Through Sunrise Painting president Robert Dragony’s affiliation with the IFMA (International Facilities Managers Association) Silicon Valley Chapter, and his membership on their outreach committee, Sunrise Painting employees volunteer their time every April.  This year’s project is the Kainos Vocational Services building on Middlefield Rd in Redwood City.  Kainos provides vocational training and job placement for adults with disabilities http://www.kainosusa.org/vocational-services/

Volunteers on this project will be replacing carpets, repairing and waterproofing walls, making general office improvements, as well as painting most of the interior and exterior of the building.  Sherwin Williams will be donating the paint and Sunrise Painting will be providing the expertise.  If you would like to get involved, you can register here for the event. http://www.ifmasv.org/events/rsvpNew/342/.  In future postings we will update you on the progress of this project.

- Gretchen McDougall, Montara

Most of the house paints used today are latex paints. But are all latex paints the same? The simple answer is no. There are different finishes and qualities of paint.

Quality:

Experts agree that you should always use high quality paint. While you may pay a little more for the paint, you are saving in the labor, because the inexpensive paints generally require more coats to adequately cover the wall. A cheap paint, generally is thinner, containing less pigment, resulting in the need for multiple coats.

Finishes:

Gloss finishes are shiny and smooth, with a finished look like enamel. Gloss finishes are typically found on cabinets, shelves, banisters, railings, and trim. It wipes of easily, making it easy to keep clean. The smooth nature of gloss paint makes surface imperfections more visible, so it requires more prep work before painting to ensure a good result.

Semi-gloss paint finishes have a subtle shine that is not as smooth and shiny as gloss. It is similar to a gloss finish in terms of needing mroe prep work, because imperfections will show more readily. Semi-gloss finishes are also easy to clean and are most commonly used on the woodwork to accentuate the room.

Satin finishes have a velvety, smooth look with just a hint of gloss.  Satin-finish paint can be used for windows, doors and trim in high-traffic areas like hallways, kitchens, bathrooms and children’s rooms. It easily withstands cleaning and light scrubbing.

Eggshell finish has a very low sheen with just a hint of gloss. Eggshell is mostly used for walls in high-traffic areas like hallways, kitchens, baths and children’s rooms. It is also easy to wipe down to clean.

Matte finishes are also called flat finishes. They are not shiny and  have little reflection. Matt paint is  best suited for ceilings, walls and areas with surface imperfections. It is  not easy to clean. Washable flat paints now on the market do make cleanup easier. However, a matte finish will show scratches and scuff marks, so keep some extra paint on hand for touch-ups.

Here are some terms that will help you better understand paint color concepts:

• Hue is color. All colors you see and can imagine are hues. Typically the term applies to combinations of primary colors with different values and intensities.
• Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is determined by the amount of white, gray or black that is added to a pure color. Think of this as “light”, “medium” or “dark”.
• Intensity is the measurement of the brightness of a color.  It can also be called Saturation. This is a measurement of how much of the pigment is in the paint.
• Temperature refers to the warmth or coolness of the colors. Red, orange and yellow seem warm, like fire. While blue and green are cool. The color temperature affects mood and how you feel when you walk into a room.

Personal preference plays into color combinations. Some people prefer a muted color that has less intensity for the walls, but may choose to add accents that are more saturated to brighten the look of the room. Others prefer more intense colors that are rich and deep, with lighter trim.

Sunrise Painting is here to help you choose colors for your next painting project. Our years of experience about color combinations will make the process easier for you.  Give us a call, we are happy to help out.  650-728-9500.

Water-based latex paints emerged as plastics took hold , which use an acrylic medium to suspend the pigment. Safer, yes, containing less volatile contents than lacquer based paints, but still leave a plastic smell, which is off-gassing chemicals into your home.

Current technologies include VOC-free paints. VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds that have high enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere.

Some VOCs are greenhouse gases and therefore contribute to global warming and others are just plain bad for your health. While a few VOCs occur naturally from cows and trees, many come from manufactured products such as paint thinners, paints and varnishes and dry cleaning solvents. These VOCs can contribute to human illnesses and have been determined to be a cause of ‘sick building syndrome’.

VOC-free paints, now available from Mythic and Benjamin Moore don’t off-gas toxic chemicals into your home. When you use these paints, the walls will have the new paint freshness without the vapors. These paints are also considered “green” because of they are not off-gassingvolatile chemicals.

Sunrise Painting offers  Mythic Paint or Benjamin Moore’s Natura line as an option for your home.

Key indicators to look for as part of a yearly maintenance routine include:

• Mildew
• Algae
• Splits in the siding or trim
• Chips in the paint
• Peeling paint
• Water damage

Before painting, surfaces need to be power-washed, cleaning the surface in order for the paint to adhere properly. It is very easy to do costly damage to your paint job and exterior when power washing incorrectly. It is also possible to trap moisture in the siding, which can cause algae or mildew to grow. Even though power washers can be rented or purchased at hardware stores, consider hiring Sunrise Painting to get the job done right.

If you have mildew or algae they need to be treated before painting. Ignoring the problem and just painting over these types of growth shortens the life expectancy of your paint job.  Again, there are solutions that consumers can purchase off the shelf, but the experts at Sunrise Painting know the correct concentrations, how to apply the treatment, and how to avoid problems with run-off.

Water can be one of the most damaging elements to a home’s integrity. As part of our maintenance inspection, Sunrise Painting looks for signs of water damange so that repairs can be made to preserve your home and paint job.

Sunrise Painting offers yearly maintenance services, which helps keep your home refreshed, prolonging the life of the paint job. We will calk, power wash, and touch up your paint job.