Calvert Painting

When Colors Collide

2011-06-04T12:25:00.003-04:00

Ok....so you pressure wash and clean the deck and buy three gallons of stain. And just by chance the first two gallons you open are this brownish looking color called "redwood" something, and you think, "doesn't look like any redwood stain I've seen before, but maybe it's a brownish redwood." You carry on and you get down to the last five feet and open the last gallon and boom! Ah, there's the redwood. Now you've got two colors.

Somewhere down the line some redwood stain got mixed wrong at the factory, and the owner graciously goes to the store. The store employee pulls 10 gallons off the shelf, and finds several mistinted redwoods. So, we got as close as we could, and wouldn't you know it the homeowner got 3 free gallons of stain.

Two coats, two different colors. Perfect!

Thanks Joan!

If you like this please share. Thanks!

Sixty Foot Ladder

2011-05-24T00:40:00.003-04:00

It's been a really long time since I went up on one of these and it's an adventure, but it was time.

Mark and I have done some nice jobs together over the years. It took us 4 days to replace the corners with "No Rot" PVC boards and most of the siding with Hardi-Plank. Then we painted everything down to where we could reach it all with the 40' ladders.

The missing piece on the corner under the ladder was as high as the 40' ladders would take us.

It's really not as bad as it seems, you just have to get used to it.

So what is up there?? Rust!

What I did when I got up there was wire brush all the rust down. Then I applied a rust converter to turn it black, sort of converting the rust back into a what I call a "quasi" metal. Then I applied Rust-Oleum's brown "Rusty Metal Primer", and then two coats of Rust-Oleum's "Black Semi-Gloss" finish.

Once the chimney cap was restored Mark and I moved that beast of a 60' ladder to the side of the chimney and completed the rest of the repairs, and painted down to where we could reach the rest with the 40' ladders, and home free.

If you or anyone you know is in need of home repairs or is looking to buy or sell real estate please contact me.

And.....if you like this please spread the word. Thanks.

Pressure Washed Clean

2011-05-23T20:57:00.002-04:00

Thanks Cathy

Spring Into The Market

2011-03-13T16:02:00.005-04:00

Pressure washed exterior and some fresh paint touch up helped get this 1400SF ranch ready for the Spring real estate market.

Thanks Jennifer and Brian, and good luck!

Painting Cabinets

2011-02-23T08:27:00.001-05:00

One of the projects you like to get finished before the Spring pollen gets here. Painting kitchen cabinets on a cool Winter's day. Thanks Charlotte and Bill.

Going Green

2010-11-16T21:49:00.004-05:00

Kitchen in North Raleigh going green with Benjamin Moore Eggshell finish.

Putnam Ivory

2010-11-02T11:30:00.008-04:00

Finishing up this week in Durham with Benjamin Moore's Putnam Ivory. Thanks Shawana.

Indoor Scaffolding

2010-10-28T07:59:00.000-04:00

A must have for those tricky stairs.

Super Clean

2010-10-23T20:49:00.006-04:00

Driveways and Sidewalks. Thanks Bill and Colleen

Before

After

Before

After

Selecting Color

2010-10-22T11:04:00.003-04:00

When selecting color for a room you always find the fabric first. These bed linen's provided the base to start from in which the owner took the grayish light color for the walls, the light green for the master bath, and the dark charcoal for the all 'round accent color. This color concept enhanced the existing green glass tinted modern style headboard and black floor lamps.

Clean Adds Value

2010-10-19T09:36:00.001-04:00

It's the little things that count when adding value to real property. Keeping it clean and fresh lowers long term maintenance costs, and helps to increase and maintain your real property values at their highest levels. Our pressure washing service offers residential and small locally owned commercial cleaing of homes, buildings, sidewalks and driveways. Call or email from for a free estimate.

Finished Cabinets

2010-10-05T15:46:00.000-04:00

Refinished in Natural Pine. Thanks Vicky and Wade!

Cabinets

2010-09-24T10:44:00.002-04:00

Sanded lightly and restained with a natural oil "jell" stain. Work in progress.

Made In The Shade

2010-08-11T14:41:00.001-04:00

Finished this home recently in Cary under some very large pine and shade tree's.

Thanks Sarah and John!

Chimney and Trim Repairs.

Pressure Wash, Railings and Window Glaze

2010-06-22T14:15:00.003-04:00

Thanks Dain and Laura!
Pressure Wash Clean
Cleaned, Sanded, Primed and New Painted Railings Window Prep and PrimeNew Glaze and Paint

Pressure Washing Clean

2010-06-18T09:57:00.000-04:00

Thanks Jake!
Front Porch Steps
Driveway

Kitchen and Den

2010-06-16T07:41:00.002-04:00

Thanks Teri and Mark!

Extreme Home Makeover

2010-06-03T21:11:00.004-04:00

Thanks Wendy and Jacob! Before

After

Taupe Exterior

2010-05-09T10:17:00.001-04:00

Very nice upgrade. Thanks Wendy and Jacob!

Finishing The Back

2010-05-06T07:36:00.002-04:00

Decks can be extremely low maintenance if you keep up with them, and really finish the back of your house.

Thanks Bill and Colleen!

Before...

After.....

Soaked It Up

2010-04-29T09:38:00.002-04:00

Long overdue but finally completed.
Thanks Marilyn and Pete!

Deck Staining in April

2010-04-20T22:04:00.022-04:00

Before

After

Pressure washed, two coats of stain, and all ready for Summer. Thanks Mary!

Blast It!

2010-04-15T10:05:00.005-04:00

Pressure washing a concrete driveway...

Pressure Washing a deck...

Painting in Winter

2010-04-07T11:07:00.004-04:00

This house was started in December '09 but not completed until late February '10. We were able to get the prep work completed and oil primer applied where applicable, but the unusually brutally cold Winter we had this year delayed the project. We'd work when we could but our days were numbered. Still got the deck to stain once the pollen is all gone but overall things went well. Thanks Mary.

Move in Ready

2010-03-06T21:46:00.010-05:00

Two nice pictures from the townhouse we painted this week.
Thanks Donna.

Dining Room

Master Bathroom

Kids and Paint

2010-03-06T20:55:00.016-05:00

I can not remember how I happened upon this picture, but every time I see it it reminds me of a job I did years ago for a lady in my old neighborhood.

She wanted her interior trim painted in an oil gloss and as I was painting a window she was standing behind me talking casually when all of a sudden I hear her gasp. Her infant son had quietly crawled onto a drop cloth I had set up as a work station behind us on the living room floor, and he had just dumped a whole gallon of the oil base gloss trim paint all over himself. In all the excitement she proceeded to sling oil paint all over the carpet, and then the dog got excited because she was excited and ran through the paint and then tracked it all over her house.

But sometimes even a bad situation can have a happy ending. She was able to claim the damaged carpet on her homeowners insurance and ended up getting new carpeting installed throughout the house for the $250 policy deductible, three weeks before her husband took a new job that sent them to Wisconsin.

The Outdoor Room

2010-02-21T19:31:00.022-05:00

There was a real good article in the N&O this weekend about homeowners getting more out of their homes in a down economy with a backyard deck. I did that on a much smaller scale about 6 years ago and have never regretted it.

The long term maintenance for me has been minimal and can be for you depending on your perspective. The railing lasted four years, but the flooring lasted a little over one with two coats. The second time I restained the floor (18 months later) I did two coats, the third time I restained the deck completely (four years from original) I applied two coats to the then dried out railing, and FIVE coats to the flooring. It's not as bad as it sounds because you can re-coat in 2 hours or less. It's a weekend project for DIYers, but the enjoyment you'll get from the new outdoor room far out ways the expense.

During this unusually cold and snowy Winter of 2010 my current 18 month old restaining still makes my 13 year old deck look awesome, but I may add a couple more coats to the floor as insurance this Spring just to keep it that way. Let me know when you want one.

Interior Perfection

2010-02-18T19:44:00.014-05:00

Not that often do I have a chance to post interior pictures because the rooms are never put back together until after I'm gone, but here are three from a home I did a few years ago that surfaced this week.
Click a photo to enlarge.

The Office

Guest Room

Master Bedroom Sitting Area

See more of pictures on Facebook.

History of Calvert Painting

2010-02-16T23:06:00.023-05:00

I got my first painting job around 1969. I was 10 and my parents had me paint the backyard fence where we lived in Elk Grove Village, Ill. Mom said I was a natural. I never really stopped working with my hands after that.

I'd do small odd painting and carpentry jobs while attending Western Kentucky University in the late 70's and then in 1980 I officially started Calvert Painting and worked while finishing my B.S. in Communications at the University of New Haven.

My first truck was a 1977 Datsun pickup with 67,000 miles on it. I could not afford a new one at the time but I was able to stain a teachers house for it in trade.

I moved my business to Durham when I moved to North Carolina in 1988 and then to Raleigh in 1996.

Calvert Painting presently offers high quality residential and locally owned small commercial interior and exterior painting and staining, carpentry repairs, deck restoration and construction, wallpaper stripping, sheetrock repair, and pressure washing.