Kitchen Renovations Are Hugely Rewarding!

When designing or renovating your home, one of the most important places to spend money is your kitchen. Experts say that a good kitchen remodel can bring up to a 80% return on your investment, with bathrooms being the second most important room in the home to generate a return. Of course, one must still be clever and make good choices both financially and aesthetically in order to encourage this type of kitchen remodel to bear fruit.  

Fire safety. Dig a little deeper and you will realize that the best way to prevent a commercial or residential fire, is to eliminate causes of fire (fuel+heat+oxygen can = fire).

As painters, we take our share of responsibility to help educate the public about the risks of paint as fire hazard. We will also share some simple steps you can take to follow proper safety protocol for storing paint safely. First we start with…

If you are planning a painting project and looking for tips on what NOT to do… Look no further. After cruising through numerous articles filled with loads of savvy painting DOs we think its time to highlight the painting DONTs. Enjoy our list of 5 terrible actions to avoid on your next commercial or residential painting job.

Looking for inspiration from the best of west coast interior design? Try spending a few minutes searching through photo galleries for top hotels from up and down the coast. Luxury hotels and chic boutiques vie for your business using top interior design tricks and carefully constructed themes. From their luxury interior paint colours, to headboards, bed sheets, wall art, accessories, linens and more. There is much to learn from the pros that make these hotel destinations, and thanks to the internet, you can take notes without having to travel anywhere. Find out how to turn your own home into a relaxing oasis. Here are our choices for top 10 stylish hotels from Vancouver to San Diego.

1. Vancouver- The Listel Hotel http://www.thelistelhotel.com/gallery/rooms.htmn

2. Victoria- English Inn http://www.englishinn.ca/ 

3. Seattle- Hotel Monaco Seattle http://www.monaco-seattle.com/

4. Portland- The Jupiter Hotel http://www.jupiterhotel.com/gallery/index.cfm 

5. San Francisco- The Prescott Hotel & Argonaut Hotel: http://www.prescotthotel.com/   http://www.argonauthotel.com/ 

6. Silicon Valley- The Cypress Hotel & Hotel Avante:

http://www.thecypresshotel.com/ http://jdvhotels.com/hotels/siliconvalley/avante 

7. LA- W Hotel & Palomar Hotel: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/photos/index.html?propertyID=1789#photo_section_2Link http://www.hotelpalomar-lawestwood.com/ 

8.  Santa Monica- The Georgian Hotel http://www.georgianhotel.com/# 

9. Laguna Beach- Montage Laguna Beach http://www.montagelagunabeach.com/southern-california-luxury-suites.php 

10. San Diego- Se San Diego Hotel http://www.sesandiego.com/ 

Hiring a professional painting contractor can be a tough decision. Common concerns include questions like, “Does the job fit my budget?” …to… “Can this painter deliver on my vision?”

After all, with DIY painting tips available at the touch of a keypad, we’d hate to hire somebody who leaves us wondering if we’d have been better off painting ourselves. Then of course, whenever you mention to friends, family and co-workers that you are looking for a pro-painter for your residential or commercial projects, the horror stories start emerging from the wood work. “Eeek,” you think… “How will I ever be able to chose!”

But one thing is for sure… hiring a professional painter can deliver far superior results to DIY.  From the timeline to the minor details that set your rooms apart- a great painter brings experience, the right tools and a positive attitude to the canvas, so all you are left with is peace and satisfaction of a job well done.

What with tighter bank regulations on dolling out mortgages, higher interest rates and the new HST tax there are less buyers than sellers playing the real estate market in Greater Vancouver these days. In a buyer’s market, the onus is on sellers to do everything possible to woo potential buyers and get a leg-up on the competition. Here we provide 10 stylish tips for increasing your curb appeal and closing that property deal today.

1. Fresh interior and exterior paint will go a long way.

Choose neutral colours that add as much light to the space as possible. The extra cost of going with low-VOC paint is minimal, but it will add major appeal for buyers and help you stand out from the crowd. To avoid a sloppy paint job consider a professional painting contractor, or at the very least be patient and spend time researching painting tips so as to avoid some common amateur painting faux-pas.

2. Spruce up your lawn or balcony.

These areas are associated with leisure so make sure it looks like a place new home owners would like to spend time. Scrub the decks, mow the lawn, reduce the clutter, get rid of old lawn furniture, weed, clip the brush, display fresh potted flowers, add an artful feature and create a cozy place to sit.

This Sunday, June 20th people take to the streets in and around Vancouver for block parties in celebration of going car-free. Kitsilano, Commercial Drive, Main Street, West End, and North Vancouver are going sans cars with good food, music, dancing, and an eco-friendly message. The 5 car free festivals promote each neighborhood’s individuality and strengthen our community. Feeling adventurous- why not try checking out all five? But don’t forget, walk, cycle or take public transit because the only requirement to get into this party- is going car-free!

http://www.carfreevancouver.org/

VOCs Are Natural, Aren’t They?

Volatile Organic Compounds, commonly referred to as VOCs, are found everywhere- including nature. VOCs are organic chemical compounds with high vapor pressure (they turn to gas at room temperature) and come in vast combinations. So if VOCs occur organically in nature, mainly by plants, then what’s the big deal right? Well, our modern world has increased our exposure to man-made VOCs, that become particularly concentrated indoors . So investigators are increasing studying the chronic, negative health effects of exposure to VOCS.

Want a quick way to freshen up the look of your home or workplace? Try giving your space a lift with fresh, interior paint for your doors and trim. Painting doors and trim can be easy when you follow the steps taken by professional painters. Quality painting takes focus, the ability to work quickly without losing patience, and the proper tools for painting. Here we share a list of painting do's for doors and trim.

Chalkboards used to just be a thing of schoolrooms,our teachers tapping their white chalk along the board's smooth green surface, erasing in a frenzy to make space for our next lesson... But a strange thing has been happening lately, chalkboard paint has been lending its erasable power to walls all across North America, including some of the trendiest interior design magazines, businesses, lofts, nurseries... And now, chalkboard paint could be bringing the magic to you! Right? Maybe? Well, keep reading and find out at least 5 cool ways you can use chalkboard paint to make chalky fun like never before. (We've included chalkboard painting tips for residential and commercial design.)