Tuesday, May 05, 2009
We love rain, and we know that rain is a good thing for all of us in Maryland! However, it is rather difficult to keep our painters busy with just interior painting. We have been working on a few exterior projects but cannot continue until the rain stops. So, if you need a few rooms painted or you need some touch-ups done around the home, please consider us for a rainy day.
Check out our Painter For a Day program for a small project.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Have you ever wondered if a paint company could paint your entire home in just one day? I just recently returned from a painting conference in Chicago and heard a very interest story about a paint company who painted a complete interior of a home in one business day. The owner was very busy and really just wanted to go to work in the morning and return to a "new" home. That is exactly what happened. The paint crew showed up early with enough painters to move the furniture, prep the walls, and paint all the ceiling and walls. After the paint company got done and the customer came home only to say, "wow!" they became known in their area as the paint company who can paint a home in a day.
Painting your house in just one day is not rocket science. To do the job right, a paint company just needs to have good management skills and painters who are well-trained. If the painters and foreman work as a team, your home will look great in just one day! The only factor that could hinder such an accomplishment would be if you have lots of colors, multiple coats, wallpaper removal etc. However, if your home is in good shape and you just want to freshen it up, give it a try…hire us for a day to paint your home! We'll get it done.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Hallco Enterprises just finished a small painting project in the downtown Frederick area near Hood College. The work was performed for one of Hood's professors. She was a repeat client who contact us to inspect the exterior of her home and suggest a few ways to keep it looking sharp. Because the way the economy has been, she really did not want to invest a lot of money at this time, so we gave her a few suggestions that would protect the surfaces from any further damage and prolong the life of her paint job. It is a large brick and wood home built in the early 1900's that needs a lot of upkeep.
We noticed a few areas of dry-rot that needed wood replacement and a few areas under the second story eave (soffit) that was peeling pretty badly. So, we agreed at this time, just to thoroughly prep and repaint the second story eaves and top coat it with two coats of Sherwin-Williams Duration. We then repaired the several areas of damaged woodwork under the front porch and finished those areas with Duration as well. Lastly, we recommended replacing a few gutters around the home to help keep the water from damaging her wood surfaces.
All of these repairs and the professional painting was completed for under $4,500. If we painted the entire home from top to bottom, it would have cost approximately $20,000. Instead, we just made sure the integrity of the home was protected and the overall appearance looked great!
If you live in or around the Frederick area or have an older home you wish to protect, please give us a call or send us an email. We can also give you more information about this project we just finished. We cannot post our client's information over the Internet, but for those interested in seeing the house, just contact us.
Monday, April 13, 2009
On April 25th, 2009 the Kentlands community will begin another annual "earth day" clean up. This years 100% volunteer workday will consist of cleaning up trash, recycling batteries and light bulbs, and the planting of 15-20 new trees around some of the lakes in Kentlands.
Hallco Enterprises will be passing out cold bottled water during the event and Whole Foods of Gaithersburg will be providing snacks. To learn more about the Go Green Group of Kentlands or the the Clean Up Day, Go to their WEBSITE.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Because of the way our economy is lately, homeowners are spending more time at home. The more time they spend at their home the more they begin to get bored with their home decor and paint colors.
Changing the colors in select areas of your home is an affordable way to dramatically change the way your home looks and can even effect your mood. Color phychology can be used with more than just paint too. To learn more about colors and a few ways to redecorate your home, read this brief article from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
If your home was built during the early 1900's or if you are trying to replicate that time period, you most likely have a Bungelow or Craftsman Style home. What you did not know is that Craftsman and Bungelow homes and colors vary depending on where they were built. For example, the California Craftsman home will have different features than a Craftsman in
Tennessee. There were a mixtures of styles that were considered "acceptable" during that time period: Gothic half-timbering, front porches, mission-style, and a touch of victorian.
The period was known as "Arts and Craft." The colors used were typically warm and neutral with a touch of burnt reds and pail green.
Sherwin Williams Paint has done an incredible job helping painters and homeowners to narrow their color search by categorizing the style of home and the general colors used during that time period. To view a sampling of the Arts and Craft period for exterior homes, view Sherwin-Williams Site.
At Hallco Enterprises, we are committed to not only painting your house well but helping you select the perfect colors for your home.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
If you are trying to remove light dirt and scuff marks from your painted walls, try using a mild detergent and warm to hot water. If the marks or dirt is fairly fresh, this technique should work well. If the walls are enameled (not flat) they clean up even better!
The problem most folks have with trying to keep their walls clean from dirt and smudges is that after 6 months or longer, it becomes harder and harder to keep the walls clean! It seems that when you go to wipe down your walls, you find that after you finish, little "halos" appear that don't go away. You then pull out the old paint and touch up the walls finding out that the paint doesn't match anymore!
If you've experienced frustration with wiping down your painted surfaces only to find that you can't keep them clean, you probably need to use a different type of paint. There are several quality products that have excellent clean up on the market today. The first is Sherwin-Williams Duration Home. You can pick up a gallon for about $50 (retail). The second quality product is Benjamin Moore Aura. Aura cost about $60 retail. Both products have a Matte finish, which looks the best and is VERY washable. If you use either product, you can rest assured that your walls will be cleaner and last a lot longer than anything else you can find at Home Depot or Lowes. To clean your walls with these paints, you just need warm to hot water, no detergent needed!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I guess you can say that Hallco Painting has jumped on the banwagon of Facebook! It is worth a try! Facebook is the 5th most viewed and used website in the World, a great place to network and connect with old friends and is growing every week. There are more than 78 million members.
We'd love to have you as a fan on Facebook. So help us grow! It only takes a minute. Become a FAN
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
We recently restored the church steeple at St. Peters Episcopal Church in Poolesville, Maryland. The work required using an 80′ boom lift and very skilled painters. We stripped off all the paint that would come off, applied a primer and two full coats of acrylic paint.
If you live in or around Poolesville, Maryland and are looking for a professional painting contractor for your house or commercial project, please consider giving Hallco Enterprises a call. We have the knowledge and the paint staff to take care of your project. Doing older projects, like the steeple at St. Peters, is another specialty that required expertise. We love working on older homes, and we hope to hear from you soon.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
If you live in or around Gaithersburg or Germantown, then you've probably seen our Hallco trucks in your neighborhood. Our owner, Ted Hall, grew up in Gaithersburg and went to school there as well. He knows the neighborhoods quite well and has done quite a bit of painting there too.
Hallco Enterprises has focused a lot of our attention the past few years on the Kentlands and Lakelands communities. We are in the process of partnering with Kentlands to help them with some of their community painting projects to keep Kentlands looking sharp at all times.
If you live in or around Gaithersburg, Germantown or beyond, we'd love for you to get to know us. Don't forget to ask our estimator about ways to save cost on painting your home when times are tough!
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Hallco Enterprises, a professional painting company, is located in Clarksburg Maryland. However, our office is only 20 minutes from downtown Frederick. We can be just about anywhere in Frederick County within 30 minutes or less. One of our estimators lives in Frederick County as well.
So if you need an estimate, please remember we service your area quite a bit. If you need a reference list of homes we have painted in the Frederick communites, please remember to ask our estimator. We are also part of the Frederick Chamber of Commerce.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
We just wrapped up our last work day of February for Hallco Enterprises. Because of the weather and economy, January and most of February was very slow for phone calls and new work. However, the last week of this month, we received quite a bit of folks desiring paint estimates. We did some checking around to a few paint contractors in other parts of the country, Chicago, San Diego and Boston and it appears their leads were slowing picking up. What does this mean? Well, we hope it is a good sign that we are starting to close our ears to the troubling news reports about our economy and start spending wisely once again. We also know that on the east, us Marylanders are preparing to welcoming spring. The weather has not been as brutal this past February. Therefore, spring should be just around the corner, making it a great time to start painting your exteriors.
Just as a suggestion, if you wish for us to inspect your exterior after the winter months have passed, we can give you an honest breakdown on how all your surfaces look and when things need to be repainted. Some of the best things to consider painting or staining when spring arrives are your decks and other horizontal wood surfaces. Our Hallco staff can recommend the right cleaning and finishing products for your home, so we hope you'll consider us in 2009.
Friday, February 20, 2009
We thought since our government is so generous with their recent passage of the $780 billion dollar stimulus that Hallco could piggyback the idea by have our own little stimulus package to give to you! We are calling it simply, "Hallco's Stimulus Package." Creative, huh?
I wish I could bring good news that the new U.S. stimulus is definitely what our country needs to get us back on our feet right away. Regardless of what it does for the county, I can guarantee that Hallco's stimulus will definitely help keep your home in great shape during these troubling economical times!
Hallco's Stimulus Package is simply this: We have made the necessary changes in our business to lower our labor rate by $85 per day per painter. We don't mind if you want to do a big painting project this year: we'll take it! The reality is that most of our customers are commiting to small projects, which is just fine. This is why we came up with this package to help our customers save on remodeling and painting during 2009. You can take advantage of our new stimulus package simply by signing up for our Painter For a Day program. Our cost in 2008 was $570 for 1 full day of quality painting services. This year, it is now $485. Now, we've done one more thing to make this stimulus the best ever: we've also added the first gallon of paint free of charge. So you'll get 8 hours of painting by one of our Hallco painters, 1 free gallon of paint and a job we'll stand behind!
Sign up today: Painter For a Day
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Internet Explorer (IE) is definitely the most used Internet Browser in the world. The main reason is not because it is the best but because it comes preinstalled on all PC computers. Most folks don't even think about the possible problems IE causes on your computer and how slow the browser is to operate.
If you are a PC user, I would encourage you to consider ditching internet explorer and upgrade to 1 of 3 of my favorite browsers.
Hallco Painting is always searching for the best ways to run their business, be more paperless and serve their customers! I'm passing on a few things I have learned in my research that I hope will benefit you too.
By the way, if you stumbled across this blog by accident, please keep us in mind when you need a professional painting contractor. We service Frederick, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Poolsville, Mt. Airy, Rockville and just about any city in the D.C. or Baltimore area.
Monday, February 16, 2009
When it comes time to freshen up your woodwork around the home or change the color in your bedroom, make sure you have a good paint brush. I can't stress this enough! A good paint brush is not cheap, but you will thank me in the end! Most homeowners go to the Home Depot and purchase the painting combo meal: 1 black plastic handle black bristle brush, 1 roller frame and a paint tray for $10.00! If you are concerned about a quality paint job, the only item that will work well out of that combo is probably the roller, not the brush or tray. The brush will get paint on the walls but the end result is not as rewarding! A bad paint brush typically has a few bad habits: 1) It gets worn out and seeks retirement after only 1 or 2 paint projects. 2) It does not hold a lot of paint. 3) It does not cause paint to flow very nicely on your painted surfaces: especially trim work (doors, windows, base etc).
What is my suggestion of what you should do with your current or old paint brushes? Seek the death penalty! Toss them out as soon as possible and get a real brush! You can pick one up at your local Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore paint store for around $10 to $20. Two of the best brands on the market are Wooster and Purdy. If you want to save a few bucks, just go with the Sherwin Williams Contractor brand. A good paint brush holds more paint and flows out ever so nicely on your painted surfaces. The only thing you'll need to keep in mind is when you are finished with your new and improved brush, you must carefully and thoroughly clean your brush and store it in a safe place. Otherwise, you'll be buying a new paint brush for every project.
Now, I must mention one more thing: Have you ever seen what a good paint brush can do in the hands of someone who knows how to use it. It's down right, dangerously effective! The results are incredible. A good "brushman" can make your trim and walls look so smooth and clean. So, if you are not a do it yourself painter, Hallco Painting would LOVE to help you with your next painting project. The purpose of this blog is to have fun talking about Hallco Painting, our services, the paint industry, the community we live in and also to educate you on what it means to have a quality paint job done everytime! So, we hope you'll find our site and this info informative!
© 2010 Hallco Enterprises (301) 831-3679