Spring is almost here, even in Northern Michigan where April snowstorms are fairly common.   As the snow recedes and people start to get out and about, they start to notice the toll that winter's harsh winds and snow and early spring sleet storms take on their homes.

We're scheduling exterior painting jobs now through the spring and we'd love to have an opportunity to bid on your home.

When most people think of painting their home, they think of the tediousness of dipping a brush in a bucket over and over and hopping ladders across an expanse of siding.   It doesn't have to be that way.

Spray, don't brush for the best, most even coverage

Instead, my crew does as much exterior work as possible using a technique of spraying and backbrushing.  Now before you say "Spraying, no way, I've heard horror stories about paint spray jobs" hear me out.  Most people who've had a bad experience have worked with someone inexperienced in spraying paint or stain and ended up with paint on their bushes, deck and windows - maybe even their cars.

That doesn't have to happen.  In fact, there are some real advantages to spraying paint or stain on your siding.  Spraying allows for complete saturation of the wood, giving you even coverage across the entire board.    When we paint exteriors we use a two person team.  One sprays the paint or stain on the siding, the other follows and back brushes the paint or stain to make sure it penetrates.  This is especially effective for homes with rough siding like cedar because it assures that the paint or stain will penetrate the texture of the wood.   The result - a nice even coat of paint or stain all the way across the board with no heavy and no light spots.  

That's often not the case when you dip your brush in a bucket and start spreading paint or stain on the siding.   Immediately you get inconsistencies in application.   Unless you're incredibly good and never get tired, your paint will be thicker in the middle of the application and thinner at the edges.  A consistent spread of paint or stain is even harder to control when you get up high.

Careful preparation is key

Like every job, our crew starts out with lots of preparation.  Meticulous masking of areas that aren't to be painted and lots of tarps spread over the landscaping help us keep paint off most areas.  If there's an area we're concerned about - a place we can't really mask or cover completely for painting safety reasons we'll talk with you about the potential for some overspray before we start.

If you have a multiple color house what we'll do is spray the siding and then do the trim with brushes or rollers.   If you have a house that's one color of siding and trim, we'll use one of the new liquid masking products to mask off your windows and have the job done so quickly it will surprise you. 

Spraying your siding also lets us be more competitive in our pricing.   Give us a call and find out just what we can do for you to freshen up your home's exterior.

April is National Decorating Month.  What better time to think about painting your home's interior or exterior now that warmer weather is on the horizon?

National Decorating Month is the brainchild of Donna Babylon, an interior designer who created the month to promote her series of how-to books for home decorating.

"I really created the month to focus on do-it-yourselfers," Babylon says.   "After being inside all winter and looking at the same four walls, I wanted people to take a look at their surroundings and start thinking about what they could do the freshen up the look of their home before summer so they can enjoy it all through the summer season.  It's just a great time plan or get started with what you'd like to do."

Projects for National Home Decorating month could include:

• Setting a plan for painting or staining your home's exterior, doors and trim.
• Getting started on repainting your interior rooms, whether you're putting on a fresh coat of the same color or choosing a new color all together.
• Adding some  new pillows or changing lampshades.
• Bringing in fresh spring colors with candles, flowers or plants.
• Shopping for new accessories or bringing some old favorites out of storage and rotating them with what's been out all winter.
• Buying some plush, pretty new towels for the bathroom.

If a new paint job is on your list, we'll be happy to give you a quote for interior or exterior repainting.  If you prefer to do it yourself, check out my How to Paint a Room Like a Pro video before you paint.  It's available in DVD or you can purchase a three month subscription that you can look at immediately on my website.

When I was growing up flying a kite was pretty much considered child's play.  Like most kids, I flew kites every spring when April winds and warmer weather combined  to make perfect kite flying days.  The kites most of us remember from childhood were some combination of a balsa wood frame, paper cover and a big ball of twine.

Step into a kite store today - yes there are stores that specialize in kites - and you'll be amazed at the various shapes, sizes and colors you'll find.  There are box kites, stunt kites, dragon kites... the list goes on and on.

Kites are believed to have originated in Asia where there was great material for building them - lightweight bamboo and silk for example.  Some historians argue over whether the Chinese or the Indonesians were the first to fly kites, but pretty much it's agreed that the practice began in Asia and that stories of kites and kites themselves were brought to Europe from the Far East in the 1500s and 1600s.

If you remember your U.S. history lessons, Benjamin Franklin is often credited as flying a kite in a thunderstorm to prove that lightning is electricity.  Whether he did this experiment or whether it was only a proposal isn't known, but it sure makes a good story - and a history lesson that just about everyone remembers.

Kites were used in scientific research in the latter half of the 19^th century but after the development of the airplane kites were used less for science and more for recreation.

Kite flying remains popular in Asia for competitions and games.   Kites are also flowing in Asia, Europe and South America in celebration of a variety of holidays.

Why not dust off your old kite - or go get a new one - and enjoy some great kite flying this April.  Just one caution - if you do, be sure to stay safe and keep your kite away from power lines.

Got some wallpaper that's dated and getting kind of rough around the seams?  Do you want to get rid of it but you've heard horror stories from friends about steaming and scraping for days on end to get their old wallpaper off?

It doesn't have to be that way.  Wallpaper should come off the way it went up - in full sheets.  And now, my newest video will show you how!

Learn How to Remove Wallpaper Like a Pro, a step-by-step guide to taking wallpaper off the way it went on - in full sheets will be available through my Tricks of the Trade website very soon.  We'll be sending out a special announcement when it becomes available, but meanwhile if you'd like a preview you can look at what went into the filming of it on You Tube.

In the You Tube video - and in the finished DVD, you'll hear from homeowners Mike and Gina Esch about their experience removing wallpaper the Dan Brady way vs. their previous experience removing wallpaper from their bedroom.   We think you'll agree that Learn How to Remove Wallpaper Like a Pro is going to be a hit just like How to Paint a Room Like a Pro.   

Watch your email box for the announcement, coming soon.