Greensboro Home Improvements, Winston Salem Home Improvements, Mooresville Home Improvements

02
May 12

Tips For Interior & Exterior House Painting

Here are some excellent interior and exterior house painting tips.

First, gather the tools that you will need to paint the interior of the house. Being organized is the first step in preparing to paint the inside and outside of house. Find a good brush to do the trim, rollers to roll on the paint, drop clothes, rags and plastic bags to assist you with keeping everything tidy.

Next, remove the furniture from the house or move everything to one place in a room. Cover the furniture with drop clothes. Make sure that you cover everything well to avoid spills on the furniture. Cover the furniture with old sheets after you place the drop cloths over them for extra protection. You may wish to remove all the hardware from cabinets, switch plates, and light fixtures from the wall. A lot of people try to paint around the hardware, but inevitably get drips all over it.

Prepare yourself for house painting. Wear old comfortable clothing and shoes. Wear a hat, scarf or a shower cap on your head to protect you from spills while you are painting the ceiling. Wear shoes that are easy to remove to prevent from tracking paint from one room to another.

Now that you are prepared to paint, prepare the interior surface that you are painting to receive the paint. If there is wallpaper, you must strip the wallpaper and prime the walls with a good quality primer. If the walls are not clean, you must wash them with a solution of three tablespoon of laundry detergent to one gallon of water. Any paint that is peeling or cracking should be sanded and any cracks should be fixed.

Choosing your paint can be quite a task. Do you want water-based or oil-based paint? Water-bases paint is easy to clean up and it dries quickly. Oil-based paint is great for cabinets and woodwork. Clean-up can be accomplished with paint thinner.

Once you have chosen the right color and gloss for your walls, you can then begin to paint. Now you may thing that you just aim and begin to paint. However, here are a few tips to make the job a little easier. Start with a small brush and paint the areas where the roller will not fit. Make sure that you use painter’s tape to cover areas that you do not want painted.

Roll a light coat of paint in one direction. Your goal is to apply a light coat and then a second heavier coat of paint in another direction. This will hide the streaks.

In preparing the exterior of your house to be painted, all you may need is a good washing down. You can utilize the water hose and scrub the dirt with a brush and detergent. You may even need to power wash it.

Your home may need additional attention before you can paint it. Some of the shingles or siding may be split. Nails may have popped out or you may have peeling paint, rust stains and mildew. After identifying the problems that you may have, then you have to correct those problems.

Bushes and trees can get in your way while you are painting the exterior of your house. Any branches that are hanging should be pruned. Large bushes should be wrapped with a drop cloth. Smaller shrubs and flower beds should be covered with drop cloths. The sidewalk and driveways should be protected with drop cloths from spills as well.

Once again, you must choose a quality primer for the exterior of your home. A primer makes the paint adhere better. You must choose paint that will withstand the elements. Consider whether you will choose water-based or oil-based paint. Take your time painting. Do not be in a hurry. Paint from the roof to the bottom to prevent streaks. Combine all of the paint together so that the color will be uniform. Choose the right time of year to paint. Extreme humidity will make the paint bubble.

Be careful when you are choosing your finish. Gloss paint will protect the high traffic parts of your home, such as porches, doors and window frames.

Finally, once the paint job is complete, you should inspect the caulk every year, remove mold, mildew and touch up blisters and peels.

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Do you have any painting projects in mind for Spring? With these tips in mind, you will be able to take care of your interior and exterior painting with minimal difficulty. Of course, if you simply can’t do them yourself, then always feel free to give us a call! We can help you mark those projects off your to-do list, fast!

3810 Clemmons rd, Clemmons, NC 27012

1-800-913-3873

http://www.crawfordhomeimprovements.net/

30
Apr 12

3 Simple Must-Do Home Improvements Projects If You Want Your House To Sell

In a competitive market, in any market for that matter, there are a few basic home improvement projects that are non-negotiable. They are the ones that can make or break the sale of your home. Those who choose to take their chances and cut corners, pinch pennies, avoid effort…live to regret it. Don’t allow yourself to be one of those people.

Here are 3 simple MUST-DO home improvement projects IF you want your house to SELL!

Flooring – Many sellers think it’s a better idea to give a buyer credit to choose their own carpet when they move into the house. The problem is, the majority of those buyers can’t see beyond what’s currently in the home. That old, dirty or outdated carpet usually deters them from purchasing the home altogether OR if they do, they will low-ball the offer. This includes worn hardwood flooring, poorly installed laminate, and old, outdated tile or vinyl. Take care of upgrading these features BEFORE putting your home on the market AND ensure that the type of product you install is at a quality level commensurate with the value of your property. You wouldn’t want to put the same type of flooring in a $300,000 home that you would in a $1,000,000 property. The buyers will know and they will NOT be pleased. Remember, flooring is the foundation (literally) for the home’s interior so make it count.

Paint – Touch up paint just does not do the job. The color (even if it came out of the same can) won’t match due to time, wear, and fading. I have seen touch ups done in the wrong finish. Then your wall just looks like it has a skin condition. Do yourself a favor and invest in a fresh paint job. It will frame the rooms in a clean, fresh manner and fresh paint psychologically engages buyers in the home buying process. It feels like a new home to them and that’s what you want – for them to envision themselves in their new home.

Window Treatments – Fancy drapery are personalized items that generally don’t add a lot of value to the resale process. In fact, it can hinder it. It is usually my recommendation that drapery be removed unless it truly complements the decor and furnishings. If your drapery keeps much needed sunlight from coming through, is mismatched, and does not complement the home’s interior, I highly recommend removing it. Also, if you have blinds that are warped, dusty, and broken, it’s time to replace them. Keep in mind that there are two levels of window treatment. Blinds and shades are for light filtration and privacy and drapery is to frame the windows and add softness and color. For selling purposes, blinds are all that’s really needed. Leaving windows naked can be a negative in many cases and is not advisable. The home just doesn’t look finished and it can be a magnet for burglars.

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If you are thinking about selling your home, (and this is a time of year that many do) and moving, then think about these three projects, or anything else that has been on your mind to take care of, and keep us in mind for all your home improvement needs! We know you’re busy, so let us help when you need it the most! Call or come by today!

3810 Clemmons rd Clemmons, NC 27012

1-800-913-3973

http://www.crawfordhomeimprovements.net/

Tags: Advance Home Improvement, Clemmons, Clemmons Flooring, Clemmons Home Improvement, Floor, Flooring, Home, Home Improvement Tips, Home Improvements, Home Renovation, Home Repair, Oak Valley Home Maintenance, Remodel, Windows, Winston Salem
Posted in Flooring, Home Improvement, Home Improvement Tips, Home Improvements Advance, Home Improvements Burmuda Run, Home Improvements Clemmons, Home Improvements Lewisville, Home Improvements Mocksville, Home Improvements Mooresville, Home Improvements Statesville, Home Improvements Wilkesboro, Home Improvements Winston-Salem, Home Maintenance, Home Remodeling | Comments Off

24
Apr 12

Home Remodeling After A Catastrophe

After a tornado, flood, earthquake or other natural disaster there can be significant damage to a house. This can cause serious need for repairs and restoration but hopefully insurance will be available to cover the costs. Instead of simply putting things back to the status quo, why not take the opportunity to do some long awaited home remodeling and not just fix things but also improve them?

Home remodeling is usually done by demolishing or stripping out the materials in a room or section of the house, so why not just look at the damage as nature’s demolition crew. In a way, you might save time and money by having the weather do the dirty work.

After a flood is a great time to look into installing wood floors or renovating a basement. Tornado damage to a wall of the house may be the perfect time to begin that addition or redesign you have been considering. Also, perhaps the loss of many shingles to high wind and heavy rain means that the time has come to re-roof the house. Home remodeling may be the silver lining of the tragedy and catastrophe that has been foisted upon a property owner.

Home remodeling may not be entirely covered by insurance because these liability companies often seek to pay just enough to restore things to the way they were before. That does not mean that a little extra investment or a creative use of the insurance settlement cannot be used to improve things. If the building flooded, it is probably worth paying for shoring to lift it and prevent future problems of that kind. If the windows blew out in a hurricane maybe higher wind-speed-rating units can be invested in. In situations where an earthquake cracked the foundation, it can be assessed, sealed, and perhaps retrofitted to prevent against future shifting. Maybe the building even needs to be leveled.

This is not meant to diminish the severity and upsetting aspects of a disaster. Home remodeling instead offers a chance to focus on something else. It is easy to get tied up in worrying and grieving for what was lost in an unexpected disaster. While nobody should entirely ignore and repress their grief, at some point everyone needs a distraction to help them return to normal life. While it may not be able to repair the emotional damage of experiencing these events, perhaps it offers a diversion to heal and move forward. If nothing else, it is a chance to improve the protection of structures from similar future problems.

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We specialize in home improvement and home remodeling after a disaster and we’re the ones you need to call to get your life back on track, fast. If you’ve ever experienced something like this before then you know how important it it to have someone you can trust on your side to help you get through the tough time and get your home back to the way it was, or, even better than it was, before the incident occurred. Always keep us in mind for all your home improvement needs!

3810 Clemmons rd Clemmons, NC 27012

1-800-913-3873

http://www.crawfordhomeimprovements.net/

23
Apr 12

A Skilled Contractor Will Reduce Your Stress

As you well know from any time you have ever moved, changing homes — or changing your home — is always more work that you expect it to be. For relocation, you will undoubtedly need more boxes, more packing tape, more paper, more bubble wrap, more markers, more pizza, and more beer than you expected when you chose a moving date. For renovation, you need a contractor.

The word “contract” can mean several things and serve as assorted parts of speech. As a verb, it can mean to reduce in size or to make smaller. Although a contractor is rarely a physically dainty individual, he or she does have the ability to shrink your stress levels as the details of your residential project grow.

Once you have signed off on the beautiful designs your architect created for you, the time has come to deal with a daunting series of less charming paperwork. Whether you are doing a new build or a renovation, you will need to determine which, if any, building permits you need and file them quickly and accurately with the appropriate supporting documentation. Before that one task stalls you out, remember that you hired a trained professional to minimize the size and quantity of knots in your shoulders.

Your plans are approved. Your permits are in order. Now, somebody should really make sure that all of the materials are purchased and that there are laborers to do each job, large and small. If larger equipment is needed, someone absolutely needs to arrange for its use on the correct dates. While they are at it, they should figure out what those dates are and how the whole thing will progress.

Your contractor will handle all of this. He or she will put together an estimate of how long the job will take and how much the job will cost you. Once a knowledgeable determination of these factors is in place, and you sign off on it, the person you hand the paperwork back to is the person who will make sure that schedule and budget are kept on track.

Obviously, there will be assorted skilled workers involved with creating, updating, or upgrading your house. One of the ways in which your own, personal stress-reducer helps is by selecting and overseeing his or her workers as well as all sub-contractors who are brought on board. Specialists in each area do the work they are trained for. Someone else checks up on their productivity and budget.

In the end, your contractor will present to you the home you dreamt of as you looked at blueprints as well as a full accounting of your residential project. Of course, it is hard to put a price on all of the times you breathed more deeply because he or she was taking care of the mountains out of molehills — and any actual molehills discovered on your property.

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One thing we could all use more of is a way to reduce stress! And one major cause of stress definitely can be home improvement projects, but they don’t have to be, if you choose Crawford Home Improvements for your next project! We can give you peace of mind, while making your home a better place! Call or come by today!

3810 Clemmons rd, Clemmons, NC 27012

1-800-913-3873

http://www.crawfordhomeimprovements.net/

Tips For Interior & Exterior House Painting

3 Simple Must-Do Home Improvements Projects If You Want Your House To Sell

Home Remodeling After A Catastrophe

A Skilled Contractor Will Reduce Your Stress

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