Roof Painting in Frederick MD

While doing some repairs and repainting for an old home for an existing client in downtown Frederick, near Hood College, this past Spring, we let the homeowners know that their metal roof (above their porch) needed painting and sealing very badly. We recommended that they paint the roof before the next winter to help protect all the porch and repairs we just finished. On a visual inspection, we think some of the problems on their pillars and porch were caused by a leaky roof.

We just received the call to estimate the cost to seal and paint the roof, as they are ready to move forward before the winter is upon us. The cost really is not very expensive and it will save them lots of money in the long run, because the cost of repairing their pillars and porch was quite costly (more than the roof painting will cost).

So, if you have a metal roof and live in Frederick, Montgomery or Howard County, please give us a call. We can inspect your roof and determine what it will take to keep the water out. If painting it will not solve the problem, we will recommend a certified roofer to repair the damaged areas.

Tip on Pricing out the Painting of Your Old Home

If you own a very old house in the Maryland area and you are looking to have a painting company repaint the exterior or interior, we have a little tip that will help you save time and make a more informed decision on who to hire. The tip is rather quite simple: decide on how far a paint company should go when it comes to prepping the surfaces and determine an approximate cost of what you are willing to spend. Older homes typically require a lot of sanding, filling, caulking and even wood replacement. The cost for repainting old homes (especially historic properties) can quickly get expensive. By determining a general idea of cost (ballpark) and your expectations, you can save yourself a lot of headache as you know that the painters will hopefully be bidding the project more equally.

Let me give you an example: We recently received a phone call for a man in downtown Frederick who had a home that was over 100 years old. This homeowner received a referral from several neighbors about a particular painter in the area who did a decent job on their exteriors. Instead of hiring the paint company, he got 3 more bids. We happened to be one of the companies that got to bid on the old downtown property. He told us he did a lot of research before selecting us to bid on the project. He wanted high quality results and one of the best products on the market used. Our estimator asked the man before he bid the project what his "expectation" would be for such an old home. In other words, he could spend a small fortune replacing the old wood, using chemical strippers to strip old paint, full primers, etc if his level of expectation was VERY high! We told him that we bid our projects on the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) industry standards and their own "Levels of Prep." There are 5 levels of prep with #5 being completely restored and looking brand new. Of course, if a homeowner wants Level #5 prep and finish on his or her home, the cost would be astronomical but would look fantastic. Our estimator got the impression that the man was going to settle for Level #4, which is still very expensive and makes an older home look extremely good. It basically means lots and lots of preparation without stripping all painted surfaces.

When we submitted the final bid, which was close to $20,000, the man responded that he was just going to use the cheapest bid he got, which was the referral from his neighbors. He said he did not want the extra prep or details involved in the painting of his exterior and would settle for less. The end result is this: if we knew he wanted a basic paint job, our cost would have been a lot less. However, because it was such an old home and needed a lot of work, we had to probe and ask for a possible budget and what expectations the owner had when we were done. A level #2 or #3 would work just fine on a home like his. The only difference is the overall appearance and the possibility of a repaint sooner than later.

In short, the next time you are considering getting your house painted, don't be afraid to tell the estimator of any company what you really want. It helps the estimator give you a price that is more reasonable and meets your expectations. If you leave it up to the painter alone, you will continue to spend hours and hours wondering why your 3-5 bids are not equal. Hallco Enterprises loves to do quality work. So when you call us, we are assuming you want the best, which is why our estimates are worked up as quality preparation and using the best in paints. Just let us know up front, and we'll take care of you!

Christmas Lighting in Montgomery County

We just received this positive feedback from a first-time Christmas Decor by Hallco client.

"Dave [one of our designers] was prompt for our meeting. Came with great ideas. His company implemented them just as he said they would. The result was perfect. Nice, tactful Christmas display. I will use him [them] again this year." – Dwayne Wells

If you are looking for a fabulous company to design and install your Christmas lighting display for you, we would love to help! Visit our Christmas Decor website or Email Us for more information.

Hallco Enterprises: Painting in Kentlands

Hallco Enterprises just finished a small painting and "wood" replacement project in the heart of the Kentlands. Our new clients discovered us from our website and asked us to bid on doing a few exterior touch-ups around their home. The HOA of Kentlands has very high standards for how the individual properties should look and will sometimes suggest a "fix it" list when they do a walk through of the community. Some of those maintenance items typically include wood repair and paint touch up. The Kentland community, up until now, has all wood surfaces: wood gates, wood siding, wood windows sills, etc. The HOA recently gave the approval that homeowners can now start replacing damaged and rotted wood with PVC materials such as AZACK.

We were hired to replace several damaged window sills, rebuild the entry gate, repaint the deck, repaint the sun damaged windows and window sills and replace some of the exposed and damaged woodwork with AZACK-PVC.

The job took about 3 days with several painters and cost about $4,300. We asked why they selected Hallco instead of some of the neighborhood painters and they said it was several reasons: 1) We listened to what they really wanted, which was NOT a complete paint job at this time: just touch-ups and repairs, 2) We were professional, 3) Our price was competitive.

Hallco will repair, replace and repaint just about any surface on your Kentlands or Gaithersburg home. We are very familiar with the PVC products too and can have our very own Hallco staff take care of your needs.

Email David for an estimate.

Hallco Enterprises Paint Project in Thurmont MD

Hallco just finished a 3 day project painting an home in Thurmont for the owners of Trout Run. The property was unique in character as it was purchased in the early 1940's from President Hoover! President Hoover use to do a lot of fishing around the location we painted. The property is still being run by the family who purchased the property over 60 years ago.

Because the vacant house is rather old and was in desperate need of a paint job, we had to determine the level of prep the owners wanted on the home before giving them a price. They told us that the plan was either to completely remodel the house in a year or sell the property. Therefore, the main reason they wanted the place painted was so that it did not look so bad. We do not typically do a "level one" or "basic" paint job, but the owners were completely fine with that level or prep and finish. Basically all it means is that we are not stripping all the surfaces or using a full coat of primer. We used quality Sherwin Williams Paint for the top coat which will last a few years, long enough for them to determine what they want to do with the property.

The home was painted in three days, and even though we did not do weeks of prep, it is amazing how good the property looks! The way we work at Hallco Enterprises is that we try to determine what you the homeowner wants for your property. We will always give you our professional opinion on the proper ways to prep and paint, but ultimately, you decide what you want to spend and what you will be happy with in the end.

Here is a before and after shot of the property.

Hallco’s Painter For a Day in Columbia MD & Beyond

On Monday of this week, we received an email request from a gentleman who was in a hurry to get a few rooms repainted. He was moving out of his home and into another one very shortly. He had two, bright colored rooms that he wanted to be more neutral in color before he rented it out. We suggested that he try our Painter For a Day program because it was a small project, and we were not able to schedule an estimate in such a short window of time. We quoted an approximate price with materials (Currently $485 for the day) and he agreed to have us do the work. The next challenge we both faced was scheduling the work within two days. We were pretty booked this week but juggled things around to get the right foreman to his home by Wednesday morning.

Juan showed up on time in a Hallco van, with the right paint and tools to get started! In 8 hours, Juan painted both bedrooms with two full coats and left the place spotless! The customer contacted us and said that he did an excellent job and was very prompt. We did not know how pleased he was until he contacted us that very night to do another mayday job at his new home! We pulled a few more magic tricks somehow scheduled Juan to do the next job early Friday morning (today). Juan did the minor touch ups in 4 hours and headed for home!

So, if you have a job of any size, let us know. We'll make it happen!

Hallco was the first company in Maryland to introduce the Painter For a Day program, which began it's popularity by the Chism Brothers in San Diego. David Chism, helped with the marketing of the successful paint program while working for his father and now lives in Maryland, working for Hallco Enterprises.

Hallco’s Exterior House Painting in Frederick MD

Hallco Enterprises, Frederick's expert exterior house paint company, is gearing up to begin the painting of the exterior of a townhome in Frederick Maryland. Several years ago, we painted the complete interior of this townhome, and the owners decided they wanted Hallco to paint the exterior trim when it was time. We were very grateful to receive the phone call asking us to bid on repainting their trim. Exposed woodwork in the Frederick area takes quite a beating, and needs good quality paint every 5-7 years. After the estimate was shared with the owners, they agreed that our price was very reasonable and awarded us the project on the spot.
We will be painting all of the exterior woodwork work two full coats of Benjamin Moore Aura.

If you are interested in viewing this project while we are working there are are looking for a quality painter, please email or call our office so we can tell you more about this project.

Furniture Refinishing in North Potomac

We recently received a call to repaint a dining room table and 4 chairs in the North Potomac, near Kentlands area. When I looked at the chairs and table, I realized the last paint job was done by a painter using cans of spray paint! It was a decent job but a little funny looking.

Once we agreed on a price, we sent our foreman to their home to use professional spray equipment and the right materials this time around. The project took approximately 6 hours to complete and two coats of Sherwin-Williams Satin Impervo. The estimate was performed on a Tuesday and the work was done 2 days later, in time for out of town guest!

Painting in Savage MD

Hallco Enterprises Rockville Painting Project

Hallco Enterprises was just awared the contract to repaint the exterior trim of a home in Rockville for a first-time user of our services. The home is around 8 years old, and this will be the first major repaint on the wood surfaces.

The client called us at the right time, as most of the exposed trim only needs one quality finish, instead of two full coats. If he would have waited 2-3 more years, 2 coats would have been necessary. We also recommended using Benjamin Moore's Aura as the finish product which is the top of the line product for interior and exterior surfaces. It provides better color retention and applies much thicker than your typical "builder's grade."

If you live in and around the Rockville Maryland area and need your house painted, Hallco enterprises is the most professional paint contractor in Montgomery County. We are also very competitve in our pricing, which makes it a good "buy" when you decide on us for your house painting needs. We are here to serve you, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Hallco Painting in Brookeville MD

A few weeks ago, Hallco Enterprises was hired to do a few small jobs on the exterior of a home off of the 97 in Brookeville. The customer had a deck that was almost a year old and needed to be stained and sealed before it began to discolor. The basement level of their home was also a bright white color that did not match their current hunter green siding. Hallco matched the color of the siding perfectly for the basement "stucco" and also selected a natural oak finish from Sikkens to seal the deck. The project took just two days with two of our in-house painters.

After the painting and staining project was completed, the owners were so thrilled with the results that they wanted us back to paint their "barn-style" shed to match the house. The shed was currently white and began to standout like sore thumb. So, we came back and painted the barn/shed green, to match the house.

Hallco Enterprises strives to be the most professional painting company in Northern and Western Maryland. Our office is located in Clarksburg Maryland, and we service Howard, Frederick and Montgomery County. If you have a painting project of any size, Email our Estimator, David Chism!

Benjamin Moore Gets Even More Creative with iPhone App

Picking the right color just got easier, thanks to the Benjamin Moore Paint company. They have always done a very good job with marketing their paint products, but they now have gone the extra mile! Ben Moore just created and released (last week) a color application for the Apple iPhone to help make selecting color 10x easier.

To learn more about this new amazing application, View this short VIDEO from Apple.

Apple iPhone App: ben by Benjamin Moore

Hallco Painting’s Summer Newsletter for Maryland Homeowners

Hallco Enterprises just printed and mailed our past clients their summer edition of the Hallco Times. We know that most folks are not interested in reading a long and boring newsletter about a paint company. So we've made sure our newsletters are easy to read and takes just minutes to read, not an entire afternoon.

In our current Newsletter you will find a special rate for our Christmas Lighting service, a discount on our Painter For a Day and one of the best homemade recipes for Chicken Tortilla Soup you'll ever taste!

Benjamin Moore Link & Hallco Enterprises

Hallco Enterprises is going through a series of screening and taking some classes to be recommended as a Benjamin Moore contractor. The new Benjamin Moore Paint program should be up and running in a few weeks and will benefit both the homeowner and the paint contractor. As a homeowner, you will be able to find painting contractors who have passed Benjamin Moore's stringent screening process and know you are hiring the best.

We are on the lookout for how we can provide you with the best service, products and value, always.

Hallco House Painting Projects in Sterling VA

Hallco Enterprises recently got the approval of painting 9 townhouses in Sterling, Virginia. The nine separate townhouses were purchased as an investment by our client. Hallco was asked to accomplish all the necessary drywall repairs, color consulting, texturing and complete repainting of all interior surfaces. We are also freshening up the exteriors that are in rough shape.

Even though our office is located in Clarksburg, Maryland, we are happy to provide painting services to Virginia residence by referrals.