Flat oil for your textured Vancouver ceiling

January 26, 2011 – 3:35 am | By Eric Goodwill | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (3)

I have to admit that in my first post on how to paint a textured “popcorn” ceiling in Vancouver I made a small mistake that I need to correct.

I said that you could paint the ceiling with a flat Alkyd, (oil). You can’t. The reason is that there are new laws governing VOC’s or Volatile Organic Compounds. These are the solvents that are released during the painting process. In oil paint the solvent is normally paint thinner and this is very damaging to the environment, your health etc. So, although a flat oil would work very well in the case of painting an unpainted textured ceiling, you will now need to either spray the water based paint or put on an oil based primer. Yes, they still have primers that are oil based. I am going to save that for another post.

Good luck on your next ceiling project.


Vancouver Condo Painting Testimonial

January 26, 2011 – 3:26 am | By Eric Goodwill | Posted in Testimonial | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

“I highly recommend Eric to anyone who is looking to get their place painted with high quality and a good price. I was very happy with the detailed work and the great finish he did to my loft at a bang on price. Thanks again Eric!” Vatche Yerevanian


Interior Painting of Vancouver Office and Carpentry Repairs

January 26, 2011 – 3:19 am | By Eric Goodwill | Posted in Testimonial, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

“My experience with Eric Goodwill and Renaissance Painting was nothing short of fantastic. When we first met I laid out my requirements, especially the need for a completion date. Eric and his crew went above and beyond the call of duty by bringing in a great job, on time and on budget. I highly recommend him and his services. I found the crew to be polite and most importantly clean. They cleaned up the work site on a daily basis, and when they were complete they did a complete cleanup.” Hugh Shearar


Testimonial for Crown Moulding and Installing Tile Backsplash

January 26, 2011 – 3:17 am | By Eric Goodwill | Posted in Testimonial | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

“Great job Eric Goodwill and his crew at Renaissance Painting completed painting and finishing projects including installing crown moulding throughout my Vancouver condominium. I am thrilled with the outcome! They were professional, courteous and efficient. I would most definitely recommend them and would hire them again. Good luck with your projects!” Ruth Norgaard


How to paint your typical Vancouver textured ceiling

January 24, 2011 – 9:05 pm | By Eric Goodwill | Posted in House Painting | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (4)

Ok, so you have finally decided to paint the ceiling, and it is one of those textured ceilings, sometimes referred to as “popcorn” ceiling. I am not sure where that name came from, because it does not remind me of popcorn. Textured ceilings are popular with builders because they hide a multitude of sins, such as poor finishing of the drywall, poor floor or ceiling joists or a combination of these. If they did not texture the ceiling they would have to spend more time making sure the finish of the drywall was perfect, thereby raising the cost.

So, you have the above mentioned textured ceiling and want to paint it. First you need to determine if it has ever been painted before. If it has never been painted it will be chalky and crumbles easily if you poke at it. If it has been painted, then it will be much more rigid and will require a lot more effort to scrape it. If it has been painted then you can proceed with painting it in a good quality water based ceiling paint. Sherwin Williams makes a flat paint called CHB, which is excellent. Benjamin Moore also has an excellent paint called, naturally, Ceiling Paint, or in french Blanc a Planfonds. Not sure why I remember it in French, but I do.

If the ceiling has never been painted then it should be painted with either an alkyd based flat paint or sprayed using one of the above mentioned water based paints. The reason for this is that textured ceilings are made with a water based product, and to cut it in and roll it out for the first time with a water based paint will cause the finish to look uneven. This is because the water based paint absorbs very quickly into the dry, porous water based texture coat. Spraying a water based top coat will fix this uneven finish, rolling or spraying an oil based paint will fix this as well.

If you are not painting the walls you will need to go around the room(s) and tape plastic on the wall right up to the ceiling but not on it. You need to be very thorough and cover all areas and seal all openings shut that paint could get through. If you are rolling you will also need to do this, if you are not painting the walls, as the paint will splatter onto the walls, and everywhere else.

Once you have done two coats on the ceiling you can begin to clean up. Start by carefully pulling plastic and tape off the walls. Pull tape at a 90 degree angle, as this minimizes the possibility of damage to the walls. Also, I should say that you need to use a really good quality painters tape such as the blue tape made by 3M. Do not ever use masking tape as it will allow the paint to bleed under neath it and will tear off paint on the walls when you go to remove it.


Painting Contractors: How to make the right choice PART 2

March 11, 2009 – 11:19 pm | By Eric Goodwill | Posted in Contractors, Tips | Comments (7)

Part 2 of “Painting Contractors: How to make the right choice”.

Is the Contractor Insured and Licensed?

In my previous blog post, “Painting Contractors: How to make the right choice“, I covered some of the tips and tricks from my booklet, CONTRACTOR SECRETS REVEALED  In this post I’ll cover a few more tips designed to protect you and save you money.

Once you’ve confirmed that the contractor’s business is well established (he has a permanent address and a healthy attitude toward his own appearance and the appearance of his business and vehicle) the next step is to confirm that the contractor carries insurance, is licensed and is a member of a trade association.

Unfortunately I hear too many stories of homeowners who have been financially harmed by uninsured (or inadequately insured) contractors.  A contractor should be able to provide you with a Certificate of Insurance for Comprehensive Liability and Worker’s Compensation that will ultimately protect you in the event of an accident, or to provide coverage for a failed project.  

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but in the event of such a calamity, Mike Holmes isn’t going to jump out from behind a bush to offer you his help.  You have to ensure that you are covered from the get-go.  If you are serious about hiring someone to paint your home, ask to see the insurance policy, then check the dates to make sure that it’s current!

Next, ask the contractor for his Safety Plan, then check with the Worker’s Compensation Board to confirm that it is valid.  If you go to their website, www.worksafebc.com,  you can get a clearance letter for your contractor.

The next order of business? 

Although I advise anyone to reject an unlicensed contractor, I have to admit that license requirements in Vancouver are minimal and poorly enforced.  So a better way to test the contractor’s commitment to his trade is to see if he is a member of a trade association.  Simply call the association and find out if he is a registered member and if he is taking any continuing education training.  Here are some local professional trade associations:

 

Painters            PDCA             http://www.pdca.org/ 

Roofers            RCABC            http://www.rcabc.org/ 

Renovations   GVHBA         http://www.gvhba.org/ 

Remember: if you ask a contractor if he carries insurance, is licensed and/or is a member of a trade association and he blows off your questions as being unimportant - blow him off!  If he deems your questions as being unimportant, he will likely consider your satisfaction as being unimportant too. You want a professional.


Painting Contractors: How to make the right choice

March 11, 2009 – 11:13 pm | By Eric Goodwill | Posted in Contractors, Tips | Comments (3)

When selecting a good Vancouver home painter, the first thing you need to do is: ensure the contractor is well established.

I’ve recently put together a FREE REPORT called Contractor Secrets Revealed that outlines what a person should be looking for in a good contractor. It gives numerous tips and tricks designed to increase your awareness, confidence, and save you money. I’ll be covering some of these tips over the next few blog posts, but if you would like the entire report as a valuable reference, please click on the link.

The first step in selecting a good contractor for home painting or home improvement is to ensure he is well established. How do you do that? First, check to see if he has a permanent place of business.   Let your fingers do the walking. If a contractor has an established business he’ll have his company listed in the big yellow book. He may have an advertisement with a logo, or at the very least he’ll have a number and address listed. Either way, if you find the business listed, you’re off to a good start.

Another place to look is online. Check 411.ca or Canpages.ca. If you only have a number to work with, and no address, Canada411.ca  offers a reverse lookup, so you just enter the telephone number and the site will search for the name and address related to it. Of course, nowadays many contractors avoid the Yellow Pages, as it is costly and does not provide good results.  So if you don’t find them in there, take it with a grain of salt.

An excellent way to gather information on a prospective Vancouver house painting contractor is to use Google. Search the company name and the person related to the company. Ask yourself  ”is what I am seeing congruent with what the painter has been saying?” You should get a pretty good feel for how congruent the company is with their online presence.

I can’t stress how important it is to ensure the business has a permanent address. If you have any kind of problem and have only been given a cell number with no address connected to it, how will you find the contractor? If the contractor has collected a deposit, then evaporates into thin air, you’ll have a tough time tracking him down! Knowing the business is permanently established will give you the first shot of confidence needed to promote your interest in this contractor.

Once you’ve learned the address, my next tip is to drive by and have a good look - if it looks like the business has been established for a long time and you see the equipment and manpower to do your project in a professional and timely manner, then you know things are shaping up. Better yet, pay the contractor a visit. A professional will be more than happy to give you a tour of the facilities (and I don’t mean the washroom!). Even if the contractor works out of his home, check to get an idea of how it’s maintained. Is the grass mowed? Is the yard tidy? Don’t feel like you’re being a snoopy, Nosey Parker - this is justifiable research! More often than not, his attitude towards the maintenance of his home will cascade into his attitude toward his work.

The same principal can be applied to the vehicle the contractor drives. Permanent signage indicates a solid, full-time business. But keep looking. If the vehicle is clean, well-maintained and organized, it’s the kind of vehicle you’d expect a successful, financially stable contractor to drive. If it’s dripping oil, has bald tires and a cluttered dashboard, you’ll be getting a different message. This may not be the person you want to paint your home. The care and attention a contractor puts into their work is reflected in their vehicle, place of business, and even in their own appearance.

Now I know that we’re taught not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case you can gain several clues about the contractor. A sloppy vehicle or appearance can mean a lack of pride of ownership or a relaxed attitude toward their work.  If the contractor’s boots look like they took part in Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow…you’ve got a red flag! It may seem petty, but really, if they don’t take care of their shoes, how will they take care of your possessions?

A permanent address and a well-maintained appearance for the business - two very important tips to get you started in your search for a contractor to paint your home. Stay tuned for my next blog post in which I cover even more helpful tips!


House Painting: How to Pick Colors

February 19, 2009 – 2:28 am | By adam | Posted in Colour Selection, House Painting | Comments (3)

This week’s blog post features a special guest from Benjamin Moore Paints. Over the years I’ve formed a close business relationship with the design consultants at Benjamin Moore. They have consistently exceeded themselves in helping my clients choose the right colours for their homes, and have made my clients very happy.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the impact colour can have on the palette of your home and your life, I’ve asked Michelle Campbell from Benjamin Moore to be my guest blogger so she can illustrate some of the finer points. Michelle has a very strong background in design and decorating: she studied design at Westervelt College in London, Ontario; has worked extensively with contractors and owns her own painting business, making her an excellent source on the subject of choosing colour for a home. Over to you Michelle!

Thank you Eric. I’m sure we all know at least one person who agonized so much over finding the right colour for a particular room that they ended up painting the same room 3 or 4 times with different hues in the space of one month - only to be mildly satisfied with the final result. In this regard, getting help from a professional design consultant has many benefits: it can not only save you time and effort, it can have a striking effect on your home.

Professionals have a trained eye so they can see different undertones in paint colour (so the warm yellow you want for the kitchen may have a cold undertone, which is what you may not want) and they know how a colour can change from daytime to nighttime. Professionals are also well versed in accessory colours that can be used as a compliment or an accent.

Colour has such a big influence on our lives: yellow can inspire happiness or creativity; oranges can have a warming effect and give you energy; blues are calming while neutrals are clean, refreshing and give a natural, earthy feel to a room.

So the first step in the process of choosing colour for any room in your home is to consider the influences of the colours you love. Think of what you’re attracted to in nature or in your own clothing since it’s important to be surrounded by colours you really like. Once you’ve narrowed down your selection, a professional can then help you choose complimentary colours for additional rooms, creating a flow of colour throughout your home.

The flow of colour is much more important than many people realize. Unfortunately, most people choose paint colours for each room of their home on a one-off basis, and end up with hues that clash as they move from room to room. On the other hand, a professional can help create a canvas of colour that progesses smoothly and naturally throughout the home and the lasting effect is a home that is not only rich in colour, but is comfortable and inviting.

If you’ve been considering making any changes to the colour palette in your home, you can always get started by visiting the Benjamin Moore website. It has a lot of helpful information, but one of my favourite tools is The Personal Colour Viewer which is a colour visualization program that allows you to apply any colour you like to various room images so you can get a preview of what the colour will look like.

Have fun!


Painting Your Home? Why LEED Standards Matter.

February 5, 2009 – 6:22 pm | By Eric Goodwill | Posted in LEED | Comments (0)

What Relevance Do the LEED Standards Have With Painting My Home?

In part 1 and 2 of my series about LEED standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) I’ve covered what the standards are; how they’ve been adopted and implemented by the city of Vancouver; and how they help reduce the carbon footprint left by builders and owners.

For this post I’m going to cover how the LEED standards are relevant to the average homeowner thanks to the long-term benefits that they offer: reduced waste and emissions, tax incentives and increased property values.

LEED Canada standards were adopted from the U.S. and tailored for Canadian climates, construction practices and regulations. We already know that LEED is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of green buildings that use less energy and water, create less waste, and are healthier for those working and living in them. For someone with a LEED-designed home, this translates to lower energy bills, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and less exposure to mould and other indoor toxins.

Okay, so who doesn’t want to pay less when it comes to paying their bills? If this isn’t motivation enough, there is a second reason for building a LEED-designed home or retro-fitting their current home: tax incentives. That’s right, the Federal Conservatives have an ecoEnergy Retrofit programme that offers up to $5,000 in tax rebates.

Yet another pot sweetener for going green with your home is how it can increase the value. Last year, stats collected by Seattle-based Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) revealed that green homes certified by a third party sold for a 10.55% premium on a square foot basis.

Simon Baston is CEO and founder of Leading Homes, a company that develops high-end green buildings on Vancouver’s North Shore. His passion for developing buildings that are eco-conscious and sustainable began in his native Wales and ultimately brought him to Vancouver, where Leading Homes is currently putting the final touches on B.C.’s first LEED-certified gold home. Baston says that this project in particular has taught him that “you can build high performance homes that significantly lower your carbon footprint, are massively energy efficient and sustainable.”

So what relevance do the LEED standards have with painting your home? As I strive to make Renaissance Painting practices more eco-conscious, I’m hoping that by sharing this information I will have planted a seed, and one day we will all be striving to make our homes and lifestyles much more eco-conscious.

For more information on LEED standards and certified homes, please visit the following links:

1.Canada Green Building Council
2.Leading Homes
3.Tax Incentives (Government of Canada Natural Resources site)
4.Light House


House Painting the Environmentally Friendly way

January 21, 2009 – 6:08 pm | By Eric Goodwill | Posted in Newsletter | Comments (8)

“The Silver Lining” in house painting: paints that don’t damage you or the environment

Have you noticed that prolonged exposure to a freshly painted room doesn’t give you a headache like it used to 10 or 15 years ago? It’s not your imagination or random luck: it’s the reduction of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in paints by almost 50%. Before I launch into a definition of the term for those not familiar with it, I just want to point out that I purposely titled this blog post The Silver Lining because I really want to convey the positive achievements that have been made with standards surrounding VOCs. And let’s be honest: it sounds much better than Everything You Wanted to Know About VOCs…But Were Afraid to Ask.

VOCs are organic compounds containing one or more carbon atoms that have high vapor pressure and evaporate readily into the atmosphere. Okay, that’s the Poindexter definition. In layman’s terms, VOCs are gases that are emitted from certain solids or liquids and include a variety of chemicals that may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. If this sounds a little gloomy, please bear with me. I promise there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s not a train.

VOC emissions can result from natural sources, like vegetation, forest fires and animals (darn those flatulent cows) and they can result from man-made sources, like exhaust fumes, pollution, office equipment (copiers, correction fluid, glues) dry-cleaned clothing, and yes, even paints.

The short-term adverse health effects that result from exposure to VOCs include eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches and nausea. The long-term effects are much more serious: loss of coordination, damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system.

Repeat after me: silver lining. Yes, before you lacquer your hair with product, print off a map to your nearest dry cleaner then run screaming into the street when you consider the amount of VOCs you’ve just exposed yourself to, consider this: in June 2000 the Canadian government adopted the “Canada Wide Standards for Particulate Matter and Ozone.”  These standards outlined a number of actions to achieve reductions of several air pollutants. The Ministers of Environment and Health are also currently working on measures to be implemented by 2010 that will reduce emissions of VOCs from consumer and commercial products.

Are you already feeling better about picking up your dry cleaning with crunchy hair? Well, there’s even more good news, and this pertains to paints, which is obviously near and dear to my heart. In the early 1990’s it was decided that the best way to reduce VOC emissions in paints was to reformulate them. The Canadian government created a task force to reduce VOC emissions in paints by 20% and this was achieved by 1994 and acknowledged by the Canadian Paint and Coatings Association. Seeing that they were on a roll, the task force kept at it and by 2002 a further 24% reduction of VOCs in paints had been achieved. Not too shabby. That’s definitely a silver lining if you ask me.

Despite the reduction of VOCs in household products and paints, you should still take precautions: be sure to increase ventilation in an indoor space when using products containing VOCs. Throw away unused or little-used containers safely, and buy products in quantities that you’ll use soon so you don’t expose yourself to VOCs that are emitted slowly.