March, 2025 - when do I know if my home needs painting?

There is really one answer to this - you only NEED painting for maintenance reasons on peeling wood, fading stucco, and restaining dry vertical wood surfaces. But other painting projects such as interior projects are usually more cosmetic based.

For wood windows or siding, when the paint is peeling, it means water now has access to the wood and rot is already setting in.

For fading stucco, this means the stucco is increasingly porous, and it just a matter of time before it starts to crumble (hairlines fractures start first) and water starts seeping in through the stucco and will start to rot your framing underneath in addition to potential mould issues.

For stain work, we typically do not recommend staining horizontal surfaces such as decks The reason being most products will only last 1-2 year, and the best products with excessive prep AND all sides of the deck boards being stained, may only last 2-4 years.

But for siding, timber beams, posts, etc we DO recommend re-staining every 4-6 years not only for aesthetics but also because wood posts, beams, siding, and windows are all structural and much harder to replace than some old deck boards.

For any wood surfaces that have a solid stain and not paint, ideally it will burn off and the wood knots will start to look thirsty. If the stain starts to peel off, it’s time to switch to a primer and paint as the wood is not longer accepting stain to sink in so a paint + primer will need to be used to sit on the surface instead.

February, 2025 - spring home maintenance tips

Spring?! Already?!

Yes! We start booking exterior work for May during the winter, and we are often booked out - hence why we are thinking about it!

But that being said, what are some things you can do when thinking about exterior spring maintenance without having to call us?

1) Inspect gutters and downspouts for damage and debris to avoid water sitting around your foundation. Remember, even a concrete foundation can still be permeable.

2) Trim trees and shrubs near the house to prevent siding/roof damage, but also for wildfire protection.

3) Inspect caulking around windows, doors and other areas where little critters can get in. As an example, any cracks/holes your pinky can fit in should be filled.

For minor cracking on old caulk/silcone, simply purchase a high-end caulk/silicone from a local hardware store and fill in the cracks for now. A thick bead of caulk/silicone is best so it can go over the old bead and adhere to the substrate, instead of the old bead.

4) Inspect any exterior wood surfaces: is the paint peeling and rot is starting to set in? If it’s a solid stain, are the wood knots starting to show and the wood is looking dry? If it’s only a few small spots, we’d recommend a quick scrape, prime (if painted), and then two coats of paint or solid stain to buy you some time before your next full paint job.

5) Inspect exterior stucco surfaces for hairline cracks, crumbling stucco and fading pigmentation. Once these issues start to form, you can do some touch-ups, but ultimately your stucco is getting dry and starting to let water into the substrate and starting to rot your framing.

6) When sprinklers are turned on, ensure they are not leaving water on the house - this will lead to paint failures faster with the regular moisture.

7) Remove leaves from the roof if they are piling up, which will retain moisture and start to rot your shingles & roofing, in addition to being a fire hazard.

8) Check all windows for any sign of fog or murkiness. This implies the window unit is starting to fail. If it one or two odd windows, you can have those fixed individually, but if there are many windows failing, you will want to start budgeting for a full window replacement in the future.

9) Check your attic. We have countless painting projects where critters get in during the winter, and we hear them enjoying their new homes in the summer time when we paint. But by then, they are well settled in and not exactly willing to uproot themselves. Best to catch this early!

10) Lastly - keep your landscaping Firesmart! Place firewood away from your house, prune tree branches away from your house, clean your gutter to remove leaves, rake your lawn to remove leaves and more.

Check out https://firesmartbc.ca/resource/landscaping-guide/ for more info

January, 2025 - someone quoted cabinet refinishing for less but they want to do it in the summer? Why?

This is a red flag!

We have recently noticed certain “cabinet refinishers” have been telling clients that they prefer to do cabinet refinishing in the summer. This is a red flag for a few reasons

1) This likely means they do NOT have a dedicated cabinet refinishing shop, so they are spraying your cabinet doors outside. All you need is a gust of wind to come by, and dust will land on your nicely refinished cabinets and will show through the final coat(s) of paint.

2) Established painting companies should be the busiest in the summer months with both interior and exterior painting projects, so asking to do this type of job in the summer also signals they are not established enough to be prioritizing the large full exterior repaints that most companies are focused on in the summer.

3) Both of these red flags together raise major concerns. Both cabinet painting and cabinet refinishing services can be prone to product failures, and without adequate experience, a less experience cabinet refinisher likely does not have the experience to know exactly when a product will or will not work.

And just because the local paint store says it will last, or the side of the paint can says ‘for cabinets,’ this does NOT mean it will withstand the test of time.

December, 2024 - is there a good time for interior painting?

We get asked this question often - when is the best time interior painting (or cabinet refinishing?).

The answer: In the winter!

Why in the winter? There are a few reasons:

1) We are quite busy with exterior work during the summer months, and can booking a few months out vs. a few weeks out in the winter so we can get to your project faster.

2) Only our best painters are full-time, year-round employees so you’ll get the best painters dedicated to your project.

3) Our annual price increases always start on May 1st. To keep up with inflation, we need to have an annual price increase. To keep prices lower during the winter months, we always schedule the price increase for May 1st when our exterior season starts again.

November, 2024 - Fall maintenance tips

As exterior painting season wraps up, we recommend checking the exterior of your home to ensure your last painting project lasts as long as possible!

Start with a walk-around your home and note any of the following items:

1) Ensure all run off from downspouts is positioned away from the house and any painted surfaces.

2) Ensure eaves-through are cleaned to prevent water run-off from piling up in certain sections.

3) Trim all trees/brushes that are in contact or in close contact your house.

4) Ensure any items on top of decking, wood decking in particular, are removed. Flower pots for example can trap moisture underneath.

5) Be prepared to remove snow from any horizontal surfaces (ex. decks, railings) that have been recently painted or stained if you want the coating to last as long as possible

October, 2024 - Benjamin Moore 2025 colours

Are you ready to get some colours back on your walls?

After years of trending towards off-whites, we are starting to ‘quietly’ re-introduce colour. Benjamin Moore’s 2025 colours are 'quietly’ colourful and aim to brighten up our homes once again.

And this is not just for walls - we’re looking forward to using these colours for cabinet refinishing at our shop in Vernon as well.

Check out the colour simulator at link below to see interior wall and cabinet painting samples. Scroll part way down until the title “Explore the Colour Trends 2025 Palette” and select a room or kitchen cabinet example and select your colours.

https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/paint-colours/colour-of-the-year-2025

September, 2024 - Help! I’m looking for cabinet painters in my area!

We are excited to announce we are officially adding cabinet refinishing to our painting portfolio! We take pride in providing premium painting services in Vernon and look forward to repainting your cabinets soon! While we love being interior and exterior house painters and offering traditional painting services, our true passion lies in premium paint, stain and refinishing services.

Our dedicated shop in downtown Vernon is shared with a cabinet maker, which allows us to also offer the offer the option of adding new cabinet doors and other pieces to your existing kitchen layout. As of the leading painting companies in Vernon, we wanted our offering to rival that of new cabinetry all together but for a fraction of the cost.

While we don’t do cabinet refacing, we believe our techniques with airless paint sprayers and not brushes or rollers ensures your repainted cabinets look like a factory-finish comparable to any new set of cabinets.

August, 2024 - only one wall of my exterior stucco is faded. Can I paint it myself?

Go for it! We’re always supports of DIY and painting your exterior stucco with two coats of premium, UV resistant paint such as Benjamin Moore Aura, is a great idea. It can be cut in with a brush and rolled out with full sized rollers - just remember to power wash up to a week in advance to get all the paint off the surface.

Some just one wall fades with prolonged sun exposure through-out the day, and might have to be repainted more often compared to the rest of the house.

July, 2024 - Help! I’m planning to hire a painting company near me and I’m not sure when is the best time for interior painting or cabinet painting?

For interior painting services or cabinet repainting, we often recommend these projects take place between October - April when we are no longer painting outside.

As turn-key service house painters, we are happy to complete your project anytime of the year. However, summer is our busy season, and we are often booking a few weeks (or months) out and our team can get spread thin as our core summer business is full exterior repaints or restains that often take our team multiple weeks or even months on one project.

If you do need interior painting services done in the summer months, such as a recent move or time-sensitive renovation, then simply call us and let’s chat scheduling options.