Do it Right!

Proper preparation, the right choice of paint, and proper application, are the only sure-fire ways to ensure that your new paint job will last for years to come.



Tallahassee Commercial & Residential Painting Services
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“Don’t have an ugly house” Call RiverKing Painting
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3501 Martin Hurst Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32312

Tallahassee Home Improvements

Tallahassee Interior Design Services
Tallahassee Interior Designers RiverKingPainting.com
Pick your best Tallahassee colors & textures at RiverKingPainting.com
Want to spice up your Tallahassee office & improve morale? RiverKingPainting.com
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Tallahassee kitchen remodeling RiverKingPainting.com
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Water Damage

If the trim on your Tallahassee home is showing signs of water damage it’s most likely because it was not properly caulked, primed or painted. If water is getting behind the trim, it may be getting into other areas of your home and may be causing more serious problems. Have it checked sooner rather than later.

Customer Testimonial

We are very pleased with the painting just completed by your company on the interior of our house. The quality of work was the best and the courtesy, attention to detail, and demeanor of your employees was notable and appreciated.
E.R. Howard

New Life for an Old Door in Tallahassee

Buy the best, it pays

Always buy the best. We have found that lower grades of paint just do not perform as well. If a top line paint will cover all but very dark colors in two coats, lower priced paints may tale three or four coats. But always plan on two coats even with a top quality paint for best coverage and even finish. Visit a Tallahassee paint store or call your Tallahassee paint professional. 

Don't Procrastinate

Don’t put off repainting your Tallahassee home for too long, it could cost you more in the long run. Extreme weather, wet or dry, can accelerate paint fatigue, siding damage and water damage. Don’t procrastinate. It doesn’t pay!

Winter Specials

We are now offering Special Winter Deals until January 31!

Interior: Get 10% off our already low winter rates OR Get two bedrooms painted free when you have your entire house painted.

Exterior: Get a free pressure clean (up to $250 value) with any job over $1000

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Tallahassee

Paint to Sell

First impressions make a huge difference when selling a home. One of the best ways to make your house shine is to apply a fresh coat of paint inside and out. New paint gives the home a clean look and tells buyers that the house is in "move-in" condition. It could quickly pay off in the faster sale of your home— possibly at a higher price.
Before putting your house on the market, consider these tips for freshening up your abode with paint:
Select neutral colors
Neutral colors harmonize with almost any décor. For exteriors, keep it simple with white or another neutral color. Now is not the time to awe the neighborhood with your unique taste.
Use the appropriate paint
Pick the type of paint that's right for the job. Exterior projects require different paint than interior work. For example, paint manufacturers offer many paints for special uses such as covering vinyl siding and protecting high-traffic interior spaces.
Prepare the surface
A properly sanded and cleaned surface will make paint look better and last longer. Wash the walls with water and detergent, patch cracks and nail holes with spackle, and sand the walls smooth, as appropriate.
Finish all the painting
Your house shouldn't look like a work in progress, so finish any project before your home goes on the market.

Choose a Primer

If you buy an expensive high-quality paint, you expect it to stick around for a while. However, high-quality paint is formulated to work with a primer. Primers allow the paint to grip better and stay around longer. Sure, they may cost a little more up front, but primers will save you money (and time) in the long run. When you purchase primer, make sure you purchase the right kind for the job.

Do I need a primer?
Primers seal porous surfaces like bare wallboard and sealing water borne stains and tannin stains. Some primers are specially designed to adhere to glossy surfaces like ceramic tile or high sheen cabinet surfaces, creating a stable bond for the base coat of paint. Primers work to reduce the amount of paint needed on porous surfaces which saves money.

Do I have to clean the walls?
The surface must be free from all dirt, grease, chalk, & mildew in order for the paint to bond securely.

Can wallpaper be painted over?
Wallpaper can be painted. Take the following precautions: apply a coat of a latex stain-killing primer and a coat of paint on a 12" square area making sure to cover a wallpaper seam. Allow to dry over night. If the pattern bleeds through or the wallpaper loosens from the wall, you will need to remove it before painting. If everything looks good, prime the entire area and paint.

I have peeling paint, what do I do before painting?
Peeling paint is usually due to moisture. The moisture problem will need to be corrected before removing the loose paint and re-painting. Caulking around edges will keep moisture out of the substrate. Also, make sure your home has ample ventilation because interior moisture can also cause exterior paint to peel.

How do I paint paneling?
Paneling requires special surface preparation to help the paint adhere. Sand the surface lightly or use a chemical deglosser to dull the sheen of the coating. Use a specially formulated primer for glossy surfaces as a first coat, which enables the base coat paint to adhere.



Do I need to de-gloss before painting?
All paints need to be able to adhere to the surface. Therefore, if you degloss or sand a gloss or semi-gloss painted surface, the new coat of paint will be able to stick to it and keep from streaking and possibly peeling.


Can I apply oil-based paints over latex paints or latex paints over oil-based paints?
The most important thing to know is the condition of the surface itself. Regardless of whether the base coat is oil or latex, you must dull glossy paint by sanding or deglossing with a chemical deglosser. If you don't dull glossy paint, the second coat will streak and not stick to the base coat when drying.


What type of brush do I need?
A top quality brush will apply more paint in less time, and provide a better looking, more durable finish. Latex paints should be applied with synthetic brushes (nylon/polyester). Oil-based paints can be applied with natural bristle brushes (China Bristle) or most nylon/polyester brushes.


What is enamel?
Enamel is only a descriptive term. When used in connection with a particular paint, enamel is used to indicate that the paint forms a tough hard finish, which is usually highly stain resistant and washable. An enamel can be manufactured in nearly any sheens and be either a latex or an oil-based paint.

Color and Emotion

Expert Advice: Color and Emotion

Painting expert Brian Santos reveals color secrets and how color may affect how you feel about your space. Read more in his new book, "Painting Secrets."
From Painting Secrets from Brian Santos The Wall Wizard

Author Brian Santos

Q. I'd like my kitchen to be vibrant but want calmer hues in the bedroom. What colors are best for the different areas of my home?
Brian Santos: When selecting color for a room, keep in mind that each color has a psychological value. Review the following emotional correspondences and strive to make your design feel right as well as look right.


Red
Red is warm, bold, stirring, and energetic. In its pure form it can increase heart rate and raise body temperature. Use red in rooms where activity occurs, like a family room, or where sleeping and resting is not a priority. For a deep, instense setting, use other colors sparingly in a red room. The eye is drawn to red, so it also makes an eye-catching accent color.


Yellow and Orange
Yellow and orange are just as exciting as red, but they are more cheerful than bold, more bright than stimulating. Yellow and orange warm and enliven any room where they are used, but work especially well to brighten dark rooms. On large surfaces they are best used in light values.


Blue
Blue, the color of sky and water, creates fresh, cool, and restful feelings. Blue walls can make a south- or west-facing room feel cooler. Because it "recedes," blue also creates the illustion of space and distance, conjuring up emotions of haughtiness, formality, reserve, and sadness.
In spite of evoking such contradictory reactions, blue is a favorite because it is easy on the eyes and the nerves, making it an excellent choice for rooms where you want to relax or sleep.


Green
Green is the dominant color in nature. It is a pleasing, organic, fresh, calming, and restful color. It is a great color for any room where you want a relaxed and fresh atmosphere.


Purple
Purple is lush, regal, and passionate. It is an intense and highly emotional color, partly because it straddles the line between the warm red and cool blue. This makes it a difficult color to use in interior design, and it is usually confined to the role of an accent.


Black and White
Black and white are pure contrasts and intensifiers -- light and dark, yin and yang, all or nothing. Dramatic and elegant together, they lend sophistication in decor that is stylish and urban.

Green Remodeling

Green Remodeling with Eco Friendly Paint

Looking for a way to make your house beautiful?  There are many ways to update an old home, but whether you’re tearing down walls or just adding a little color, one thing you’ll definitely need is paint.  Virtually hundreds of paint choices fill the shelves of your local hardware store, so selecting a healthy, dependable, and eco friendly paint can take a bit of time, unless . . . you are equipped with the knowledge of a few key qualities that set eco paints apart from the rest.  Before we dip our brushes into that bucket, let’s look at some reasons why run-of-the-mill paint can be hazardous to our health and to the environment. Potential Hazards of Paint According to the EPA, the concentration of pollutants inside your home is several times higher than what you’ll find outside, due to the lack of ventilation in rooms compared to the open spaciousness of the great outdoors.  Without proper ventilation, airborne chemicals collect indoors and eventually cause damage to our bodies.  Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, asthma, cancer, and heart disease are all potential side effects of indoor air pollution.  Although the contamination cannot be attributed to any single source, paint and paint-related chemicals play a significant role inside a typical home.  The airborne chemicals released during painting, after the paint is dry, and as paint is removed, fall into a category of pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—potentially carcinogenic carbon-based chemicals that evaporate easily and contribute to indoor air pollution.  Harmful compounds in the VOC category range from formaldehyde to pesticides to cleaning chemicals.  They can be up to ten times more concentrated indoors than outdoors, in both rural and industrial locations.  However, VOCs contribute significantly to air pollution out of doors as well.  VOCs are released in the highest concentrations during paint application, but most paint will continue to emit harmful fumes for years afterwards.  The quality of many natural paints is commonly criticized because, in times past, colors tended to fade and you could not wash the walls without a touch-up following close behind.  Newer eco paints, especially some newer lime washes, are more durable, washable, and longer lasting than those that came before them—some are even used for the restoration and preservation of national monuments! Low-VOC Paints Due to environmental regulations and increasing consumer demand, paint companies have developed new house paints that emit little or no VOCs.  This is achieved by using water as a base instead of traditional, petroleum-based oil solvents.  "Low-VOC" paints must meet the EPA standard of a maximum 200 grams volatile compound per liter of paint.  Varnishes are awarded a limit of 300 grams.  Although this is already less than half the VOC content of typical paints, Green Seal—a non-profit organization dedicated to improving environmental standards for paint and other products—has developed a certification process that limits low-VOC paints to 50 grams of VOC per liter.  Look for the Green Seal on paint products to ensure only the lowest VOC paints are used in your home.  Ultra low-VOC paints are labeled "zero-VOC."  These paints can sometimes cost a bit more than the regular cans, but the EPA restricts this label to paints with less than 5 grams of volatile compound per liter.  Check to make sure that the products contain little or no formaldehyde, ammonia, or acetone—non-petroleum compounds that can adversely affect indoor air quality.  Biocides and fungicides that prevent mildew growth and extend the shelf life of paint are also commonly added, despite their toxicity and their tendency to off gas for years after application.  Eartheasy provides a list of companies that produce low-VOC paints and directs you to Web sites where low-VOC options can be purchased. Natural Interior Paints A natural paint does not contain heavy metal or any VOCs.  Natural paints and wood finishes are often composed of natural plant dyes, oils, and waxes.  A number of environmentally conscious companies manufacture these products in all of the expected forms—paint, primer, finish, sealer, stain, wax, etc.—but many consumers find the costs overwhelming.  Let's take a look at our natural options to see how they measure up. Clay Paint Clay paint is one of the most common natural paints—it is composed of earth-based minerals and uses mostly water as a solvent.  If you enjoy an earthy, adobe look for your home, a coat of organic clay paint may be a good choice for your green home remodeling project.  Colors range from natural earth tones to an assortment of blue, white, and orange tints.  Clay paints adhere readily to most surfaces found inside a house, requires only two coats like most standard paints, and also function as an effective odor-absorber.  The downside is that these paints are usually more expensive than petroleum-based paint and do not come in as wide a range of colors or textures.  If you wanted to paint your trim bright red or neon yellow, clay would not suit your needs.  Also, clay paints can only be used indoors and clay-painted walls cannot be scrubbed, washed, or wiped down after they are stained or dirtied (without risking damage to the paint job), thus requiring touch-up painting to cover damaged spots.  Although this problem can be remedied with a low-VOC sealer, you will have to commit a few extra dollars to purchase this premium product on top of your already costly clay paint.  Lime Wash A reasonably inexpensive green alternative to traditional paint is lime wash.  Limestone, a calcium-based mineral, is combined with water to form a simple, natural paint that is the basis of all whitewashes.  Lime wash can be used indoors or outdoors and forms a unique, glowing finish that comes in a variety of colors.  Surfaces that take well to lime washing differ from traditional paint surfaces because lime wash actually sinks into its subsurface, leaving a coat of calcium crystals that wears off the surface over time and creates a characteristic antique look.  Because of this, lime wash can only be used with porous materials such as brick, wood, plaster, and concrete—drywall and painted surfaces do not take lime wash effectively.  Lime wash is applied in thin coats, several of which may be needed for a thorough paint job.  Although 100% natural, limestone is corrosive to both eyes and skin, so wear gloves and goggles during application.  The quality of natural paints is commonly criticized because, in times past, colors tended to fade and you could not wash the walls without a touch-up following close behind.  Newer eco paints, especially some newer lime washes, are more durable, washable, and longer lasting than those that came before them—some are even used for the restoration and preservation of national monuments! Milk Paint Another time-tested natural paint is milk-based paint.  Casein, a protein found in milk products, is separated from the milk and mixed with water, clay, and earth pigments to form a thick, eco-friendly paint.  Casein paint is a form of tempera paint, a fast-drying egg-based paint that has been in use since the days of ancient Egypt.  Today, it is purchased in a dry, powdered form.  The powder must be mixed with water and then used immediately (usually within hours to days) to prevent the paint from clumping before it reaches its destination.  Milk, like clay, is intended as an interior paint and only comes in a matte finish. Exterior Paints and Finishes Unfriendly chemicals are often required to toughen paints slated for use in the great outdoors.  Natural paints are rarely tough enough for outdoor use, so the variety of environmentally friendly outdoor paint is not nearly as extensive.  Fortunately, the problem of VOCs is far less detrimental in outside painting projcts, as the air dilutes the effect of VOCs and awards outdoor paints and finishes a little leeway that is not given to indoor-use options.  Outdoor coatings may call themselves eco-friendly as long as the product does not contain heavy metals or toxins.  Green remodelers concerned about outdoor air pollution do have options for low-VOC outdoor coverings.  For those of us who are determined to find a completely natural exterior coating, the options are generally limited to stain, finish, or lime wash.  For environmentally friendly low-VOC paints, browse these brands and others on the net or store shelves: ·                                 BioShield Paint ·                                 earthBorn Paints ·                                 Ecos Organic Paints ·                                 Safecoat ·                                 St. Astier Lime Paints (especially their Natural Hydraulic Limes, which are non-toxic, recyclable, salt and bacteria resistant, and inhospitable to mildew) ·                                 YOLO Colorhouse Green Seal provides a list of certified paints and coatings. Paint Removal Some paint projects require removing a coat of paint before applying a new one.  If you are trying to renew an old piece of furniture or get the paint of your beautiful wooden floor, you are going to need a paint stripper.   Before purchasing a remover, check the type of coat that you are trying to remove.  A paint requires a different solvent than a wood finish, and different finishes necessitate separate strippers as well.  Check that you are using the right product for the job—it will save you hours of elbow grease in the long run.  To remove a coating from an upright surface (such as a wall), consider getting a remover that is a little pasty so that it stays in place after being applied to the surface. Paint strippers are often petroleum based, which brings up the problem of VOCs, but they also contain a particularly harmful chemical called methylene chloride or, dichloromethane.  If you can’t find a methylene-free remover at your local hardware store, look on the internet—there are a few eco friendly manufacturers available on the web.  Be careful though, a methylene-free stripper still contains some pretty harsh chemicals.  When performing your paint removal project, keep your workspace well ventilated and use gloves to keep unwanted compounds from absorbing through the skin.  A warning for readers who plan to remove paint: Before removing an old paint project from your walls, test for lead, especially if the surface was painted prior to 1980.  Lead testing kits can be purchased at hardware stores nationwide.  If your paint does contain lead, you may need a professional paint removal service to clear this toxin of your home without risk of contamination. Painting Tips If you are planning to try some of the environmental paint options presented in this article, here are a few tips you might find useful: ·                                 Paints that do not contain VOCs are often water-based, which means they can be damaged by freezing temperatures.  Store your paints indoors and time your order carefully—the paints can be damaged by cold weather during shipping. ·                                 Store paint cans upside down.  This will ensure that the lids are on tight, and will prevent air from flowing in and out of the can, which causes the paint to thicken and dry.  A healthy can of paint saves the environment and your bank account. ·                                 If you are using a combination of water and oil-based paints, be sure to use separate brushes for each one.  As we all know, oil and water don’t mix, and trying to combine paints on a brush will result in a poor finished product.

Green Living Ideas

Cleaning Up - Exterior

By Sherwin Williams

Clean-up procedures depend largely on the paint you use. Here are guidelines for cleaning up. To maximize your investment on painting tools, make sure to clean them right after use.

Latex Paints
• Clean any spills before they dry with a paper towel dampened with water.
• Clean brushes, rollers and other tools with soap and water.
• After cleaning, flush spraying equipment with mineral spirits to prevent rusting. Follow manufacturer's safety recommendations when using mineral spirits.

Oil/Alkyd Paints
• Clean any spills before they dry with a paper towel dampened with mineral spirits or paint thinner.
• Oil-based (alkyd) paint must be removed from tools with mineral spirits or paint thinner.
• Pour the cleaning material into a clean bucket and rinse brushes and rollers well.
• When done, allow the solids to settle out of the cleaner, then strain the liquid back into the original container for reuse.
• Allow the settled solids to air-dry away from children, pets or open flames, then dispose of the container in the trash.

Brushes should be kept in their original wrapper or paper-wrapped in a manner that retains their original shape before storing.

Protect Your Paint Job

Wait at least two weeks before washing the newly painted surface. After that, clean with a mild household detergent and a soft cloth or sponge.

Tips To Protect The Environment

Try to buy only the amount of paint you need so there is little to dispose of when you complete your project. If you do have leftovers, follow these guidelines:
• Save small amounts of leftover paint for future touch-ups. To keep it fresh, place a layer of plastic wrap over the mouth of the can before replacing the lid. Pound down the lid securely.
• Check with your local waste collector to see if it accepts dried latex paint. If so, place the open can in an airy spot away from children and pets. When the paint is completely dry, put it in the trash.
• Or, seal oil/alkyd paints in the can and store them safely away from heat sources until you can take them to an appropriate waste-disposal site, such as community paint/stain collection events where you can safely dispose of leftover paints.
• Never pour stain down a drain, into a storm sewer or anywhere else that might contaminate the environment.