From Tired and Dry to Pleasing to the Eye: Project Profile From Recent 3,500 Square Foot Repaint In Mechanicsburg, PA
Reason for Client Contact: Our Client contacted Just Add Paint for several reasons. First, she noticed that the walls of her formerly beautiful home were beginning to become dark and greasy looking toward the bottom. (This turned out to be natural oil from the fur of THREE family cats!) Second, when she tried to clean the walls, she discovered that the paint came off along with the gunk, no matter what cleaning technique she used. And third, she determined that the paint no longer looked “fresh” at all, throughout the house. These factors combined to create a great job opportunity for the Just Add Paint crew!!
Objective: To beautify the home, and to create a higher quality, more durable finish than was originally created by the builders.
Services Utilized:
Cleaning using Vacuum and Krud Kutter products
Butcher Block Paper, Plastic, and Blue Painter’s Tape/ Yellow Frog Tape for Protection
Oil-based Primer for use over oily cat areas and light water damage
Traditional soft bristled Paint Brushes, High Capacity Microfiber Rollers
Extended length Poles for tall Entryway and Hallways
Challenges of the Job:
Very “powdery” low grade paint used by builders. Flat paint, one coat only. Client expressed concern both about the appearance of the paint, as well as her total inability to wash areas of the wall without removing the old paint.
*Solution: We chose our favorite Sherwin Williams wall paint, Cashmere, in Low Lustre finish. (That is Cashmere’s version of Eggshell, which actually has a lovely sheen.) This paint was a “kills two birds with one stone” solution. First, it created a very clean, smooth, finished product with just enough sheen to reflect some light in the room. Second, it dried to an extremely hard, durable finish we know will touch up well. This brightened the rooms despite going the same color, and made the walls wipeable, which will allow our Client to remove cat oils and other dirt and grime that inevitably build up over time.
Large surface area to cover in a Short period of time. One week time frame available for completion.
*Solution: We chose microfiber roller covers, which allow us to apply more paint in a shorter period of time. This is possible because they hold several times more paint than standard roller covers, while also providing a smooth, line free finish. An additional benefit is that we can roll “ceiling to floor” with one dip of paint, even on tall walls. This creates a superior product when compared to a wall where dipping during a single painted line was necessary. (We use several different brands and nap lengths for these roller covers, email us for details and what we would recommend for your specific project)…
Desire to refresh and brighten trim, without the budget to include a second coat, as was provided for the walls.
*Solution: We knew that with a change of color, there would be no way to create our usual high quality of product with only one coat. We met with the client, and after determining that the original trim color was shell white, we custom mixed a 50%
shell white. (Approximately one shade lighter than the original color.) Because this paint is made with the exact same base, and because we used an extremely high quality trim paint, (Sherwin Duration Semi-Gloss) we were able to create a beautiful, bright final result with just one coat.
The Process: We pole sanded all walls to smooth out imperfections of the original paint job, while also using our Festool Dustless Sander/HEPA Vac to remove any drips / thick spots still showing. We then patched the wall and oil primed all areas of patching and cat oils. We re-sanded, and applied two top coats of high quality paint with microfiber rollers. We finished by cleaning all trim with Krud Kutter degreaser to remove cat oils, then block sanding and applying paint.
The Result: A smiling Client, with a beautiful, fresh looking home. We are happy we were able to stay within the original budget, while providing a very pleasing product. And we are happy to know that because of using better materials, the home will STAY beautiful for years to come.
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