The colors that you choose for a room have a significant effect on the mood and feeling of that room.  Many homeowners choose cheery, bright colors for the kitchen, and warm, welcoming hues for a cozy family room.  But what hues and tones do you bring into a bedroom?

We believe that the bedroom walls should be a color that invites you to rest and relax.  Pale blues, cool greys, and softer tones encourage a calm feeling and can help you to relax, unwind, and rest.

Here are a few of our current favorite paint colors for the bedroom:

• Pale gray tones such as “Misty” by Sherwin-Williams can encourage a sense of calm.
• If you’re looking for a darker tone, deeper, warm grays, such as “Sparrow” by Benjamin Moore will create a warm and inviting feel for your master bedroom. Olive green hues, such as “Sap Green” by Farrow & Ball can have the same effect.
• Lavender tones such as “Spring Lilac” by Benjamin Moore, are a way to create a calm feeling in your bedroom. The lavender herb is associated with stress relief, and you may find that the color itself can have a similar effect.
• Pale green colors like “Sea Salt” by Sherwin-Williams can emulate the feel of a spa and turn your bedroom into an oasis.
• A warm white, such as “White Tie” by Farrow & Ball looks great in nearly any type of room, including a bedroom.

Other tips for deciding on a paint for your bedroom:

• We recommend choosing a matte, satin, or low luster sheen rather than a high gloss sheen.
• Avoid using extremely bright colors, which can overstimulate your senses, and think carefully before painting your bedroom walls deep red, bold orange, or other colors that may represent alarm or caution. These colors can have the opposite effect and can hinder your ability to relax.
• Black and extremely dark hues can make your bedroom feel more like a cave than a relaxing place to retire at the end of the day.

Once you decide on the perfect paint color for your bedroom, a highly rated professional painting company can provide a smooth, even coating and crisp lines throughout your bedroom, and in any other room in the house.  If you’re looking for a highly rated painting contractor in Northeast Florida, The Painting Craftsmen is the best painting company Jacksonville FL homeowners call on for their homes.  Our technicians are trained and experienced, with an eye for detail and a passion for customer service.  Ponte Vedra Beach, Ortega, Southside, and Riverside homeowners rely on our expertise to keep their homes beautiful, and we’d love the opportunity to do the same for you!

An accent wall is a great way to bring in a splash of color, particularly a bright or bold color.  Use our list of “dos and don’ts” to help you plan the best way to incorporate additional color in your home!

1. DO consider an accent wall even if the rest of the house is primarily neutral. Countless homeowners prefer to cover their walls in grays, beiges, and whites, and the effect is lovely.  However, don’t be afraid to add a splash of color to an otherwise neutral home!  It may be exactly what the room needed!
2. DON’T avoid bold and vibrant colors. Bright, bold, vivid hues make some of the best accent walls!  Don’t be afraid to take risks where accent color is involved. Instead, see a potential accent wall as an opportunity to display a few of your favorite wild colors or patterns.
3. DO take into account the color of the other walls.Though you should feel encouraged to go bold and select bright, fun patterns or colors, you do need to take into account the other colors in the room.  For example, if the walls are a pale green hue, think carefully before choosing bright orange for an accent wall.  It can be done, but you’ll want to look at a variety of samples first and may want to solicit the advice of a color specialist or highly rated painting contractor.
4. DON’T think you’re limited to solid paint for an accent wall.You can paint stripes, ombre, or faux finish.  Wallpaper is a valid choice as well!  A great professional painting company will be able to create the look you want for your accent wall, regardless of the color or material.

Accent walls can be tricky to paint.  Often the area is small, cumbersome to get to, and you have to be sure you don’t get the accent color onto the neighboring walls. Straight, crisp lines are critical, and you’ll either need sharp skills or extreme patience (or, most likely, both)! Most homeowners call on a great Jacksonville painting company to do the work for them!

The Painting Craftsmen is the best house painting company Jacksonville FL homeowners trust with their homes and painting projects.  Painting is our passion, and it shows – just ask our hundreds of clients throughout Jacksonville, San Marco, Ortega, Avondale, along the Beaches and beyond.  If you’re dreaming of a new look for your home’s exterior or for any room in the house, call on us and let our craftsmen make your dream a reality!

A great paint job is the result of great planning, hard work, a lot of prep work, and high-quality tools and materials.  However, there are a few tools that are essential in giving your home a good looking and long-lasting paint job.  Here’s our list of the tools you need to paint like a pro:

1. Good Quality Paint Sprayer– If you’re painting your home’s exterior, you’ll wear yourself out if you try to paint the entire surface with a brush or even with a roller. Instead, a good quality paint sprayer will make the job go smoothly and efficiently.
2. Good Quality Brushes– For interior and exterior jobs alike, a high-quality brush makes a huge difference in how the paint goes on, and how the results look.Trim is neater and lines are cleaner when you have the control of a good brush, and a great brush will hold more paint and won’t leave bristles sticking to your newly coated walls.
3. Good Quality Roller Covers– A high quality roller cover will ensure your walls get coated evenly and efficiently. Just be sure to select the appropriate nap on the roller cover for the type of paint you’re using and the type of surface you’re needing to cover.
4. Extension Pole– By attaching your roller to the end of a good extension pole, you’ll be able to reach those high areas and may be able to get the job done without hauling ladders all around your house.
5. Painters Tape– Don’t just use masking tape when you tape off your work area.Paint will seep underneath general masking tape.  Instead, use painter’s tape that is specifically formulated to keep a crisp line and prevent paint from bleeding through.
6. High Quality Paint– Low quality paint is thin, runs down surfaces, spatters off your roller, and requires numerous coats. High quality paint is thicker, levels well as it’s applied, hides uneven surfaces and patched areas better, and covers primer generally in a single coat or in two coats at the most.

Skip the prep altogether and avoid spending hours of your precious time on a painting project by calling on a great professional painting company to take care of everything for you!  Homeowners in Riverside, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Mandarin, and throughout Jacksonville call on The Painting Craftsmen. We’re the best painting company Jacksonville FL homeowners trust for their painting projects, and we’re the best choice for your interior and exterior painting projects too!  Call our office to get started!

A new coat of paint or stain adds tremendous appeal to your home and goes a long way in helping you create the home of your dreams, boost the curb appeal, or simply provide protection against the elements.  Many homeowners don’t fully realize the size and intensity of an outdoor painting project until it’s already underway.  Here are a few reasons you should leave your exterior house painting project to a great Jacksonville FL painting company:

1. Prep– Exterior painting projects require extensive prep work. The house must be pressure washed with a chlorinated mixture in order to kill bacteria and mold, remove debris and insect infestations, and create the cleanest surface possible for sanding and scraping.  Even houses that are well maintained need to be sanded and scraped in areas, caulked, repaired, and more.  Areas must be taped off, dropcloths must be arranged, and all surrounding landscape must be properly protected.  The prep work alone could take an unexperienced homeowner multiple days of labor before the first can of paint is even opened!  It’s best to leave the prep work to experienced and trusted painting contractors who specialize in exterior painting.
2. Skill– It’s easy enough to hold a brush or roller, but only trained and experienced painters know how to hold the tools in order to achieve maximum efficiency and coverage with minimal drips and spatter.Even a homeowner who is relatively “handy” does not have the skill to move through a large exterior house painting project with the efficiency that a skilled painting contractor has.  If you want the house painted fast and well, you’ll need to hire the best Jacksonville FL painting company.
3. Dangers– Certain dangers befall nearly any type of exterior home painting job. The job may require you to climb extension ladders, walk along a hot rooftop, work in and around thick vegetation, insect infestations, and worse.  Surfaces can become slick and dangers, fumes can be noxious, and there is a host of other dangers, risks, and general annoyances that come standard with exterior painting.
4. Weather– Jacksonville FL is beautiful, but it is hot, humid, prone to thunderstorms, muggy and unbearable in the middle of summer, and oddly chilly in winter months. It’s easy to see why countless homeowners choose to call on a highly rated painting company rather than do the work themselves!

The Painting Craftsmen is the best house painting company Jacksonville FL homeowners trust with their homes!  We’ve spent years perfecting the skills needed for exterior house painting, and we offer the highest level of professional painting services in Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Mandarin, San Marco, and throughout the region.  Each of our painters has been specifically trained for the job and will provide expert craftsmanship from the prep work all the way through to the final coat of paint. Call today for your free estimate and let our team of professional exterior house painters give your home a fresh coat of paint.

Part of each painting project planning involves selecting the right sheen level for the room.  You wouldn’t want a high gloss paint on the walls of your bedroom, or would you?  Is matte paint alright for the bathroom?  These are questions that most homeowners struggle to answer, so we’ve put together a quick list of the ideal sheen levels for each room in your home.

The best sheens for interior rooms:

• Kitchen: Eggshell, Low Lustre, Satin, Pearl, or Semi-gloss
• Bathrooms: Eggshell, Low Lustre, Satin, Pearl, or Semi-gloss
• Bedrooms: Flat, Matte, Eggshell, Low Lustre, Satin, or Pearl (TIP: Avoid painting Flat paint in young kids’ rooms – you won’t be able to successfully scrub away crayon marks or other toddler “wall art.”)
• Living Room / Dining Room: Flat, Matte, Eggshell, Low Lustre, or Satin
• Ceilings: Flat or Matte
• Trim: Satin, Semi-gloss, Gloss, or High-gloss
• Doors: Satin, Semi-gloss, Gloss, or High-gloss

The best sheens for your home’s exterior:

• Doors & Windows: Low Lustre, Satin, Pearl, Semi-gloss, Medium Lustre, Gloss, or High-gloss
• Trim & Accents: Low Lustre, Satin, Pearl, Semi-gloss, Medium Lustre, Gloss, or High-gloss
• Siding: Flat, Low Lustre, or Satin

Once you’ve decided on the best choices of paint sheen for your painting project, invest in high quality paint, do the required prep work, schedule the time on your calendar, and let the painting project begin!  Or, of course, you can trust your painting project to the best painting contractor in your area instead!

The Painting Craftsmen is the best painting company Jacksonville FL homeowners trust with their house painting projects. We specialize in high quality paint jobs done right.  Our technicians are highly trained and have extensive experience painting all types of homes.  Our expert Project Coordinator will even help you decide on the perfect sheen, color, and material for your specific project. If your Mandarin, Riverside, Avondale, San Marco, or Atlantic Beach home needs a fresh coat of paint, The Painting Craftsmen is the best local painting company and the best company for the job!

Giving a room or two in your home a fresh coat of paint is an exciting and satisfying DIY project, but it takes a lot of planning to get it right.  As you plan your painting project, avoid these common mistakes!

1. Don’t skimp on protection. You need to thoroughly cover and protect the area where you’ll be painting.  Cover furniture or move it far away from your work area. Lay down drop cloths to cover all nearby surfaces that aren’t part of the painting project.  Spend time taping and masking off the area. You shouldn’t cut corners on any of the prep work, and especially not when it comes to protecting your furniture and flooring!
2. Don’t settle for cheap coatings.  Many homeowners think they’ll save money by opting for the least expensive paint or coating.  In reality, the opposite is often true!  If you buy the cheapest paint, you’ll often end up needing more and more, whereas if you select a high quality top coat with strong pigmentation and the right chemical makeup for your surface, you’ll likely cover the area in a single coat.
3. Don’t settle for cheap applicators.  Again, if you reach for the cheapest brushes and roller covers, you’ll probably end up frustrated.  Fuzz from cheap roller covers and hairs from cheap paint brushes can come out and stick to your freshly painted walls.  Find high quality brushes and applicators that don’t “break the bank,” and your project will go smoothly, figuratively and literally.
4. Don’t rush!  Once your painting project is underway, don’t rush through the work.  When you rush, you’ll get drips and spills, your lines won’t be straight, and the coverage might be too thin on parts of the wall.  You need to take your time, keep your hand steady, and give the work the time and attention it calls for.
5. Don’t bite off more than you can chew! House painting is one of (if not the most) cumbersome and tricky DIY projects out there.  Even small painting projects require lots of planning, lots of prep work, lots of manual labor, and lots of your precious time.  Why not call on a great professional painting company to do the job?

When your painting projects gets too big, call on The Painting Craftsmen, northeast Florida’s luxury house painting service.  The Painting Craftsmen is the best Jacksonville FL painting contractor and the company to trust with your home’s painting project.  Our technicians are trained and experienced painters and know how to perform each paint job with precision and efficiency.  We are the painting service of choice for customers throughout downtown Jacksonville, Riverside Avondale, San Marco, and along the Beaches, and we’d love to take care of your interior painting project for you.

Painter’s tape can contribute greatly to the success of your DIY painting project.  Use our tips to help you get clean, crisp lines when painting your home!

1. Start with good quality tape.  Instead of just grabbing the masking tape in the junk drawer, buy painter’s tape that is specifically formulated to protect the surface underneath it.  Great quality painter’s tape goes on smoothly and comes off cleanly, keeping paint from leaking onto the molding or wall as you work. Painter’s masking tape comes in several levels of adhesion, including tape for masking over delicate surfaces.  Painter’s masking tape is available at hardware stores and paint supply stores, and you can ask the painting professionals if you need help choosing the right one for your specific paint job.
2. Wipe down the surfaces before taping.  Use a damp rag to wipe down the moldings or wall where you’ll be applying the tape.  If you don’t wipe down the surfaces first, the tape won’t adhere well or stay in place while you work.
3. If you want to use an applicator, choose it wisely.  Most painter’s tape brands offer tape applicators which are designed to help you apply tape quickly and precisely.  Before purchasing such an applicator, read the reviews or talk to a professional painter or seasoned DIYer to be sure you’re spending your money on a worthwhile product and not a gimmick.  Instead, you can usually, skip the applicator and simply press one end of the tape onto the molding. Then hold the end in place with your finger while you unroll several inches from the roll of tape and press them into place against the molding.  Keep the entire roll of tape flush against the wall and continue unrolling several inches of tape at a time, pressing it onto the molding, until you’ve taped along the length of the entire wall.
4. Apply lengths of tape in sections that are several inches long.  If you apply lengths of tape that are too short (such as 1-inch pieces) or too long (such as 2-ft lengths), it will be very hard to form a straight and smooth line as you go.
5. Press the tape into place firmly.  As you apply the tape, make sure you’re pressing firmly on the edges of the tape to seal it securely against the molding or wall surface.  If the tape does not adhere firmly and fully, paint can leak through onto the underlying surface. Pro painters and DIYers like to angle a putty knife blade along the length of the tape, pressing firmly.  
6. Tape corners with care.  To apply tape in a corner, run the first length of tape across the molding and slightly onto the adjoining wall.  Use a putty knife to press the tape firmly into the corner. Then use a utility knife to cut away the excess tape.
7. Remove the tape at the right time.  When your painting project is done, pull up the tape at about a 45-degree angle to the surface.  (This angle will prevent the paint from peeling up with the tape.) If you wait too long to pull up the tape, the adhesion may harden and get stuck onto the underlying surface.  Ideally, you’ll either pull up the tape immediately when you finish painting the area, or after approximately 24 hours, giving the paint time to dry but not harden in place. If any piece of tape remains, score it with your utility knife and then remove the piece.  This way the tape will come of cleanly without damaging the paint job.

Or, of course, you can skip the hassle with the tape – and the endless list of other prep work that needs to be done – and call the best painting contractor in your area!  The Painting Craftsmen is the best professional painting company Jacksonville FL residents trust with their interior and exterior painting projects. We’re the trusted name in Jacksonville, Riverside, Mandarin, and San Marco house painting, and we’d love to take care of your painting project for you!

When planning your painting project, it’s important to find a high quality, reputable painting service.  The painters you hire will be on your property and inside your home, generally for several days or more, depending on the size of your painting project, so you want a good painting service you can trust.  

So what makes a great painting company?

1. Clear Estimate or Quote – A good painting contractor will perform a thorough estimate and provide clear pricing.  The estimator will also be able to answer any questions you have and discuss the project pricing with you clearly and completely.
2. Good Communication – Good painting companies know the value of good communication.  The project manager or representative should be available to you to answer questions, explain any issue that may arise, and keep you informed all along the way, whether the project lasts less than 1 day or for several weeks!
3. Experienced Painters – Trusted painting companies must employee skilled and experienced painters who know how to paint the numerous types of surfaces and apply the seemingly endless variety of coatings out there.
4. Insurance – The painting company you hire for your project must be licensed, fully insured, and Lead-Safe Certified.  As with any service company that comes to your home, you should also make sure the company orders background checks on their employees.
5. Commitment to Quality – A great painting company must have a commitment to quality that is shared by the management and the technicians alike.  Trusted painting services in the area earn that trust by providing top quality work on every job and providing their clients with outstanding service.

Find a great painting contractor who meets this criteria, and you can feel confident that your painting project is in good hands!

The Painting Craftsmen is the best painting company Jacksonville FL homeowners trust.  We take pride in our work by using only the best materials, delivering the best customer service, applying the right skill and technique in our work, and by building the best possible team of painters through a highly selective hiring process followed by extensive training.  We’re ready to come give your home’s exterior that fresh coat of paint or brighten up your living room or dining room with a new color scheme. Call on us and see for yourself why we are Jacksonville’s top painting company!

There are several tools that you need to have on hand in order for your painting project to go smoothly. Whether you’re touching up scuff marks or repainting an entire room, these supplies will make a huge difference in how easily your project comes together, and how great the results look.

Painter’s Tape – For painting projects, masking tape simply won’t work as well as painter’s tape. Painter’s tape is just as easy to apply as masking tape, but painter’s tape is formulated to keep even small amounts of paint from seeping through the seal. The adhesive in painter’s tape is also less likely to damage the surface or pull up dried paint once the job is done and you’re cleaning up.

Canvas Drop Cloth – You need to protect the floor in your work area, and canvas drop cloths are really the only good way to do this. Avoid using the alternative plastic sheathing, as this can cause slip hazards, and are frustrating to open and spread out.

Putty Knife – You’ll use a putty knife for many things throughout your project: gently scraping away grime, pressing down painter’s tape, and more, as well as smoothing over putty if the project calls for such a repair.

Quality Brushes – High-quality brushes may seem costly, but they are well worth the investment. With brushes – perhaps more than any other painting supply – you get what you pay for. A good quality brush allows you to cut in with straighter edges, hold more paint in your brush, apply even coats, and generally create great results.

Quality Rollers – Don’t skimp on the roller covers and frames. Cheap roller covers hold very little paint, causing you to have to reload frequently, and making it unlikely that you’ll get the room painted in a single coat. They’re also more likely to leave bits of lint, streaks, etc. on your walls as you paint. Buy several good quality roller covers in the best depth of nap for your specific project, and you’ll be able to coat the walls thoroughly and efficiently.

Extension Poles – Unless your painting project is small and simple, like a flat panel door, you’ll want to purchase a good extension pole for your roller. This extension provides you with reach and leverage, and allows you to paint ceilings and full walls almost effortlessly. The extension speeds up the rolling process and also saves your wrists from becoming sore and tired before the job is done.

Invest in high-quality tools (and of course in high-quality paint!) and you’ll enjoy the results and the process better than if you skimp on supplies. Or, just call on a great painting company and have professional painters check that painting project off of your to-do list for you.

The Painting Craftsmen is the best Jacksonville FL painting company and the right choice for your painting project. Our highly trained and experienced painters are skilled in applying coatings efficiently, smoothly, and with great precision. It’s easy to see why our customers in San Marco, Mandarin, Ponte Vedra Beach, and throughout Jacksonville call on us every time they have a painting project in mind for their homes. Call on us for high-quality exterior painting, interior painting, and cabinet refinishing – you’ll love the results!

When planning an exterior house painting project, there is a lot to consider.  One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is what type of application to use: paint or stain.  Our pros and cons can help you make the right choice for your project!

Acrylic Latex Paint:

• Summary – Acrylic latex paint is water-based, available in numerous sheens and every conceivable color, and the favorite of professional painters and DIYers alike.
• Pros – Acrylic latex paint is flexible, even once it dries, enabling it to “breathe” and accommodate changes in temperature without cracking.  Acrylic latex paint is easy to apply and easy to clean up; brushes can simply be cleaned with water. Acrylic paint covers its surface thoroughly, and a high quality paint job last for years.  
• Cons – It’s hard to think of a downside of using acrylic latex paint!  Acrylic paint dries more quickly than oil-based paint, so as you work, you’ll need to be sure you don’t leave laplines or brush strokes.

Oil-Based Paint:

• Summary – Oil-based paint used less frequently than acrylic latex paint, but there are still certain surfaces for which oil-base paint is good to use due to its hardness.
• Pros – Oil-based paint is extremely durable.  It hardens when it dries, and becomes even harder with time, making it ideal for exterior surfaces that get a lot of use, such wooden stairs, or the floor of a covered porch.
• Cons – In addition to hardening over time, oil-based paint also gets brittle and cracks over time.  Brushes and tools that have been used to apply oil-based paint must be cleaned with harsh (and toxic) solvents.  The fumes emitted by oil-based paints are strong, and require adequate ventilation during application.

Stain:

• Summary – Stain seals and protects wood siding, and allows the wood to show through the coating (unlike paint, which thoroughly coats the natural features of wood).  It comes in three finishes: clear, semi-transparent, and opaque.
• Pros – Stain often does not require the same amount of rigorous surface prep work that paint requires, and does not require primer.
• Cons – Stain is not as protective as paint.  Sunlight can still penetrate the stain and cause the wood to discolor.  As such, stain generally needs to be reapplied more frequently than paint would require.

Important Tip: Regardless of whether you choose paint or stain, and which particular finish you choose, it’s important that you choose a high quality product.  With both paint and stain, many homeowners and subpar painting companies think that by purchasing the cheapest paint, they’ll save money. In reality, the opposite is true: If you invest in high quality paint, you’ll generally need fewer coats to get the coverage you want, and the coating will last longer and look better.

Painting and staining projects are complex and require skill to get the desired results.  Most homeowners choose to call on a great professional painting company for the job! The Painting Craftsmen is the best painting service Jacksonville FL homeowners trust for their painting projects.  We’re passionate about our craft and take great pride in providing homeowners throughout Mandarin, Riverside Avondale, Ponte Vedra, Ortega, and downtown Jacksonville with the highest quality paint application on the market.  Our technicians are highly trained and skilled professionals who our clients call on time and again for their painting projects. When you plan your next painting, staining, or cabinet refinishing project, call on us!