Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Unique Paint - Paint That Will Impress you & your Home - Got Milk?

The most economical way to transform a room is by using paint. Whether it is used as a SPLASH of color or in full scale it WILL MAKE A HUGE difference in how your room "feels" and "looks". Below I reveal MY favorite impressive paints. I bet that at least ONE of them (if not all) will IMPRESS YOU. Here they are:

Chalkboard Paint!

This is my latest FAVORITE! I am a firm believer that ADULTS can have FUN TOO which is why I like using chalkboard paint to modernize a look "in an unconventional way". All you need is to prime the wall 1st, then paint away, let dry and HAVE FUN WRITING ON THE WALLS. Chalk is easily removable with paper/water or an eraser board.

Magnetic Paint!

What is AMAZING about this paint - well apart from transforming your wall into a magnetic surface - is that the magnetic paint is actually the primer; therefore you can select your own paint (whatever color your heart desires) as the top coat. How COOL is THAT! Go to www.kling.com for more information.

Metallic Paint!

How luxurious would the color of pearls look on your wall. Well, now you can EASILY achieve it! Ever dream of having an area with the colors & shine of gold, bronze, copper, and silver? Well now you can! Go to
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/ for more information.

Milk Paint!

Yes, you read correctly. The ingredients (now don't try to brew this at home!) are milk/cottage cheese, lime, and earth pigment. The paint is intended to be applied to wood. It is environmentally safe, weather resistant, has no harmful odors, and easy to clean up. How impressive is THAT! Want more information? Go to
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/ for more information. GOT MILK?

Did I win the bet? Did I surprise and impress you with the paint selection? Remember there are TONS of unique paint & painting techniques to use! I strive to always present my clients with unique painting ideas and I would be happy to help you as well.

Remember, live BEAUTIFUL and COMFORTABLE!

About Author:
Ada Gonzalez is the creative director of Ada's Interior Design, Inc. in New York. She designs solutions that provide comfort & function with a BIG SPLASH of style without having to spend hi-end prices on furniture & furnishings. Her designs have appeared in the Life & Style section of The Journal News and the Lohub Blog of Westchester County. In April 2007 she won a design competition called "Interior Motives". She was an Interior Decorating subject specialist for DETC (Distant Education Training Council) spring 2007. Her weekly newsletter called “Smart Decorating! E-News” is her way of reaching out and sharing decorating tips to people across the United States. To get more information go to
http://www.adasdecoratingsolutions.com/
Article Source:
http://www.articlesbase.com/

Featured Video:
Metallic Venetian Plaster

Custom design your walls with metallic Venetian plaster. Watch Sandra Kiss London of Faux Like a Pro show you how to use Venetian plaster in lieu of traditional house paint. Go to www.Fauxlikeapro.com for more ideas.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Painting Business - 3 Great Ways To Make Fast Cash in the Painting Business

Have you been looking for a business to start? A simple way that you could make some fast cash? Have you been wanting your own painting business but you don't want to quit your job and possibly go broke?

Have you thought about a painting business where you could do some small side-jobs each month to help your house payment and pay the bills? Maybe you are looking for something better, but hey, this is a good start profit-wise!

Maybe you are working mostly at home right now and you could use an extra $1,000 a month to pay the bills so you can continue to work at home the rest of the time.

If so, listed below are three great ways that you can start your own painting business and make some red-hot immediate income on the side. This is also a great way to learn the trade before going into it full time.

I started my own house painting business in 1991. Since then I have learned quite a bit about interior and exterior painting. I also learned quite a bit about drywall repair. If you know how to get customers and how much to charge, the rest can be learned as you go. When I first started out I ate quite a few jobs because I didn't know how much to charge.

Today I can actually make more money in a day and a half painting than I did all week long at my last regular full-time job. And it's fun to be able to relax and enjoy your work knowing that you are going to get paid well for it.

I have listed below three easy to start, low-cost businesses that revolve around my painting trade. Each one can make you a quick $300 - $500 for just a few easy hours work and over a thousand a week if you wish. The reason I tell you about these 3 business ideas listed below is because I know them and they make me money. These are 3 proven profit makers that you too can specialize in.

#1 Residential/Commercial Painting Business: If you love to paint this is a handy service you can render for the busy homeowner and business owners as well. Many wives don't let their husbands go near a paint brush. Many customers hate to paint and would rather pay someone else to do it for them. I started my painting business with just a few basic painting tools and a beater car. My business over the years has given me good immediate income whenever I need it.

#2 Faux Painting Business: If you like faux painting, you can take on small jobs here and there. Get yourself some basic faux painting tools and a 2' x 3' sheet of plastic to practice different patterns on and you will get the hang of it fast. If you like this type of painting business you could get small one or two-room jobs per week and make a thousand dollars per week even. Faux painting offers high profit margins if you get good at it.

#3 Drywall Repair Business: Drywall repair goes hand-in-hand with a painting business. You can easily charge $300 - $500 doing simple small repairs like water damage and texturing.

As an example, I just finished a small repair job for a total of $335. It took me an hour and a half the first day and the second day took 6 hours. Not too bad a wage for only 7 1/2 hours work. $10 of the money went for fuel, another $3.50 for a roller cover because I painted it up one fast coat. I used maybe $2 worth of drywall compound in the quick-dry formula. So I netted about $320 or $40 per hour labor.

You may also get small jobs hanging sheets of drywall. A customer might have a basement or garage that they need drywall hung in. They will want you to tape and finish it as well. You will most likely get asked to do the painting also and this can double your profits.

So there you go. 3 easy low-cost, time-proven ways you can start a painting business or painting-related business. All of these variations can be started for less than $500. If you did just one small job a week it could mean an extra $300 - $500 or $1200 - $2,000 a month extra income.


About Author:
Lee Cusano has owned and operated his own successful painting business since 1991. He has also helped many others to start their own painting business with his "Paint Like a Pro Estimating and Advertising CD-ROM". Lee also offers a free report titled "How To Gain a High Success Rate For Getting Painting Jobs". To get it go to http://www.Painting-Business.com
Article Source: http://www.goarticles.com

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Faux Painting Tips and Ideas

Faux painting tips

Faux painting is a very convenient form of painting the interiors of the house which not only is do it yourselfer type of work but also adds an exceptional look to the entire room. It’s a great way of creating a soothing and pleasant atmosphere around the room. Faux painting can be done with many techniques such as sponging, rag rolling, dragging etc depending upon the type of the surface. Each technique has its own individual specialty and needs that extra tools and materials. Faux painting can be easily learned over the internet from the all the online faux painting schools and one can also have a professional degree by doing a course on faux painting. These schools help the student learn faux painting in the easiest possible way so as to help them do all the future painting in and around the home by themselves.

General materials and tools needed

In order to have a basic project of faux painting one need the normal tools which are required for almost all the techniques. The following is the list of all the materials needed for undergoing a basic faux painting project:

* Paint tray
* Lint free rags
* Rubber gloves
* Painters tape
* Zinsser products such as Blend and glaze etc.

General tips on faux painting

The following is a in general list of tips which would be very helpful in performing a faux painting project in a most simple but sweet way:

* The surface should and must be prepared very properly before starting to decorate it.
* The experimentation should be done first on a sample board rather then directly approaching the wall.
* The work should be divided into small sections. One wall or section should be completed stopping at the corner or the natural break.
* The work should be done very quickly well in time before the glaxe becoming tacky may be around 10 to 15 min. In case of performing negative applications a thick wet edge of unworked glaze should be left at the end of each section to help allow the blending of the next one.
* The use of protective gloves is often recommended while glazing for easy clean up.
* The use of lint free rags such as funnels, diapers, cheesecloth or sheets would be advisable.

In this way following the above tips very sincerely one can get outstanding results from a simple faux painting project.

Faux painting ideas

Faux is a French word for the word ‘false’ or ‘fake’. So we can say that this painting is all about false illusion. It creates an illusion of depth and complexities to the painted walls, doors, and ceilings. Till now we have come across popular effects achieved by faux painting in a stone, parchment, and in an antiquarian. Faux finishing provides a variety of interesting techniques that gives depth and personality to walls and other objects. In other words, we can say that it provides life to the non living things also. Faux painting can be both simple and a complex one. It provides a purpose to everything whether it is wood, marble or leather. It is less expensive alternative for using natural materials. It is a unique style whether it is done by any individual or a professional. Through layering of paints and glazes done by hand it provides the surface appear to be something it is not. It is the easiest and creative outlet for people who are interested in arts and is a wonderful medium for experimentation.

Implementation

Though faux is applied to any kind of surface but it generally involves wall preparation and repair, one or two base layers of paint, one or more coatings of a complementary glaze and paint mix, and a topcoat that acts as sealer and protectant. But it is not so that it is only limited to walls, it is also useful for revitalizing furniture or cabinets and adds appeal to walkways or other concrete structures. Faux paintings are applied for bare walls. Before one get out the sponge the wall should be ready and clean so that one can give a background color to it. Light colors are always ideal as a background as they show through the overlying paint to some degree and help in creating a sense of depth or roughness. Experienced painters recommend the background to be painted with semi-gloss or satin paint as most of the faux paints dry slowly on slightly slick backing surface which tends to heighten the desired effect.

Suitability

Faux paining is also suitable for children. Even small children can do this faux painting. This can be done by anyone as it is very easy to do. It can be done by anyone like the housewives, children and the old people.

About Author:
Jamie is the author of other
Faux Tips located at Home Improvement Tips Also check out our Home Improvement Tips Blog for other Tips. Please stop by and sign up for our free home imporvement tips news letter.
Article Source:
http://www.articlejoe.com/