Blog - Colour Solutions

Time to Seal the Deck!

June 15, 2014 By Rachel Joye

Your deck just called and said, “What are they waiting for? Summer and prime deck season are practically here!”

There’s no question that sealing a deck falls under the category of “big jobs.” That’s why you should leave it to the experts at Colour Solutions.

We have learned that in order to ensure the best protection for your deck, annual maintenance is key.

Here in southeastern NC, decks can take a beating from all that heavy rain, frozen precipitation and brutal ultraviolet rays. Unless the decking timbers are sealed each year, rapid deterioration is a danger.

If you’ve been told that a good way to judge if your deck is due for a sealant is to see if water droplets bead up, sorry not true! Although some products contain paraffin wax, which does lend to beading, others such as oil-based sealers do not. The best policy is to just take care of this task annually, either each spring or at least by early summer.

A bonus that comes when you use our team to seal your deck is that we’re also professional pressure washers! (say that 3 times fast) We use low-pressure powerwashers that will not damage the wood surface of the decking timbers.

New Deck

If you’ve just built a home that has a nice new deck, we suggest having it professionally sealed four weeks or more post construction. To speed up the aging process which is sometimes necessary for new wood, we would likely pressure wash your deck to remove any glazes or treatments that were applied at the mill.

Along with sealing, of course we can handle any type of accompanying paint or stain job. Many coastal homeowners love the look of white painted trim and natural, but sealed, decking. Another popular look for decks today involves using stain on the railings and a sealer on the floor. The stain is usually tinted to match the trim of your house.

We’d love to work with you and get your deck in the best shape possible!

Please give Colour Solutions a call to learn more about our services: 910-686-3067

Filed Under: Blog, Pressure Washing Tagged With: deck refinishing wilmington nc, home maintenance, pressure washing

Summer is the Time for Exterior Home Maintenance

June 5, 2014 By Rachel Joye

Our customers frequently ask us what time of year is the best for tackling certain exterior jobs such as painting, pressure washing, staining or sealing outdoor flooring and making general small repairs.

Although here in southeastern N.C. we experience some of the best weather in the country, we think that late spring/early summer is just about ideal for addressing your home’s exterior maintenance needs.

If you are considering a fresh coat of paint for your home’s siding and trim, giving it a good pressure washing beforehand serves several purposes. It will thoroughly clean all of the surfaces, trim, steps, walkways, and easily remove any flaking paint or stain.

Prep

Take it from us, prepping for an exterior paint job with pressure washing is quick, easy and mess-free! We have even had customers discover that their home was not due for a paint job at all; it just needed a good cleansing blast from the Colour Solutions team!

Paint

As for painting, the good news is that the pollen is gone and the temps are seasonably mild, yet sunny. Which means quicker drying times, plus the days are longer so there’s more time to complete the task. The same applies to staining and sealing wood decking and porch flooring.

Another pro is that the kids won’t be out of school for a few more weeks, so no little footprints should hamper the progress! Then, when those long, lazy summer days finally roll around, your place will be ready for full-on family enjoyment!

Spruce

Sprucing up your home’s exterior provides immediate gratification. However, please don’t neglect other “to-dos.” There are plenty of spots that fall into the “out of sight, out of mind” category. However, though they are not exactly exterior areas, the attic, crawl space and basement needs your attention too.

No summer home maintenance check-list would be complete without this entry:

Check for Leaks and Rot

After the much more frigid and wetter than usual winter we had, it is imperative to check all the areas of your home for any signs of moisture, mold, mildew or rot. If that is out of your area of expertise, just give us a call. We have heard stories from more than one customer about the damage caused by burst pipes.

The unfortunate twist is that homeowners were often unaware there was a problem at all. Please remember that in addition to our usual services, we also do small repair jobs and are experienced in diagnosing issues before they get out of control.

Drier summer weather allows areas that are prone to moisture retention to dry out a bit. Thankfully, that makes it much easier to fix any problems that may have arisen. Replacing wood, fiberglass or insulation that shows signs of excessive dampness is the best way to remove mildew and dangerous mold from getting a foothold.

When you have the piece of mind that your home is impeccably maintained (maybe with a little help from Colour Solutions) it will be a snap to take in every available bit of summer fun: beach days, bike rides, boat trips, barbeques…
Please call 910-686-3067 to find out what we can do for you.

Filed Under: Blog, Exterior Painting Tagged With: deck staining wilmington nc, exterior painting, home maintenance

Put Pressure Washing on Your Springtime “To-Do” List

May 7, 2014 By Rachel Joye

There are plenty of seasoned homeowners out there who have their homes pressure washed on an annual basis. They have recognized the amazing results this quick and cost-effective procedure delivers. In addition to cleaning up a home’s exterior, pressure washing can make decks, porches, patios, walkways, and driveways look like new!

Many homeowners put off having their residences professionally pressure washed because they are afraid that doing so will cause the paint to pop off here and there. They worry that in turn; they may have to paint the entire place. In fact, we have had customers who contracted us for pressure washing in anticipation that afterwards, their home would be in need of an exterior paint job. Imagine their delight when after the Colour Solutions team washed away a year’s worth of dirt and mildew, the existing paint looked great!

Another reason we are such fans of pressure washing is that it is handy for a number of applications. Did you know that a variety of things can be transformed with a little pressure washing? It could be that your entire exterior is ok, but other areas around your home could benefit from the expertise of our pressure washing crew. Consider these smaller jobs that may be on your “to-do” list already:

Fences and gates – Exposed to the elements, they take a beating and are not the easiest things to clean, until you call Colour Solutions’ pressure washing team!
Porch ceiling s- These tend to gather cobwebs, mildew, and dust. Who wants to look at that all spring and summer?
Patio/deck furniture – Oh yes we can and what a difference you’ll see!
Front steps/stoops/deck steps – Because steps and stoops are also exposed directly to the elements, they can get filthy in a hurry. Excessive moisture can contribute to the growth of mildew and sometimes moss, which are very slippery and dangerous when wet. Why not let us blast it away?
Foundations – When the foundation is not looking its best, it casts a dreary shadow on the entire home. Pressure washing is the perfect solution for every type of foundation out there, including, brick, stone, wood, and stucco.
Garage floors – What a difference pressure washing can make in one of the home’s heaviest/dirtiest traffic areas (See: Tired of your Garage Floors? Colour Solutions Can Help!)

We like to think that no job is too big or too small. As part of your spring cleaning, please give your home the critical eye and decide if a visit from the Colour Solutions pressure washing crew is in order! Just give us a call for a free estimate: 910-686-3067!

Filed Under: Blog, Pressure Washing Tagged With: pressure washing, spring cleaning

It’s Time to Wash Winter Grime Away!

April 30, 2014 By Rachel Joye

Spring is here at last! We certainly had more than our usual share of frozen precipitation, high winds, and bone-chilling temps during this past winter. Did you know that aside from hurricane season, winter weather is likely the hardest on a home’s exterior? Here are just some of the reasons why this is the case:

Excessive moisture may cause mold, mildew, and rot.
A home’s siding, trim, and foundation can suffer from too much moisture.
The freeze/thaw cycle causes expansion and contraction of numerous building components and an increased amount of wear and tear.
Wind gusts of 20mph + (we had plenty of those!) wreak havoc on the roof and fill gutters with debris at an accelerated rate.

If the north wind and Jack Frost left you with a mess, the Colour Solutions team is at your service. In addition to professional painting services, our talented crew handles a variety of other jobs. Here are a few “spring cleaning” tasks that we are happy to take care of:

Gutter cleaning – Are your gutters full of leaves, pine cones, and small sticks? They cannot possibly be effective until they are thoroughly cleaned out.
Small carpentry jobs – Do you have warped planks on the deck, loose trim, or missing pieces of siding? Perhaps you have discovered a little wood rot or moisture damage? The time to address such issues is now before they lead to bigger headaches.
Fence cleaning and painting -Is your once lovely fence stained or showing signs of mildew? We can restore it back to fresh and new!
Pressure washing – Whether your home is dingy from months of yucky weather or it’s time for an exterior paint job, nothing does the trick like pressure washing!
See Our Services.

Of course you had rather be spending these gorgeous spring days in the garden, at the park, at the beach, or on the golf course. Guess what? There’s plenty of time for doing the things you enjoy most when you allow Colour Solutions to handle the big jobs!

We are a quick phone call away: 910-686-3067

Filed Under: Blog, House Painting, Pressure Washing Tagged With: carpentry repair, gutter cleaning, pressure washing, spring cleaning

Tired of Your Garage Floors? Colour Solutions Can Help!

April 9, 2014 By Rachel Joye

It’s no secret that Spring is when homeowners frequently decide to make improvements and upgrades to their properties. Being cooped up during the dreary winter months seems to inspire many of us to get our homes in order. (Maybe it was all those snow days spent watching HGTV?)

When it comes to our garage floors, many homeowners think that there are not too many options. There is also a tendency to put these flooring improvements on the back burner, because they are viewed as majorly inconvenient to live with. However, a floor that is less than perfect may be easier to change than you thought! Colour Solutions has the answers for how to update, refinish, or restore. Our team is experienced in a variety of applications, including staining, painting, and refinishing.

In the cases of homes with an attached garage, this space often becomes the most used entrance into the residence. When the garage floor is dingy, cracked, or just unappealing, the house in turn becomes guilty by association. That is, the condition of the garage can set the tone for the entire residence. Even when the garage space is neatly organized and tidy, a yucky, oil stained, paint splotched floor can cast its evil shadow. Living with a garage floor that does not meet your standards is not obligatory!

The Colour Solutions crew has a number of ways to spruce up garage floors. Sometimes, all it may need is a thorough pressure washing or treatment with a few of our products designed just for concrete. A professional cleaning is often all it takes to restore a garage floor to like-new condition. Afterwards, many of our customers are so pleased with the initial cleaning that they choose to go the extra mile and have the floor professionally painted or stained. If that sounds like something you’d like to consider, we will be happy to show you samples of past jobs and discuss which choices would work best for your existing floor. Could a NASCAR theme be in your garage’s future?

To learn more, schedule an appointment, or discuss paint and stain options, please call Colour Solutions at 910-686-3067.

Filed Under: Blog, Flooring Tagged With: cement floor painting, garage floor finishing, garage floor painting wilmington nc, paint porch floor