River Rock
Painting & Drywall

How Do I know hen it's Time To Repaint My Home? - Some people repaint their homes when they buy them simply to change the color and others repaint just before they sell their home to enhance its curb appeal. Normally though, you want to have your house painted every 5-10 years, and every 4-7 years if it’s stained. Homes along the shoreline tend to need painting more often due to the effects of salt air. Some factors that determine the lifespan of your current paint job include the amount of prep work done the last time (sanding, scraping) and the quality of the paint used. If your house is not well insulated and lacks a good moisture barrier then moisture from inside the house could cause peeling. If you have leaky gutters or if your caulking is cracking and separating your paint job will suffer. Siding can shrink, crack or begin to cup and nails can pop if the paint’s weather protection is beginning to fail.

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With stain you can see the wood beginning to dry out. Paint can become chalky or faded with direct sun exposure. Cheap paint with minimal pigment can begin to look like different shades depending on sun exposure as well. Stucco should be painted every 5-7 years and if it’s not it can begin to crack and pieces can fall off the house. Many people tend to get into a routine of painting their home every 5-7 years in the same way as you would change the oil on your car – so that they prevent any damage from starting in the first place.

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How Do I know If My Painting Company Does Quality's Prepping Before Painting - Ask any potential painter to provide a thorough explanation of the kind of prep they recommend for your job and why. For exteriors, ask if they recommend scraping, sanding, or a full grinding. Why? Look for contractors that attend to the different surfaces and areas of your home such as trim versus siding or walls. Do they ask if you want nicks and cracks filled? Do they note areas of buildup that may need to be stripped? The more you both talk details, the better. You may decide that you’d rather save money by skipping some cosmetic prep, but discussing all the options will assure the painter better understands and meets your expectations. Finally, ask if they have a contingency to perform more prep if their initial efforts don’t meet your expectations.

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How Do I know If My Painting Company Has Qualified Painters - We know that many companies offer their employees little-to-no training “except by yelling at them when they do something wrong.” A company that is able to offer detailed information about how they train their employees demonstrates that they have made an investment in these individuals to insure quality work. Also ask about which background checks they perform on their employees. 

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Should I use Latex or Oil Paint? - For exterior painting we use an Alkyd / oil hybrid primer and a latex top coat. For solid stains we use latex based stain and oil for semitransparent stain. We use oil enamel paint for metal railings. Exterior oil-based paints were outlawed years ago so at this point nobody uses them. For interior paint we use latex top coats, alkyd / oil primer (or latex primer as well). Depending on the situation the interior top coat can be oil as well.

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Should I use Latex or Oil Paint? The exterior paint and primers we use are rated for 35 degrees or warmer, as long as there’s no freezing conditions the nights before. We normally like to paint only when it stays around 42 degrees or warmer.

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Are you Licensed & Insured? We are licensed Home Improvement Contractors with the state of North Dakota and we are fully insured. We carry two million dollars of general liability insurance and five hundred thousand dollars of workers compensation coverage.