopening Paint Much Easier
One issue that people have is that it can be a bit tricky to reopen paint once it has been opened — but there is a way that you can close the paint container and have it be not too difficult to reopen.
Use a plain piece of plastic wrap put on the container prior to putting on the lid, and you will note that you can reopen the container of paint much easier.
3. Make Sure The Surface Is Clean Before Painting
Few things get in the way of painting than having a dirty surface — depending on the material that you are painting, it’s entirely possible that you have dirt, dust, and possibly even mold or mildew on the surface. You wouldn’t want to paint over that.
The best thing you can do in preparation for a painting project is to make sure that the surface you are painting is properly cleaned with a mixture of cleaning products and the appropriate brush or cloth so that you can get the dirt or grime off of that which is being painted.
Once you have cleaned the surface, you will have to make sure that it is dry before you continue with your painting project.
4. Too Much Paint On Your Brush Is A Bad Thing
When it comes to loading up your paintbrush during the painting process, too much paint is not a good thing.
If, while you are painting, you see a certain texture on the surface that you are painting that almost looks like little valleys, it is a good sign that you have too much paint on your paintbrush.
If you have the right amount of paint on your paintbrush, you will find that ultimately you will be using fewer brush strokes to cover the surface that you are looking to paint.
5. Test Colors Before Committing To Them
When you’re looking to paint your home, you might think that you can choose the right color based on a color swatch that you find in the paint store — this is a bit of a misconception.
Though, of course, you can get a general idea if color is good based on the switches from the store, you won’t know how well the colors work with your home unless you test them out in the different light conditions that are present throughout the day.
The best way to know for sure is to get a small sample of the paint to take home and then to test out a small amount in an area that you can check on in different light conditions, and if you find that it is to your liking, you are set!
Don’t settle for just any painter when you can get the attention to detail and professionalism from Imhoff Fine Residential Painting in Denver Metro, CO. Call us today to speak with one of our professional color consultants.
