#BurningQuestions

When to Use Primer – Interior Painting

Why would you need to prime your walls before painting? Because many things were on the walls before you purchased the house or they show up later. It is essential to know when to use primer – interior painting so that the walls can be adequately prepared, and the stains or other things won’t just show through the paint.

When to Use Primer – Interior Painting

If you are looking to give the interior of your home a quick facelift. Then painting it is the easy way to go without doing a complete overhaul. It is essential to make sure that you are going to be getting the most value for the money that you’re going to spend on painting. And that means starting with a good primer. Because you want to make sure that the interior of your home is properly primed and ready to go before any paint touches the walls.

But why should you prime your walls before painting and what type of primer should you use? There are many instances where you don’t need to use primer on interior walls. But there are still a few times and places where you absolutely should use a primer. While the consideration can seem rather daunting, there are plenty of available resources for you to check out and look at. Typically there are four main reasons why you should consider priming your walls before painting them. They are:

Removing Wallpaper
Bare Drywall
Lighter Color to Darker Color
Grease Stains

Priming Interior Walls

After removing wallpaper from your walls, it is important to make sure that you remove all of the wallpaper glue as well. Because if you don’t, then it will stay on the walls and the paint won’t go on smoothly. So make sure that you use an excellent paste remover to get rid of any leftover residue from the wallpaper. Gardz Clear Water-Based Interior Problem Surface Sealer is a great product to use on wallpaper glue because it has a low odor sealer that protects drywall, plaster as well as textured surfaces. It is also a fast dry and water-based formula, which makes it is easy to use and dries clear. When dry, it gives a water-resistant matte finish as well as offers a durable, paintable coating.

Whether it is a new addition or just a patch in the wall, bare drywall always needs a coat of solid coat of primer on it. The same can be said about raw trim work, doors as well as any other areas that haven’t ever been painted before. An excellent bare wood primer is the best for this type of painting job, and it gives your painting job a professional look. For the drywall, a good primer will seal the paper and drywall mud since both are porous and will absorb paint at different rates. If you are working with a surface that has been stained with a varnish or polyurethane, then a solid coat of primer is highly recommended to coat it. A good bonding primer will help your paint adhere to the surface.

When to Prime Walls

If you are planning on changing the wall color in your room from a dark to a light color. Or vise versa. Priming here is necessary to make sure that the coverage works. A quick tip to remember is to tint the primer close to the new paint color for the wall to get maximum coverage. Grey tinted primer works well for this and helps with paint application. By using a tinted primer at the beginning will make coving the darker or lighter colors better and can easily save you from having to do another coat later on.

When it comes to dealing with the walls in a room that has any water, grease, or food stains on the walls, it is necessary to prime the walls before painting. The best type of primer to use for these walls is a solvent-based primer. Doing a coat of primer beforehand is so that the stains don’t bleed through the paint later on. There are also specific primers to use in high humid areas of your home like the bathroom. Many of the primers are mold-resistant and will work great when you are updating your bathroom.

Lotz of Logic

So when it comes to when to use primer – interior painting, it is important to remember that you have the correct tools and products for the job. A good 2 ½ inch angled brush is very versatile and can be washed and reused many times before the bristles wear down. By using the right supplies, your home improvement updates will go smoothly, and your paint job will look amazing.

Don’t forget, if you need an estimate on priming before painting, give me a call. My team and I would love to be of service to the Northwest Indiana communities such as Long Beach, Beverly Shores, Lake of the Four Seasons, Schererville, Kreitzburg, Michigan City, Grand Beach, and New Buffalo, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.

Basement Remodeling Ideas On A Budget

I know that you want that basement completed so that you can have a lot more living space. Let’s talk about basement remodeling ideas on a budget. Even on a budget, you will be able to paint the concrete walls and the ceiling joists, as well as acid stain the basement floor.

Basement Remodeling Ideas On A Budget

Having a finished and functional basement in your home is a great way to optimize space. If you don’t have a large budget to spend, it can seem like a hard project to start or even complete. While the cost of remodeling your basement can be steep, you can still finish it on a limited budget. To stay within your budget, here are a few ideas to get you started with remodeling your basement.

Painting The Concrete Walls
Painting The Ceiling Joists
Acid Staining The Floor

Painting The Concrete Walls

When it comes to basement remodeling ideas on a budget, there are plenty of products and ideas that will work for you. The first step in remodeling your basement is painting the concrete walls. Before you begin painting, I recommend that you pick out a lighter color since there isn’t any natural light in the basement. The painting also helps to keep your budget low since you aren’t installing drywall. By using a light color of paint helps to make your basement feel brighter, bigger, and cleaner!

Painting The Ceiling Joists

In an unfinished basement, all of the visible joists, ductwork, and pipes can seem ugly and overwhelming. What I recommend, instead of spending the money on trying to conceal them, is to paint them a flat, black finish. This helps them to fill in the void behind the lights and is an effect that is used in many commercial retail stores and restaurants. It gives off a stylish appearance and simplicity. Give these accessories a good spray, and you won’t need to worry about them again. Or why you ever considered covering them up in the first place.

Acid Staining The Floor

When looking up basement remodeling ideas for a budget, people often forget about the concrete floors. But there is a very cost-effective way to finish the floor in your basement. Painting the floor or using an acid stain is a great idea and less expensive than using something like tile or carpeting. If your basement tends to flood, painting it or using an acid stain makes it a lot easier and cheaper to clean since there isn’t anything to tear up. Using an acid stain also keeps any dust down as well. Which is great for people with allergies.

Lotz of Logic

Because everyone loves having a fully remodeled basement in their home. These three quick and easy tips will help you get that without breaking the bank. And your basement will look like a million bucks while being less than that. So with a little creativity and sticking to your budget, you can make your basement look great.

Don’t forget, if you need an estimate on basement remodeling, give me a call. My team and I have been serving Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Oakbrook Terrace, Lombard, Carol Stream, Westmont, Willowbrook, Woodridge, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.

Extra Living Space | Remodeling Your Basement

Want to add extra living space but don’t know where to start? Look no further because today we are talking about adding extra living space | remodeling your basement. And how you can do that without blowing your budget.

Extra Living Space | Remodeling Your Basement

Whenever people think about adding additional living space to their homes, they often talk about building out a room or add on a new area. As they talk about these ideas they often forget about remodeling the basement. Basements can be overlooked because they are considered places to store holiday decorations or junk. But basements can be used for more than storage space.

In-Home Office, Bedroom, or Entertainment

Three great options for remodeling a basement are creating an in-home office, adding an extra bedroom, or entertainment space. With an in-home office, you can partition off a section of the basement with drywall to the size that you want. Having an office in the basement also give you some privacy from the rest of the home because you can add in materials that will soundproof the room. You also have the option of picking the type of door that you want to add to your office. The type of door that you select can vary based on what your needs are. You can also have direct access from outside for clients that you may have.

Adding in an extra bedroom is a good option if you are looking to add an extra place to sleep for guests. When you don’t have guests staying the night, it can also double as office space if you are looking for a quiet corner to work on something and don’t want to take over the kitchen table.

If you choose not to add an office or a bedroom in the basement, then you can turn it into a great space for entertaining. Whether it is for the holidays, major sporting events, teen hangouts or just a quiet place to relax for the evening. When creating an entertainment space in your basement, it is always important to make sure that you choose a paint color that will make it feel bright and, depending on the size, a larger space than it is.

Lotz of Logic

When remodeling your basement remember that your creativity and the size of your basement will determine what you will need to invest in the remodeling process. Don’t try to wing it and make sure that you have a plan in place before you start. Preparation and planning will save you time and money as well as aggravation.

Don’t forget, if you need an estimate on remodeling your basement, give me a call. My team and I have been serving Orland Park, Homer Glen, Mokena, Frankfort, Tinley Park, New Lenox, Lemont, Orland Hills, Palos Park, St John IN, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.

Remodeling Basement Bedroom

One of the most cost-effective ways to get more living space in your home is remodeling basement bedroom. Watch the video below:

Remodeling Basement Bedroom

A great way to expand your space is by creating a bedroom for your teenager or college student that wants to needs more privacy. Most college students are living at home longer after graduating, so they are wanting more privacy that basement bedrooms can provide.

Even when the children eventually move out, that bedroom down in the basement won’t be wasted. You can turn it into a sewing room, TV room, exercise space, or home office. It is a nice addition to have this extra space when the time is needed down the road.

Give me a call if you want an estimate for remodeling basement bedroom. My team and I have been serving Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Oakbrook Terrace, Lombard, Carol Stream, Westmont, Willowbrook, Woodridge, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.

Repair Woodpecker Damage | Holes in Cedar Wood Siding

Your home needs regular maintenance, but real paint can be repair woodpecker damage due to holes in cedar wood siding caused by that beautiful winged creature.

Repair Woodpecker Damage and Holes

It’s amazing how much damage birds and insects can cause to a home’s cedar siding. But if not attended to, it can become a much bigger issue. So what do you do if you have woodpeckers causing holes in your cedar siding? It’s not really that big of a deal. Just fill the hole with a colored caulk (to match your siding color) or a clear caulk. If you don’t do this, other birds will biggy-back on that hole or carpenter bees, and make a bigger issue. So get those holes caulked.

Replacing Woodpecker Damaged Siding

When do you need to take it to the next step? When you have many cedar wood siding boards that have caulked holes, then you need to have a contractor come out and replace the boards altogether. I’d suggest getting this done when you are doing the regular 5-7 year staining of your home. That way, those boards you replaced don’t stick out like a sore thumb. They would stand out because they are recently stained, and the rest of the home isn’t. Also make sure that you keep an eye out for warping.

Give me a call at 815-260-6773. I’d love to come out and look at your damaged wood siding and help you out. My team and I have been serving Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Oakbrook Terrace, Lombard, Carol Stream, Westmont, Willowbrook, Woodridge, and all of the Chicago area for 30+ years.

#BurningQuestions

When to Use Primer – Interior Painting

When to Use Primer – Interior Painting

Priming Interior Walls

When to Prime Walls

Lotz of Logic

Basement Remodeling Ideas On A Budget

Basement Remodeling Ideas On A Budget

Painting The Concrete Walls

Painting The Ceiling Joists

Acid Staining The Floor

Lotz of Logic

Extra Living Space | Remodeling Your Basement

Extra Living Space | Remodeling Your Basement

In-Home Office, Bedroom, or Entertainment

Lotz of Logic

Remodeling Basement Bedroom

Remodeling Basement Bedroom

Related Video Links

Repair Woodpecker Damage | Holes in Cedar Wood Siding

Repair Woodpecker Damage and Holes

Replacing Woodpecker Damaged Siding

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