Here is a story common among Toronto homeowners. It has been captured in the account of two fictional painters, Billy and Bobby. Join us as the story unfolds…
A Tale of 2 painters
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
In a land far away there lived 2 painters. Billy and Bobby.
Billy the Painter
Billy was a good painter and wanted to do a good job for his customers. One day Sue gave him a call, she needed someone to paint her condo and heard about Billy and his business from a friend.
They met and Sue showed him the project. “Now Billy, I really want a top notch job done, and I really need it done during the 2nd week of March, you can do that for me, can’t you?”
Billy really needed the work, even though he had Mrs. Jones’ job for the beginning of March he figured he could be finished in time to start Sue’s job, if he rushed.
March rolled around and Billy was swamped! He had not anticipated that the Mrs. Jones’ job would take as long as it did. Finally he got up enough courage to call Sue the Saturday before he was supposed to start and tell her that he wouldn’t be able to make it on Monday. In fact, he wouldn’t be able to start until the week following.
“What?” Sue retorted “when I talked to you initially you promised me the 2nd week of March. I had scheduled for the kids and the dog to be out of the house, we’ve even started to move the furniture”
“How about if I was to start in the middle of the week instead of the following week” Billy didn’t want to let Sue down.
“Fine” said Sue “but don’t let me down, okay?”
“I won’t let you down” replied Billy
On Wednesday of that week Billy showed up to Sue’s job. He told Mrs. Jones that he caught a bad cold. “That will buy me a couple of days,” he thought.
In order to make the schedule work he would have to work quickly on Sue’s job.
“Maybe I can save time on some of the prep work” he reasoned to himself. “Sue probably won’t even notice”
Because of this, Billy made great progress on Sue’s job. Near the end of the first day he was well over halfway done.
Sue came home later that day and she was not impressed! Sure, the nail holes had been filled, as requested, but the wall themselves still had divots and lumps and bumps. It just wasn’t the professional job that she was expecting.
“Billy,” she said in a stern tone “I’m not happy with the job. I think you need to smoothen the walls and repaint them. I simply can’t have them looking like this, I expect a better job than this”
Sue proceeded to point out all the areas on the wall that she was not happy with.
“Oh no” thought Billy “she’s being so picky! This is ridiculous, I won’t be able to finish her job in time”
As a result, Billy ended up taking 4 days to finish Sue’s job. Sue never was completely happy with the work, but she figured it was okay and she paid Billy, mainly just to have it over and done with.
She also made sure to tell her friend who referred Billy what a bad experience she had. That friend, consequently, never referred Billy to anyone else.
The story doesn’t end there, because Billy was delayed in finishing Mrs. Jones’ job too. So Billy ended up with Mrs. Jones being upset at him too.
Let’s hear about Bobby….
Bobby was a good painter and wanted to do a good job for his customers. One day Ann gave him a call, she needed someone to paint her condo and heard about Bobby and his business from a friend.
They met and Ann showed him the project. “Now Bobby, I really want a top notch job done, and I really need it done during the 2nd week of March, you can do that for me, can’t you?”
Now Bobby had Mrs. Smith scheduled for the beginning of March. Since he always allowed extra time in his schedule for unforeseen circumstances, he didn’t want to promise Ann the 2nd week of March.
“Ann,” he said “I just can’t promise you the 2nd week of March”
Bobby was willing to lose the job rather than promise something he couldn’t deliver.
Ann, however, was willing to be flexible and they settled on the 3rd week of March.
A week before Bobby was set to start he emailed Ann, just to remind her that he was on schedule and to give her a handy list of things that would ensure the paint job would go as smoothly as possible.
The 3rd week of March came along and Bobby and his crew showed up at Ann’s condo. Bobby had gone through exactly what Ann wanted at the time of the estimate and those expectations were clearly noted for his crew in their project management system.
Bobby’s crew was organized. They knew the level of prep that was expected and they went to work to make sure it was all done correctly.
When Ann came home, the crew leader had left a note detailing what was done, and what was planned for the next day.
She was impressed! She liked the care that they took ensuring that everything was covered and the meticulous prep work.
Bobby was always telling his crew “it’s easier to do it right the first time, than to have to go back and do it again” and it showed!
When Bobby and his crew finished Ann’s condo she was so pleased. She thanked Bobby and each of his crew members and happily paid Bobby for the work performed.
She also made sure to tell her friend that referred Bobby to her what a wonderful job he had done. That friend was pleased and resolved to refer Bobby to even more people.
So it really was the best of times and the worst of times. It was the best of times for Bobby and the worst of times for Billy, even though they both had the same circumstances.
THE END
There’s a few lessons we can learn from this fictional account:
First, Billy “over-promised” which meant that he “under-delivered”. He promised more than he was able to deliver which got him in trouble as one missed promise caused another.
Bobby, on the other hand, “under-promised” and “over-delivered”. He was willing to lose business, rather than get himself into the cycle of missed promises.
Also, Bobby had excellent communication with his customer. He was sure to let Ann know that everything was on schedule, and he did so far enough in advance that if there were any changes, they’d be easier to adjust for. During the job, communication was maintained with Ann, so that she knew what was going on and how the project was progressing.
So, if you’d like a quote from a “Bobby painter”, rather than a “Billy painter”, schedule one now. CAM Painters will Transform your home with lasting beauty!
Years ago it was common to have varnished wood trim, or stained panelling or other natural wood features throughout the home. This was a standard in Toronto home painting and varnishing. This highlighted the natural beauty of the grain, however, it can result in a very dark look for your house.
These days many people are choosing to paint their stained or varnished wood to brighten up the interior of their home, but it’s not as simple as grabbing a brush and putting on a coat of paint. Here are some pointers if you’re thinking about painting your interior.
Natural wood can make an area look dark if you have varnished wood…
You’ll know if you have varnished wood by looking at it, this coating generally has a glossiness to it, and it sits on top of the surface and looks like a clear film.
Do not paint directly over top of varnished surfaces without the proper preperation! This coating is inherently unstable, it never fully cures, even though it is dry to the touch. If the paint is applied directly over it without proper preparation the paint will develop cracks as the coating underneath shifts.
Scuff sand the surface: We want to break open the top layer so that our primer can penetrate and grip the surface
Prime with a high adhesion primer: I like to use Sherwin Williams Extreme Bond Primer or XIM UMA. Both primers are great at sticking to difficult surfaces. Follow the directions on the can and allow it to fully cure before the next step.
Paint with a top quality paint: When painting trim I usually use Sherwin Williams ProClassic or Benjamin Moore Advance paints. These paints dry very hard and durable and also dry very smooth too.
If you have stained surfaces…
It’s a little easier to paint if the surface is currently stained. As you might guess, this coating soaks into the surface and doesn’t create a film on top, so getting paint to adhere is not a problem like it is with varnish.
Steps for painting stained wood
Prime the wood with a stain blocking primer: Any oil based primer or any shellac based primer will do. I like to test an area with Sherwin Williams Multi-Purpose Water-Based Acrylic-Alkyd Primer which has the properties of oil paint with water clean up. If that doesn’t seal properly and there is discolouration on the surface, I’ll move to a regular oil primer. Finally, if the oil primer doesn’t work I’ll use a shellac based product like Zinsser BIN which is effective on all types of staining even nicotine stains, if necessary.
Paint with a top quality paint: Once the primer has been given enough time to dry, paint with a top quality paint like I mentioned above.
I often get asked by people who enjoy DIY projects, “what kind of brushes and rollers do you use?”
In this post, I’d like to talk about brush selection, and in a subsequent post I’ll talk about roller selection.
Quality is key.
A low quality brush will only give you frustration and slow the painting process down. How do we select a quality brush? Take the brush out of the package and place it against a wall with a little bit of pressure, as if you’re applying paint. If the bristles come to a nice point, that’s the sign of a good quality brush, you’ll be able to apply the paint in a nice clean cut line. If when you place the brush against a wall and the bristles are going many different directions – select another brush, or use it as a dust brush!
The type of brush is dictated by the task you are doing.
There are two main types of brushes; angle sash and straight sash.
Angle sash brushes are cut at an angle, so that the bristles come to a point. These brushes are good for all tasks, especially when cutting straight lines, for example, brushing the top edge of a wall, or painting a window.
Straight sash brushes are squared off at the bottom. These brushes are not as good at cutting a straight line as an angle sash. They are good, however, for painting clapboard siding and decks.
The size of the brush should be determined by the task that you are doing.
If you are painting walls, I’d recommend a 2.5″ or 3″ brush. These brushes will hold more paint so you will not have to be dipping your brush in the paint as often. This allows you to do longer, more even strokes, which will result in a better, smoother, finish.
Most trim I use a 2″ to 2.5″ brush. This would include baseboards that are over 3″ (which most are these days), window and door casements, doors, etc.
If you are painting fine trim, such as a french door, you could opt for a smaller 1.5″ brush. This will ensure that you don’t get too much paint on the smaller surface. Too much paint on the surface and you will get drips and sags.
Sometimes there are times when an artist brush comes in handy. These are great for detail work! Here’s a tip to keep the brush steady while doing fine detail work; touch the surface with your pinky and ring finger while you hold the brush with your thumb, index and middle finger. The pinky and ring finger anchor your hand and minimize any hand shakiness.
What brands of brushes are good?
This is all a matter of personal preference, of course, but I’ll give a few suggestions to start you off. You can look for Purdy brushes, Wooster brushes, these are pricy brushes, but you get what you pay for, if you take care of them, they’ll last for a while. Other good brush brands are Piccaso (which can be found at some Benjamin Moore stores). If you’re looking for a more economical brush, Sherwin Williams has a contractor grade brush that has a lot of bang for the buck.
If you’re project is bigger, or more involved than you’d like to take on, please book a quote! We’d be happy to come over and give you a quote and help you Transform your home with lasting beauty!
Many people find choosing a colour for their home to be a very daunting task. Here are a few tips to make sure that you’re happy with your colour selection.
Start by looking at design magazines or design websites
Leaf through some design magazines and see what pictures you like. When you see a picture that you like, cut it out and put it on a board. Or if you’re online save it to a “colour ideas” folder in Evernote, or some similar app.
As you accumulate some pictures you’ll see what colours you’re drawn to and that will give you a starting point for the next two suggestions.
Use a colour consultant.
Most interior designers offer colour consultation services. Also, some paint stores have colour consultants on staff who will do an in-home visit. We at CAM Painters have trusted colour consultants that we can refer you to if you need a recommendation.
These are wise investments, why?
you can be more confident with your colour selection,
you can step outside your comfort zone with your colour choice and still have the assurance that your colour selections will work with your existing furnishings,
having to repaint an entire room due to a bad colour choice will be more expensive than hiring a colour consultant in the first place.
Always do test patches
Get a sample paint tester from the paint store. Most paint stores offer paint testers, which are small containers of paint (less than a quart). They are usually priced around $10.
Once you get your colour sample it’s important to do the following:
Do a sample that’s large enough – make it at least 1’x1′
Apply 2 coats – you want to make sure that the colour is showing true and that the colour underneath is not showing through
Put samples on different walls – light hits each wall differently, even in the same room, so you’ll want to put a sample patch on a couple of different walls
Look at the samples at different times of day – morning light, afternoon light and artificial light make colour look different, so you’ll want to make sure you look at the sample in different lights
Once you’ve taken these steps you should feel very confident with your colour selection!
If you need any assistance with the colour selection process let us know, and why not schedule a quote for your painting project? CAM Painters will Transform your home with lasting beauty!
As the owner of CAM Painters many times I am asked when I do a quote whether I’m the one doing the work or not. I run a fairly small operation, so I’m able to be on site much of the the time. However, there are times when I can’t be on the job site. I’ve got to be out quoting on new work, for example.
Here’s how I ensure that you have a great painting experience, even when I’m not on site…
I hire great people.
I place an emphasis on hiring people that have good manners and are respectful. I want you to feel comfortable with my painters while they are working in your home.
We utilize shared to-do lists and annotation software.
This ensures that your expectations are clearly communicated with the entire crew.
To-do lists allows us to plan our work-flow and ensure that all tasks are completed and nothing is missed. Here is a screenshot of a recently completed project that was managed through our shared to-do list app named Wunderlist. As you can see as tasks are done, they are crossed off the list.
In addition, we attach annotated photos in the notes section of the to-do list app to ensure that colours go in their correct places. We believe the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is especially relevant in the painting industry. As you can see by the following pictures we’re given some complex colour schemes from time to time and it helps to have pictures to guide us through the process. These were done through Skitch.
Why do we go to this amount of trouble? Because we want you to have a great painting experience. Part of that is getting things right the first time, part of that is clearly communicating your expectations to everyone on our team. Having a project management system in place allows us to do that.
Why don’t you schedule a quote so that CAM Painters can Transform your home with lasting beauty!
I recently heard of the Paint It Forward initiative started by Josh Abramson, a painting contractor down in California. His team would seek nominations of people and/or organizations who were in need of painting, but couldn’t afford it. The team would then select a winner from the nominations and would gift them a free paint job.
The Nomination Process
When I heard about this I knew it would be a great way to give back to our community, so we started seeking nominations for our Paint It Forward campaign back in December. By mid-January we had a few nominations to choose from and the team ended up choosing the Royal Canadian Legion at Pape Ave and O’Connor in East York.
Painting It Forward!
The Legion had a roof leak that created quite a mess on a couple of sections of wall, one in the auditorium and the other in the President’s Lounge. Luckily they were able to get the roof issue fixed by a company similar to galaxyfla.com/roof-repairs/ and then we could get a start on the repainting project. The walls had commercial vinyl
wall-covering that had been painted over many times, but when the moisture came in it separated the wall-covering from the wall underneath, as you can see. We decided, since much prep work would be required to fix this, that we would concentrate on fixing these two sections and doing some miscellaneous doors and trim as time would allow. We also wanted to make sure that the moisture definitely wouldn’t come in again, so we took it upon ourselves to get some advice from a company that specializes in Water Damage Repair. There are so many things to be aware of when there is water damage in your home. When it leads to mold it can actually make the air unsafe to breathe and can also eat away at anything it is growing on. It’s important to make yourself aware of how can prevent it. Do you know the 3 types of water damage? It’s quite surprising how easy it is to have water damage in your home.
Here’s the process we went through:
we took the wall-covering off where it was peeling
primed the walls underneath
skimmed the walls with a couple of coats of plaster
sanded the plaster smooth
primed the bare plaster
painted the walls
I like to say that we took a disaster-piece and made it into a masterpiece!
Many thanks to my painter Naz, who volunteered his time and who was a vital part of the selection process. Also, many thanks to Angie Gualtieri, the Legion president who was very accommodating with allowing us access to the building to work on the project!
Overall, we had a remarkable experience and we are looking forward to our next Paint It Forward in the very near future!
CAM Painters Transform Your Home With Lasting Beauty!
