River City Referrals | June 2006 Newsletter

River City Connection Newsletter
June 2006

NO GUARANTEES

Thinking about painting the exterior of your house soon? The exterior of your home is the first impression you give the outside world, and a good paint job is critical to your home's pleasing appearance. It may take four or five weekends of work to paint your home's exterior, but it's worth the effort.

And so is choosing the right paint. Whether or not your paint weathers the storm is largely up to you and the quality of paint you choose. Though most exterior paints have a lifetime guarantee, count on your paint lasting 8-12 years.

Recently, customers Ken and Sarah Roland shared an experience they had with us. “We chose to paint our house ourselves, and got a great deal on a paint closeout,” they said. "We needed about 20 gallons but in order to get the great deal in the same color we ended up purchasing 10 gallons of “ordinary” latex paint and the other 10 in “high quality” latex paint. We thought we’d just paint the back of our house with the ordinary latex paint, and the front with the high quality latex paint.”

Here are their observations:

The high quality latex was much easier to apply and went on more smoothly.
Since they were going over a slightly darker color, the high quality paint required only 1 coat.
The ordinary latex paint required 2 coats and didn’t hide flaws as well.
In 3 short years, the back of the house was already fading and showing wear.

In the short run, they saved $200 on paint. In the long run, they spent more money and time by having to repaint the back of the house much earlier than planned. In fact, the front of the house with the high quality paint still looks great 8 years later.

Their conclusion? “We’ll NEVER buy cheap paint again!"

If you live in the Richmond area and want to increase the value of your home with a great paint job, consider these factors to ensure your paint lasts 8-12 years:

Use the highest quality paint you can afford. Waiting for a sale on high quality paint pays dividends over buying cheap paint if the budget is tight.
Your house is constantly moving around and breathing. This happens because temperatures here rise and fall quite often. Wood is warping, splitting and moving. Add to that the unpredictable weather we get from hurricanes, severe heat and humidity, snow and wind . . . and your house needs to be protected by a high quality paint.
You will need to touch up or repaint your windows, doors and trim more frequently---possibly every 2 or 3 years. These items are used frequently and are in motion. This means the paint will peel before the siding.
If you are building a home, consider spending more money on high quality paint. Many builders and consumers go with a low to mid-grade brand that will require repainting more frequently.
Prices range from $8-$50/gallon for paint in the Richmond area. Better quality paints generally contain a higher percentage of quality ingredients such as mildewcide, UV inhibitors and resins that make paint and paint color last longer.

If you have further questions about exterior paint or home repairs, we’re happy to talk with you. And of course, if you don’t want to bother painting your house yourself, we can help you find the best painters in Richmond to do it for you.

Archived Newsletters
February 2007 | Imagine That! Virtual Web-sites for Your Projects
September 2006 | A Good Contractor Isn't Hard To Find
July 2006 | Is Your House a House of Cards
June 2006 | No Guarantees

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River City Referrals, LLC.
8602 Julian Road, Richmond, VA 23229
Phone: (804) 545-0822, E-Mail: info@rivercityreferrals.com