Window Painting in Greystone, AL. Overkill?

Overkill. That is the underlying principle behind how I am able to offer a 5 year warranty on my work. Case in point – the Sherwin Williams Pro Industrial Waterbased Alkyd Urethane paint I applied to these metal windows in Greystone, Hoover, AL. Roughly 20 years old and still with a factory smooth finish on these windows, I elected to go to the extra trouble of masking off and spraying these windows with a product I hope lasts just as long as the factory coating. Did it take a lot of time? Yes. But far more important to me than getting things done quickly is knowing I have provided a superior product.

Some people in painting social media groups I’m in have wondered why I didn’t just spend 20 minutes brushing them and be done with it… if they already had brush marks on them I would have. But that original factory coating, although oxidizing and sorely in need of a repaint, was still perfectly smooth and in incredible shape, and I wanted to preserve that.

Speaking of overkill, if you’ll click on the paint link above, you’ll see what this product is actually meant for: structural steel, healthcare facilities, equipment, and machinery. It’s meant to take a beating in an industrial environment and last a long, long time. Is your house perhaps a bit neglected? Would you like to truly have peace of mind about it? Book me. Much more to come on this house soon.

Prepping a Greystone house for exterior painting in Birmingham, AL

It occurred to me today that everyone always shows off their before and after photos, but no one really shows the ugly prep phase. It ain’t pretty, but it’s essential. Clicking on the photo below and zooming in will show you the state that the wood trim around the upper windows was left in after pressure washing. Raw, exterior wood requires oil-based primer before painting. The lower half has had this treatment and is now ready for paint. The transformation phase is not attractive – but it’s absolutely vital.

Curb appeal & resale

This was a simple, quick refresh of the front only of a house going on the market; a great, cost-effective way to make your house pop for that new buyer. It’s not too obvious from the before photo (bottom) but all of the paint was oxidized and heavily UV damaged. Look closely at the garage doors before and after to see some of what I mean. All of the original gloss was gone and you could slide a finger across it and leave a mark. A good way to tell when your paint’s life is up is when the gloss is gone. If you pay attention to these things and paint in time, your house will never peel, need scraping, and will retain its utmost value and appeal. Selling your home and want it to go fast? Schedule an estimate with me, and I may be able to advise on what does and doesn’t need painting, inside and out.

Fixing other painters’ shoddy work in Hoover, AL

Paint: Color matched Sherwin Williams’ Superpaint, High Gloss

This shutter was a typical example of what I usually find left behind by other painters in Birmingham. It was up on the second story of the front of a Hoover home, and they figured no one would ever get up there to check their work – and they figured right, at least until I came along. Check out the streaks in the curve, they didn’t achieve full coverage over the old color; obviously a quick 1 coat job. They didn’t even bother trying to paint the right edge. Totally shameful, lazy, and sloppy. But hey, what a great chance to showcase the quality of work I perform in these situations. Tapcon screw and washer – primed and painted. Right edge – painted and fully covered. No streaks? Check. Sexy shiny gloss as requested by my customer? Check. Another happy customer? Check. Jealous neighbors? Ha! Give me a call when you decide your home deserves this same treatment. 😉 

Before and after exterior shutter painting
Shutter on left in bad need of TLC. Shutter on right almost purring in delight.

Deck restoration & deck staining at Hoover residence

This deck wood had been quite badly weathered. Check out the before pic closely; if you’ve been considering replacing your old, black, heavily weathered deck, please consider calling PaintDoctorMD and let us see if it can be restored. Our deck cleaning and staining services are most likely far cheaper than replacing the entire deck! This picture of a deck in Hoover, AL just shows the immediate, massive difference a good cleaning can make, but in a future post I will show you our before and after stain on this exact same wood. We also offer the full bevy of exterior painting services, including stained door refinishing. Feel free to browse through our showcase of before & after images to your right (below for mobile users). Painters Birmingham. Call for your free estimate at (205) 422-0710.

Deck collaged photos showing heavily weathered wood before and after cleaning by PaintDoctorMD
That’s not brand new wood? *gasp* These guys are amazing!