by Craig | Jul 17, 2017 | General posts, Pricing/Value
What’s the difference between a cheap paint and an expensive paint? When you go in to any paint store in Toronto the choices are overwhelming. Multiply that by the number of different paint brands available in the city and choosing paint becomes quite a task! Prices can range from $25/gallon to over $100/gallon which further confuses the issue, are the high end paints really worth the extra cost?
In general, the more expensive a paint is, the better it will perform. More expensive paint generally has more additives in it for better coverage, adhesion and durability. And since paint is generally less than 20% of the cost of a project, it’s better to spend a little extra in this area to ensure that the money you’re spending on labour is getting the best ROI. But first…
How do we choose which paint to use on your painting project?
We like to work with brands that have the best customer service
It’s important to us that we receive the best possible customer service from the paint brands we deal with, so we select brands who assign us a personal sales rep, or have excellent in-store advice. There are many different options available and expert advice from the manufacturer ensures that we get proper primers and paints for the surfaces we are painting. Currently, we like to use Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore, not that there aren’t good quality paints other than these in the marketplace, we just like the level of service we get from these 2 manufacturers.
What are the advantages of quality paint?
More expensive paint offers better adhesion
Lower quality paint has difficulty adhering to certain surfaces. Painting over any old oil paint or any type of glossy surface is prone to failure if a lower quality paint is used. High quality paints and primers are able to bind on to these surfaces without chipping or peeling. In conjunction with the paint manufacturer, we specify the best paint system for the surface whether that’s a coat of primer, then paint, or just a light sand and then a high quality paint.
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More expensive paint gives better coverage
When changing colours, it always makes sense to use a top quality paint. These paints offer better coverage, or hide, meaning that the colour will look solid in fewer coats. If a surface can be properly covered in 2 coats instead of 3, the extra cost of the product is more than made up for in the savings of labour.
More expensive paint gives exceptional durability
Let’s face it, if you’re planning on staying in your home for a while, you’d rather get 8 years out of a paint job, rather than 4. In terms of exterior painting, a high quality paint can withstand weather extremes and moisture penetration better than a lower quality paint. In terms of interior, a high quality paint can resist scuffs, dings from vacuums, cleaning solvents, etc. better than a lower quality paint. All of this contributes to not having to paint your place as often, which saves you money in the long run.
In conclusion
These are the benefits of using top quality paint. It will add on to the price of your painting project, but in the long run, it will give you a better looking, more durable paint job. I would advise that when you are looking for a painting contractor to paint your Toronto home, consider only those that use high quality paints. CAM Painters always uses top quality paint for these reasons exaclty.
If you’d like a quote, feel free to book online, we’d love to Transform your home with lasting beauty!
by Craig | Jul 2, 2017 | DIY, Pricing/Value
We are asked from time to time about projects where the homeowner wants to supply paint. Sometimes they see paint on sale at the local big box store and they figure they can save a few dollars by picking up the paint themselves. Here are 3 reasons why this approach might not save money in the end.
We ensure that the proper product is chosen for your project
In terms of paint, cheaper is not always better. Lower grade paint can have coverage issues which results in having to do an extra coat of paint. Thus, the savings on the paint is more than wiped out with the extra labour cost of doing another coat of paint on the surface. We have experience with a wide variety of products and when coverage could be an issue we use the best covering product.
Lower grade paint can also have adhesion issues. In situations where proper adhesion could be an issue we’ll use primers and paint to address those issues. Sometimes when a homeowner wants to supply paint this might not have been taken into consideration.
Faux tin ceiling
In summary, there are a lot of different grades of paint and paint designed for specific applications. To ensure a durable, good looking project that is done with the greatest level of efficiency the paint should be selected by your painting contractor, in collaboration with his or her paint store rep.
We get volume pricing on our paint
When a homeowner goes into a paint store the store manager knows that a few hundred dollars might be the maximum business that could result. When a painting contractor goes into that same paint store, the manager knows that thousands of dollars of business could result. Therefore, a paint contractor has greater leverage to negotiate lower pricing on paint. We at CAM Painters pass this savings onto you. We have preferred pricing across all Sherwin Williams stores and many Benjamin Moore stores, too.
The homeowner doesn’t have to worry about buying too much or too little paint
If the homeowner is supplying paint he or she must make sure there is enough to complete the project. If 
they buy too much then they have wasted money or need to find someone who could use their leftover paint. If they buy too little we could run out of paint in the middle of the project, which would result in a last minute run to the paint store to supply paint-which could be quite inconvenient!
We at CAM Painters are experienced in calculating paint needs, so we generally figure on the right amount. If we run out of paint, we are the ones that get more, the homeowner doesn’t have to make a last minute trip to the paint store.
In conclusion, let us supply paint for your project!
If you’d like to have CAM Painters come and have a look at your painting project and spec the best paint system for your project why don’t you book a quote? We’d be happy to Transform your home with lasting beauty!
by Craig | Jun 27, 2017 | Colour selection
Here are 3 reasons why you should consider getting professional advice and help in choosing colours for your Toronto home.
A colour consultation takes into consideration lighting and other factors that affect colour
When looking through magazines and websites most people don’t realize that colours can show up differently on a phone/tablet/computer screen than they appear in person. The same applies to magazine photos as well. Certainly these are great places to start and get ideas for colour. A colour consultant, however, has many paint sample chips in larger sizes, which give a more accurate representation of the actual colour.
Also, colours will look a little different depending on
- how much natural light a space gets
- what direction the windows face
- what type of lighting is used (LED, incandescent, fluorescent, etc.)
A colour consultant can take all these factors and direct you to colours that will complement the space.
A colour consultant works with all the different colours in the room
Many times, when painting your Toronto home, there will be certain elements that won’t change, such as flooring, a treasured painting, or cabinets, perhaps. A colour consultant will take these things into consideration and design a colour palette that will complement the colour of these items.
A colour consultation minimizes the chance of making a wrong colour choice
Perhaps the most important factor is that hiring a colour consultant minimizes the risk of choosing a wrong colour. Having an hour long session would be less than 5% of the cost of a typical painting project. 
Investing 5% of the total paint job on a colour consultation minimizes the likelihood of a wrong colour choice and having to redo an entire paint job! It always costs less to do things right in the first place than have to redo something that you’re not happy with.
Final thoughts
At CAM Painters, there are a few trusted colour consultants that we refer our clients to based on their individual needs. Why don’t you book a quote? We’d be happy to address your painting needs and provide you access to a colour consultation so that you can Transform Your Home With Lasting Beauty!
by Craig | Jun 18, 2017 | Wallpaper installation
At CAM Painters we can install wallpaper in unique and interesting ways, maybe you’ll get some wallpaper ideas for your Toronto home!
The back wall of a bookshelf
This is a great idea to jazz up a drab bookshelf. It’s a very good idea if you have limited material. For example, the wall behind this shelving was done with one double roll of wallpaper.
The Wallpaper Faux-Backsplash
If there’s an area of your kitchen that you have cabinetry and you wanted to dress up the wall in between the upper and lower cabinets, why not use some wallpaper? It’s best to use it in an area where there isn’t 
a lot of moisture or grease, which would be more suited to a tile backsplash. Here’s a pantry area in a kitchen where we used wallpaper as the backsplash and it looks fantastic. You can’t get tile that looks like this!!!!
Once again, we did this installation with one double roll of standard sized wallpaper.
A Powder Room Accent Wall
Once again, if you only have one double roll of wallpaper here’s a great idea; why don’t you do an accent wall in your powder room? Accenting the vanity wall can be a great way of adding some p
op and visual interest to an otherwise boring powder room. Your guests will be delighted as they sit around, doing what people do in powder rooms, facing a cavalcade of colour and design!
A Fireplace Accent Wall
A fireplace is a place for the family to gather around, in fact, it’s a focal point of many homes (well, before TV anyway). Why not make it even better with some wallpaper? When choosing a wallpaper, make sure to pick something that reflects you as an individual, perhaps something like geometric wallpaper will be to your liking. The installation shown was done with one roll of grasscloth and it turned out great, the client was very pleased.
A Bedroom Accent Wall
This is a great way to add wallpaper to a bedroom. Generally and accent wall in a bedroom takes 2 to 4 double rolls of wallpaper, depending on the size of the wall. But the right wallpaper really makes a difference. The photo here was done with 2 double rolls of wallpaper.
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Need more wallpaper ideas?
Just ask, we’ve done a lot of wallpaper installations and are happy to share our ideas. In fact, why don’t you book a quote? We’d be happy to transform your home with the beauty of wallpaper!
by Craig | Jun 12, 2017 | Paint it Forward
At CAM Painters we always enjoy giving back to the community and helping people. Recently we were blessed to come across an opportunity to Paint It Forward for a wonderful family.
What is Paint it Forward?
Paint It Forward was the brainchild of Josh Abramson of Allbright Painting in the Los Angeles area. He wanted a way to give back and help people in his community. Many painting contractors both in the US and Canada have joined this movement and as a whole, we’ve given over $1,000,000US worth of free painting services.
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How Does it Work?
We ask our local community to submit stories of a nonprofit organization or people they know who are in need of painting but can’t afford it due to some difficulties in life that they may have experienced. Once these stories are submitted, our employees vote on the top candidates and announce the winner soon after. The recipient receives up to $3,000 worth of free painting services.
All of our employees (and even some family members) volunteer their time to the recipient. A freshly painted building or home can brighten their outlook and bring a little painting happiness into their lives.
Paint It Forward Spring 2017
The story of this particular Paint It Forward, which we did in late May was about a mother who lost a son. The son, who was in his 40s, had been through many treatments and surgeries for his digestive system. The last of these surgeries was unsuccessful and he passed away.
The mother was saving up some money for painting the house, but she needed to pay for funeral costs, which used up much of her savings. This isn’t surprising – according to GoFundMe, “the average cost of a funeral is $7,045” which is staggering.
We were able to paint the front of her house and give it a complete colour transformation! In the words of her other son “It’s been the first time I’ve seen my mom happy and smiling in months! Thank you so much!”
Hearing that made it all worthwhile!
