Here’s a fun post. As many of you know, I have my own custom coffee blend made by Golden Gecko Coffee, a local roaster. It’s called the Caffeinated Painter.
So my absolute favourite coffee shop is in my kitchen at home, using my very own custom blend. If you are also an avid coffee drinker, you may want to invest in a dual coffee maker. You can click here for a list of dual coffee makers. The beauty of having a coffee machine at your disposal in the home is flexibility. With home coffee machines, you can make everything that a coffee shop would, maybe even better as you can create it exactly to your taste. Whilst the initial cost of a coffee machine can seem like a big expense, the money you will save by making coffee at home will ensure that the machine pays for itself, and when having guests over, it will certainly make you seem like the host with the most.
But what’s a Caffeinated Painter to do when he’s not at home? Fear not, there is The Caffeinated Painters Exhaustive List of Good Toronto Coffee Shops or TCPELOGTCS.
This list has been made possible by years of research and many cups of espresso using a staff of trained espresso aficionados with highly developed coffee palates. Please enjoy the fruits of our labours:
If you have any additions, or comments feel free to contact us.
I hear many different recommendations of how many estimates to get when hiring a painting contractor, or any other contractor for that matter. Let’s address that question….
Personally, I think you should get as many estimates as you need to feel comfortable with the contractor you select.
Some people need to get as many as 10 estimates, and some people only need to get 2 or 3.
It would be good to start your search with gathering the names of 10 different painting contractors. This can be done by:
Asking friends or neighbours who they have used – word of mouth is generally the best way to find a contractor
Going to your local paint store and asking for their recommendations
Googling “Painting contractor in Toronto”
When asking friends or neighbours you can ask them about the painter’s cleanliness, punctuality, or anything else that’s important to you. After all, you want to have a great painting experience, and you have a great painting experience when your painter is attentive to your needs.
When searching on Google for a painting contractor, see how many positive Google reviews they have received. This is shown by the stars beside their name in the listing, 5 stars is good, no stars means they haven’t gotten enough reviews yet to have stars beside their name.
The next step after you have found some potential painting contractors is to go to their websites and look for a few different things:
See if they have any testimonials from satisfied customers. Many painting contractors have written testimonials from past clients, which is good. But do they have any video testimonials? Most people are very shy when asked to speak on video, so if they do a video testimonial they must be a raving fan!
Do they have WSIB and liability insurance in place?
You can also look for any pertinent blog posts about something that is important to your painting experience.
It is also worth checking if they have any relevant qualifications or training. This isn’t limited to painting, but should also include the running of the business. Contractors not only have to do the work themselves, but also have to do all the behind the scenes work and keep their business running effectively. There are training schemes that will give contractors all the skills and knowledge they need to be able to run their business correctly, but you can find more Professional Contractor Training Advantages here, should you need further convincing of how relevant this type of training is. It means that you can guarantee a contractor who has taken such training will be efficient in how they run their business and are less likely to let you down in the long run.
After you have done this, you might only need to book a time with 2 or 3 painting contractors, or maybe more.
The important thing is that you schedule estimates with painting contractors that you feel comfortable with and would potentially like to do business with.
Hope this helps you with selecting your painting contractor. Feel free to schedule an estimate with CAM Painters and Transform your home with lasting beauty!
Should I keep my leftover paint? If so, what are the best ways to store leftover paint?
These are both very common questions which I will address in today’s post.
Should I keep my leftover paint? Yes, you’ll want to keep leftover paint for any touch-ups that need to be done in the future. When the exact same paint is used for the touch-up the touch-up will have the best chance of blending properly.
What if I just make note of the colour, shouldn’t that be enough? Not necessarily, we need to have the exact same product as well.
Different paint products show differently on the walls because they have different chemical compositions. This is fine if we are painting an entire wall, but can be problematic if we’re trying to do a small touch-up and not an entire wall.
What if I take note of both the colour and the product? This is much better and will usually work fine for touching up. However, there is still a small chance that there could be a variation between gallons, due to differences in calibration of the tinting machines at the paint store.
So, to be on the safe side – Keep your leftover paint.
How do I store my leftover paint?
The biggest thing is to store paint where it will not freeze – once paint freezes it becomes useless.
If you have paint in the garage right now, it should be brought inside. Generally I recommend bringing paint inside before the end of October.
Should I store paint in the original can, or can I transfer it to another container like a mason jar?
I would recommend keeping it in the original can, if possible. If we need to get more, the original can gives us the product name, and the paint formula which allows us to get the best match possible.
Whether you’re just looking to spruce things up a little bit with a few touch-ups or you want your place painted from top to bottom, schedule a quote and…
One of the first questions that arises when I am pricing a project out is “how long will this take?”
Rightfully so, your time is precious and you want the least amount of disruption to your busy life.
Your painter should do the best job possible in the most efficient manner possible. So what are the factors that influence how long a project will take?
Level of prep needed:
When areas of ceiling or walls need to be smoothed out with patching compound the dry time can be from a couple of hours to overnight, depending on the thickness of the patch needed. Also, many times a two or three coats of patching compound may be required for the walls or ceiling to look their best.
Amount of things in a room to be worked around:
If there is a lot of furniture to be moved, pictures to be taken down, etc. this adds to the time that it takes to paint the room. In some cases where there is a lot of furniture in a room we have to move the furniture against one wall, paint half the room and then move it to the other side to complete the room. As you can imagine this can add up to two or three extra hours to complete a room.
The number and size of rooms that are to be painted:
More rooms equals more time and more surfaces to be painted equals more time.
General rules of thumb: An average sized bedroom with little to no prep will take about a day to a day and a half. A master bedroom, bath and walk-in closet with little to no prep will take approximately two days. Most living rooms can be done in two days, a bigger living room can be done in three.
The best way to know how long your painting project will take is to schedule a quote and you can Transform your home with lasting beauty!
So you want to get some interior painting done? Painting is a great way to add value to your home and keep it looking fresh and new!
I’m writing this blog in mid-September, so it’s a perfect time to start planning for your interior painting projects, so that they can be all finished before the holiday season is upon us!
How much should I budget for the painting of my interior? It depends on a few factors:
How many rooms do you want to paint?
What areas in those rooms do you want painted? Just the walls? The ceiling and the walls? Or ceiling, walls and trim?
What is the level of complexity of the project? Rooms with vaulted ceilings take longer to paint than rooms with standard 8′ or 9′ ceilings. Detailed trim also takes longer to paint than a more simple profile trim.
What is the level of preparation required? Are there quite a few cracks to fill? Are there some uneven walls? Damaged walls sometimes require up to 3 layers of patch to make smooth, which takes time and adds to the cost.
Let me give you a price range to think about:
I just recently completed a fairly simple and straightforward 2000 sq ft house for $4000 plus tax.
I’ve also done work on a larger 5000 sq ft home with vaulted ceilings, awkward stairwells, and some other detailed trim work which came to over $15 000 plus tax.
The best step for you to do is to get a written quote, custom tailored to your home and your expectations. Click here to book a time to have us over for a quote!
