Some people find painting relaxing and rewarding with a refreshing outcome, while others find the task daunting and don’t really know where to start. Knowing some basics and a couple tidbits of advice can go a long way toward a successful end product. Primer must come first over unfinished surfaces. It’s designed to seal the surface so paint isn’t absorbed into drywall paper or plaster patches. I skipped priming over spackle holes on a section of wall that had more than a handful of holes from dartboard mishaps, and it was an absolute waste of time. I went over the area three times with wall paint and finally caved and primed the area before the finish looked right and the color held true. “The paint market has changed a lot. In doing so, some manufacturers are marketing paint that can be primer and paint in one,” says Joel Buch, president of Joel’s Painting, 2001 Columbia Ave. “It’s like colored glue. Definitely prime over surfaces like bare drywall and patches.” When filling holes and other imperfections, patience is a virtue. Don’t rush the drying process. Let filler fully cure and sand it to a smooth finish. The same goes for caulk, according to Buch. “Caulking takes patience and practice. Having a wet finger and something to wipe the excess on your finger is key. The moisture … keeps the caulk lubricated and smoothes it out.” Let’s roll in one more tip that seems like common sense. Clean and de-gloss the surface. Paint can’t stick to shiny or dirty surfaces. Use a fine-grit sandpaper, but if abrasion isn’t needed to smooth a surface, TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) is cheap and works wonders as a cleaner. According to our friends at wikipedia, “TSP breaks the gloss of oil-based paints and opens the pores of latex-based paint, providing a surface better suited for the adhesion of the subsequent layer.” Gotta love it. Buch notes that there are other products sold as de-glossers that work as well. Sheens are a big deal. According to Buch, flat paints are for ceilings or primer, except in bathrooms, where mildew is an issue. Paints listed as “eggshell” are tricky, because even though there is a slight sheen, Buch says they’re “plasticy” and can’t be cleaned up. Buch prefers a matte finish. It’s somewhere between flat and eggshell, but it can be scrubbed. “The molecules are tighter, so dirt can’t permeate the surface,” he says. Satin and semigloss, Buch says, are for kitchens and baths, including ceilings, and trim. To get clean lines around trim and along ceilings and adjacent walls of another color, it’s well worth the time to tape off the area to protect it from fresh paint. Painter’s tapes are rated for their release quality, which tells you how long you can wait to remove it without damaging the surface. Some are three-day release, while others are 14- to 60-day release, ideal for extensive projects or slow DIY painters. Common sense goes a long way. Cover baseboards and floors with newspaper or a brown rolled paper to catch spills and avoid additional cleanup. (Plastic drop cloths don’t work because they don’t absorb, and paint can be tracked elsewhere. Remove or cover furniture, take off cover plates and put a piece of painter’s tape over the actual switch or receptacle. Color samples at stores can be daunting. It’s not a cop-out to use the already-suggested combinations of colors that most paint manufacturers provide. However you pick your colors, it’s never a bad idea to purchase a sample and paint it on the intended surface. That lets you see it in the light of your home during various times of the day. Remember that it’s just paint. Express yourself, and after a couple years, you can re-express yourself with another color. Humidity and moisture, in general, make for slow-drying paint, especially when painting exterior areas. Sun can dry paint too quickly and not allow it to adhere properly, creating a peeling issue sooner rather than later. Paint in the shade. Keep the roller wet with paint. And don’t go back over areas that have already started to dry, or you may pull at paint that has started to adhere to the wall. Buch swears by thinning paint to help it flow better. “If you can put a stick in the can and it stands up, the paint is too thick,” he says. “I pour off half a gallon and, for a latex paint, slowly pour some water in. If it creates a hole in the surface of the paint, it was too thick. Usually 6 to 8 ounces of water works in the half-gallon,” he says. Paint thinner does the same for oil-based paints. The roller’s nap will determine the texture that is left on the wall. A 3/8-inch will result in a smooth, light-texture finish. For a thicker texture, use a 1/2-inch-nap roller.  Two professional words of advice from Buch: “The project will take longer than you anticipate, and stay away from gimmicks:” With a plethora of information on the Web, Buch suggests checking out his and other websites for general information about paint and painting, including educational guides to the chemical compounds of painting materials, and how they work and why.

When you walk into a room, the colors scheme is one of the first things you notice. Enhance your home or office space in Lancaster or York with the correct color. The huge selection of available colors overwhelms most consumers, though. Make the decision easier by learning about color systems and terms. Color wheel – hues arranged in a circle; the 12-step wheel shows the way colors blend in sequence; the wheel arranges colors in the following order: blue, blue/green, green, yellow/green, yellow, yellow/orange, orange, red/orange, red, red/purple, purple and blue/purple Primary colors – all colors originate with three pigment colors, blue, red, and yellow Secondary colors – the colors that results from mixing two primary colors Tertiary colors – the mixture of a primary color and a secondary color Color Families – groups of colors that originate from the same colors Neutral Colors – contain no identifiable colors; include gray, white and black Monochromatic colors – consist of one basic color (hue) with different values; tints are lighter while shades are darker Adjacent colors – two colors located next to each other on the color wheel Complementary colors – opposite colors on the color wheel Triad colors – three colors used together; one is dominant while the remaining two serve as accent colors Start your color selection by determining the permanent features, fixtures and finishes in the room. Cabinets, tile or brick fireplaces are examples of permanent features. Consider wooden kitchen cabinets with a red undertone. They’re permanent fixtures with a permanent finish. Choose a room paint color that works well with that hue. Emphasize the attractive architectural features of each room. Examples of these features include crown molding or arched window. Contrasting paint emphasizes these features. Paint them a lighter tint or a darker shade than the wall, or choose a glossy finish. You could also create at accent wall by painting it a different color, giving it a faux finish or adding wallpaper or a border. Unify rooms in your home or office building space when you use a common color palette. With one color selection, alter the shades and tints used in each room. Your residential or commercial space will flow as it appears unified under a single color palette. Remember that color draws attention to certain features while minimizing others. For example, widen a long narrow room with a slightly darker color on the shorter walls and a lighter color on the longer walls. Give low ceilings height by applying a lighter color to the ceiling. Decrease high ceiling height by painting the ceiling a darker color. Create intimacy in a big room with red, gold, orange and brown, colors that advance toward you. Make small rooms appear larger when you paint the walls in receding colors like blue, green or violet. These techniques enhance your space. The color you choose may look one way under natural light and another way under incandescent light. Keep your daily schedule in mind when painting a room, and adjust the color depending on your usage of the room and the mood you wish to create. Consider testing the paint color before committing to the job. Tiny color chips cannot adequately show how the room will look once it’s completely painted. A larger sample from a small quart of paint more accurately represents how a color will fit into a room. In Lancaster and York, Joel’s Painting understands color schemes and terms. Their expert painting contractors provide professional residential and commercial painting of interior and exterior surfaces. Before starting a painting project, obtain free painting quotes from a painter who understands the science of color throughout your space.

At Joel’s Painting, our painting contractors deliver what we promise: quality, value, and client satisfaction. When your residential or commercial space requires painting services, contact Joel Buch painting contractor. Discover the difference our painting company offers as we complete your project on time and within budget. We use the following process to ensure customer satisfaction. 1. Estimate: To estimate the amount of materials needed for a particular project, we need to know the square footage of the surfaces you wish to paint. Don’t worry about deducting for windows, doors or other features. We also need to know your painting material preferences before giving you free painting quotes. 2. Examination: Before we start the actual job, we walk through the area with you. We examine the areas you want to paint and inspect the surfaces and their condition. To make sure you get exactly what you want, where you want it, we take extensive notes of your instructions. 3. Preparation: A properly prepared surface is the key to good-looking, long-lasting results. Before painting, we make sure the surface is clean, smooth, dry and free from cracks and imperfections. If necessary, we clean the surfaces and let them dry. We then patch and caulk any holes or cracks. Next, we sand the area to make sure it’s smooth and then clean up the dust and apply primer. Priming a cleaned and properly prepared surface is important in ensuring the longevity of any paint project. 4. Painting: Using good painting techniques is key to achieving professional-looking results. Joel’s Painting’s experienced painters use only the best tools and methods to achieve the great results you expect from us. After applying the paint, we wait for the first coat to completely dry before applying a second coat. Once the last coat dries completely, we check the project area and complete any touch ups before we remove the protective tape and plastic. 5. Clean Up: We make sure that when we are done painting, you can move right into the rooms we’ve been working on. We take pride in being neat and clean, and we are fanatics about using drop cloths and masking tape. 6. Inspection: Once your home or office has been properly prepared, painted, and returned to its previous state, you will once again walk through with our crew foreman to make sure that the job is exactly complete the way you want it. 7. Payment: After the above steps are finished and you are completely satisfied with our work will Joel’s Painting ask you to pay for the project. We have found this helps make the experience far less stressful for our customers since you know you will get a quality paint job and a completely finished commercial or residential space.  Thanks in advance for giving us a chance to serve your residential and commercial painting needs!

Joel’s Painting remains committed to environmentally sustainable practices. When completing exterior or interior painting projects in residential or commercial spaces, we use products that cause minimal environmental damage and air quality reduction. Our painting technicians use low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paints for indoor acrylic work. VOCs are petroleum based solvents and evaporate from the paint as it dries. A cause of paint odor, these compounds release fumes into the environment for up to five years after the paint is applied. In addition to polluting the air and emitting greenhouse gas, these fumes cause unpleasant indoor odors and reduce indoor air quality. Conventional acrylic paint brands include between 3-7% VOCs. Joel Buch Painting Contractor uses untinted low VOC acrylic products. They include less than 1% VOCs. Conventional oil-based enamel paints include 30-50% VOCs. Our untinted enamel equivalent products include only 8% VOCs. Rest assured that our low VOC products remain washable and resist stains, like their conventional counterparts. In a huge range of colors, they release virtually no paint fumes or odors that trigger respiratory discomfort. Additional the environmentally safe products we use include water-based interior enamel equivalents and plant or mineral-based paints. Check out these websites for more information about the green products we use in restoration, residential and commercial painting projects. Glidden – Lifemaster Sherwin Williams – Harmony Benjamin Moore – Natura What makes Joels Painting “green”? We are LEAD certified and a responsible contractor trained by the EPA in environmental low impact laws. We also help the environment by keeping what gets tossed in to the landfill at a bare minimum. We offer high quality low or zero VOC paint. Help you achieve the look you want while being environmentally sensitive and health conscious. When you want environmentally friendly paint products, count on Joel’s Painting. We are LEAD certified, and our team members undergo EPA training in environmental low impact laws. We also strive to limit landfill waste by decreasing the amount of paint we throw away. Contact Joel’s Painting for all your interior, exterior, commercial or residential painting needs. We’ll complete your project with environmental sensitivity as we reduce negative environmental impact and improve outdoor and indoor air quality.

Every year the The Mix at Arbor Place holds a banquet, to raise money for their Non-Profit organization. On the evening of April 22nd, they held a silent auction, with the items donated from the banquet. This year, The Arbor [Continue Reading] The post The Mix At Arbor Place: Silent Auction appeared first on Joel's Painting.

Several of Joel’s Painting employees, along side of Franklin and Marshall students,volunteered at Milagro House, to paint a few rooms. The Milagro House is a program that makes a difference in our community as well as in the lives of [Continue Reading] The post Joel’s Painting Volunteers at The Milagro House appeared first on Joel's Painting.

Joel’s Painting proudly donated a ray of support of $500.00 to the Sunshine Kids. The Sunshine Kids is a non-profit organization dedicated to children who are fighting cancer. Joel and and a few other contributors, took part in Berkshire Hathaway’s 5th Annual Sunshine Kids Golf [Continue Reading] The post Sunshine Kids: Ray of Support appeared first on Joel's Painting.

Joel Buch, owner of Joel’s Painting and Job Foreman Mike Wilson had the privilege to speak to speak to around 50 kids in 4 different groups, We support the effort McCaskey is making to educate and provide career opportunities to [Continue Reading] The post Joel’s Painting Volunteering in McCaskey High School appeared first on Joel's Painting.

Joel Buch, owner of Joel’s Painting and Contracting has won the #1 Community Volunteer in Lancaster County. Among some of the organizations that Joel supports are, Schreiber Pediatrics, Lancaster Day Care Center, Teen Haven – City wide clean up, Breakout [Continue Reading] The post #1 Community Volunteer – Joel Buch appeared first on Joel's Painting.