Sammamish WA Exterior painting – Columbia Neighborhood – Sammamish, WA

Starting Date: July 15th, 2013

Completion Date: July 19th, 2013

Our most recent project in the beautiful Columbia neighborhood of Sammamish, WA. We are thrilled to have 10 or more clients in this neighborhood.

Colors

Preparation

We masked windows, concrete patios, power outlets, front rocks, etc. We also caulked all imperfections on the wood trim, and all butt-joints on the fiver cement siding boards.

Protecting the neighbor’s plants, while spraying the fence.

Paint Application

As always, we Apply two coats and back-roll both coats to ensure the material is being rubbed into the surface, as supposed to a quick one day spray job.

Finished Product

Thank you for choosing ELEGANT PAINTING

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Gray exterior paint colors

Gray exterior paint colors are classic colors that work with any color scheme and combination. Gray works with white trim, darker gray trim, red doors, and pretty much any color configuration you could think of. Gray can be cool and classic, or daring and bold with a deep hint of blue. We recommend a lighter shade of gray for smaller homes. A light gray can take years off the look of an older rambler and give it an updated clean look that appeals to any taste.

List of exterior grays and houses painted by Elegant Painting®

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Light Gray exterior paint colors

A light gray with warm undertone can create a classic and calm finish. It is perfect for large or small exteriors in The Northwest setting. If you are looking for that perfect, clean look, this might be the color for you. Gray siding limits your trim choices to pure white or very light shades of gray.

You may also be interested in our Exterior Photo Gallery

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See photos of houses we’ve painted in these classic favorite gray colors:

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Painting exterior edges

An overview of exterior edges; which is painted what color.

This page is an extension of your estimate document.

When it comes to edges and corners, exterior painting is a bit different than painting inside. Painting the outside has more in common with production painting and its purpose is preservation of the substrate as well as adding appeal to the home. Elegant Painting follows standard procedure and applies all paint products according to manufacturer recommendation.

Corner trim

This 1×4 pre-primed spruce board is designed to hide the joint between siding pieces. In most modern homes, this piece is used to create a sealed connection between siding pieces and also serves cosmetic purposes. If your home already has plenty of trim in the front, you may avoid the “busy” look by painting the corner pieces same color as the siding.

Corner trim with downspout

When the downspout is installed directly on top the trim piece, a portion of the corner trim is visible under the downspout. This small portion is painted body color to improve precision and avoid an unsightly stripe behind the downspout.

Door Trim

Since most siding is butted right upto the door casing, and the siding is often caulked into the casing, painting only the face of the trim is the only way to produce a neat and straight line. Other options include painting door and trim same color as siding to make them all disappear a bit, or paint door and it’s trim boards all trim color to make them stand out.

Gutters

Downspouts are usually painted the same color of the surface they are attached to. If a downspout is installed on a trim piece, it should be painted the color of the trim piece, but sometimes a downspout runs down the siding and it should be painted siding color to help make it look less visible.

Posts and Pillars

Not every home has posts or pillars, but when they do, we try to ad an elegant touch by painting any trim on the surface. Painting the metal flashing the body color is one way of adding our elegant painting detail signature to any home.

Edges on Doors

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 from the outside should be painted the exterior color. If the interior of the door is being painted, simply repeat this method from th

Cost of painting fiber cement siding

Elegant Painting offers exceptionally low bids on homes with fiber cement Siding

What is fiber cement siding?
Fiber cement siding is a type of popular artificial siding that can withstand all kinds of climates, including our damp Northwest weather. Currently 5.5 million homes in America are being protected by this type of materials.
Fiber cement boards are made of sand, cement and cellulose fibers. Complete with artificial texture, this siding resembles wood siding and even imitation shingles. Once installed and painted, the exterior fiber cement boards require very little maintenance, and is not susceptible to termites or rot.

Do fiber cement boards need to be painted?
Yes. James Hardy of Hardieplank siding recommends painting the siding using a 100% acrylic exterior paint, such as the Benjamin Moore Exterior SuperSpec used by Elegant Painting. If fiber cement boards are not painted when a paint job is due, the moisture content of the substrate falls bellow normal levels, and they may warp, bend, and crack.

Does it cost more to paint a house with fiber cement siding?
No. Elegant painting bids are lower for homes that have fiber cement siding. Fiber cement boards take and hold paint extremely well, and are less labor intensive when it comes to back-rolling the paint, resulting in lowered labor and paint costs, which are handed directly down to home-owners.

Does it need caulking?
Yes. Per manufacturer recommendation, joints and gaps will be caulked to prevent moisture and wind driven rain from entering the walls. We also caulk around windows, doors, eaves, and other edges to make to prevent leaks. Using our premium flexible, rubber based calking called Sika, which is manufactured by The Sika Group of America. This is not ordinary caulk. This material dies into a hard yet flexible rubber that is similar to materials used in car tires. It remains strong and flexible well after it is dried and cured. Failing caulk on previously caulked joints are removed and a fresh coat is applied.

How does Elegant painting apply paint on fiber cement siding?

After our standard preparation procedures, paint is applied with airless sprayers, and the surface is back-rolled before the paint dries. Back-rolling is absolutely essential on all exterior siding. This method forces the paint into the substrate and produces a very even finish. Back-rolling adds 3-5 years to the life of our already durable paint job.

By Elegant Painting Kirkland WA

Cost of painting fiber cement siding

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Elegant Painting

11717 NE 144TH PL
KIRKLAND, WA98034

Phone: (425) 242-4646

Monday-Friday 4-8pm

How to change motor oil on a Dewalt Pressure washer

NEW: Review of our new STIHL Pressure washer BR800

Each of our pressure washing outfits consists of two machines. A 13 horsepower Dewalt with a Honda motor, and a small 6.5 horsepower machine as a backup. We avoid losing time due to equipment malfunction by always having two machines on the job site. The larger machine has a drain plug while the 6.5 Honda requires us to get creative in order to remove the oil. Let’s talk about how to change motor oil on a Dewalt pressure washer. Buy this washer on amazon

How often should you change the oil in a pressure washer?

We change ours every 6-8 houses. Each house takes an average of 5-6 hours, so the oil in our machines is changed after every 30-40 hours of use. The machines in the photos are 6 and 10 years old and they have both worked flawlessly the entire time, with minimum maintenance.

What type of oil to use in pressure washers?

We use automotive 10W-30, and as I mentioned we have had great results for several years.

What you need:
Wrench to undo the drain
Container to hold the used motor oil
Motor oil 10W-30 (automotive engine oil)
Funnel
PVC pipe for the machine with no drain
Cleanup rags

The perfect pressure washer is available to buy online – free shipping

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How to clean paint brushes like a pro

Cleaning paint brushes

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.

Another before and after

By Elegant Painting Kirkland, WA

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Role of primer in house painting

All too often house painting companies skip this very crucial step when painting exteriors. Unsuspecting home-owners can not tell the difference between a well prepared and primed surface, and a paint job that produces substrate protection for only a short period of time. It is important that you hire only reliable and established painters who have proven themselves over time. Drive by and see some of their model homes, contact references, and learn how long the painting company has been around.

House painting and wood rot

Raw wood is constantly trying to return to nature (rot). Wood surfaces breath and have a natural humidity of ten to fifteen percent. This humidly level fluctuates based on air humidity. When exposed to high humidity, dead wood will capture some water from the air. Living plants have microscopic pockets of water, but in dead wood, these pockets are consumed by fungai, and the walls between the pockets open up. This allows more moisture to be absorbed in the wood, providing more humid wood, which is more favorable to rapid growth of fungi, thus accelerating the decay of the wood.

Role of Primer in Exterior House Painting

Priming is mandatory for exterior surfaces in our damp climate. Primer acts as sealant. It covers water stains, oil stains, and any other material that be be present on the substrate. Wihtout primer, your wood siding is exposed to the elements. Primer is an under-coat applied before painting. Priming improves adhesion, increases durability, and is an excellent protector for exterior substrate. As paint dries, it undergoes chemical reactions. Water evaporates from paint as it cures. Primer controls the curing pace of finish paint and allows it to cure slowly while the chemical reaction is taking place.

Applying Exterior Primer

Primer should never be sprayed on. Having a thin, sprayed layer of primer sitting on the surface offers little to no protection. Brush and roll method is recommended to ensure proper penetration, even spread, and better adhesion.

Please feel free to call, email, or text us if you have any questions about our procedures, or any of our do-it-yourself articles. We are not just a business, we are here to help.

never before painted surfaces – Because this home was previously stained, applying primer to the entire exterior is the only durable option.

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MyHouse@Eelegantpainting.com

Phone: (425) 242-4646

Woodinville painters – Color Chemistry and house paint

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 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.

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!

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