Peak moving season is just around the corner! Are you looking to sell your home or wondering why your home hasn’t sold already? You’ve probably begun asking yourself: How can I increase curb appeal? How can I get potential buyers to perceive a higher property value? How can I set the tone for showings?
Believe it or not, poor paint colour choices might be the culprit. Colours command an effect on our psychology. It changes our mood even before we can realize it. Red, for example, may be associated with good luck and celebration, while for others could trigger a sense of urgency and panic. It’s true, the wrong paint colour could be undermining the sale of even the most well-furnished, tidy home. First impressions are everything, sometimes it can even be the make or break on a potential offer.
Now, we’re not claiming to be colour psychology experts, but we’ve partnered with experts in this field and interior designers over a variety of paint projects (shoutout to Medina Living Designs) and have noticed that the colours and shades that appeal most to the masses are, wait for it – neutrals. Warm and earthy neutral tones are replacing the popular grey, say 54% of design experts.
Warm Neutrals Are On The Rise
Why warm neutrals? Paint naturally influences spaces, affecting the mood of every room. This is an opportunity when selling your home to offer your buyers a “blank canvas” of opportunities. This year, as home and work lives continue to blur, comfort is on the agenda. Warm neutrals and earth tones are on the rise, while cool tones take the back seat. Earth-based hues create a welcoming and cosy atmosphere allowing the potential buyer to picture themselves living, cooking and lounging in the space without too much noise.
Elevating Your House Fixtures
Another reason why neutrals have a universal appeal is that almost any piece of furniture or statement piece harmonizes perfectly with a neutral base. Light fixtures like an antique brass lamp or wooden frames all integrate seamlessly with beige, clay, or any neutral colour. Going for neutral colours will more than likely always provide a good first impression – increasing curb appeal.
Now that you’ve probably decided you want to take on an entire interior repaint, let’s help you set the tone for this new environment you are creating.
We suggest asking yourselves these questions first when looking at paint samples.
● Does this colour feel warm and inviting?
● Does this colour feel cold and boring?
● What kind of ambience and feeling am I looking to give off?
We find that asking these questions in the very beginning will remove any impulsive purchases of an “eggplant purple” that then, might attract a “teasing peach”.
Fun fact: When people think of neutrals, they usually lean towards the colour white. While 2021 trends actually show that white on white paint does offer a seamless and clean finish, we also suggest going for an off-white, beige, or greige to add a little bit of personality.
Need Help Picking a Paint Colour?
With neutrals, there’s an endless amount of samples to choose from. Palettes of greige (a warmer grey) highlight a warmer tone that adds that light and bright feeling, setting the vibe for the environment without coming across too cold. While it’s important to take time to pick the
right colours, don’t spend too much time. If you’re stuck on choosing the right colour, let us connect you with one of the pros.
To help, we’ve listed a few of our paint colour favourites by Sherwin-Williams, one of our trusted paint suppliers to help you get started.
It’s important to take some time reflecting and looking into the right colours. While the colour red we mentioned above represents success and good fortune, to a buyer, it can cause uneasiness and panic when entering a home. The value of a fresh coat of paint, however, is unmatched, and in the right colour will not only increase the chances of finding a buyer sooner but also boost home value.
We can help! Chat with a PLE Painting crew member today to request a free estimate!
Vancouver winters are wet for up to 4 months. Deluges come and go, days are short, temperatures are low and humidity is high so things stay wet for months. And moisture is the hardest thing on many surfaces of your home, including the paint.
Over the past 2 decades, we have seen a pattern that many homeowners are not aware of. Over time, moisture can do damage, sometimes unseen or unnoticed, but it can be proactively addressed with regular maintenance.
Big water leaks definitely get peoples attention, but the slow degradation of painted surfaces and caulking can go largely unnoticed, especially in high and hard to reach areas.
Over time though, these issues can build up and lead to larger, more expensive issues.
Not to mention the aesthetic and safety issues of mildew buildup over time on a home’s surfaces including stairs, walkways, staining walls, gutters and trims.
As painters, we are up on roofs and ladders and see houses from all angles.
To help our clients identify issues requiring maintenance, PLE has come up with an assessment and maintenance approach that we want to share with you.
Assess Your House From The Top Down.
Start at the top on the roof:
Look for damage, holes and degrading surfaces, including on chimneys
Look for moss build up as moss traps moisture
Look for areas and signs of pooling water
Your home’s gutters and drainage system:
Are downspouts all attached?
Are gutter seams sealed or leaking?
Are the gutters full of leaves or other debris?
Are the gutters stained, covered in mildew
Window sills and trims – Water ingress (penetration) happens here:
How is the condition of the paint, is it intact without peeling or cracking?
How is the condition of the caulking, is it cracked or shrunken?
How is the condition of the wood, any signs of rotting or cracking?
Walkways, stairs, sidewalks, and other smooth surfaces are very slippery when wet:
You may want your walkways and stairs to look good, clean and well taken care of
You likely want your property to be safe, not having dangerous slippery areas people walk
Is it time for a wash of your walkways and stairs? Look for green, feel it when it’s wet
Paint Protection:
Time to examine the remainder of the painted surfaces on the house, looking for signs of degrading or failing paint, fading colours
Do a full walk around, noting areas that can use attention next spring/summer
When you or PLE have gone through a comprehensive inspection of your home such as the one outlined above, you will be well equipped with the right information you need to build a proactive maintenance plan for your biggest asset, your home.
If you would like to speak to us about this process or book in for a maintenance service, please get in touch!
In this blog post, we want to give Vancouver homeowners some painting tips on how they can have a great experience with a painting company so the interior of their house looks amazing.
Every home needs to be painted, inside and out, (almost) without exception, every 5-15 years. As such, there is a high probability you will have the inside of your home (house, townhouse, condo) painted sometime soon.
We know that having the interior of your home painted can be daunting and stressful. It is your space, your stuff, and having a big disruption with people you don’t know or trust and who don’t have a solid plan can be a nightmare. Trust us, it doesn’t have to be that way!
PLE would like to help you by outlining some tips that we will take to help make your next interior painting experience a great one:
1)Have a plan and execute the plan. We will help develop a plan that works around YOUR LIFE. We split the job up into different areas, phases/stages, to minimize the impact. We generally work with smaller crews of 2-3 painters, so we don’t want or need to paint everything at once. We will make a plan to move through the space strategically, so you can help prepare areas when they are needed, and keep the rest of your space functioning normally through more of the project.
2)Reduce Costs. There are things you can do to reduce costs, improve efficiency and help the job run even more smoothly. These can be removing electrical and light switch cover plates; removing blinds and window coverings; removing items off walls, shelving and other furniture items; storing away your breakables; unplugging electronics. If you are willing to do some prep work beforehand, it saves costs and ensures our painters can focus on what we do best — painting. However, If you don’t want to do any of that, we are happy to do it all as well!
3)Choosing the right paint for your job is critical. There are so many options out there, it’s hard to know what the best paint is for your home. We research and test all the new paint technology, so we are on the cutting edge of this very technical industry. We also have long standing relationships with the top manufacturers in the industry so we get the best possible pricing on the best possible products. This ensures we will get you the perfect paint for your home, at the best price. Top-quality paint may give you double the life span with a slight cost increase of maybe 10-15%. Talk about great ROI!!!
4)Choosing the right colours. You may know what you want but if you don’t, there are people that can help. We know the colours that the top designers are using this season. Our paint suppliers are also very helpful and we can connect you with them. If you want a bit more assistance, we work with great designers that do colour consultations to make sure your colour selections are a perfect match for your taste and your home. No matter what, we will help make sure you are getting the right colours
5)Retro elements of your home can be updated. Did you know you can paint tiles, bricks, mantles, fireplaces and lots of other items in your home that may look old and dated? If you have some of these in your home, ask us if we can modernize them for you. Paint is great like that!
6)Timing Is Critical. Keep your home looking great, by painting when the time is right. When left too long, paint will begin to look shabby, dated and may even start failing. We can help you determine when the best time to repaint is, to keep your house looking fresh all the time!
We hope you found these tips useful. PLE is constantly raising the bar for client satisfaction by being Vancouver’s best painting company.
If you are wondering if it is time to paint, or if you know it is, reach out to PLE to put together a plan.
We are all surrounded by interior and exterior paint in our homes, at work, in businesses, facilities and so many other places, and may not really notice or think about it. Every drywall surface, most concrete and metal are painted and most wood is either painted or stained. Paint protects and beautifies our architecture. Paint is really what we are looking at, so much of the time!
Like most other things in life, paint needs to cared for and maintained to get the full value from it. The PLE team can help you identify and remedy any paint issues you may have, and will help educate you on best practices for maintaining and updating your paint to maximize longevity and its aesthetic value. PLE believes painting is one of the best ways to care for some of the things in life that mean a lot to you (your home or business). You can love your paint as much as you love your painters!
3 DANGER SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
Exterior: Mildew, particularity on areas where water hits directly and does not get as much direct sunlight. This green “slime” can often be found on wood, stucco, concrete and metal, especially int eh rainforest (Vancouver). Mildew breaks down paints and stains, and doesn’t look great (as you will see in March as the sun starts to shine again after a long wet winter). Regular maintenance and washing can prevent prolonged mildew build up and the resulting damage to your painted surfaces.
Exterior: Staining, from dirt, grime, rust. This is often more about appearance, but can be a sign that there is an underlying issue. With a good wash and repaint, most of the time this can be solved, leaving your place looking great
Exterior: Faded paint, where the original sheen and even the colour has faded, is a sign your paint is breaking down and may be on its last legs. UV is the biggest factor, so you will typically see fading on exposed S and W facing surfaces. Before the paint fails altogether, leaving your surfaces unprotected and looking shabby, it is best to repaint with 1 or 2 coats of a high-quality paint.
Exterior: Peeling Paint, looks terrible and leaves the underlying surfaces exposed and vulnerable to damage and water ingress. This can happen to most paint but will be most prevalent on exposed (to water and UV) areas of painted wood and metal. The remedy: Wash, scrape away failing paint, sand, caulk, prime, repaint. Good as new. Note that the more you let your paint peel, the worse it will look later (and more time to repair), so best to get to it before the paint peels.
Interior: Chipped and Damaged paint, will be most prevalent in high traffic areas like doors, railings, walls and areas that have exposure to moisture (washrooms, kitchens). It doesn’t look great, plus we all know once paint is chipped or peeling, people will pick at it making it worse!
Interior: Tired, Faded looking paint is no fun. Maybe your colours are even dated. Applying fresh, high quality No VOC paints will protect, beautify and modernize your space. Take a look around and see what areas could use a refresh!
Please be on the lookout for any of these issues, so you can proactively protect your property. PLE is always here to help you with advice, a quote and of course with painting. Click HERE to contact us for a free estimate.
