Spring is a time of rebirth and new beginnings, so it’s not surprising that you’re getting motivated to finally repaint your house. After the gray of winter, what could be better than a splash of color with new house paint. But before you grab a paintbrush, be sure the prep work is done right for a gorgeous paint job that will last!

Painting Preparation

Preparation is key. Even if you think your current paint is in good condition, you need to check for flaking, chipped, or loose paint. These flaws will prevent the new paint from adhering properly, causing problems down the line. In fact, incorrect prep work can mean that your fresh paint lasts only a few weeks instead of years! If your house paint is in seriously bad condition–major flaking, large cracks, blemishes caused by underlying dry rot-you definitely need professional paint removal.

Choosing the Right Paint

Choosing the correct type of paint can also dramatically affect the performance of your house paint. With all of the different types of paint on the market, it can be hard to choose the best one for your house. As a generalization, you’ll want to avoid cheap, discount paint because it contains fewer binders: when it dries, you’ll have a thinner paint film left behind, making it less resilient and more susceptible to cracking and chipping. Keep in mind that wood siding expands and contracts with changes in the weather, so the paint also needs to be dynamic for optimum performance. Metal siding also requires special direct-to-metal paint for superior adhesion. In terms of specific types of paint for your home or area, you’ll want to consult a paint professional. They can make recommendations based on local temperature extremes, UV exposure, and other site-specific factors.

Why It’s Worth It

Do you absolutely have to choose professional paint removal or specialized exterior house paint? No. But if you want superior performance from your new coat of paint, we highly recommend taking these extra steps. Not only will your house paint last longer, it will look better and offer excellent protection to your home in the process. Remember that house paint is more than just a pretty finish for your home. It also provides a layer of protection between your house and the elements. This thin layer of paint actually repels moisture, protects against insects, prevents mold growth, and safeguards wood from dry rot. When you take the time and effort to properly prepare the surface and use quality paint, you get a smooth, intact coat of paint, wrapping your house like a shield against the outside world. Don’t cut corners when it comes to painting your house this spring: go the extra mile for the absolute best exterior paint job!

When it comes to redecorating, sometimes it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the thousands of paint colors, fabric options, flooring materials, and other selections you need to make. Why not take the hassle out of your next remodeling project by working with an interior design consultant? They’ll help you refine your aesthetic vision, provide information about different materials, and all around make your redecorating experience hassle-free!

Coherent, Attractive Interior Design

Perhaps the most important role of an interior designer is helping you create an attractive, unified vision for your decorating project. Whether it’s an entire house or a single room, your space will look best if it has some overall coherency. That’s not to say that it has to be matchy matchy, but too many different looks, colors, and clashing fabrics can create a jarring, chaotic appearance. An interior design consultant will help you define the look you’re aiming for so you can achieve the best look for your space, essentially using their expertise to bring your vision to life.

Material Selection

After you’ve created the overarching ideas for your space, the next step is to select materials. Your interior designer will also be invaluable in this stage, helping you take the guesswork out of decorating with their professional experience and expertise. They’ll be able to knowledgeably recommend materials based on durability, performance, and appropriateness, facilitating a simple, stress-free redecorating experience. You won’t have to spend hours researching materials, which is great for today’s busy lifestyles. Choosing a color scheme, fabrics, window treatments, and flooring materials is a breeze with the assistance of an interior design consultant.

And, if you choose to work with an interior design professional affiliated with a paint store or home improvement outlet you can even eliminate the hassle of dealing with a middleman; you’ll be able to purchase products directly from your interior designer for easy, one-stop home decorating.

Interior Design for the Outdoors

Don’t forget, interior designers aren’t just for indoors anymore. One of the hottest trends in decorating today is creating an outdoor room by turning your porch, patio, or deck into a comfortable living space. If you’re looking to transform your outdoor space into an open-air lounge or dining room, an interior designer can really help! From assisting you with selection of appropriate outdoor fabrics to suggestions on durable furnishings, a design professional is practically a must for designing an outdoor living space.

Commercial Interior Design Services

Interior design services can also be great for commercial properties. Whether it’s a restaurant, apartment building, or doctor’s office, when you’re remodeling the look of your commercial space, why not use an interior designer. They’ll be able to handle all of the mundane details of decorating, leaving you free to run your company! From helping you create a coherent look to the nitty-gritty of selecting upholstery fabrics, design consultants can help you achieve an attractive, professional look with little to no hassle.

Embark on your next decorating project with the help of an interior design consultant. They’ll take the hassle out of redoing your décor and help you get the look you’ve been dreaming of!

Many homeowners don’t realize that exterior paint is not just about making the house look great; paint also protects the wood from the weather and provides a layer of protection for your whole house. It’s important to have your home repainted not just to keep it looking beautiful but also to keep the structure sound!

Paint Removal

The first step to repainting your house is removing the old paint to prepare the surface for a new coat. It’s important to completely remove old paint so that the new paint can fully adhere to the wood; otherwise, the new paint can bubble, chip, and peel off. Professional paint removal is recommended when it comes to stripping off old exterior paint. These experts use a system of propane heaters and scrapers to systematically remove the paint without damaging the underlying wood. Without these professional tools and training, it’s almost impossible for the DIYer to achieve this level of thoroughness. And, in their attempts to remove the paint without specialized equipment, homeowners do tend to mar the woodwork. For the best paint removal results, it’s always best to leave it to the pros!

Exterior Pre-painting Preparation

While removing the old paint is certainly the first step, there is more prep work that needs to be done before fresh paint can be applied. The bare wood needs to be sanded to create a smooth surface so the paint can go on evenly; sanding also ensures that any lingering specks of old paint are eliminated. Then the siding, trim, and window and door frames are evaluated for cracking, rotting, and other damage. These blemishes are caulked, repaired, or mended so that the exterior of your home is in top shape before the paint cans are ever even opened. With this thorough preparation work, often a collaboration between paint removal professionals and house painting experts, the new paint sticks completely, with no flaking or peeling.

House Painting

Once the paint is totally removed and the surface has been prepped, your house is ready for a new coat of paint. While many homeowners feel up to the challenge of painting their home, you may want to consider hiring professional house painters. These specialists can competently address any problems that develop during the painting process, as well as take into consideration the particular requirements of external paint jobs. Exterior house paint needs to be tough-resistant to wind and rain, UV rays, mold, and fungus-and it needs to be applied in a thick, consistent coat to optimize these characteristics. If you are at all uncomfortable with the idea of painting your home yourself, you should contract painting pros. They’ll be able to give you the smooth, gorgeous paint job you’ve been dreaming of, and you won’t have to worry about incorrect application or other issues that might arise from a DIY job.

If your paint is chipped and peeling; if you’re dreaming of fresh, attractive house paint; if you’re ready to protect your home from the elements, it’s time for new exterior paint. Not only will your house look great, it will also being protected. Call professional painting specialists for optimal results. They have the knowledge and skill to make sure you get an attractive coat of paint that lasts for years!

While many homeowners are anxious to just start painting already, it is important to properly prepare your trim and walls prior to painting. Whether it’s patching nail holes, removing old wallpaper, or just cleaning your walls before painting them, the prep work makes all the difference. Correctly prepared painting surfaces take paint better, allowing it to completely adhere for a beautiful, long-lasting finish. Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to correctly prepare your walls; read on for advice on the simple steps that make a difference!

Patching

The first step in preparing your walls for painting is to address any nail holes or cracks. These small blemishes can be easily filled with spackle. For larger holes, you will need to patch the drywall itself. If you’re not comfortable mending drywall, contact a local interior painter; they will be able to provide a smooth, professional drywall patch.

Sanding

The next step is sanding. Especially if you spackled cracks and nail holes, you’ll need to smooth them out to create a flat, even painting surface. Wallpaper should also be sanded before being painted; while it is usually best to take down all wallpaper before painting, removing wallpaper that was applied directly to unpreped wallboard may cause irreparable damage. In this case, your best option is to detach any loose pieces (especially curling seam edges) and then sand the remaining wallpaper. This creates a slightly rough surface for the primer to stick to.

Cleaning

Now you need to clean your walls and woodwork. (Note: it’s best to do this step after sanding; otherwise you’ll just have to do it again to remove the dust created by sanding.) Although generally invisible to the eye, dust and grime can accumulate on your walls and trim; this layer can prevent the paint from completely adhering to the surface and needs to be eliminated prior to painting. A mild solution of soap and water is usually enough to get rid of any residue. Simply wipe down walls, woodwork, and anywhere you sanded, then rinse with plain water.

Priming

The final pre-painting step is applying primer. Primer should be used to cover stains, darker paint, wood with knots in it, and, of course, wallpaper. Make sure that you’re using the correct type of primer for the task; if you’re priming wallpaper, water-based paints should be avoided as they may make the paper bubble. If you’re worried about using the incorrect primer or uncomfortable with the task of priming, your local painting specialist can help. Also, be sure to always prime over spackled spots to avoid shiny spots in your finished paint job.

Now it’s time to paint! The pre-painting preparation may have taken some time, but it will be worth it in the end. By correctly prepping your painting surfaces, you’ll get an attractive finish that lasts. The best part is, since the walls were correctly prepared, the paint will last longer: meaning you won’t have to paint this room again for years! Of course, if you don’t want to bother with the work of pre-painting preparation or the hassle of painting itself, you can always hire a professional painter. They’ll take care of all of the preparation, painting, and clean up, allowing you to sit back, relax, and enjoy your beautifully painted room.

In today’s sluggish real estate market, selling your home can be a nightmare. Months or even years can drag by with your house on the market. But there is hope. Despite the slow economy, there are a number of ways you can boost your home’s attractiveness to potential buyers. Your house will increase in value and sell faster, even in today’s market!

The importance of curb appeal can never be overestimated when discussing home sales. The external appearance of your home frequently makes the difference between a buyer coming in to see the rest of the house and a buyer driving on by. Small changes like cutting back overgrown shrubs, weeding, and planting seasonal flowers cost little to nothing, but can make your home more attractive. However, major outdoor improvements can really make your house look fabulous and sell fast. For instance, did you know that landscaping frequently provides up to 200% return on investment. So if you spend $5,000 on a new stone walkway and retaining wall, you can increase the value of your home up to $10,000! Not only will your house look great, it will make a stronger impression from the street, inviting potential buyers to come in, look around, and make an offer. Other external upgrades to consider include new siding or fresh paint. Especially if the old paint is chipped and peeling, a new professional paint job can make all the difference in the world.

Inside your home, there are also several options for sprucing things up to make the house sell fast. Many homeowners immediately turn to a kitchen remodel, but with the price of new appliances, this investment is often too large to recoup. Bathroom renovation, on the other hand, makes a big impact and costs much less. Updating an old-fashioned powder room or creating a luxurious master bath suite will give you the most bang for your buck; by concentrating on these key spaces instead of less significant areas like a kid’s bathroom, you’ll optimize your investment. Another fantastic way to enhance the interior look of your home is to install new flooring. Especially if a central part of your house, such as the entryway or kitchen, has dated, worn, or blasé flooring, you can make a huge impact by changing it out for a fresh floor. There are a number of economical flooring options on the market today to make a beautiful impression without breaking the bank. With laminates and prefinished wood flooring costing as little as $7 a square foot, you can create the glowing warmth of a hardwood floor at a fraction of the price. And, real estate research has shown that buyers heavily prefer wood floors to almost any other material.

These changes may seem like an excessively large investment to make in a house you’re trying to sell, but they’re actually quite cost-effective. Because they enhance your home’s appeal, they decrease selling time exponentially: meaning, that even if you don’t recoup 100% of the investment, you’re still coming out ahead. You’ve saved yourself the time, hassle, stress, and, yes, money of having your home on the market long term.

Even if you don’t have the capital to invest in major home improvements, you can still influence how fast your home sells. Some of the tiniest changes can increase your home’s appeal and make the difference between a potential buyer making an offer or walking away. For starters, keep your home neat and tidy, so buyers aren’t assailed with dirty dishes and piles of laundry when they tour your house. Have your carpets professionally cleaned to make them look fresh and fluffy. Place fresh flowers on your table or create a seasonal decorative arrangement. Essentially, use your common sense to make your home as inviting as possible. Whether you choose to make a major home improvement investment or a minor one, you can influence how fast your home sells.

Matt Gallo is a home improvement hobbyist. He is the Internet Marketing Manager for Prospect Genius, a leading provider of local online advertising. Learn more at www.prospectgenius.com.