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The obvious way to ventilate a room while painting is by opening the doors and windows for natural ventilation. As we’ve discussed before about paint fume dissipation, you could cycle fresh air and any paint fumes or smells multiple times an hour with the windows open. Coupled with today’s modern paint formulas, that chemical smell…

Painting an interior brick wall or brick fireplace may be the most controversial painting decisions we encounter. Most people strongly disagree on whether you should ever paint brick. Plus, once you paint brick, you can’t ever restore it to its original state. Brick is a porous material and painting it is virtually a final paint…

Your bathroom walls are not unlike your kitchen walls. Unlike your kitchen, however, bathrooms are high-humidity environments because of hot showers. That means the best paint for bathrooms is semi-gloss paint. You want moisture-resistant paint that’s easy to wipe down, won’t bubble or peel under temperature stress, and expect them to last at least five…

Unless you’re using flat paint with a flat finish, or it’s a small blemish in a corner, you probably can’t touch up paint on walls. To get the best results, you’ll need to use the leftover paint or get new, original paint that matches the wall as it is today and paint “break to break.” …

Wallpaper removal is easier when done methodically, giving you a better surface for new paint. Grandma’s floral prints were nice, and the baby’s room is now home to a teenager—so perhaps now is the perfect time to start stripping wallpaper off the walls and giving it a fresh coat of paint. Removing wallpaper is a…

Unlike blue jeans, a weathered deck is not a good look. Get your deck maintenance in order with these tests and tips Does your deck look so gray that people confuse it for the sidewalk? When it rains, does your deck hold on to water like a mulch bed? Did your guests spend the 4th…

We talk a lot in this blog about how to do some home painting and staining projects yourself. As DIY projects go, a weekend of deck staining seems like a good project. Grab a gallon of deck stain and some brushes, and have a go at it. Unlike interior house painting projects, if you don’t…

Painting a garage door is relatively easy as DIY home paint projects go.  Pressure wash or wipe down the garage door. Pressure washing is easier (and more satisfyingly fun). Prime the entire surface with a roller and let it dry. Start painting the garage door after the primer is dry. Let the garage dry in…

It might not feel like it, but the kitchen is arguably the most important part of your home. Nearly everything that happens in your house except sleeping starts or ends in the kitchen.  We’ve been lucky to participate in some gorgeous kitchen renovation and remodeling projects over the last twenty years. But as projects go,…

Your real estate agent—and contractors—can help you during closing paperwork and escrow holdbacks If you’ve never bought a house before, it works a lot  like this: You and your real estate agent travel around looking for the right home. When you identify a home you like, your Realtor will help you put in an offer…