Homeowner Paint Tips

Quick Tip On Maintaining Your Vinyl Fencing or Windows

Vinyl replacement windows, doors, fencing and gates have become quite popular the last 10 years. In fact, almost all new homes communities come standard with vinyl products. It appears that vinyl, overall, has done quite a good job withstanding the California sun, but it still is showing signs of weathering. Typically, vinyl products show their age by changing color, chipping, or cracking. This all depends on the exposure the vinyl gets from elements such as mildew, mold, water, salt and sun. 

To help prolong the life of your vinyl windows, doors or fencing, Chism Brothers Painting suggest that you clean the surfaces at least once a year. Sometimes a simple pressure-wash with just water will do the trick. If you live in the coastal communities, we’d suggest using a biodegradable (green-friendly) detergent or a mixture of bleach and water. The bleach kills mildew and some mold. If you decide to use bleach, make sure you protect your landscape, as bleach will burn your plants very quickly. To avoid the burning of your landscape, quickly spray down the area with water. Finally, if using bleach or a mild soap, you may need to use a sponge to wipe down the surfaces to help remove harmful elements. 

In some cases, a clear sealer can be applied to vinyl surfaces. However, keeping them clean will avoid having to use a sealer.

If you don’t want to tackle this job yourself, Chism Brothers can accomplish this project through our Painter For a Day program. 

Quality Paint Warranties in San Diego and La Jolla

If you are on the look out for a quality painting company in San Diego, Mission Hills, Del Mar or La Jolla, Chism Brothers Painting has one of the best guarantees in town. Most painters in San Diego will warranty their work for 1-3 years. Some of the more well known companies we have seen offer a two-year warranty. When our clients with with Chism Brothers, they get two things: 1) A 5 year warranty on our workmanship and 2) a No Questions Asked Guarantee. The no questions asked guarantee means that we will do the right thing. We won’t make you feel terrible if you call us with a warranty question. We like to consider ourselves the “Nordstrom” of painting contractors. You will always feel comfortable with our painters, our service and the quality.

A Few Tips on Hiring a Professional Painter in San Diego in Today’s Market

Before hiring a painter for your next paint project, ask yourself this one question: “What kind of painting company do I want to hire?” Now I know what you are thinking. “Ah…I want a good one!” Was I right? Well, of course you want a painting company to do a good job for you but finding a “good one” in this market is not as easy as you may think. Lets dig a little deeper and determine the specific type of paint contractor that is right for you! 

I like to put painting contractors in three categories: A true professional, a paint company who has employees and does a decent job, and, what I would call “a bucket and brush” painter.

Bucket and Brush Painter 

You’ve all seen a bucket and a brush painter more than once in your life. In fact, you will typically see him (or her) most days except Mondays! He will typically show up in a rust-infested hatchback sedan, leave when he feels like it and get the job done when there is no surf or the rent is due. When he decides to begin painting, he will then hire a cheap helper or his roommate to help apply paint, sometimes for the first time. He will then charge you 1/3 to 1/2 of a true professional and promise you astounding results. When you are finished with this type of painter, you will typically be calling for one of the two other types of painters to clean up the mess he left for you, free of charge!

Decent Painter, but Not Real Professional 

The second type of painter is typically good at what he does but may not be real professional. He sometimes will arrive late, be hard to get a hold of by phone or email and take a little longer to do the job. However, his pricing typically sounds good to most homeowners. This type of paint contractor also does not listen to your specific needs very well. Instead, he will paint your house the way he thinks it should be done, without any of your concerns taken into consideration. I was recently doing an estimate for a couple who took me around their home and shared with me a number of their concerns and asked me to breakdown the estimate cost into individual items. When I asked about their experience with the other painters bidding the job, they both unloaded on me the things I just mentioned above. It was not rocket science to do what they were asking. They were receiving estimates from painters who worked in their very own neighborhood but were not professional. After explaining in detail what they wanted to the other contractors, they did the complete opposite. The bid the job and presented the estimate as a lump sum. If only they would listen, take careful notes, show up on time, use the right products, etc. those guys would have had a good shot and winning their business. They would have done a decent job but the owners just did not feel comfortable that the painters would do a quality job when they could not follow such simple guidelines.

A True Professional 

The final type of paint contractors are called “True Professionals.” Although you sometimes have to pay a little more to get a professional painting contractor, you will not have the frustrations that come with the paint companies mentioned above. A true professional runs a quality business. They strive for customer satisfaction, return calls promptly, listen carefully to your concerns, are kept up to date on the best products to use and use craftsmen painters to complete your project. Professionals painters will make the typically painting experience a positive one from the first initial contact to the finish product. 

Fresh Paint on Walls Makes an Affordable Way to Update Your Home

The San Diegion Union Tribune recently wrote an article entitled "Home Stretch" which gave homeowner's practical ways to spruce up their home without breaking the bank. People are spending more time in their homes these days and are tired of looking at their dull walls and decor. Even if the home was decorated & painted professionally, design trends change every year. So, if you are looking for a few ways to add color to your home or make a few decorating changes, please read the whole article HERE

By the way, we are always here to help with your design and painting needs. We work with some of San Diego's best Interior Designers and have the most skilled painters working for us too.  

How to Clean Your Interior Walls

The problem most folks have with trying to keep their walls clean from dirt and smudges is that after 6 months or longer, it becomes harder and harder to keep the walls clean! It seems that when you go to wipe down your walls, you find that after you finish, little "halos" appear that don't go away. You then pull out your leftover paint from 6 years ago and touch up the walls finding out that the paint doesn't match anymore!

If you've experienced frustration with wiping down your painted surfaces only to find that you can't keep them clean, you probably need to use a different type of paint. There are several quality products that have excellent clean up on the market today. The first is Sherwin-Williams Duration Home. You can pick up a gallon for about $50 (retail). The second quality product is Benjamin Moore Aura. Aura cost about $60 retail. Both products have a Matte finish, which looks the best and is VERY washable. If you use either product, you can rest assured that your walls will be cleaner and last a lot longer than anything else you can find at Home Depot or Lowes. To clean your walls with these paints, you just need warm to hot water, no detergent needed!

If you don't want to tackle touching up your walls, we'd be glad to help! Try our Painter For a Day service anytime!

Have You Seen Our Cabinet Finishing Portfolio Lately?

One of the things Chism Brothers Painting excels at is the staining and painting of custom cabinets. Painting cabinets is not all that easy if you want the finish product to look really good. It takes lots of patience in the removing of the hardware, doors and drawers. It takes extra care in the sanding and cleaning process. The type of spray equipment used is also important. The spray technician also has to have years of experience to make sure he sprays and finishes the woodwork well.

When looking for a painting contractor to work on cabinets for you, make sure you see a few samples of the finish product. You'd be surprised at how many companies claim to specialize in cabinetry finishes. Here are just a few samples of some of the work we've done in the recent years: View Cabinet Finishes 

A Good Paint Brush is Key

When it comes time to freshen up your woodwork around the home or change the color in your bedroom, make sure you have a good paint brush. I can't stress this enough! A good paint brush is not cheap, but you will thank me in the end! Most homeowners go to the Home Depot and purchase the painting combo meal: 1 black plastic handle black bristle brush, 1 roller frame and a paint tray for $10.00! If you are concerned about a quality paint job, the only item that will work well out of that combo is probably the roller, not the brush or tray. The brush will get paint on the walls but the end result is not as rewarding! A bad paint brush typically has a few bad habits: 1) It gets worn out and seeks retirement after only 1 or 2 paint projects. 2) It does not hold a lot of paint. 3) It does not cause paint to flow very nicely on your painted surfaces: especially trim work (doors, windows, base etc).

What is my suggestion of what you should do with your current or old paint brushes? Seek the death penalty! Toss them out as soon as possible and get a real brush! You can pick one up at your local Dunn-Edwards, Sherwin Williams or Frazee paint store for around $10 to $20. Two of the best brands on the market are Wooster and Purdy. If you want to save a few bucks, just go with the Sherwin Williams Contractor brand. A good paint brush holds more paint and flows out ever so nicely on your painted surfaces. The only thing you'll need to keep in mind is when you are finished with your new and improved brush, you must carefully and thoroughly clean your brush and store it in a safe place. Otherwise, you'll be buying a new paint brush for every project.

Now, I must mention one more thing: Have you ever seen what a good paint brush can do in the hands of someone who knows how to use it. It's down right, dangerously effective! The results are incredible. A good "brushman" can make your trim and walls look so smooth and clean. So, if you are not a do it yourself painter, Chism Brothers Painting would LOVE to help you with your next painting project.

ToFixIt! Named The Best Service Referral Company

ToFixIt! is a referral service that claims to "Recommend the Best and Toss the Rest." They must be doing something right, as they were just named the best referral service company in Phoenix, AZ. ToFixIt! started out in Arizona 4 years ago and has been in the San Diego market for 1 year. The companies involved are very professional, so you can't go wrong if you hire a ToFixIt! certified contractor. 

Chism Brothers Painting has been a part of ToFixIt! San Diego since the grand opening in our city. Our goal is to always provide the best service but always at a very fair price to you.  

Painting with the Brain…

Christmas Is Just Around the Corner

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, our next big holiday event of the year is just around the Corner! If you are celebrating Christmas at home this year, please let Chism Brothers assist with your painting needs. Our staff are some of the finest craftsman in San Diego, and on top of this excellent work, they are fun to have around! People hire Chism Brothers because they want people to show up, do a good job and NOT supervise their work. 

Leave the details to us. We have an excellent staff ready to get your next paint job checked off your list. For small touch up items, consider our Painter For A Day as an option! 

Picking The Right Colors Of Paint For My Home

Here is an article we found interesting that may help educate yourself on selecting the right color for your home. We hope you will find it helpful and of course, if you would rather us do the selecting of the colors and the painting, we'd love to help!

Read the article Here

Turn Off the TV

The October issue of Real Simple Magazine had an article about dealing with stress. They wrote out a 14 day stress relieving plan that made a lot of sense. The one that stuck out to me was the Tuesday of the second week. It said, "Turn off the TV." Real simple said, "Constant bombardment by news can make you feel anxious when you're already keyed up, and a blaring TV hits you with both visual and aural stimulation." (p. 166, October, Real Simple). Watching or listening to too much news and TV during the elections and the way our economy currently is can create a lot of stress and anxiety. It also causes you not to want to spend money or do the proper home maintenance items!

My suggestion is to turn off the TV for a little while and do something fun! Go plant some flowers! Play a round of golf! And don't forget to call your painter to talk about a few new color options for your home. Bringing color to your life is sure to make you feel a lot better during these rough times! 

Fall Season Painting Projects

Chism Brothers Painting is staying busy even with our growing economy concerns. However, we still have room for your project! The fall season is a perfect time to get the final exterior touch ups, rooms repainted for the holidays or get a complete repaint both inside and out. If you want a company that has the reputation for not only talking about quality and professional service but has a proven track record, give us a try! If your a busy professional or a mom who is busy being a mom, we think you'll be impressed with our people! Our staff have been carefully "hand" picked to be apart of our team, so you can rest assure that you will be treated with the utmost care and professionalism. Send us an email or give us a call!

Are Oil Base Paints The Best For My Home?

I recently came across a quote from a website that supposedly was offering good painting advice to homeowners. The quote I am referring to said this about oil base paints, "Oil based paints may be a better solution for you. They provide for a better amount of coverage, dry slower and give a better finish. They work perfectly for cabinets, your trim and your furniture painting projects. Professionals prefer oil based paints that are readily available." For years, oil base was the standard of a quality finish for both inside and outside projects. Oil base finishes dried hard and looked great! However, in recent years, the statement above is becoming old fashion and dated.

The reason a professional painter likes or will consider using oil products today is because they dry very hard and are durable when a homeowner tries to clean the painted surfaces. Besides those two things, oil base paints really are becoming extinct. California has also made the standards for paint very high. Oil base paints are typically very high in VOC, which means they are not friendly to the environment. Therefore oil paints are being replaced with low VOC acrylic and latex products. For example, in the old days oil base was used to paint all exteriors. Today, it is one of the worst products to use, because of chalking, fading, cracking and attracting mildew! Today, the acrylic products have proven to out perform all oil base finishes for masonry and wood surfaces. The same is true for interior products. Oils were well liked because of how they looked when dried. Now, if a good painters knows how to use a sprayer or is good with a brush, he or she can get most water-base paints to look and feel just like an oil base finish. 

So, though I personally like the look and feel of most oil base finishes for interior and exteriors of homes, it is not always the best to use on your home. Water-base products are and will continue to be the standard of the future. They need to be applied properly but they will last just as long or longer than the oils of the past. They are safe for the environment and they are good for your home. If you have any questions about what products to use on your home, please feel free to post your question on our blog or send us an email. We'll be glad to help! 

Green Home Information

We found some valuable information about green products and making your home more environmentally friendly. The Paint Quality Institute has a visual demonstration that we thought would be helpful to you. Take a moment and view their site on Green Homes: View Now