Time, patience, technique and products.

I was recently hired to "refresh" parts of a cute home so it could be put on the market.  The original wish list of things from the owner would have put the bill over$28,000 but after pairing down the list to just major work in 5 rooms and some other minor things we got the bill down to under$8,500 and 3 weeks of work for yours truly.  This home even had the ducts professionally cleaned while I was there - and man did it need it.    

The "textured" paint on the walls was a result of way too much HGTV influence and not enough proper technique and product.  They tried to do this over old wallpaper and wondered why it started to peel off the wall.  The paper was not primed first with an oil base paint.  This would have prepared the surface to accept paint if the paper was properly adhered. As for the red paint, well,  a good coat of oil base primer will seal in that color and allow a nice new WHITE color to adhere to it.  As for the carpet, well; it was DOA - " doing over anyway".  This was so full of "cat" that the oak floor under it had to be painted and sealed just to make the house habitable - well, at least get rid of the odor. 

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Here you see the same area, but with new paint and texture.    The trim was painted with a fresh coat of primer and semi-gloss paint and all joints caulked for a beautiful new look.  I have to give the previous owners an "A" for wanting to create a new and unique look, but not with the products and techniques they used.  Be bold with your decorative items like rugs, pictures, shelves.  Leave the wild paint schemes to HGTV and their crazy renovations.  This stuff does not have resale value and really only hurts your asking price in my opinion.  But hey, gives me plenty of work to do.

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Here we see a nice neutral color, but the intent here was to add stripes.  The blue tape would create that effect, but the blue tape would allow the next coat of paint to bleed through on the edges and not have a crisp line.  It also peeled off the layer of paint under it because it was not primed prior to painting.  You could also see where the paint was splotchy on the white trim because that was not primed to "dull" the glossy surface and allow a good adhesion for the new paint layer.  This entire room had to be primed (floor too again) and repainted.

The new green "Frog" tape should be used if you were going to create stripes and crisp lines.  When applied the edges seal once the new paint hits it.  Be careful in your planning and timing of your project.  This tape can only be left on the walls for a short period of time.  Otherwise it bonds to the surface.  PLANNING - very important to a project.

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Proper products, technique, and PATIENCE will always give a great looking finished product.  For the extra $45 in primer to do this room and about 8 hours it looks great and would have been a result the previous owners would have enjoyed.

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Why buy new when a $4 can of spray paint can turn an ugly old beveled glass medicine cabinet into something that can be reused? My 12 year old son Michael was helping me that day and said, "Dad, look.  It has a slot for used razors to go in.  It also had a stamp on it that said it was made right here in Waterloo, Iowa.  We have to save this.  It has history."  Classic!  It had to be restored.  15 minutes later and this cabinet was ready for another 70 years of service.  We even saved the "Made in Waterloo Iowa" sticker.  He was so proud of that find.

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Let's face it, plaster and old paint will eventually crumble and peel, and in a bathroom it will happen faster.  Preparing the surface with a good adhesion primer will seal that surface from moisture, and give a good bond to the spray texture for an updated look.  I even sealed the texture with another layer of primer so that the finish coats of paint would bond well.  This plaster is ready for another 70 years of service to this bathroom now. 

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Here we see why you need to do regular maintenance to a home.  Sealing joints.  Touching up paint.  Keeping the place dry by running the exhaust fan (if it is properly vented to the outside of the house) can help prolong the finishes in your home.  This area was repaired with mold/mildew resistant joint tape, drywall compound, primer, texture and more primer with the final finish coats of mildew resistant paint.  The joints were caulked and the leaky shower door repaired.  Using a good quality 25 year caulk can help make all the difference in the world.  Proper products and technique again.  You just have to do it.  Rome wasn't built in a day and you will not repaint a bathroom properly in a day either.  This was a 6 day process.   While every working hour of those days was not spent on this room, it still takes time for things to cure and dry.   Cutting corners just messes up your final product.

Below you can see what a little time, the proper products, and a little bit of Jonny B. can do for a crappy wall.  All fixed and looks like new.

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If you like what you have seen here let's talk about how I can help you do your next renovation project - do it the right way for longer lasting results that you can be proud of.  Not everyone knows everything, and that is OK.  So if you don't know why you should  do some of the things I have mentioned here maybe considering calling me so your efforts don't wind up like the ones that I had to fix.  It is just a waste of your money and time to do it wrong and to top it all off you have to live there too and see it everyday.