The Interior Painting Process

We feel that communication is critical and this list is one way of keeping you informed on how your project will proceed.

• Workers will typically begin between 8:00am and 8:30am and will typically work 8 – 10 hours except on last day where workers may leave early depending on time of completion.
• Crews typically consist of two or three people. One person is the designated supervisor. He/she will be the one responsible for the progress of your painting project. If there are any questions regarding the price or you wish to make changes, please speak with the owner – Costas.
• A lawn sign will be put up in front of your home for the duration of the painting process. If you do not wish to have the sign up, please let us know.

Colors

• Before beginning the job, you should have already have selected the colors and communicated your choices. If you have not already done this, please call or email us so that we can help you.

Before we arrive

• Please take all small valuables, knick knacks, family heirlooms, prescription medication etc. out of the rooms to be painted.
• We will take care of the heavy lifting. You do not need to move your larger pieces of furniture. We will move furniture to middle of room.

On our first day

• Communicate with us what you would like to have done with nails, anchors and nail holes. If you would like to hang your pictures back where they were before, please let us know. Otherwise, we will remove the nails and fill the nail holes with drywall compound.
• We will cover all flooring with drop cloths and/or construction paper. All furniture will be covered with fresh plastic.
• We will remove all switch plates, wall and ceiling fixtures.
• We patch all repairs, tape all cracks, pole sand walls and ceilings.

How we operate

• Painting the interior of your home can be intrusive. We want to minimize the inconvenience as much as possible. We ask you to communicate with us regarding the order in which you would like us to paint your home.
• Low VOC and Zero VOC paints are available. Let us know if you are interested in using these products. Nonetheless, allow for ventilation.
• We move all the furniture back to where it was before work began.
• We re install the switch plates, wall and ceiling fixtures.
• We vacuum all carpets and sweep all floors.
• Garbage and debris is removed from premises.
• Leftover paint is labeled and left behind for future touch ups.

When we are done

• We schedule a walk a through with the owner to ensure your total satisfaction. If there are any touch-ups to be done, this would be the time to do them.
• Please pay the full amount of the invoice as payment is due upon completion of your project.

The Exterior Painting Process

We feel that communication is critical and this list is one way of keeping you informed on how your project will proceed.

• Workers will typically begin between 8:00am and 8:30am.
• Workers will typically work 8 – 10 hours except on the last day where workers may finish up early.
• Crews typically consist of two to three people. One person is the designated supervisor. If there are any questions regarding the price or you wish to make changes, please speak with the owner – Costas.
• A lawn sign will be put up in front of your home during the painting process. Please let us know if you would prefer we do not set up a sign.

Colors

• Before the start of the job, you should have already selected the colors and communicated your choices. If you have not already done this, please call or email us so that we can help you.
• We ask you to move any “not-to-be painted” items away from the side of your home. This could include firewood, patio furniture, etc.
• We ask you to provide a spot where we can set up and keep our tools and equipment. We will lay drop cloths down to protect the area. A garage, shed or patio area are suitable.

Pressure wash

• The pressure washer is a loud gas powered machine (about as loud as a lawn mower).
• The pressure washer will knock some of the failing paint off of the house. This will create paint debris around the house and most of this will be cleaned up on the first day. Any remaining paint debris will be cleaned up upon job completion.
• The pressure washer sprays a high powered stream of water at the house. Please check all windows and make sure they are in the “locked” position.
• TSP will be sprayed through the pressure washer to help kill and remove mildew where needed.
• Pressure washing often leaves windows streaky so it is best to have the windows cleaned after the house is pressure washed (and painted) and not just prior.

Scraping

• Scraping will be done to all areas where the paint is loose and will take place on the first day or any day thereafter.
• Scraping is designed to remove any failing paint (most of the scrapings will be cleaned up daily, and all will be cleaned up at the conclusion of the job.)

Sanding

• We will feather sand areas where the paint has failed and the material below is showing, unless otherwise clarified in the contract. Feather sanding is designed to reduce the visibility of the ridge that is created by the paint failures. Sanding will not eliminate the paint ridge. It will only reduce the visibility of them.
• Light sanding is done on glossy and certain other unpainted surfaces to scuff the surface and provide a suitable surface for the latex paint to adhere to.

Priming

• We prime all areas where there is a bare surface (wood, metal, etc) and all new wood with a high quality exterior primer. This protects the surface and gives the paint something to bond to.
• We will replace all previously agreed rotted boards. If additional boards are discovered during the power washing and/or scraping process, we will discuss these with you before any additional work takes place.

Caulking

• The caulk that we use is a top of the line product. It is a urethanized acrylic, sealant with a 60 yr life rating. As caulking material dries, it will shrink about 30%. It is designed to seal cracks that are not larger than 1/8 inch.
• We caulk all areas around the home that were previously caulked including areas that may have been missed. These areas include windows, door trim, chimneys etc.
• Most wood sidings are not designed to be caulked due to the amount that they shift and move. When they are caulked, the caulking often fails or pulls away from the wood siding. Therefore we do not caulk these areas.

Stucco preparation

• If there is loose or failing paint on stucco then this will be scraped or wire brushed.
• Cracks that are smaller than 1/4 inch, but larger than a hair line crack, will be caulked with an elastomeric caulking. This is textured to blend in with the stucco. However, such cracks may still be noticeable after the paint application. Hairline cracks will be left alone to be filled in by the paint, which will be rolled on to minimize the appearance of these cracks.
• Cracks that are larger than 1/4 inch up to an inch will be filled with a stucco patch.

Masking

• When spraying is necessary all windows will be masked. The masking used is a thin layer of opaque plastic sheeting that will be taped over the windows. The masking will remain over the windows from 1-3 days while spraying is being done around the house.
• Areas that are not meant to be painted will be masked and or protected.
• Trees, plants and shrubs around the house will also be covered up. However, if they are touching the house they will need to be trimmed back.
• In order to work around the house we must be able to walk around the house. Although every effort will be made to protect your plants, if they are too close to the house the may be unavoidably stepped on.

Painting

• Our policy is to brush and roll the paint on wood and stucco surfaces and spray on aluminum and vinyl siding.
• All small areas that cannot be rolled will be painted by brush.
• With major color changes, it is recommended that two coats are applied to ensure that the color does not bleed through.

Imperial Painting now offers FREE One Hour on-site Professional Interior Decorator

A Professional Interior Decorator will meet with you in the comfort of your home to help you choose the best color for your next painting project. They will allow you to create a space that is exactly what you’re looking for. During your 1 hour in-home consultation our Professional Interior Decorator will create a custom color(s) scheme for your home that fits your own decorating style. Free one hour consultation ($120 value) with any painting project over $3,000. For additional time to meet all your interior decorating needs each additional 15 minutes will be billed at $30 per hour.