Author: Nicole Northrup

The new year is a time for a fresh start. It’s an excellent opportunity to upgrade your home to a more modern look, or to change your overall theme. Whether you’re interested in updating one room, or your home completely, here are a few ideas that we love.

What to Paint for the New Year?

Accent Walls: Sometimes all a room needs is new color, but you may not want to paint the entire room. By adding an accent wall, you provide a pop of color, without adding too much. Surprisingly, this one accent wall can either brighten or darken the room, whichever you prefer. You could also use this opportunity to have a “test run” of a color you might want to use later on.

Kitchen Cabinets: A great way to change up your kitchen, without a full remodel, is to add a fresh coat of paint to all of your kitchen cabinets.

Family Room: Adding a new color to the living or family room can really brighten up the house and gives it a cozy feel. You can cater your new color to whatever your family enjoys the most. Bright colors let in as much light as possible, or you can use darker colors to have the perfect movie nights.

What Colors Should You Use?

• White, Grey, or Beige: Theses are neutral colors that can complement any room and can tie together any style of furniture.  A color that’s mentioned a lot in the neutrals is greige which is a combination of grey and beige.
• Navy Blue: This a great color for bedrooms because it’s a dark color promoting a good night’s sleep. You’ll also find it used in bathrooms to compliment a white or marble in the room.
• Red: This is great for an accent wall in the kitchen. Red promotes good appetite and great conversation.
• Light Green: A light green can give your bathroom and earthly, calming tone especially paired with white accents. Perfect for that spa day.

Some Extra Tips For You New Style:

• Make sure the color matches the furniture and decor of the room.
• Choose a color that can last and doesn’t tend to go out of style. The crazier the color, the more likely you’ll change it more often.
• Want to open up your room? Go with bright or neutral colors that can reflect that light. 
• For a smaller, cozier feel, use darker colors.
• The paint finish matters. A flat finish can hide any flaws on your walls. Glossy paint is much easier to clean. Choose the paint based on your day-to-day life, as well as on the color.

With winter closing in, it’s important to ensure that the exterior paint of your house stays blemish-free, and bright throughout the season. Taking the proper precautionary methods, prior to the wetter weather, will keep your home’s paint looking its best and provide a long-lasting effect. There are a few things that you can do to make sure that your home is ready for the rain and snow as the months go on.

1. Proper Insulation – Extra moisture from the interior of your home can seep into the home’s structure, causing flaking in your exterior paint. Prepare your home with proper insulation in your attic or basement. Not only will this help your exterior coat of paint, but it will also help save you on energy costs.

“Prepare your home with proper insulation in your attic or basement.”

2. Proper Ventilation – Similar to proper insulation, build-up of moisture in your kitchen or laundry area – specifically by the stove or dryer – can increase the chance that your exterior coat of paint will experience issues. Make sure that your ventilation systems are working properly.

“Make sure that your ventilation systems are working properly.”

3. Seal Your Exterior Paint & Stains – Adding a sealant coat to your exterior paint will keep your paint and stains looking fresh from season to season. This will help prevent any moisture from damaging the paint, which could lead to flaking or chipping. Similar with wood stained areas, a stain sealant will keep your wooden surfaces dryer, and provide a long-lasting look for years to come.

“Adding a sealant coat to your exterior paint will keep your paint and stains looking fresh from season to season.”

4. Choose a Fade-Resistant Paint – The sun can do serious damage to your exterior paint, no matter the time of year, and no matter your location. By initially choosing a fade-resistant paint for your home, it will help combat the sun damage. Ideally, tan, brown, and beige paints are the best fade-resistant colors for your exterior paint.

“By initially choosing a fade-resistant paint for your home, it will help combat the sun damage.”

When it comes to keeping your exterior paint looking its best, North Atlantic Painting can provide the quality results you need! Call our expert team today to help you keep your house looking its best during all seasons.

While living near the ocean is beneficial for you in a variety of ways, it may not be beneficial for the exterior of your home. Truth be told, houses by the shore need more maintenance than an inland house because of how salty and humid air can get. Luckily enough, the experts at North Atlantic Painting can help you keep your home’s exterior looking brand new, no matter the weather, humidity, or saltiness in the air. Here are a few reasons proper maintenance is essential for a coastal home.

Salt Water Affect: Saltwater can really have an effect on the exterior of your home. It doesn’t necessarily need to touch your home to cause issue. It is found within the air by the ocean. If your exterior paint isn’t protected, saltwater by cause chipping, peeling, and fading. After a house is painted it’s recommended to have a sealant applied to help. Saltwater damage is a year-round issue.

“Saltwater damage is a year-round issue.”

“Moisture builds-up much more near the coast.”

Moisture Build-Up: Moisture builds-up much more near the coast. The higher the humidity, the more moisture is in the air. High levels of moisture can lead to mold, which can start eating away at the exterior paint. The best way to avoid this is to have the outside of your house power washed regularly to prevent any damage.

Harsh UV Rays: In addition to the humidity, the sun has harsh UV rays that beat down on the exterior of your home. Extended exposure will end up fading the paint color. Sun exposure and humidity can also create a soap-like film on the paint over time. The best way to get rid of it is to wash the house with a mild detergent. Regular paint touch-ups may be needed to restore any fading.

Sand Build-Up: This is something homes closest to the ocean may experience. A build-up of sand can leave the exterior feeling very rough and scratchy. It will act like sandpaper on the exterior paint. A sealant on the paint will help prolong the paint, but the paint job will need to be freshened up regularly.

“…the sun has harsh UV rays that beat down on the exterior of your home.”

Cleaning your home’s exterior is a necessary part of home ownership. This process is exceptionally important if you’re planning on painting the outside of your home with a vibrant new color. Whether you’re planning a new paint job or just looking to remove the years of built up dirt and decay, there are a few things to know about exterior washing. While it seems like a simple task, it’s easier said than done, and better left to the experts. Here’s everything you should know about cleaning your home with pressure washing, power washing or soft washing.

What’s the difference?

• Power Washing uses high pressure with hot water. This helps sanitize surfaces and breaks down organic materials such as dirt. It’s not recommended for material such as wood. It should be strictly used on driveways, rough concrete, etc.
• Pressure Washing is still a high pressure but it can use any temperature of the water. It can be used on surfaces like patio furniture, stone pathways, decks, and more.
  • Note: Both of these can be very dangerous and can cause injuries when used incorrectly.
• Soft Washing is a lot gentler than the two listed above. The tip is more widespread so it doesn’t have as high a pressure. It can be used on a lot more materials such as vinyl siding, wood panel siding, screens, enclosures, stucco, and more.

“Cleaning your home’s exterior is a necessary part of home ownership.”

Should I pressure wash my home?

“It can give the house a new lease on life, revealing how bright the original colors actually are.”

• Pros
  • Keeps the area healthy and devoid of anything that’s growing on the house such as mold, mildew, dirt, and more.
  • It can give the house a new lease on life, revealing how bright the original colors actually are.
  • The entire property can be restored to its original glory with a good pressure wash.
  • It only needs to be done every couple of years to brighten up the exterior of the house.
• Cons
  • If the wrong nozzle is used damage could occur. Wood could get etched, bricks can erode, mortar can be forced out of their joints loosening up any brick or stone.
  • Water can get caught in existing holes and causing water damage.
  • Power washing can loosen up old paint, leaving unsightly patches.

“Power washing can loosen up old paint, leaving unsightly patches.”

Make sure you hire a professional to get any pressure washing done correctly. North Atlantic Painting are the professionals you need to make sure your home is prepped for that new coat of paint or to liven up your existing paint job.

Now that you’ve hired a professional to paint your home, your job is almost done. The next step for you is to prepare your home so that it is ready for painting. While it’s important to ensure there aren’t any obstacles or potential hazards, in the way, here are a few helpful tips for a smooth paint job:

Exterior Paint Jobs

It’s best to remove any shutters, hanging plants, patio furniture, and more on the outside of the house. Trim away any trees or bushes so the painters have plenty of room to finish the entire house.

Make sure your pets can’t get in the way of the painters. A professional paint job can be hazardous to both the painters and your pets if they are loose outside your home. Kennel them for the day, or keep them inside your home for the duration of the paint job.

Hose down as much dirt as possible. The painters will usually powerwash your siding to make sure they have a clean slate, but hosing down the siding, and the trim, is extremely helpful to their process, especially if there’s any leftover landscaping mess.

Interior Paint Jobs

It’s best to take down any wall-hanging decor, rid of the cobwebs, put away any rugs, and any furniture that can be removed easily. If you have a piece of furniture that isn’t easy to move, then cover it with an old sheet or something you don’t mind getting a little messy.

Animals can be very sensitive to paint fumes. It’s best to remove them for however long it takes the painters, or make sure they are in a well-ventilated area, as far away from the fumes as possible.

With a small amount of laundry detergent and a gallon of water, walls can be scrubbed clean with a clean rag or a sponge. It might take some elbow grease, but it’ll be worth it when the room is that gorgeous new color!