Kitchen cabinet painting

One of the most common requests I get in the last year is homeowners tired of the glazed cabinets in their kitchens. At fitzgeraddpaintingservices.com we paint twenty kitchens a year to give homeowners a new look. The glaze must be removed by sanding and start with a full bonding primer before the finish is applied. Again the correct combination of products is vital in this process.

Exterior house painting

I have been in the painting business for over thirty years now and still find it puzzling that homeowners still go for the cheapest quote when doing a paint project. Why would you cheap out on something that should last you for years when done right and something you have to look at every day. A paint job on exterior work is primaliry there to protect your biggest investment from the harsh elements especially here in New England. Fitzgerald painting services use the best combination of products to make your job last. "We're not the cheapest because we do it right"fitzgeraldpaintingservices.com

House Painting Services Concord, Sudbury, Lincoln, Winchester, Weston, Wellesley, Arlington, Woburn

Looking for a Massachusetts painting contractor in Concord, Sudbury, Lincoln, Winchester, Weston, Wellesley, Arlington, Woburn?  Fitzgerald Painting Services provides top quality performance and years of know how to those MA towns and many others from Greater Boston to Cape Cod. Our staff is highly skilled in all phases of painting and wall covering, including preparation, application and clean up. We also provide a wide variety of custom services including hand rubbed, faux finishes, staining and refinishing.

At Fitzgerald Painting Services, we strive to give you the highest quality performance and the least disruption to your home environment. If you’re planning to repaint a room or your entire home, call Fitzgerald Painting Services. You’ll be glad you did. (781) 696-1686.

Enhance Your Home Cosmetically and Structurally

Now that Spring has arrived here in Massachusetts, you likely are looking around your home to determine what projects are needed to repair or maintain it. And, if you’re thinking of putting your house on the market, you know that you’ll need to prepare it to compete in this market. As most people know, a fresh coat of paint can make all the difference not only cosmetically, but also structurally. After all, paint protects your home from the elements.

For many, hiring a professional painter to tackle the job is well worth the price considering the non-financial costs of the job. Consider the physical risks of hanging out on ladders, juggling heavy equipment, and dodging hornet’s nests. Think, too, of the environmental issues of mold and mildew, and, if your home was built before 1978, lead and other contaminants. Indeed the biggest cost may be the time the work takes away from your preferred activities like ballgames, picnics and social gatherings.

Ultimately, though, the main reason to hire a pro is to help make sure that the finish lasts for years to come. A professional knows exactly how to prepare the surface – whether wood, vinyl or stucco – to allow proper adhesion. Professional painters also know that what type of paint to use and at what time and temperature to apply it. Done incorrectly, your paint job could need to be redone way too soon.

Many people are surprised to learn that preparation can take as much as 75 percent of the time needed to do a quality paint job. It’s that critical to the long-term success of the painting project.  A professional will spend time examining the house before starting the surface preparation looking for cracks, chips, peeling and fading. These factors could indicate standing water or constant sun in certain areas, and those areas might need extra attention. Water issues must be addressed because surface variations could indicate damage to the underlying wood or other material. And continuous moisture will damage the new paint, too.  After the examination, the work process is basically three-fold: repair damage, prepare surfaces, and then paint.
A professional painter starts by repairing damaged areas – typically fascia, wood trims, window sills and doors. Light damage can be repaired easily with the proper tools, but split or rotten wood may require the services of a carpenter.

Next comes the critical step of cleaning the surface. Soap, water and elbow grease can do the job, but pressure washing often is the preferred method for clearing surfaces of dirt, grime, oil and other air-borne pollutants.  The main thing is to understand that damage can result if done incorrectly. It’s much better to use very low pressure (less than 1000 pounds per square inch) and lots of water. Let the cleaners do the work, not the water pressure. To protect plants, animals, family and friends, be aware of the types of cleaners being used and where runoff from those cleaners is going. They can be toxic, corrosive or irritating.
The most labor intensive part of the process follows, as it involves scraping, sanding or wire-stripping any loose paint or wood. If your house was built before 1978, this process could be dangerous because of the use of lead-based paint prior to that year.

After all the repairing, cleaning and preparation is completed, the house is finally ready for its new face. Be sure your painter uses only good quality, exterior paint from a leading manufacturer.  Since your home is likely your most valuable asset, you’ll want to protect it.  And a fresh coat of paint can help to protect it from sun, snow, rain and hail for years to come.  Besides, it’ll make it look good, too.

Interior Paint Colors That Help Sell Your Home

Maggie Hernandez recalls a Realtor telling her sister-in-law that she had to get rid of many of her personal items in order to sell her home. But the realtor was even more adamant that the sister-in-law update the interior paint colors throughout her house. In fact 94 percent of all agents recommend a fresh coat of paint for their clients' homes.

And why is painting your house in order to sell your home so important? How about a major return on investment! According to HomeGain's Prepare to Sell 2009 national survey, the average price to paint interior walls is $500 to $750, but that increases a home price by an average of $1,500 to $2,000 -- which can be a 250 percent return on investment.

The Basic Rule of Thumb

It's necessary to remove all the personal touches you've made within your home in an effort to make the place as impersonal as possible when staging your home for sale. A neutral-colored palette, without all the clutter, helps potential buyers envision how their personal taste can be implemented into the house.

A bright red accent wall, or your teenager's black-walled bedroom, needs to be painted over in order to sell. "Beiges, warm beiges and yellows are great choices for wall color and making a space look more impersonal," says Maggie Hernandez, a seasoned home stager and realtor with RPI International, Inc. "Wallpaper is a deal-breaker, paint is your ally. Neutralize the color palette throughout the home and neutral doesn't mean white."
Karen Dembsky, president of Peachtree Home Staging LLC and Georgia's Real Estate Staging Association, as well as a Pro Stager of the Year nominee, has the first and most important piece of advice before even tackling the issue of color.

"A seller should always make sure that their paint has a fresh appeal, no dings, no marks. If there are any, it should be repainted or touched up because it gives the feeling of a well-maintained home," she said. "The color has to be livable and appealing, you want a color where the buyer will come in and say that it's not their first choice but they can live with it."

Repainting the Kitchen

Going room by room and making the correct decision on colors is vital and Dembsky gives her take on the best approach for each one. In the kitchen it's good to stay in the orange, red and yellow families. These work well because they're food related, but it's important to still make them soft, appealing and neutral, and keep them in the suggested food group colors. "In the kitchen, these colors will fly but keep these tips in mind to make them work well," she says.

Repainting the Bathroom

In the bathroom paint must be light, because the room tends to be smaller, and a darker color would just make it more so. One way to infuse color into the room is through accessories like soaps or towels. But for the walls, keep it in the light yellows or tans. Perhaps you can pick up colors from the tile floors, but if the floors are hardwood then it's best to stick with neutral tones.

Repainting the Bedroom

In the bedroom it's also especially important to stay away from bright colors, since this room is viewed as a sanctuary, so choose something very neutral that will work with the flooring and also flow into the master bathroom. Bed and bath colors do not have to be the same but definitely must flow.

Repainting the Home Office

The only spot where warmer, richer colors are welcomed is in the home office, where cinnamon, dark brown or even dark blue are welcome -- these colors make the space an area in which to work and relax.

Repainting Other Areas of the Home

Other paint suggestions to help sell your home include salmon-hued paints - they make people's skin color look good. A very pale beige with a blue tone is very tranquil while a beige tone with a green tint that gives off energy and both are good choices for the living room.

And don't forget about the great outdoors and your garage. In the patio area it's not necessary to paint but do ensure that the decks and patios are pressure washed and fresh looking. For your basement and garage paint is also important. Paint the concrete floor and warm up these otherwise cold spaces with a warm neutral color like gold.

The Color to Avoid

Surprisingly, white is the color to avoid. Both Hernandez and Dembsky agree: When painting to help sell your house, the color white is not your ally. "The biggest mistake people make is painting their house entirely white inside thinking it's a neutral color. It's not, it's a bright color," Dembsky explains.

Low Pressure Massachusetts House Washing

PROBLEM: Algae, mold, mildew, dirt and grime accumulate on your siding throughout the year. This can cause serious damage when left untouched or cleaned properly.

SOLUTION: We can wash your house with our low pressure soft wash cleaning system.

WHY A LOW PRESSURE WASH: Pressure washing is now considered old technology. Do you really want someone to blast your home with 3000 to 4000 psi and hundreds of gallons of water? With our low pressure chemical wash, we let our chemicals do the work. Our proprietary blend kills mold, mildew and algae while cleaning your house.  We serve Massachusetts from Greater Boston to Cape Cod.

"Soft-Wash" Roof Cleaning in Massachusetts

There is no easier way to improve and maintain the attractiveness of your property than to keep the roof and exterior properly cleaned.  

The blackened areas and streaks that you see on your roof making it look “dirty” are actually the result of algae and bacteria that are feeding, growing, and spreading on your roof.

In addition to making roofs look unsightly, these algae (Gloeocapsa Magma) can damage your roof and reduce its warranted lifetime. This premature degradation of your roof can end up costing thousands of dollars over time.

Lastly, the algae and bacteria on your roof can become airborne and spread – not just to other roofs but also into the air that we breathe. Airborne contaminants have the potential to cause discomfort and health issues for people with asthma and allergies.

Call us today and we will identify which type of organisms you may be infected with and safely remove them from your home. By keeping your roof's surface free of these invasive organisms you can be assured that your roof will last longer, retain its curb appeal, heating and cooling effectiveness, and not affect the health of its occupants.

We are your top choice for roof cleaning, roof washing, roof stain removal in Massachusetts - (781) 696-1686.