House Painting Blog

Interior House Painting in Rancho Santa Fe

Do you live in Rancho Santa Fe or just want to look like it? Interior house painting in Rancho Santa Fe is fairly specific. This is because the style for homes in Rancho Santa Fe are fairly iconic. This area is known for the Spanish Colonial Revival homes. There are colors that traditionally go with such a home. However, you are not bound by those. Here, we are going to take a look at a few color palettes that exemplify interior painting in Rancho Santa Fe. This is such a prevalent style in Southern California, keep an eye peeled for a future post about exterior house painting in this style, whether you reside in Encinitas, Carlsbad, or Rancho Santa Fe.

Interior palettes for house painting in Rancho Santa Fe

Look to designer homes in Spanish Colonial Revival: One of my favorite resources for paint colors in this style is the 2012 Pasadena Showcase House. The home is one that looks as if it came right out of Rancho Santa Fe. Any of these colors would be an excellent choice for a piece of your interior. For the full home palette and where each color was used, click here.
A Modern take on the theme: Remember, in our day and age, do not relegate yourself to a traditional color palette. Today’s modern homes are straying away from the creams and using more of a grey palette. The question becomes how to do that in Spanish Revival style. How do you modernize painting in Rancho Santa Fe? Keep the motifs and bring in grey and white with pops of color.
Look to the web: Pinterest, especially, is overflowing with design ideas perfect for your Rancho Santa Fe home. A quick search found an abundant and fun smattering of paint styles. With Spanish Colonial Revival style, you can go traditional or you can branch out. There are so many options available. Your interior is just waiting for a new paint job!

Encinitas House Painting: Beach Considerations

If you own a home anywhere near the coast, you will want to read this article about Encinitas house painting. When you own a home near Moonlight Beach you know that the salty air and the ocean breeze can take a toll on everything from your car to your home. When you are painting the exterior of your home, there are extra considerations you must take. At some of these, you may balk. Yet, when extra care is taken, you will get a longer life out of your paint. That is what we all want, right?

Tips for Encinitas House Painting

Proper preparation prevents poor performance: This is always vital but never more so then when you are painting a home near the shore. The intense sun and the salt in the air create a need for extra prep work. You will want to thoroughly wash the home with a cleaning solution designed to get rid of salt and the dust whipped up by the winds near the coast.
Seal the end of the trim: Water gets into the grain and rots the ends of the trim. Sealing with a two part epoxy is even more aggressive, but worth it.
Treat the wood properly: Pine wood trim often has knots. The sap will often bleed through if painted like the other wood. For maximum coverage you will want to hit the knots with a shellac and prime with an oil based primer.
Sanding: Sanding between coats is expensive but well worth it especially near the coast. It will allow the paint to stick better, for sure.

Encinitas house painting can be tricky business. You need a painting specialist who not only knows the ins and outs of traditional home painting but also knows how to get the most from your paint in specialty situations like when you are painting near the beaches, like those in Encinitas.

Del Mar House Painting: Things to consider first

Del Mar house painting requires some thought. You want to make sure you choose the right color and you want to make sure that you have researched any possible restrictions to your choice. You will also want to decide if you are going to tackle the project on your own or hire a home painting professional. All these are very important before you even contact a painting contractor or begin your DIY. Del Mar house painting can require extensive preparation, both in selection and review.

Things to consider before you begin Del Mar house painting:

HOA restrictions: This is probably the most important issues. What is allowed by my home owner’s association? Depending upon where you live, they may require you to select from a certain palette or use a certain paint quality.
Consider your location: Del Mar house painting may require more thought than house painting farther inland. This is simply because of your proximity to the ocean air. That air contains salt and salty air is caustic to your car, your outdoor items, and your house, in general. Consult professionals so that you make sure you are selecting the proper exterior paint for your location
Make sure your landscape and any neighboring homes are protected: Any paint job requires major prep work. That is one good reason why you may want to hire a professional who is fully insured. They will know exactly the proper materials to use so that your Del Mar house painting experience is a great one. You don’t want to have to repaint your neighbors home too.
DIY or painting professional?: Personally, the idea of painting the exterior of my home makes me panic. But if you are even, for a second, consider such an endeavor you need to plan, plan, plan.
Check your local planning division: Especially if you own a historic property on the registry, you will want to make sure there are no restrictions on your palette. The Del Mar Planning Department or your local planning department, will be able to give you the low down.

However, the number one thing you should consider is the hassle of it all. If you contract with a professional like RB Painting, you will never need to worry about a thing.

Tips for House Painting in Carlsbad

Schoolhouse finishing touches

House painting in Carlsbad, California is hot. With TONS of new construction, paired with a bunch of home turnover, the area is looking sweeter and sweeter every day. So, when you are deciding on house painting in Carlsbad, there are some important things to consider.

Important Tips for House Painting in Carlsbad, CA

Neighborhood Colors: Before you even begin dreaming, you need to seek out what you are allowed to do. You may have moved into a neighborhood where house painting in Carlsbad is limited to a certain palette. However, beyond that, you will want to choose a color that won’t make your neighbors regret they live next to you.
Roof color and material: This will give you hints into your choices. If you have a grey roof, you might want to consider leaning toward a cooler color. A brown roof can tolerate a warm color better and, if you have a tile roof, well….you need to consider what choices pair best for your home genre (see #4).
Other exterior elements: Not only must you consider your roof, but you will also want to consider the color of your bricks, awnings, and other outside elements that are to remain without paint. What colors go with those?
Style of home: Certain home styles lend themselves to particular colors. When deciding on house painting in Carlsbad, you will want to consider whether your home is more of a ranch style, or Craftsman, or Spanish colonial. Whatever style your house, you may want to consider paint colors traditionally used in your style.
Test out the colors: Paint swatches on each side of your home and observe them throughout the day. Before you commit to one color, just make sure. Also, realize that sun will wash out paint colors. When in doubt, go a bit darker.

Most of all, you want a house painter that will guide you through these steps. You need to know that they know what they are doing. Your painter should have enough experience and know how that they can easily assist you in your paint choice.

When Should I Paint My House in California?

In California, the weather is so even and nice, we sometimes don’t consider the best season to paint our homes until we realize that we really need it. Unfortunately, this often happens at the very worst time to paint. Don’t wait until there is deferred maintenance to ask yourself, “When should I paint my house in California?

There are a couple rules of paint, so to speak, to understand before we look at how California stands up.

Rules of Paint when I paint my house in California

Weather is important, even in California, and you need to consider it when you start an outdoor paint project
If it is too wet, the paint won’t dry properly
If it is too hot or sunny, the paint can dry too fast and uneven, causing lap marks. These are marks where you can see the application of paint.
If it is windy, like when the Santa Ana’s are blowing, it can cause the paint to dry to quickly or worse, it could blow dirt into your wet paint.
What you are left with is a day without rain or high humidity, a day that is not too terribly sunny or windy.

Reading through that list, you may just say that this seems like the average day in California. For the most part you would be correct. Yet, if you are honest, there are some application rules to follow.

When should I paint my house in California?

Even though winter is the rainiest season in California, it may not be a deal breaker if planned correctly. First, this tends to be the slowest season, so you, likely, can get your work done timely and with a better price. However, prepare for delays if a sudden storm erupts.
Even though summer seems to be a good time, in most of southern California, it is a bit hot and sunny for this time to be ideal.
The best time to start an outdoor painting project in Southern California seems is at the end of winter or beginning of spring. That way, there is less rain. There is also less wind. There is also less direct sunlight.

Just because we don’t live in a snowy environment, doesn’t mean we don’t need to consider weather. In fact, it is likely that we have to be more on top of the weather report. Your outdoor paint specialist ought to be your guide to California weather! Rely on their knowledge.