Expert guidance – an essential factor when painting your home

Jeana Orosco displays some of the sections of the Caribbean Paint Store (Photo: Sharmain Cornette)

While painting the home could be one of the most exciting experiences a home owner could ever have when it comes to preparing the home for habitation, it is not one that can be effectively accomplished without much thought and a significant amount of guidance.

And so in order to deliver some precise assistance in this regard StandPoint’s Home and Garden has sought expert advice from the well trained staff at the Caribbean Colours Paint Store over at Skelton Bay Lot, Fish Bay, which has over the years been providing only the best paints - California Paints - to its customers.

According to Caribbean Colours Representative Jeana Orosco choosing the ideal colours for painting your home is a very major factor. She pointed out to StandPoint that persons must choose colours bearing in mind that “you won’t be painting your house every few months, therefore you have to choose colours that you like and colours that go great together.”

House painting, she asserted, is important for many reasons.

“Obviously a good paint job beautifies and adds character and personality to your home. Just for that reason it's important to take sufficient time planning which colours, shades, and paint styles you want to decorate your home with.” 

However, she explained that paint also serves as one of the home's primary lines of defense against weather, insects and other damage, so it is an important aspect of home maintenance to keep up as well.

Jeana noted too that any colour of choice can be used on the interior as well as the exterior of the home but warns that the type of paint must be different.  There are paints that are designed specifically for interior use whereas some are designed for exterior uses only, according to her. 

An interior paint, she insisted, will not stand up to the harsh weather climate if put on the exterior of a house.

As crucial as choosing the paint colour, a home owner must also seek to recognize the importance of knowing the best product brands. And according to Jeana, the paint brand she represents is in fact this Year's #1 Rated Exterior House Paint.

Over the past 12 years, California Paints’ Fres-Coat® Velvet Flat has continually finished at or near the top in an independent national study.

Fres~Coat, she explains, provides a trouble-free, durable, long-lasting finish and has the potential to resists mildew, water, and alkali while at the same time providing maximum sealing, adhesion, breath-ability, flexibility, and colour retention.

This paint type, she added, is easy to apply and is quick-drying, thus is ideal for use on clapboard, shingles, shakes, trim, plywood, aluminum and vinyl siding, stucco, masonry, brick, asbestos siding and galvanized metal.

Much thought must also be given to whether a homeowner is capable of undertaking a paint job on his/her own, as according to Jeana there are some homeowners who are capable of undertaking a paint job on their own whereas there are some who have no idea where to start. 

“I think it also has a lot to do with how big or small the job is. Someone could be quite capable of painting one room but have to call in a professional if they want to paint their entire house.”

Expert advice can be sought simply by dialing 284-494-1448 to reach one of the capable staff members at the Caribbean Colours Paint Store.

While it may be a concern to some as to whether they could remain in their homes while it is being painted, Jeana has assured that home owners can disregard such anxieties.  She disclosed that Flawless ELEMENTS™ Zero VOC is an environmentally preferred, premium quality, 100 percent acrylic interior paint that provides flawless application and exceptional durability with essentially no odour during and after painting.

Rooms and offices painted with Flawless ELEMENTS Zero VOC can be occupied right away without a compromise to healthy indoor air quality, she confidently noted.

She added too that with the use of Microban® Antimicrobial protection, Flawless ELEMENTS provides an added level of mildew resistance not found in other Zero VOC paints.

Flawless ELEMENTS Zero VOC finishes is LEED compliant, and it can only be found at Caribbean Colours Paint Store, according to Jeana.

In addition, she noted that there isn't any set timeline when a home owner should plan to re-paint his/her home. According to her, it may vary “depending on climate, the quality of paint that was previously applied; how thoroughly your home was prepped before hand, and whether you hired a good painter.”

A poor paint job, Jeana stressed, can last a little over three years before it needs attention, and a good one can last for more than 20 years. The most important determining factor, she added, is the condition of the home's current coat.

“Is the paint chipped, cracked, flaking, or peeling anywhere? Are there areas of exposed wood or are there signs of water damage to either your siding or the paint itself? Finally, how does your home look?”  If you see any of the mentioned signs, a new paint job is probably in order, but even if you don't chances are that you might still be ready for a change, Jeana speculated.