The problem with the deck was that it had been pressure washed with bleach

and left for about a year without any coating. It had the usual problems

associated with such neglect. It had very dry and cracked boards, boards

where all holding water and had mold and mildew.

We decided a pressure wash was not the best option seeing the condition of

the wood. so we elected to do a chemical wash instead. We the hand brushed

and rolled semi-solid oil base stain. The deck came out great and the client

was highly satisfied.

Tags: advice quality deck stain seal bleach pressurewash oil wood-conditioner painter exterior alpharetta wool professional grain wood finish contractor

Labels: deck, mildew, pressure wash, semi-transparent, stain, stain seal, wood

                     

What to do with a problem deck.

Some decks require extra prep work to achieve a quality finish. I will discuss how to finish a deck that has multiple problems. Use this link to go to my Youtube page. "http://www.youtube.com/user/MannionCustomPaintin"


Here you will see a deck that has about three coats on it two of stain and one with a clear sealer. Also present was mold and mildew. What we did was to use a chemical stripper and allow it to sit for about thirty minutes, we then pressure washed it off using as little pressure as possible and a wide tip. After the wash we soaked deck cleaner on all areas, let it sit for about five minutes and then followed up with a wood conditioner. The conditioner is needed as the grain is raised during the pressure wash. As you can see the
Deck came out great.

Peace
John

Tags: advice free deck stain seal bleach pressurewash georgia lamb painter exterior alpharetta wool professional grain wood painting contractor

Labels: advice, green friendly paint, home, pressure wash, semi-transparent, stain, wood

                     

Deck Preparation.. The Key Ingredient to a Beautiful Deck!

Above you will see two pictures of a deck we did recently. The one to the left shows the
Deck after we pressured washed it and conditioned it. Notice the bright color with darker grain show through? We do not use bleach. This oicture shows how the deck should look prior to staining. The after picture shows is almost done. Please notice how we brush between each board, an important step to ensure a good quality job. Yes, there is a lot of labor involved, but the fruit is well worth it.

Peace

John


Tags: advice free deck stain seal bleach pressurewash georgia lamb painter exterior alpharetta wool professional grain wood painting contractor

Labels: advice, conditioner, deck, mildew, pressure wash, semi-transparent, stain, wood

                     

Why you should not use bleach on your deck.

We never recommend using household bleach, because it only kills mildew and does not clean other contaminates on the deck that lead to pre-mature coating failure. Fact is that labotory tests have shown that decks cleaned with bleach suffer from a coating breakdown 60% sooner then that deck that has not bleach. Think about it, do you wash your cloths with bleach only? Of course not! Bleach also can damage the celouse fiber in the wood especially if a pressure washer is used. There are plenty of good deck cleaners on the market and we recommend using one of them.

Peace
John (2011)

Tags: advice free deck stain seal bleach pressurewash georgia lamb painter exterior alpharetta wool professional grain wood painting contractor

Labels: advice, conditioner, deck, semi-transparent, solid color, wood

                     

Labels: advice, clear finish, deck, semi-transparent, solid color, stain seal, wood

                     

Service Areas MAnnion Custom Painting,LLC


We thought it important to blog about using a local painting contractor. It’s important for you the potential customer to feel good about who will be in your home or on your property. We are a local company and that serves the local area only. We never sub-contract or use day labor. We stand behind all of our work and offer written gurantees.
Local professionals live and work in your area, our kids go to local schools and we are known in the local paint stores.

Tags: deck staining contractor painter Roswell Cumming,GA Alpharetta,GA Georgia duluth,GA Milton,GA Atlanta Suwanee,GA Woodstock,GA Gainesville,GA Roswell,GA Forsyth,GA Buford,GA JohnsCreek,GA Norcross,GA Buckhead,GA Hall,GA Fulton,GA painter

Labels: deck, estimates, exterior, mildew, mold, pressure wash, wood

                     

Labels: advice, deck, exterior, mildew, mold, pressure wash, seal, stain seal, wood

                     

Labels: advice, conditioner, deck, exterior, pressure wash, stain seal, wood

                     

Labels: advice, deck, exterior, rot, seal, stain, wood

                     

Interior and Exterior Painting Estimates... What Should You Expect?

So you have decided to hire a professional painting contractor to do your next painting project, That's a great idea as some jobs should only be handled by the pros. But, how do you tell the professional from the hacks? Whom should you choose? That's a tough question to answer, and I will only address some things to look for when hiring a professional painting contractor. A major consideration is the estimate. We use the estimate as a rough contract, so we try and make it as detailed as possible. I have listed a few things you should be looking for when ever a contractor furnishes you with an estimate. You need to look for specifics pertaining to how many coats of paint and of what thickness will be applied. It should be clearly noted the method of application, spray brush or roller. There is a big difference in over all quality and longevity between spray and roll. It should be clearly listed what brand and grade of paints are going to be used as they vary greatly in price and quality. It should be clearly indicated as to how many painters will be used and how many days it will take to complete the project. Most professional painting contractors both interior and exterior give detailed estimates. So a good sign of a reputable trustworthy contractor is a detailed estimate. If yours is lacking any of the basics I have listed then “Buyer Beware”. I will try and blog other things to look for in my next post.
Peace


John Mannion



Tags: advice free interior georgia duluth painter exterior alpharetta estimate href="http://technorati.com/tag/professional" rel="tag">professional href="http://technorati.com/tag/contractor" rel="tag">contractor

Labels: business, drywall, georgia, home, Labels: advice, paint, services, wood

                     

Mannion Custom Painting, LLC Service Areas.



Hi There- I have decided to quickly blog about the areas we cover, as many customers ask if we go to their neighborhood. Following is a partial list of our coverage area. Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek, Dunwoody, Buck Head, Atlanta, Norcross, Duluth, Sandy Springs, Gainesville, Buford, Suwanee, Crabapple Woodstock. We also have started to service Gainesville, Flowery Branch and Hall County GA. If in doubt just give us a shout! We provide interior and exterior painting along with decroative Faux finishes, We also provide our clients with complete handyman services.






Thanks

John Mannion



Tags: advice professional contractor painter Roswell Cumming Alpharetta Georgia duluth Milton Atlanta Suwanee Woodstock Gainesville Roswell Forsyth href="http://technorati.com/tag/Buford" rel="tag">Buford href="http://technorati.com/tag/Johns+Creek" rel="tag">JohnsCreek href="http://technorati.com/tag/Norcross" rel="tag">Norcross href="http://technorati.com/tag/Buckhead" rel="tag">Buckhead href="http://technorati.com/tag/Hall" rel="tag">Hall href="http://technorati.com/tag/Fulton" rel="tag">Fulton href="http://technorati.com/tag/painter" rel="tag">painter

Labels: business, drywall, georgia, home, Labels: advice, paint, services, wood

                     

Labels: business, drywall, georgia, home, Labels: advice, paint, services, wood

                     

Many times most homeowners do not take in consideration paint finishes. That is too bad as the wrong finish can detract from the overall beauty of a job. Quickly I will discuss the flat paint finishe. Flat is the most popular finish. It is most often chosen because flat hides imperfections the best and give a velvety look. Until recently flat did not wash well, as most people find out when they try to clean a stain. Today there are washable flat paints on the market, so you get the best of both worlds. The beauty of flat with it high hiding attributes and in some instance extreme scrubilibity. Customer beware, all the manufactures make claims, and that is what exactly they are claims! Only a professional paint contractor with experience can guide you to the best performing products. So go ahead and contact us and "Experience the Difference a Pro Can Make".

Thanks
John Mannion



Tags: advice business interior georgia home paint exterior services wood

Labels: business, drywall, georgia, home, Labels: advice, paint, services, wood

                     

Many times my clients ask me what is better Latex or Oil on the exterior of their homes? That's a fair question, with no simple silver bullet answer. In most exterior paint jobs we do I always recommend an oil base primer, tinted towards the top coat color and then a latex top coat. I have a few reasons for this. Most of my competition sell the one coat spray and run. When a prospective client inquires about protection, a second coat is usually sold. Two coats are good but "a primer is finer". I always explain a oil base primer is best value and will give longer lasting protection, hence you have to paint less often. Some advantages of the oil primer coat is that oil will pull out any moisture that may exist, will help seal small cracks and makes a great foundation for adding the top coat. Then I recommend a latex top coat as latex forms a barrier that helps keep out moisture, fight mold and will expand and contract with the temperature changes. As an added step we will add mold and mildew killer to our paint at levels allowed by the EPA to fight mold/mildew.
Hope This Helps!

John



Tags: advice business drywall georgia home paint repair services wood interior

Labels: business, drywall, georgia, home, Labels: advice, paint, services, wood

                     

You should not paint latex over oil for the most part. The latex will not adhere well to the oil, and after drying it will crack and scratch off very easily. There are a few latex products out there that we professional painters use when called for. If you are not sure if you are painting over oil or latex you can test in the following ways. Nail polish remover is one test, rub a little on the area, if paint comes off the surface is probably oil. Try putting a little spot of latex paint on the area and let it dry. If you can scratch the area with your fingernail and paint comes off, probably the surface has been painted with oil. A good rule of thumb is oil on top of oil and latex on top of latex. If still in doubt just contact us and we will be happy to help.
Peace
John Mannion





Tags: advice estimate interior alpharetta interior painter exterior contractor href="http://technorati.com/tag/duluth" rel="tag">duluth href="http://technorati.com/tag/roswell" rel="tag">roswell href="http://technorati.com/tag/free" rel="tag">free href="http://technorati.com/tag/forsyth" rel="tag">forsyth href="http://technorati.com/tag/deck" rel="tag">deck href="http://technorati.com/tag/staining" rel="tag">staining href="http://technorati.com/tag/wood" rel="tag">wood

Labels: business, drywall, georgia, home, Labels: advice, paint, services, wood

                     

On this blog we will discuss what to expect on the fist day that Mannion Custom Painting starts work on your interior project. If you are using another contractor please feel free to use these steps as a benchmark. The steps described will pertain to just about any room being re-painted. First thing is protection of your carpet, hardwood or tile floors we cover them all, from the front door all the way into the room being coated. Next we remove all switch plates and outlet covers. After that we start the preparation process on the walls that may include but not necessarily in this order. We will sand the walls or ceilings with 150 grit paper to remove imperfections and give a good bonding surface for the new coats of paint. The next steps is repairing those dings, gouges and nail pops with plaster, and then when completely dry they are sanded and oiled primed. We then caulk the baseboards and any moldings. Then we start the cutting in process with high quality brushes. If you would like this service on your next painting project, please just contact us. On our next blog we will continue on what you should expect when hiring a Pro…

Thanks

John

Tags: advice business drywall georgia home paint repair services wood interior

Labels: business, drywall, georgia, home, Labels: advice, paint, services, wood

                     

Paint Contractor Estimates Interior & Exterior What You Should Know!


Hi there- we will continue with our discussion regarding getting an estimate from a painting contractor. So you scheduled three contractors to give estimates, they have come by your property to look. How do you separate the professionals from the hacks? A professional will almost always supply you with copies of recent references, a copy of certificate of insurance and maybe some photos of recent work. The professional will take the time to carefully go through the project area and take notes as well as ask questions. The professional contractor should explain and make recommendations regarding paint brands and the different finishes. Finishes are very important and should not be taken lightly. The professional should be well versed to talk about light reflection value, color hues and color flow, and make the needed recommendations. If your estimates were lacking any or all of these above-mentioned steps, you better give us a call. It’s your property and money, invest and protect it wisely.
John Mannion



Tags: advice estimate contractor alpharetta duluth painter free professional decks

Labels: estimates, exterior, home, interior, Labels: advice, paint,