Interior Painting

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. Rentals and private residences.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. My only advice would be to talk to a few painters before deciding on one. Meet them in person if possible.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. If I were a customer I'd want to know how to paint the trim without getting the paint on the wall while not using tape. That seems to be the question I hear from homeowners who have tried to paint their rooms before. There really isn't any secret to it,, it's practice, and more practice. Of course, tape is necessary in some places,, like to cover hardware if it can't be removed.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. Most of the information I need to do my job can be gathered at our initial meeting. In the case of repainting after water damage it would be important to know whether the repair had been done or not and whether it was successful as well.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. My work stands out because of the attention to detail that I give every stage of the process. From set up to clean up you will know that I work as if it were my own property.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. Bringing to life the imagination of my clients ! I also enjoy seeing the excitement of a finished room reflected in the faces of my clients.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. How long will this take?
I work fast and am pretty methodical about the process.
The time it takes is usually determined by the amount of prep work that needs to be done to the existing walls.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. I wish they knew how much I enjoyed my work !

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I became a painter almost by accident. I had just opened a salon in the Boston area. The space was nice but it was completely white and the ceilings were well over 17 feet ! One Sunday when the shop was closed I went in with the intention of painting a landscape scene. It was complete by the end of the day. From the very next day my customers were asking me to come to their homes to paint their play rooms, their nurseries, their everythings! After working both jobs for the next six years I finally decided to sell my interest in the salon and paint full time. I was happiest with a brush in my hand and I haven't stopped since. Five years ago I left Massachusetts for the beautiful coast of South Carolina. It was there that I started fine art painting to fill in the spaces between building up a clientelle for interior home painting. Within a year my paintings were being exhibited at a local gallery and continue to be sold all over the country from there.
I moved here to Florida approximately a year ago to help my family out with their daylily farm. It would be safe to say that I still have that tom-boy side to me and love to get my hands dirty in the garden ( when I'm not painting that is )

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. In terms of faux effects for interior decoration the latest trend is metallic finishes of all sorts in combinations or alone. Stone finishes are also making a comeback.
Organic effects of all kinds are quite hot right now.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. If you don't know, ASK
spend time working for someone else first
Don't cut corners
don't ever water down the paint
don't ever skip the primer to save on the cost
caulking is not for wall holes or nail holes and paint does not fill holes either.
WASH everything before painting it.
show up when you say you will
don't leave your vaccum cleaner at home.
clean up your own mess and if it helps - clean everyone else's mess too.
Be honest

Q. Write your own question and answer it.

A. Can I paint over wall paper?

Yes, If the wall paper is not coming off the wall or buckling at the seams it can be sealed with a clear base and then primed and painted the same as a painted wall. Without the seal you'll have a disaster.

If the paper is starting to peel you are better off to scrape as much of it off as possible, plaster patch any abnormalities and then proceed with primer and paint.

One important thing to say here is never paint over vinyl wall paper.