Note: This estimate includes top of fence and one side (facing Avondale). Rear of the fence (facing Residential) is excluded from this project.
Dates:
NOTE: Starting and completion dates are weather dependent. Once your project begins, our crew will work consecutive business days. Normal business hours: 8AM-4PM Mon-Fri, and 7AM-3PM Mon-Fri on high temperature days. We may work weekends to make up any missed week days due to rain.
Power washing: week of June 16, 2014
Estimated power washing completion: week of June 16th, 2014
Painting start date: Week of June 16, 2014
Estimated completion date:Week of June 16, 2014 – Week of June 23, 2014
Since almost all homes in Washington state have some sort of ever green tree background, brown exterior paint colors are our most popular and pleasant earth tone.
We have spent years experimenting with different shades of Brown Exterior paint colors, and would like to share some of our findings with anyone in the process of deciding exterior house colors.
Not to be confused with “slate”, which is actually a dark deep gray, our darker browns are more suitable for either larger homes, or homes with what I call “interesting fronts”.
That is a house with lots of features in the front; plenty of trim to break up all the darkness of the brown, and maybe some rocks or other features to take away some of the strength of the dark color.
In most cases, I would not recommend dark Brown Exterior paint colors for ramblers. Darker colors can miniaturize the house further, and give it a more aged look.
Of course, your house color represents your personality, and if you do not plan on selling your home anytime soon, you must simply choose something you enjoy looking at.
Body: Benjamin Moore HC-85 Trim: Benjamin Moore Bone white
If you do plan on selling, I suggest choosing exterior colors similar to what new home builders are using these days.
Keep in mind, your potential buyers might be looking at newer homes before stoping by at your listing. The goal is to avoid any colors that might not appeal to certain personalities.
Favorite Brown Exterior paint colors
A braver approach to brown exterior paint colors
We also use plenty of fun and exiting browns. These browns usually have plenty of red in them, making them very attractive in the right situation.
You really have to have the right house for this kind of color. You need plenty of other features in the front so the unique color does not overwhelm the senses.
In the first image below, the huge brick surface draws some much of your attention.
You almost must have a unique color to keep the rest of the house from disappearing.
Second photo, this house has a very unique shape with multiple dormers on the roof, and also the roof is highly visible from the street, allowing this homeowner to choose as unique of a color as they please.
The third house, it was the shear size of it that allowed us to get away with pretty much any exterior paint color.
Neutral, earthy, & mild brown exterior paint colors
Here are a few brown exterior paint colors that appeal to every taste, and most importantly, do not offend anyones preferences.
If you want to keep things simple, blend in a little bit, or just want a nice normal color, here are few of our favorites from Benjamin Moore.
Pressure washing assures we have a substrate that is clear of dust, dirt, and pollution. We apply one coat of 30 second house cleaner If any visible mildew is growing on the surface. The amount of water pressure is determined by the type of surface being washed. If we are working with delicate cedar chokes, pressure is lowered to make sure shingles do not detach. When washing tougher types of siding materials, pressure can be increased. We always use an angled pressure washer tip to direct the flow down wards and prevent moisture from being forced under the siding.
Drying time is determined based on temperature and humidity. On average, we wait one week to resume our preparation. Often painters are in a rush to complete project and start painting 1-2 days after power washing which can cause premature failure of the paint job.
Preparing 20 year old garage doors to be painted for the very first time.
Step 2; Masking and cover up
Every project starts with masking and cover-up. We protect windows, roofing, walkways, plants, or any other surface that is not being painted. Exterior lights, thermometers, and other similar items are removed from the house, while other items, such as patio furniture are placed a safe distance away.
Sanding – Round 1
While major sanding takes place after the primer is applied, we give a rough pass to the entire surface to remove any splinters raised by the pressure washer. Sanding dust is removed by dusters, vacuums, and powerful gas blowers. NOTE on lead based paints: this type of clean up applies to home build after 1978.
Primer – First coat
Once the surface is clean and dust is removed from the surface and surrounding areas, we apply our first coat of oil based exterior stain to seal the substrate. Primer can be brushed or spray/back/rushed to ensure proper adhesion. Drying time is determined based on temperature and humidity.
After 2 coats of primer, and sanded before and after each coat.
Sanding – Round 2
Once our fast drying oil primer is fully dry, we sand the entire surface to flatten cedar pores, and restore the surface to original condition as much as possible. Again, the surface and surrounding areas are clean of all sanding dust.
Primer – Second Coat
Now we apply a second coat of oil primer and allow sufficient drying time. Back-brushing may be needed for rough surfaces.
Paint Application
We back-roll the paint on the siding. While most painting companies believe a sprayed on coat suffices, Elegant painting takes durability to another level. Our application method includes bankrolling the entire siding twice. Paint is applied using airless sprayers, and is spread using rollers. Back-rolling forces the paint into the surface, filling all microscopic “moisture pockets”. Back-rolling also improves adhesion and produces an even spread. Gutters, corner boards, belly bands, fascia boards and other trim pieces are then hand painted twice using brush and rollers. Come find us on Google+
Completed 2-3 weeks before painting. Because eaves are constructed out of plywood, and since they do not receive any direct sun, we allow several weeks of drying time. Our power washer removed bee’s nests, spider webs, and most importantly, an invisible layer of pollution that would otherwise mix into the paint and alter its formula.
Colors
Material
Masking and cover-up
This house is tastefully landscaped and our goal is to not break a single twig. We started by masking windows, front bricks, and covering up plants.
Masking Windows
We have expert maskers on the crew. We guarantee a neat job. Once we are finished, there should not be a single drop of paint on any bricks, concrete, windows, etc.
Caulking
Since we are dealing with fiber cement siding, we caulked every single butt-joint to prevent moisture penetration. Product of choice: Sika by Sika group of America. This is the mother of all adhesives. Once dry, this caulking material has the same feel as rubber used in car tires. It remains flexible even after fully cured.
Applying the second coat
As always, we apply 2 coats whether it is needed or not. Both coats are back-rolled to improve adhesion and spread the paint evenly.
Front Door
After sanding, cleaning, and performing our standard precision masking, The front door was treated with 2 coats of Benjamin Moore MoorGlo. Color: 2137-10. with every front door we paint, our goal is to produce a finish that resembles something that just rolled off the factory line, and on this project, weather conditions were perfect and we were able to reach our goal.
Railings
ELEGANT PAINTING signature 2 tone railings. Spindles are body color, and the horizontal pieces have been coated with 2 coats of the trim paint.
Elegant Painting produces the most flawless front doors on the eastside. We know your front door is the first thing your guests see, and we want it to be as perfect as the rest of the house.
As with most exterior projects, we start by rinsing off that fine layer of pollution with a pressure washer and allowing it to dry out. Preparation is key to producing a perfect front door. We start by removing the hardware, and any flaws we see on the door including runs left by previous painters, nail holes, cracks, chipping paint, bubble, etc.
If the door has major dried paint runs or drips, we employ the services of our trusty fiber disk sanders to flatten them out. If there are cracks, we speckle then using MH Ready Patch Professional formula speckling and patching compound. This product is Shrink and crack resistant, dries rock solid, yet it is easy to sand and easy to apply.
If cracks are visible in the joints, we use our premium Sherwin Williams® caulk, or the very durable WhiteLighting caulking material to make sure the cracks do not reappear after a few years. With flexible caulking, even if the crack continues to expand due to the settling of the house, the caulking expands and continues to seal the crack, stopping moisture from entering the joint.
After the speckling, and filling of the nail holes, and the grinding of the runs, we hand sand the door with fine 2sandpapernd paper to remove any sanding marks and to smooth out any patching compounds.
Cleaning sanding dust is not as easy as you would think. The most effective way of making sure there is no trace of dust left behind is to first direct a garden blower at the door while brushing every square inch with a clean dry brush. Once we are convinced all the dust is gone, the door is wiped with a clean, damp, lint-free cloth. Now the door is ready to be primed.
Masking the area around the front door
There are 2 ways of making a front door. The first option is painting the door before the rest of the house is painted. This means we only have to cover the porch and not have to worry about getting paint on the siding, but if we are painting only the door, or if the door is being painted after the rest of the house is completed, then we mask off a six foot area all around the door and the casing. For this, we use 3M window masking plastic and tack it down to make sure the wind does not blow it off the surface. Then we open the door and mask the casing from the inside to make sure no paint can make it passed the surface of the door.
Priming the front door
Unless you have a fiberglass or metal door in decent shape, you need a primer. Doors are often painted with high-gloss paints, which means your new coat has nothing to grab. Shiny paints do not allow anything to penetrate into them, hence the need for a good quality oil based primer. We have two nearly identical products to choose from; KILZ Complete, or Zinsser exterior oil based primer. How do we decide if a primer is needed or not?
We make this decision after the preparation. You do not need a primer if your sanding has removed all the sheen out of the current finish and if you are working with a door that is currently in good shape. We also consider how protected the door is from the elements. If the front porch ceiling is protecting the door from rain and US exposure, then there might be a chance you do not need to prime it. If you are working with a wood door that has been sanded and speckled, then skipping primer is a mistake. We spray the oil primer using a Titan Airless Sprayer. This fast drying primer can be sanded in 1-3 hours.
Once the primer is fully dried, we sand with a fine 220 grid sprayer and repeat the dust removing techniques mentioned above. Now we inspect the masking to make sure everything is intact and start painting our perfect front door.
Painting a Perfect front Door
We like to use a Titan440i airless sprayer, with a 410 fine finish tip. The 410 fine finish tip puts out a very small amount of paint, so we count on applying 2-4 coats depending on color. Our paint of choice for front doors is Sherwin Williams Emerald. This paint dries out to resemble a layer of vinyl that is not too shiny, yet offers extreme protection for any surface. The paint is sprayed on in a checkered pattern. The spray gun trigger is pulled away from the door, then the gun is run up or down the height of the door until the entire door is covered. Then the process is repeated horizontally.
After the paint has dried, The door is opened and the inside edge is painted with a brush, taking special care not to allow the brush to touch the sprayed areas.
How do we know which edge should be painted the interior color and which edge exterior? Here’s a simple method; Stand outside and open the door. The edge you see should be painted the exterior color. If the interior of the door is being painted, simply repeat this method from the inside; any edge visible from the inside should be painted interior color.
Once all surfaces are completely dried, which can take a few hours depending on humidity, we carefully remove the masking plastic and inspect the door and surrounding areas to make sure we have achieved the type of perfection Elegant Painting is known to offer.
As a professional painting company, we take care of our clients, our employees and our painting equipment. We use sprayers, ladders, and paint brushes. Like many other businesses, the current economic conditions have taught us to be more efficient with our equipment and minimize waste. The problem with paint brushes is keeping them clean and efficient for long periods of time. If your paintbrush is worn out and out of shape, it will not produce straight lines, and it will hold smaller amounts of paint, resulting in increased labor costs. Paying a team member to clean brushes on daily basis can be costly, so we came up with a quick and effective method of cleaning paint brushes and keeping them in good shape. Some of the paintbrushes in the photos bellow have been used by Elegant Painting crew for seven plus years!!
With this method, you do not need any special paint brush cleaning chemicals, there is little to no muscle involved, and your brushes come out clean as new.
This old brush has been in service for over 7 years and was ready to be retired. After cleaning, it may not be suitable for any precise interior work, but it can be used for exterior projects for a few more years.
What you need:
Wire brush driver attachment
Power drill or screw driver
4 in. Drill Mount Quick-Strip Wire Brush. Available at Home depot $17.00
Empty 5 gallon bucket with some water
Carpenter’s clamp
18 Volt Ryobi driver with wire brush attachment.
Clamp the brush inside the paint bucket
Start by filling up your 5 gallon paint bucket about 3/4 with clean water. You will be using this water to hold your bucket in place as you work, and also for rinsing as you wire brush. Now clamp your brush on the inside of the brush. You can also simply hold the brush in place, if you have strong hands and use protective gloves, but keep in mind the wire brush can slip and get your hands!
With your driver set in reverse, approach the brush from the right side. Use both hands, and wire brush bristles, and the heel of bristles. You can also adjust your clamp and wire brush the handle of the brush. You may need to stop and use a putty knife to scrape away more stubborn layers of dried paint.
Make sure the driver is set to reverse, and is rotating counter clockwise.
Wire brush the edges of the paint brush, stop often and dip the brush in water.
How to choose paint colors that reflect your lifestyle
By Elegant painting® – Woodinville Painters
Exterior house painting is not something you think about often. Unlike interior painting, most home-owners consider exteriorhouse painting when the current condition of the paint-job is poor, and not when they get bored with the color. While a fresh paint-job offers great protection and preserves your exterior surfaces, it also communicates your character, taste, and your lifestyle.
Before choosing colors, here are a few questions every home-owner should consider:
Why are you painting the house?
Are you just bored with the color? Is your current paint in poor shape? Do you need fresh coats to protect the siding against the elements? Is your home being prepared to go on the market? How happy are you with our current paint colors?
House painting as resale preparation
Exterior colors play an important role in preparing a house for resale. Keep in mind tastes vary. What appears absolutely beautiful to you, might be so unpleasant to a potential buyer that they even may walk away from the property. Most buyers decide on a house at first sight and color effects our cognition in unpredictable ways.
When choosing house colors, in preparation for placing a house on the market, it is important to choose neutral colors that appeal to every taste. Here, the idea is not to attract buyers with your unique custom colors, but to try and avoid repelling anyone due to taste variation.
Choosing paint colors that appeal to you
If you have no intentions of selling the house, then you are free to choose colors based on your very own personal taste. all paint brands produce most of their paints in thousands of different colors. So where do you begin?
Whats your favorite color?
Everyone has a favorite color. Take a quick trip to your local Benjamin Moore store and check our their swatches. Try to narrow it down to 5 colors, and grab some swatches. Spend a few days looking at them. Be sure to look at the swatches in different lighting conditions. We recommend looking at the swatches in the shake and keeping in mind that we have very few sunny days.
Swatches can be deceiving
Paint swatches are produce via printers and they are on paper. It is always best to see the actual paint, on the actual surface that will be painted. If you are working with Elegant painting, narrow down your search to 5 colors, and email them to us. We would be happy to stop by and paint large patches of your chosen colors on the siding or trim. We may also have have recommendations on colors similar to your choices, but more suitable for exterior.
Please feel free to call, email or text us with any house painting questions. We are not just a business, We are here to help!
PaintingPreparation is key to a durable, professional paint-job that can withstand our damp Northwest climate. Elegant Painting uses the following professional Preparation techniques to prepare exterior surfaces for painting. This process removes any loose or chipping paint and mildew, leaving the substrate ready for primer & paint.
Steps:
Power washing
Washing is the first step in any painting job. After moving items, such as patio furniture, planters, garbage cans, etc. a safe distance away, we wash they house by first soaking each wall, then we apply a mixture of TSP and bio degradable house bleach to any visible mildew and water-stains. The solution is then allowed sixty seconds to activate and washed using Honda power washers. The tip of the wand is kept a safe distance away from siding to prevent damage. Windows and doors are rinsed from an even further distance to prevent water entering the house. After the wash, we rinse all exterior surfaces to remove any debris before they dry.
One of our painters uses a disk sander to remove lose paint from a verge board in Sammamish, WA
Sanding & Scraping
After allowing sufficient drying time, our painters remove any peeling or chipping paint. We start by using Makita disk sanders to remove not only paint that is currently peeling, but also anything that we feel might peel anytime in the future. The Makita disk sanders remove loose paint as well as any early stages of dry-rot that might be developing underneath, leaving the substrate ready for primer.
Masking and cover-up
Elegant Painting gurantees, in writing, that our painters will complete a thorough masking and cover-up job and will not slop paint on any surfaces; windows, plants, walkways, driveways, patio furniture, deck, etc.
Primer before caulk
AFter all the sanding dust has been removed, KILZ oil based primer is applied using brush and rollers. We used brush and rollers to ensure proper penetration into the substrate.
Caulking
Caulking is done after the primer has dried. Much like paint, Caulking materials adhere best to primer. We caulk all gaps, cracks, nail-holes, and joints.
As a professional painting company, we take care of our clients, our employees and our painting equipment. We use sprayers, ladders, and paint brushes. Like many other businesses, the current economic conditions have taught us to be more efficient with our equipment and minimize waste. The problem with paint brushes is keeping them clean and efficient for long periods of time. If your paintbrush is worn out and out of shape, it will not produce straight lines, and it will hold smaller amounts of paint, resulting in increased labor costs. Paying a team member to clean brushes on daily basis can be costly, so we came up with a quick and effective method of cleaning paint brushes and keeping them in good shape. Some of the paintbrushes in the photos bellow have been used by Elegant Painting crew for seven plus years!!
Exterior house painting is not something you think about often. Unlike interior painting, most home-owners consider exterior house painting when the current condition of the paint-job is poor, and not when they get bored with the color. While a fresh paint-job offers great protection and preserves your exterior surfaces, it also communicates your character, taste, and your lifestyle.
Everyone has a 
Power washing
