Crisp, beautiful trim, with clean, straight edges is one of the hallmarks of a truly great paint job. Homeowners who choose to tackle house painting as a DIY project often fear the task of trim painting, but don’t be afraid — our tips will having you painting trim like a pro!

What you need:
– Sandpaper (most likely 100-120 grit)
– Spackle and spackling knife
– Painter’s tape
– Sponges and clean cloths
– Dropcloth
– Paint trays, paint sticks, and brushes
– Paint (a high quality interior primer and a high quality interior latex paint)

Step 1: Clean
The first step in nearly every painting project is to clean the surface, and trim is no exception. Wipe away dust and cobwebs with a clean cloth, and wipe grime and buildup using a damp sponge. If you skip this step, the primer and paint may not adhere well.

Pro tip: When cleaning and prepping, as well as when painting, work from the top down. This will help you control the dust during the cleaning and prep work, and will allow you to paint over any spatter or spills that occur during painting.

Step 2: Sand
Sand all trim surface. Even if the trim is new, you may want to use a 120-grit paper or block to lightly sand down the shine. After sanding, use a damp cloth to wipe away the dust.

Step 3: Repair
Use a spackling knife to fill all gouges, dents, and cracks with a lightweight spackling compound. When the compound has completely dried, sand the area and again wipe away the dust.

Step 4: Tape
Use painter’s tape to mask off the wall. Use long pieces of tape (e.g. 6–8”), and use the spackling knife to press the tape firmly. This will prevent the paint from bleeding through the tape.

Step 5: Primer
Apply your primer to the trim. Allow it to dry for a full 24 hours. Once dry, if you see spackle, bare wood, etc., apply a second coat of primer to those areas.

Step 6: Topcoat
Apply topcoat, including a second coat, as needed. Pull up the painter’s tape before the paint has fully dried, in order to avoid pulling up flecks or chips of paint.

Pro tip: In order for your trim paint to stand out against the wall paint, choose a slightly glossier finish than the wall paint finish. For example, if your walls are satin, choose a semi-gloss for the trim, and if your walls are semi-gloss, choose a higher gloss paint for the trim.

The Best Painting Contractors Jacksonville FL
At The Painting Craftsmen, we specialize in interior painting, from the crown moulding to the baseboards, and everything in between! There is an art to painting, including trim painting, and our technicians are expertly trained in the techniques needed to achieve the best possible results, time and time again. Homeowners throughout the First Coast – from Fernandina Beach to Jacksonville to St. Augustine – know that The Painting Craftsmen is the best professional painting company and the team to trust with their homes.

Summer is a great time to paint your home’s exterior, giving it a boost in its aesthetic, and an important measure of protection against the elements. Whether your home needs to be painted from top to bottom or simply needs some refreshing, planning is required. Use our tips to plan a painting project that runs smoothly and leaves your home looking great!

1. Set aside the time – Painting the exterior of your house is no small feat, so set aside time accordingly. For example, if you live in a large home and will be doing the painting all by yourself, don’t expect to complete the project in a single weekend.
2. Check the weather – Check the weather report and plan accordingly. A rainy week will not work for painting your home’s exterior. Here in Northeast Florida, the heat and humidity can be intense, so try to hold off for a pleasant week in order to make the job go as comfortably as possible.
3. Surface preparation – Make any necessary repairs to your house before opening the first can of paint. Replace rotted wood and rusted metal, reapply caulk, and scrape the old and chipped paint. You’ll also need to properly clean the surface before painting, typically by pressure washing, to make sure that any mold, mildew, insect infestations, etc. are gone before you begin painting.
4. Paint selection – Exterior paint is specially formulated to resist mildew, retain color, and be flexible in order to withstand the expanding and contracting that comes with the weather. Paint comes in all colors of the spectrum, and it also comes in an array of finishes and coverages, so take the time to choose the perfect paint for your specific project. Paint also comes in all kinds of prices, and when it comes to paint, you really get what you pay for, so don’t reach for the least expensive paint you see. Often, the less expensive the paint is, the less pigment it has in it. If you opt for the cheaper paint, you might have to buy more of it and spend more time applying additional coats than if you buy a more expensive paint with high pigmentation that can cover in a single coat.
5. Tool selection – Will a paint roller and a 4” brush be enough for your project, or will you need a paint sprayer for the job? You’ll need a ladder that is sturdy and safe, and will also likely need an extension to reach those especially high areas. Don’t forget the drop cloth, too, even though it’s an outdoor project. Paint will drip and spatter no matter what type of applicators you use, so protect all pavers, decking, and landscaping accordingly.
6. Clean up – Clean up is the final stage of the project, but it still requires proper planning. Any paint chips that are scraped off will need to be vacuumed up with a shop vac, and any paint drips that miss the drop cloth will need to be wiped away or scraped off with a razor.

With the right planning, your exterior house painting job will be a great DIY project and a fun way to invest in your home in a hands-on way. However, if this type of project is beginning to sound daunting, messy, or like something you don’t want to get started on, you can find the best painting contractor in your area and trust the job to the pros.

The best Jacksonville FL painting company is The Painting Craftsmen, and we pride ourselves in our exterior painting service. Our technicians are highly trained and experienced and would love to get to work on your home. We specialize in giving smooth, even, beautiful coatings on wood, cedar shake, stucco, vinyl, and aluminum siding. Whether you live in downtown Jacksonville, the surrounding suburbs, or at the beaches, we are the best painting contractors in town, and the ones to trust with your home.

Faux painting and faux finishing are painting techniques that replicate the appearance of other materials. Faux finishes can emulate parchment and ancient fresco, fabric, porcelain, marble, stone, wood, and concrete, among others. The best part about incorporating a faux finish in your home, is that it creates a space that is 100% unique, and is akin to commissioning an artist to hand paint a piece of art just for you. It’s easy to see why a high quality faux painting job is so desirable among design-minded homeowners!

A faux finish will enhance any space, and there is a style for every type of home, whether you want to cover the walls of an entire room, or simply create an accent wall or highlight an architectural feature. Here are some of the most popular types of faux finish techniques:

• Chalkboard Paint – This trendy finish is perfect for homes with small children. Just as the name implies, chalkboard paint emulates a chalkboard, and kids can draw on the surface without damaging the walls. Many homeowners like to use chalkboard paint on a wall in the playroom, or even incorporate it onto a kitchen wall and use it to write grocery lists.
• Color Washing – In color washing, a base color is applied to the wall, and then one or more additional colors are applied over top of the base using a sponge, rag, or brush, creating layers of color and a gently textured appearance.
• Distressed Finish – The distressed look is popular on walls and furniture alike, and seeks to create the look of a well-worn, antique surface. The paint is applied evenly, and then removed or sanded down in select areas to create the feel of an old relic or collectible.
• Dry Brushing – The dry brushing technique begins with a coat of solid color, then subsequent coats of other colors, applied using a dry brush, in order to enhance the texture and create a softly etched look.
• Graduated Painting – In the graduated painting technique, one color is applied on one end of the wall, and a second color on the opposite end of the wall, and they are slowly and meticulously blended in the middle to create a seamless spectrum.
• Marbleizing – Marbleizing is a technique that requires high skill levels. Using multiple paint colors, a steady hand, and a keen eye for detail, a skilled painter can transform a plastic, wood, or plaster surface into one that looks like solid marble.
• Metallic Painting – Paint metallic paint onto your stove hood to make it look metal, or paint the wooden sides of your kitchen island with metallic paint to give your kitchen an ultra modern look.
• Ragging – As the name indicates, paint is applied to the wall using a crumpled rag, in order to create a complex yet uniform texture and look.
• Striping – A skilled painter can use painter’s tape, precise measurements, and an artist’s eye to stripe a wall. Stripes give the room a sophisticated and classic style, and can even create the feel of wallpaper. Of course, stripes can be as thick or thin as you want, and in any color combination imaginable.
• Strié – This technique is created by applying a solid color base coat to the wall, followed by a thicker coat of glaze in a different color. Once the glaze has been applied, a thick, dry brush is dragged lightly over the thickening glaze to create strong texture and soft streaks of color.

In nearly any type of faux finish method, though the finished product is breathtaking, the process is complex, and truly requires sharp skills. When a faux finish DIY project goes wrong, the results are excruciatingly bad. Fortunately, the best painting companies have highly skilled technicians who are extensively trained and able to create beautiful and natural finishes, using the right techniques and methods.

The Best Jacksonville FL Painting Company
Dreaming about a faux finish on your own walls? The Painting Craftsmen is the best painting contractor Jacksonville FL homeowners love and trust. Our clients in historic Riverside Avondale, Ortega, Orange Park, Jacksonville, and along the beaches love to incorporate faux finishing into their homes, and know that our painters will create masterpieces for them. Our faux finish team specializes in creating unique and high quality designs, customized to fit your vision and your home. When it comes to faux finish painting, The Painting Craftsmen is the best painting service and the one for the job!

To paint over the brick or not to paint over the brick – that is the question. This question has divided homeowners, professional painters, and designers for many years. After all, painting over brick is a big decision, and once you do it, there’s almost no going back. If you’re wondering whether you should break out the rollers and dropcloths, check out our pros and cons list to help you make your decision.

PROS

• Appearance – Something about the current state of the brick around your home made you daydream about painting it. The entire facade of your home may be brick, or you may just have a brick feature, such as a fireplace. In any case, if you are tired of the way the brick looks, a coat of paint will do wonders for transforming its appearance! A coat of neutral-colored paint can turn a dated brick home into a modern one, and a coat of white paint over a dark brick fireplace can lighten up the entire room.
• Protection – Though brick is solid, it is still at the mercy of the weather, and can fade, corrode, and become damaged. Here in Jacksonville, harsh sunlight can fade bricks, excessive moisture can get trapped in their pores, and sand and salt can corrode them. A coat of paint can give a layer of protection to the brick, as long as you remember that once you paint the brick, it will need to be repainted every few years to maintain an effective level of protection.
• Maintenance – A painted surface is almost always easier to maintain than an unpainted surface, and brick is no exception. Brick is porous, and the pores can hold dirt, debris, and moisture. Therefore, brick that has been properly cleaned, prepped, sealed, and painted is easier to clean and in most cases, easier to maintain.

CONS

• Maintenance – In the case of painted brick, maintenance can be both a benefit of painting brick, and a drawback. Though a coat of paint will seal the pores of the brick and make the surface easy to clean, there are a few other things to consider. For example, once the brick is painted, it will need to be repainted approximately every 3-5 years. There is also the risk of moisture buildup. Certain types of coating can reduce the ability of the brick to expel moisture, thus trapping the moisture in the bricks. Moisture must be allowed to escape, otherwise cracks will appear in the bricks, and they will become damaged, sometimes irreparably.
• Brick quality – The quality of the brick may determine whether or not you can paint it. For example, brick that is chipping, deteriorating, overrun with mold or mildew, or otherwise in poor condition will not make a good surface for painting. Paint will not properly adhere in the first place, and as the bricks continue to deteriorate, so will the paint.
• Prep work – Painting over brick is touted as a simple DIY project, and this is true, provided you are a seasoned DIYer, and well-versed in complex painting projects that require much prep work. First, you’ll need to thoroughly clean the surface, most likely using pressure washing, along with high quality cleaning solutions, targeted toward your home’s unique needs. For example, if mildew is a problem around your home, it won’t be enough to pressure wash; you’ll also need to use the right mixture of chlorinated cleaning solution to combat the mildew. Be aware also that there are many different kinds of brick, each requiring a chemically compatible approach. Then, the brick must be allowed to thoroughly dry, which can take up to several days. Otherwise, moisture will become trapped inside the brick and cause the subsequent paint to bubble or peel. All cracks and mortar issues must then be addressed, and any crumbling bricks will likely need to be replaced in order to ensure that the final coat of paint is appealing and effective.
• Specialty skills – Prepping and painting brick requires specific and finely tuned skills. Paint drips along the crevices in the mortar, and you’ll need to have a keen eye to watch for these drips and correct them. Different types of rollers and brushes and paint formulations are required of different brick painting projects, and for this reason, most homeowners choose to find a good professional painting contractor to do the job.
• Permanence – Once a brick surface is painted, there is almost no going back. It would be incredibly expensive and time consuming to attempt to remove paint from brick, and the results would most likely be undesirable. Brick absorbs paint into its pores, and it is impossible to remove it completely once it has been applied.

The Best Painting Service Jacksonville FL
There are many good painters in Jacksonville FL, but The Painting Craftsmen takes pride in being the best professional painting service in the region. We specialize in applying high quality topcoats to exterior surfaces, including wood, vinyl, aluminum, cedar shake, stucco, and yes – brick, too! Painting brick is a headache for most homeowners, but not for us. We take care of everything, from the pressure washing and caulking, to the paint application itself. The Painting Craftsmen is known for our friendly and highly skilled technicians, our high quality paint and materials, and our passion for creating beautiful surfaces with long-lasting results. Find out for yourself why The Painting Craftsmen is the best painting company Jacksonville FL homeowners love and rely on!

Spring is the best time to put your house on the market, and homeowners everywhere are thinking about how to get their homes ready to rent or sell. Your home’s curb appeal is an important consideration as you prepare your property for the market, and a fresh coat of exterior paint is one of the quickest and most cost ­effective ways to greatly enhance your curb appeal.

The question is: how do you find the right paint for your home in order to get it ready to sell? Here are 4 things to consider:

1. Location: Find inspiration throughout our part of the country. We live in the sunny South, so don’t be afraid to incorporate warm and inviting colors, whether throughout the interior and exterior of your home, or just in the details. If you choose beige or tan for the face of the house, and cream for the trim, then find a cheerful coral or turquoise tone for the front door. You’ll be welcoming prospective buyers through that front door in no time!

2. Neighborhood: Take cues from your neighborhood, and specifically, from the homes on your very street. Do you live in a beachfront home along Ponte Vedra Beach? Use beach ­inspired neutrals, or a palette that emulates the sea itself. Do you live on a shady, tree­-lined street in Mandarin? In that case, your neighbors and you might incorporate deeper earth tones, in order to blend into the surrounding nature.

3. Architectural design: The style of your house will also help determine which paint colors you should use. For example, large Victorian­ era homes can easily incorporate 5 or more colors in bold and bright hues. Your Craftsman style home in Riverside Avondale would look best in the earth tones most loved by the architects and designers of that era. Your stucco home in San Marco would look best in beige or other pale neutrals, perhaps with an accent color to add to its allure. Research your home’s era and borrow boldly from the time period.

4. Potential buyer: Put yourself in the shoes of your potential buyer. A prospective buyer might be turned off by overly zealous color choices, but a different buyer might adore those same colors. That being said, it’s hard to appeal to all types of buyers, but when in doubt, keep to grays, beiges, cream, and other neutrals and let the prospective buyers use the neutral palette as their blank canvas to imagine themselves at home on your street.

After considering those 4 concepts, choosing the right color combination will be easy and will lead to great results. Stop in to your favorite local painting supply store and collect several paint swatch books. All of the most popular paint manufacturers publish brochures and books each season with classic color pairings, as well as the hottest trends and new shades and hues. Many good painting companies also employ color experts who can help you find the perfect palette for your home, and then once the technicians apply your chosen colors to the house, it’s ready to sell!

Expert House Painting In Jacksonville FL

Getting your home ready to put on the market is a huge job, and painting the house is one of the most daunting parts of the process. Even savvy DIYers and often choose to find good house painting contractors and leave the interior and exterior painting to the professionals. At The Painting Craftsmen, we have spent years perfecting our skills for both interior and exterior house painting, and we offer the highest level of professional painting services in Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, and throughout Northeast Florida. Our painting service is the perfect solution for your home, whether it’s cedar shake or stucco, wood siding or aluminum. We specialize in transforming your home, from the siding and shutters, trim, and gutters, to the inside ceiling and walls. Each of our painters has been specifically trained for the job, and will provide expert craftsmanship from the prep work all the way to the final coat of paint. We use the best materials available, and this includes the highest quality paint and the right tools for each job. With this level of skill, craftsmanship, and commitment to quality and care, your home will stand out in the housing market. Call today for your free estimate, and let our team of professional exterior house painters get to work on your home.

Painting projects take a lot of work, and the idea of simplifying the process by using two materials in one is very tempting. This is where 2­-in­-1 paint and primer combination comes in. Nearly all paint manufacturers have come out with their versions of this combination, but to mixed reviews. So, how do you know if it’s right for you to use a paint primer combination on your own home?

Understanding Paint And Primer
To begin, it’s important to understand the difference between primer and paint. Primer is a specially­ formulated application meant to adhere to the substrate and create a smooth and uniform surface that is ready to be coated with paint. The substrate may be anything, including metal or raw wood, or a surface that has already been painted, whether the paint is fresh or beginning to peel. The substrate may also have issues with rust, mildew, or any number of other issues, and the primer may be formulated to alleviate any such problem. In short, the primer prepares the surface so that the paint will look and perform as well as possible.

Paint, of course, is the topcoat that you’ve selected in the perfect color for your home. The higher the quality of the paint, the richer its pigment, and the better it will look and perform. When the proper prep work has been done, and a good quality primer has been applied, a high quality paint will make the job complete, and will look great and last for a long time.

Paint and primer are unique, and they are formulated to do entirely different things. If you were to try to create your own paint and primer combination, you could not simply pour a can of primer and a can of paint into a bucket and begin applying the mixture with good results. Chemically, this is just not possible. Paint manufacturers, therefore, formulate their own 2­in­1 paint primer combinations, which usually consist of a thicker than usual coating, designed to cover the substrate in a single coat.

When should I use 2­-in-­1 paint primer?
● Similar paint types ­- If you are painting a surface that has already been painted, you can use a paint primer combination product and expect good results. There are several caveats to this situation. First, the existing paint must be in good shape. It can’t be chipped or peeling, and there certainly cannot be any issues such as rust or mildew present. Second, the existing paint must be the same type as your 2­-in-­1 product. For example, if the existing paint is latex­ based, and the paint primer combination is latex based, then the product should work. You cannot, however, coat oil ­based paint with a latex­ based product.

When should I use traditional primer and paint?
● Dissimilar paint types -­ If you are covering a previously painted surface, and will be using the opposite type of paint, you’ll need to use traditional paint and primer. Using the example above, if you are covering latex paint will oil­ based paint, only a high quality primer formulated for oil­ based paint, followed by oil­ based paint will do. Dissimilar paint may also refer to color. If your walls are white, but you’d like to paint them a deep shade of blue, only traditional primer and traditional paint ­ and perhaps several coats of each ­ will give you the results you want.

● Raw substrate ­- If you are painting bare metal, raw wood, concrete, or any other substrate that has never been painted, you will need to stick to the traditional painting process and avoid 2­-in-­1 combination products. Only a
true, high quality primer will prepare such a substrate to accept and hold paint.

● Substrate with surface issues -­ If your substrate suffers from mold, mildew, rust, or any other problem, a 2­-in­-1 paint primer will not be able to properly coat it. You’ll need to find a high quality primer that is specially formulated to protect against the issue. Then, after properly ridding the substrate of the buildup, apply your primer, using more than one coat, if necessary, followed by the topcoat.

● Cost matters -­ If you are painting your home on a budget, you will most likely want to avoid using combination products. Contrary to what we want to believe, investing in high quality primer, and especially in high quality paint will save money in the long run. With quality products, you will apply fewer coats, and they will provide a finish that lasts longer and performs better.

● Quality and appearance matter ­- The traditional method of prep work, high quality primer, and high quality topcoat will always provide the most beautiful results.

After all the steps that go into proper prep work, it does sound nice to simplify the subsequent steps by using a paint primer combination. However, for the best results, stick to the traditional process of painting ­ including all prep work, 1-­2 coats of high quality primer, and then 1­-2 coats of the highest quality paint. Beautiful and long lasting paint jobs not only require the right materials, but also the right process!

The Best Jacksonville FL House Painters
At The Painting Craftsmen, we believe that painting is a process and an art form. We believe that in order to give our clients the best possible paint job, we need to complete each step of prep work, primer application, and topcoat application, using the eye of an artist, and the steady hand of a skilled technician with years of experience. We pride ourselves in offering only the highest quality coatings and products, and using the best equipment in the industry to paint your home. We specialize in providing durable coatings, in a high quality luxury finish that your neighbors will envy.

Homes throughout Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, Sawgrass, Ortega, Mandarin, and beyond are looking beautiful, thanks to our award­ winning teams of expert painters. Let us do the same for your home!

Epoxy flooring is a creative way to coat your floors and make a safe, durable, appealing work space.  Epoxy floors are growing in popularity, and it’s easy to see why:  There are many benefits to installing epoxy flooring in your home, and really only one con.

Metal surfaces are a common part of many interior and exterior painting projects. Outdoor metal fixtures, aluminum gutters, copper pipes, galvanized steel siding, wrought iron gates, window frames, boilers, and more, are all commonly found in households, and all require a fresh coat of paint from time to time. When you need to paint metal, adequate surface preparation will make all the difference in the quality of your paint job and in how long it lasts. In fact, without the proper preparation, even the highest quality paints and custom metal coatings will not last, and your hard work will be in vain. Our checklist will help make sure your painting project is successful, with long lasting results!

Step 1: Clean the surface.

Every type of surface should be cleaned before being painted, and metal surfaces are no exception. In exterior painting projects, metal surfaces are exposed to the elements, and likely in need of a thorough cleaning. It’s often best and most efficient to pressure wash these surfaces, giving special attention to areas of mildew, mold, or excessive grime buildup. Indoor metal surfaces may also require attention, but in many cases, can just be wiped clean with a cloth, or damp rag. If there is grime buildup, grease, or oils present, make a mixture of warm water and mild dish detergent and lightly scrub the affected area.

Step 2: Sand and scrape the surface.

Sanding and scraping the metal surface will make it smooth, uniform, and easier to paint. Any buildup or residue that was not removed during cleaning should be sanded away. Rust, likewise, needs to be sanded off of the surface. Begin by lightly sanding, and work your way to more intense measures. Scraping will remove excessive residue and rust, as well as any loose or peeling paint from the previous paint job. Avoid using power tools for this stage, since they can actually polish the surface, leading to problems with adhesion when it comes time to paint. If you must use a power tool to sand or scrape, be prepared to give the area an extra coat or two of primer before painting.

Step 3: Make repairs to the surface.

Small holes, dents, and gashes can all befall your metal surface. You’ll likely discover these damages during cleaning, sanding, or scraping. Most dents can be filled using an epoxy-based composite or epoxy filler. Larger holes and gashes will require heavier duty epoxy filler, possibly along with a mesh liner. After applying any epoxy or filler, sand the edges of the repair after they have dried so that the subsequent coatings will be smooth.

Step 4: Prime the surface.

The last step before applying paint is to apply the proper primer to the metal. Consider the substrate itself, and how you want the final topcoat to look and feel. Also consider the environment your metal surface is in, and what elements it may be exposed to. All bare metal will need to be primed with at least one coat, and the better you can specify the type of primer you need, the better results you’ll have in a finished product.
For example:

• If your surface will be exposed to moisture, avoid using latex or water-based primers. Moisture will easily soak through these primers and your paint job will need to be redone within a matter of weeks or months.
• If your surface is susceptible to rust, use a rust-inhibitive primer or rust converter or rust reformer.
• Even if you have not had issues with rust, if your surface is made of ferrous metal (metal that contains iron), we still recommend using rust-inhibitive primers or rust converters for metal surfaces that are exposed to the elements, as a way to safeguard against rust.
• For non-ferrous metals, and for surfaces that are not exposed to the elements, we recommend a galvanized metal primer, which will enable the paint coatings to better adhere to metal surfaces.

The Painting Craftsman Way

Metal surfaces can be tricky to paint, even when you take the necessary precautions and do the right prep work. If you’d rather not embark on a DIY project like this, find a good professional painting service and let a specialized team take care of your painting project! There are many good house painting companies in Jacksonville, but The Painting Craftsmen is the company to choose for the luxury coatings and paint job your home deserves. Our exterior and interior house painting teams specialize in preparing your metal surface for painting, and then applying smooth and even top coats, giving all surfaces the look and feel of true craftsmanship.

Angie’s List has announced its first exclusive paint manufacturer relationship, selecting Benjamin Moore for this landmark alliance.  Angie’s List is the venerable source that homeowners turn to in order to find the best service providers for their homes, and this relationship identifies Benjamin Moore as its paint manufacturer of choice.

Changing your cabinets is an effective way to transform an entire room.  You can paint the walls in your kitchen and replace the appliances, but if the cabinets are dated or drab, your hard work is in vain.  Changing your cabinets adds character or warmth to your home, and adds value and curb appeal as well, if you plan to sell.  Depending on your budget, your timeline, and your aesthetic vision for your kitchen, you can choose to completely replace the cabinets, reface them, or refinish them.  The question is, which cabinet transformation method is best for you?