Housewarming Gift Ideas & Tips

Thursday, March 01, 2007

If you have a neighbor that just moved in or if you just plan on stopping by a friend’s home to say hello, we found an article that might give you a few helpful tips and ideas.

The most helpful part of this short article is the note about things you should avoid!

Housewarming Ideas

Three Concerns About Remodeling Your Home

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

A local construction company I know in San Diego, Dunnwell Construction, recently posted a great guide for homeowners called, “3 Concerns About Remodeling Your Home.” What are the three concerns?

1) Get What You Want

2) Pay a Fair Price

3) Complete the Job on Schedule

Hiring a remodeling contractor or any service professionnal is not an easy task. It requires hard work. Chuck Dunnigan, owner of Dunnwell Construction, breaksdown the three points above in more detail in his article. I think you will find his insight helpful. The three bid concept does not always work. To learn more why: Read The Article and view Chuck’s site.

Color Trends for 2007

Friday, January 26, 2007

The Paint Quality Institute has just published the 2007 Color Trends for homeowners. Changing the color of a room is relatively inexpensive and can make a world of difference. Chism Brothers can typically change the color of walls in a full size bedroom for under $600.00. We hope the article below will inspire you to try something new for 2007. If you need help, let us know!

Paint Quality Institute 2007 Color Trends

Note: Picture Above: Courtesy of The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute.

Coffee and Christmas Lights

Saturday, December 02, 2006

One of our customers, Mark Fackler from La Jolla, yesterday suggested that we, Chism Brothers, consider hanging Christmas Lights for our clients. He thought it would be a perfect service to offer since we are already up on ladders painting homes. We liked the idea and decided to post it on our blog. We are going to research ways we can advertise for hanging Christmas lights next season, so stay tuned for this new service. Until then, if you would like us to hang your lights, please send us an email or call our office.

We also have been giving Whole Bean Coffee out to our customers as a way of saying “thanks” for your business and referrals. You also will receive coffee just for getting an estimate! If you would like extra coffee for the holidays, (some of the most freshly roasted coffee you can get), please ask us how you can purchase the beans. Simply email our office or go to: www.WearTheBean.com

What Type of Paint Should I Use for Interior Painting?

Monday, November 27, 2006
You have probably heard that a good paint job depends on how well a surface was prepped. This is correct, but selecting the right kind of paint for any painting project is very important as well. Paint products are different than they use to be. Most of the products found on the shelf are better than older products, but you have to know what type of paint to use and how to use it in order for it to be effective. Walls and Ceilings When selecting an interior paint for your walls or ceilings, you need to ask yourself a few questions to determine the proper product. First, do you want a washable and durable paint or a paint that just looks good? Why is this a good question? Because sometimes a paint that is more washable and durable may not look very nice on your walls or ceilings if the area gets a lot of natural light. Paint that has more of a sheen to it tends to make the imperfections on your drywall more noticable. Most ceilings are painted with flat except for kitchens and baths. If the areas get a lot of moisture or grease from cooking, you need to use an enamel (anything but flat). The flat finishes today are washable for a short time and durable. However, if you know you are going to have children or a lot of foot traffic around the painted surfaces, flat is not recommended. Certain accent colors look good with flat as well. Whether you decide to use flat or an enamel on your drywall, we would highly recommend painting with acrylic paints (also called "water based"). It is getting more difficult to paint with oil based paints, due to all the government regulations. An oil base has its place. If you already have oil base on your bathrooms and kitchen, it is typically less expensive to paint with the same product. The downside to using oil is that it tends to yellow. If the area has a lot of natural light, the oil will not yellow as fast. Woodwork Many times, people ask us to put a gloss on the walls or trim when in reality, they just do not want flat. A Gloss from the paint stores is very shiny and does not necessarily look appealing on most surfaces. For woodwork, we would typically recommend using semi-gloss, and in some cases a low-sheen enamel. Because it is getting harder to find oil base products, we recommend switching to a durable water base paint when painting woodwork. The waterborne paints are getting better each year. The problem we found in the past with most water base paints is that they did not dry as hard inside and were less durable than the oils. On the positive side, they do not yellow and the smell is not bad. If you hire us to paint your cabinets, we will test the surfaces and see what existing products were used. Depending on the surface, we can use water, oil or a pre-catalyzed lacquer. The pre-cat. lacquer is the most durable of finishes. To learn more about the right products to use on your home, ask our estimator.

What Is Enamel Paint?

Thursday, November 16, 2006
A lot of homeowners seem to get confused when they use the word "enamel." When doing estimates, we typically hear that a person wants the following, "Gloss, Enamel, High-Gloss, etc." Some also think that "enamel" is considered separate from semi-gloss, gloss, and the like. The best way to describe what enamel means is to think about a person's teeth. The shiny outer layer is a protectant called, "enamel." The enamel can break down causing tooth decay. Enamel is typically a coating that is hard or shiny. When we use the word "enamel" for painting your home, we are referring to any paint product that is not flat or matte. Here is a list of enamels that we typically use in the paint industry: eggshell, low-sheen, semi-gloss, and high gloss. Enamel can range from 5% to 100% shine on the top coating. So when you hear a painter say that we will use an "eggshell enamel" that is different than using a flat finish or gloss. Typically enamels are easier to clean because they dry with a shine. If you have children, it is best to have a very low-sheen enamel on the walls. For more information about what is the best type of paint to use on your home, please contact our office!

How a Primer or Sealer Can Benefit Your Home

Monday, November 13, 2006

A question that we are frequently asked is, "Are you going to use a primer?" We thought it would be useful to explain briefly why primers and sealers are and should be used.

The Paint Quality Institute recently published an article that describes the use of Primers and Sealers. Here is a portion of the article below:

"Primers perform several valuable functions. They help the topcoat adhere better to the surface that’s being painted. They do this by making the surface more uniform and accepting for the top coat, so that when the paint is applied, it can get a better “grip” than it would on a bare surface. In addition, primers help give the finished paint job a more uniform appearance in terms of color and sheen, thereby making it more attractive. This is especially true when the surface being painted is porous or uneven. Finally, some primers help prevent stains from coming through the paint from the surface below.

While primers are generally pigmented, sealers are not. The role of a sealer is to seal a porous surface like weathered concrete or stucco so that a finish coat can develop a uniform sheen or gloss. Sealers also help protect the finish coat on masonry from efflorescence which is a white, salt-like residue and to help seal out moisture.

No matter what your painting project this fall might be, remember to use a primer or sealer in these circumstances:

1. When painting new wood or any other surface that has never been painted before.
2. When repainting a surface that is uneven or badly deteriorated.
3. When repainting a surface that has been stripped or is worn down to the original surface material." (View Complete Article)

You can rely on Chism Brothers Painting to ALWAYS prepare the surfaces properly before applying finish coats. Our painters are trained to know the value of proper primers and sealers and when they should be used. We keep up on the latest products so we will only use the best on your home. For more information about how we prepare surfaces for paint, please email us

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Chalice Joy Chism

Thursday, October 26, 2006
David Chism, Director of Marketing and Sales, and his wife, Joli, announced the birth of their second child: Chalice Joy Chism Born: on October 17, 2006 at 2:18 A.M. Weight: 6 pounds 13 ounces Length: 20 1/2 inches Thank you to our clients and homeowners who requested an estimate prior to her birth. Joli had several episodes of false labor, so David had to reschedule his appointments several times! We appreciate your flexibility. More pictures are posted on their website: www.davidandjoli.com

La Jolla Youth Soccer 2006

Wednesday, October 25, 2006
We just finished another season of sponsoring the La Jolla Youth Soccer. Congratulations to all of the young people who participated this year! Chism Brothers Painting strives to be a part of the community in the areas where we work. If you know of a community event or outreach that we can sponsor, please email us any time. By the way, if you know of anyone in need of a good paint job, please send them our way!

James Becker: Foreman for Chism Brothers Painting

Monday, October 23, 2006
James Becker: Foreman for Chism Brothers Painting

True or False: “Never Paint Again”

Saturday, October 21, 2006
Answer: FALSE If you ever see or hear an advertisement that says you'll never need to paint again be sure that it is a false advertisement. The products these companies are using are good, but companies selling these paint products charge two to three times what Chism Brothers Painting would charge. They sell the products by offering a "lifetime" warranty. If the company is still in business, that is a good thing. Typically companies will run themselves out of business if their paint is inferior or if there is a problem with their company. No product for a home will last forever. One of the main reasons for paint failure is the existing coatings under a new coating begins to deteriorate. Another major reason for paint failure is sun and moisture intrusion. We have been to homes that needed to be recoated in just 8 years. So be careful who you hire when you want a good product applied to your home. Chism Brothers Painting has exceptional knowledge when it comes to preparing the surfaces for paint and the right products to use on a home. Upon a recent customer survey we did, customers typically hired us because of our high quality, reliability, and excellent customer service. Our family has been painting homes in San Diego since the 1940's. We know what lasts and what doesn't. To schedule a free consultation with our estimator: Click Here

Waiting For the Right One

Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Choosing a good painting contractor is not an easy process. We have sold a number of jobs partly because homeowners liked our website. They reasoned that because the site was orderly and professional that their home would be painted right. Those same customers have been very happy with the final product. Just recently a current customer in Point Loma received a mailer from us, went to our site and decided that we were a good fit based on what he saw. He was going to test us out by painting a couple of rooms. So far things are going great and he wants us to paint the entire house and manage other houshold projects for him (i.e. Window Relacement, Building Custom Doors, etc). If you like our approach to painting homes, please consider getting an estimate and waiting until after Thanksgiving to get your home painted by us. We never want to lose a potential customer, and we want to make sure we do not rush your project. Our project managers work on one home at a time. Some companies will tell you they can start right away, but they typically have multiple projects going on at once. The problem with this approach is that your job will not be the priority and attention to detail will be lost. From the time you call our office until the completion of your project, we hope you will agree that you made the right choice! We are currently scheduling larger painting projects for after Thanksgiving. If you have a very small project, we will do what we can to schedule and complete your project in a timely manner.

How to Add Value to Your Home

Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Recently, we came across a good article from the San Diego Business Journal that suggested that many San Diegans are settling down into their homes and remodeling. A number of years ago, people would do a cheap remodel to add value just enough to sell the home. Now people are beginning to decide to stay in their homes. Typically, homeowners who are planning on staying in their homes want a quality paint job and remodel instead of a job that looks and is cheap. Chism Brothers Painting is very familiar with excellent remodeling contractors and is in the business of always doing the highest quality of work. People do not hire us very often when they plan on selling their home. People hire us when quality counts. Before committing to a project, please feel free to contact us about who to hire. We are known for our excellent quality and craftsmanship, and the remodeling contractors we work with have similiar standards. To read the full article of the Business Journal on Remodeling: Click Here

Traffic Reports in San Diego

Friday, October 06, 2006
Here is a very helpful website that gives you up to date traffic information in San Diego: Traffic Report. You can slide your mouse over the areas, and it will give you a report of how fast traffic is moving, what places to avoid and the type of accidents. By the way, if you need a great painter for a day, please try our services before committing to a larger project: Hire Us Now

Goof Off

Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Every homeowner needs their own little bottle of Goof Off® handy when accidents happen. Goof Off® is the one product that easily removes gum, adhesives, freshly dried paint drops, candle wax and much more. The best part about this product is you can buy a small bottle for less than $4.00, and it will last a long time. Get your bottle of Goof Off here