Author: c96382x1

West Bay Rotary Chili Challenge on February 11, 2017

The event has historically taken place at the Camden Snow Bowl under a tent as this photo depicts from several years shows.

It may be chilly outside, but it’s chili inside…at The Sea Dog, this year for West Bay Rotary’s Annual “Chili Challenge” to be held on Saturday, February 11 after the Toboggan heats are done.

West Bay Rotarian Mark Masterson said, “Rotary is a world-wide organization whose basic tenet is to improve the lives of people both around the world and in local communities. The Chili Challenge is one of our many activities that support Rotary’s goals. This is our way of giving back to our community. All of our net profits that come from this event will go back to support the Camden Snow Bowl and the Midcoast community at large. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have all of these great events going on in town.”

The hungry public gets to sample their gastronomic endeavors for the ‘Best of the Best’ for 2017. Chili samples will be served up from 4 p.m. on until the “pots are empty.” Judging will be by popular secret ballot cast by the tasters. Shameless promotion by the chefs is strongly encouraged! Look forward to the culinary creations from the Sea Dog Brewing Co. and Restaurant, Waterfront Restaurant, Marriner’s Restaurant, Waterworks Restaurant & Pub, Quarry Hill, the student chefs at Midcoast School of Technology, Camden Hills Regional High School’s ‘Wave’ Cafeteria and numerous others!

In the past, the event has taken place at the Camden Snow Bowl, but the organizers wanted it to be inside and downtown where everything else is happening that weekend, so The Sea Dog very graciously offered to host the event in their warm rooms upstairs.

“That way, you can have a beer with your chili, or if you want something else, you can order from the Sea Dog menu,” said Masterson.

There is a donation of $10 (at the door) for adults and $6 for kids 12 and under…… and you will get a lot of food!

All proceeds go to help West Bay Rotary support local civic non-profit and charitable activities.

Every year, interior decorators across the nation discuss what’s on trend for the coming year in home design and year after year, one trend does not fall off the list.

Kerrie Kelly, a Zillow Digs home design expert, said in the latest Home Trends Forecast for 2017, “From hidden appliances to beautifully painted cabinets in complementing colors, homeowners want their kitchen to be stylish enough for entertaining, yet welcoming and functional for everyday use.”

It’s not widely known, but small upgrades in areas such as the kitchen or bathroom can help a home sell faster.

The Average Kitchen Cabinetry Repaint Is Between $2,500-$3,500.

The Average Cost To Change Out The Cabinetry Altogether Is $20,000+

“Painting kitchen cabinetry or bookshelves is the quickest, most inexpensive way of upgrading your home,” said NAP owner, Peter Berke. “There’s no construction, no demolition. Not even a mess in your kitchen. The way we do it, we remove the cabinetry and shelves and bring it to our shop. With the superior products we use, there is no need for stripping either.”

Our crew is experienced. We have one crew member in our shop dedicated to the project, lightly sanding the cabinet, applying two coats of bonding primer and two finish coats. Then we’ll have one or two other crew members at your home painting the built-in part of the cabinetry that can’t be removed. That is the least amount of investment and the biggest bang for your buck.”

For a typical house, NAP can usually turn them around in one week. All you have to do is update with a new color and new hardware. Hinges and knobs are easy to replace and you can always change the location of the knobs. If you do buy new hardware (depending on whether it is going in the exact same spot as the old hardware) we can do that for you—for no additional cost.

Check out our Project Gallery on Cabinets and let us know what we can do for you.

Now that it’s 2017, we have a lot of news to announce… and what that means for you!

New Branding / New Website

After 16 years in the business, it was time for a little upgrade to our logo, domain and website. If you haven’t already noticed, gone is the old paint can logo (and old domain www.mainecoatings.com) and now we have a logo with softer blue and orange lettering designed by Adventure Advertising, along with a new domain (www.northatlanticpainting.com) and a new website.

What that means for you: Check out our new Project Gallery that gives homeowners and businesses a visual representations of what we do best. Also, continue to visit our new Blog for painting tips, specials and valuable insider information on home improvement. Maybe first you’d like to see some Testimonials from real locals whom we’ve served in the community or would like to check out our Compare page, which gives you all of our up-to-date credentials and certifications and underscores why we work hard to stand out as one of the best companies in the Midcoast.

“The website is more user friendly and we’ll soon have specials that people can look for on the home page,” said NAP owner Peter Berke.

Happy New Year to all of our customers and we wish you a happy, productive year.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_youtube id=”https://youtu.be/ChGgP8rbdfo” alignment=”center” width=”560″ height=”315″ autoplay=”false” api_params=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” /][fusion_global id=”804″][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” class=”” id=””]Thank you to our community! We’re honored to have been rated number 1 in the Painter (Commercial/Contractor) category in Camden Herald’s 2016 Best of The Best contest as well as in Residential Painting.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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“Be A Gift To The World”

That’s what we believe in and that’s what we strive to do. This past year, 2016 was a strong year for giving back.

“I’m half way into my presidency at West Bay Rotary and really enjoying it,” said North Atlantic Painting founder Peter Berke. “We’re ending the season of giving and reflecting and what better way to do that than to participate with an organization that’s known globally and locally for being generous and giving back?”

This past year, West Bay Rotary made physical and financial contributions to worthy projects and organizations giving out nearly $30,000.

These funds were entirely from net proceeds from our various fundraisers through the year, like the Duck Derby and Christmas tree sales, our two biggest events. We also park cars for the Toboggan Championships, do admission for the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Festival, ran a beer tent for the Maine Lobster Ride, host a chili challenge during Winterfest and a chowder challenge during Windjammer Weekend, and run an eWaste program.

Of that $30,000, most of it was direct giving, but $7,500 of it was to our West Bay Charitable Foundation, a separate but associated organization.

The rest of the funds we gave went to college scholarships to five or six local students, Rotary International’s Polio Plus program, our Rotary district’s Governor’s project, scholarships to support five students to attend the Camden Conference, various international projects in Lesotho, Guatemala, and Peru (designated by our International Committee), and various local projects. In addition, we supported an exchange student from Iceland, Berglind Sigurbjornsdottir. (This year we’re supporting a young man from Thailand, Jay Klaipong.)

In addition to this, we also collect pocket change from members every week. It usually totals between $50-$100/week, which we donate to various organizations and causes. About 90% of our members also individually give $100 or more a year to Rotary International’s Every Rotarian Every Year program, which supports grant programs in our local district and around the world.

Click to see a list of community organizations Rotary has donated to.

Thank you for working with us this year, giving your contributions and time. Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you!

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[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_gallery image_ids=”851,852,853″ layout=”grid” picture_size=”fixed” columns=”” column_spacing=”10″ gallery_masonry_grid_ratio=”” gallery_masonry_width_double=”” hover_type=”” lightbox=”yes” lightbox_content=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” /][fusion_global id=”804″][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” class=”” id=””]We got double the power last Dec. 3 & 4 when West Bay Rotary and Knox County Homeless Coalition/Hospitality House teamed up for Make A Difference weekend. West Bay Rotary was busy selling Christmas trees in the parking lot of Maine Sport when we welcomed the folks from Hospitality House to bring their handmade tree ornaments and sell them along with the exclusive art from artist and Rotarian T. A. Allen (recognized not only for his paintings but also for the 2008 White House Christmas card.)

Every ornament was unique and sold for $15 each or two for $20. The tree sales supported local charities. The ornament sales benefited the families at Hospitality House….so it was a win-win for everyone!

Dawna Hilton, assistant to the Executive Director of Holiday House told us: “I was there this past weekend and they are getting close to selling completely out of ornaments. When they sell out of trees, we’ll be done selling ornaments, but so far, we’ve sold more than 80 ornaments with more than $500 in sales and counting. And all of that directly benefits our clients at Hospitality House.”

Every single weekday from noon to 6 p.m. and on the weekend from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Christmas, the Rotarians are going to be out there at Maine Sport’s parking lot giving it all they’ve got.

West Bay Rotary President Peter Berke said: “This time of the year and being involved with Rotary, it kind of brings it all home for us here, with the proceeds from tree, wreath and holiday card sales all go back to the nonprofits our community.”

To see the final count (when all is said and done) stay tuned the West Bay Rotary Facebook page as well as the Hospitality House Facebook page.

Happy holidays everyone![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Every year, we support the West Bay Rotary Club in their annual Duck Derby fundraiser and this year we broke the record!

On May 28, 3,500 plastic ducks (each paid for by a ticket holder) were released at the Camden Maine footbridge and traveled over the falls into the harbor where the lucky winners of big prizes happened to be the first ducks who crossed the finish line.

As president elect of the West Bay Rotary Club and owner of North Atlantic Painting, I can tell you this year, we netted over $11,000 in ticket sales. The numbers have steadily grown year after year. We had a good turnout with the public, good turnout with everybody who volunteered–it was really good.

The money is going to The Hospitality House, Meals on Wheels, the food pantries, and scholarships at the Camden Hills Regional High School. North Atlantic Painting is serious about helping our communities.

Here at North Atlantic Painting, we’ve seen enough “common” mistakes when taking on a painting project that we’d like to share our expert insights with you. Here are the three biggest mistakes you want to take care to avoid:

1. Prepping: The biggest problem we’ve seen are when homeowners underestimate the amount of time and prep it takes to paint a room. Cleaning the the dirt, grease and grime from walls, trim and ceilings, sanding the room, patching holes and cracks, caulking open seams and priming the walls are all necessary steps in prepping a room properly. Homeowners don’t usually realize how much time all of these little steps take until they start painting and begin to encounter the issues along the way.It takes a steady hand to caulk seams correctly. (Photo courtesy Wikihow)
2. Taping: Taping off walls, ceilings and trim to make straight lines seems like a great idea–but in reality, always backfires. It never comes out right for the homeowner. This is just one of the things that it takes experienced painters years to know how to do right–and our crew is so experienced that we don’t even tape at all. We have painters who cut in ceilings and walls freehand without a mistake. The only time we ever tape is to avoid splatter marks when we’re rolling.
3. Using low quality paint: Recent radio commercials in the Midcoast area have been advertising an all-in-one primer/paint product because of course, everyone wants to save money and time when doing a home painting job. But, for a house to look great, it takes multiple coats of the right product. Using an all-in-one primer/paint product as a shortcut doesn’t save you any extra time or money because it’s more expensive than primer. So, what you’re doing is paying for two finish coats (without ever prepping it with primer which is a mistake!) We always use Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams products on our high-end houses and commercial buildings.A popular all-in-one primer and paint

The less time the NAP crew has to prep the site, the more ends up back in your wallet. However, if you don’t want to do the prep work yourself, we are a full service company who can do all of this for you.

We are currently booking interior work into the winter and exterior work for the 2016 season. Give us a call at 207-236-0703 for a free estimate.

With only a limited time in summer to enjoy the days, it’s a good idea to defer your house painting project to the cooler days of fall or winter (especially when crews aren’t so busy.)

A little prep work goes a long way.

There are a few steps homeowners who wish to save some money can take. North Atlantic Painting has a few pro tips for the homeowner on a limited budget:

1. Cut away any landscaping (bushes, trees, branches) that’s growing up against the side of the house. Make sure all foliage is cut back 2 1/2 feet from house. It keeps rodents and bugs from getting too close (and in the way).Photo courtesy prettyhandygirl.com
2. Remove the patio furniture and grills away from the house.
3. Make sure when painters arrive, there is access to water and power.
4. Call the power company and have the wires wrapped ahead of time. This refers to the wire that extends from the power pole to the house. It needs to be wrapped with rubber, so there’s no chance of an accidental electrocution.
5. Remove the shutters. (This takes elbow grease but saves a lot of time if the homeowner wants to save money!)
6. Take a hose and wash down all of the siding and trim, to get all of the dirt off.Photo courtesy diynetwork.com
7. Inspect the eaves and rafters for any yellow jacket or paper wasp nests (like the one pictured) and get rid of them before the crew starts work on the job site. (If they turn out to be honeybees, there are some beekeepers in the area who’d probably do that for you in order to keep the colony of bees alive – so check that out first.)Photo courtesy Wikihow.com

The less time the NAP crew has to prep the site, the more ends up back in your wallet. However, if you don’t want the hassle of doing it yourself, we are a full service company who can do all of this for you.

We are currently booking interior work into the winter and exterior work for the 2016 season. Give us a call at 207-236-0703 for a free estimate or visit us at www.mainecoatings.com

Article originally posted in Penobscot Bay Pilot’s spring issue of The Wave, 2015

Patty Berke and an artist’s eye

Walls Of Palette Possibilities, And How To Choose

“A lot of people are stuck with the idea of linen white, but you have to start getting them intrigued with other colors.”

That’s Patty Berke, an artist and house painter, who gets a kick out of helping people choose what colors to paint their walls. She spends her waking hours (and no doubt her sleeping ones) thinking about the dance of colors, how they blend and create spatial dimensions, how they soothe and invigorate, and how people respond individually to different hues.

“Color is a very critical thing,” said artist John Hench, who spent 65 years with the Walt Disney company creating movie sets and theme parks. “I’ve found that architects don’t like colors. Engineers, too. And so somebody has to stand in. Because this is the finish of it. It is the emotional part of a structure.”

Think that color schemes are secondary to the wellbeing of a home? Think again.

Artist Pablo Picasso said: “Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? no.” But they do.

The challenge is to find the right combinations of colors so that when you paint your walls, your heart and mind sing, as well. The web is full of advice about the psychology of paint, and what colors to use in different rooms, from the kitchen to bath to bedroom. One suggestion is to paint your kitchen the color of the kitchen where you spent your childhood years. Really? Avocado green, anyone?

But there is merit to the psychology of paint; hospitals are painting rooms now to promote healing.

“Everyone thinks color is going the shrink the room,” said Patty. “But it doesn’t. Color can accent a room, make it pop.”

She is particularly drawn to the color gray. To the uninitiated, that doesn’t mean the color gray as we conventionally regard it — the grey of the harbor, fog, November clouds. To Patty, the color gray is expansive and loaded with opportunity.

“Anything on top of gray will pop,” she said. “You can have soft, oaky grays, and then paint a wall a jewel blue, and it’s beautiful.”

Gray is considered by some interior designers as the replacement of beige, creates a dignified space and is associated with intellect and refinement.

Patty and her husband, Peter, own and operate the Rockport-based North Atlantic Painting Company, whose teams do everything from removing old wall paper and skim-coating walls to fine interior painting. The company also has a shop where furniture, doors, siding and windows can be spray-painted or refinished.

“If a customer picks a paint color, 90 percent of the time we can tell what it’s going to look like,” said Peter. “How it will highlight or accent lighting, art work, draperies, rugs and texture.”

Experience is telling them to build a different type of color library so that clients can truly get an idea of how a color might work in their living room, kitchen, office, studio or business.

Traditionally, the painter hauls around a satchel of paint chips — thousands of paper color samples hanging together on a ring, a Rolodex of color. Or, a homeowner will stand in front of walls of paint chips at the local hardware store, stretching their imaginations about what might look good on a given wall.

But Peter and Patty are trying a different approach. They are building a library of sample boards, each measuring 11” x 17”, which illustrate much more effectively how a wall or room might look under different colors. The boards are big enough to provide a better sense of what could be.

“People see different types of colors, and with all the colors at a paint store, it gets overwhelming,” Peter said. Patty is painting the sample boards and displaying them at the company’s Route 90 shop. As time goes on, the library, with its tactile approach to paint, will build to include hundreds of samples.

“People are using more and more colors,” Peter said. “Even art galleries are now painted in rich, dark colors. That works to highlight the artwork.”

As for painting itself, Patty is in her element as soon as she steps into a room and gets to work. “I love painting, going into my own space,” she said. “When you are done, you turn around and see something. Even before, when a room is sanded, primed and caulked, there is a feeling of accomplishment.”

And then there is the ever-changing landscape of customers — “a whole new set of people and their paint challenges,” said Peter. “We love it, and a lot of our clients are now our very good friends.”