We’re considering opening a paint recycling center, but we need to know: Do you want a recycled paint center? Please reply with your comments below. Your answers will determine our decision. (And please pass the word on to other interested parties for their vote, too.)

Recycled Paint – How Perfect Is It?

We talk about eco-friendly painting being Carvél Painting’s passion, and it is. We bring in eco-friendly products as frequently as possible. And often these products are better-performing than their unfriendly counterparts!
But we can do more. So, we are.

The 411 on Recycled Paints

What’s so great about recycled paints?

• Recycled paint costs less than unrecycled paint, usually significantly so!
• It’s quality paint: Recycled paint maintains its original qualities
• Recycled means less impact on the landfill
• Recycled contributes to improved groundwater
• Recycling paints increases our efficient use of resources

We think it’s time to set up a paint recycle center. But do you? Submit your thoughts and add your opinion to the discussion. Thank you!

Like almost all building maintenance, too, the sooner and more consistently you take action, the longer the life of the wood.

• Perk up the beauty of a deck for the holidays. Staining and protecting a deck brings out wood’s exquisite colors and grain. Get the deck work done before holiday guests arrive and parties begin.
• Avoid warp and rot in wood fences. Don’t forget to protect your fences, too. These are focal points to a property. And, besides, upkeep is critical to fence maintenance.
• Avoid major exterior wood repairs. Consistent, annual upkeep prolongs the life of all exterior wood – including that special entry-door trim and beautiful wood front doors.

Eco-friendly Wood Stains and Products

You don’t need to use oil-based products to stain and protect exterior wood anymore, and this may be a consideration for anyone living in environmentally sensitive areas or who are sensitive themselves.

New waterborne products give us equal or better results to the old oil-based ones. What’s more, the new products have lower VOC components.

Contributed by John Allen, owner of Carvél Painting.

===
Carvél Painting ~ Beauty That Endures
Serving Reno and Tahoe areas with Residential and Commercial Painting Services
877.685.3382

The client was seeking a way to delineate and highlight a patio area, especially for evening dinner parties. And the wall structures, already established, were basic Northern Nevada stucco. A scumble of color was the perfect solution.

How to Scumble

The beauty of scumbling is that it adds color layers, which then create highlights and add movement. I picked up colors from the backyard, from the pond, lily pads, and sage.

The scumbling technique involves layering colors, rubbing some in, taking some off, in an asymmetrical manner so that the end result looks as if it naturally occurred.

This is just one of the faux techniques we use to create a natural look and feel. Does it sound like something you want to know more about? Call for more information and a free consultation/estimate. And please visit our website for more on our Faux services.

Contributed by Carvél Painting’s Faux & Decorative Arts Master
and Color Expert – Bryan Melillo
===
Carvél Painting ~ Beauty That Endures
Serving Reno and Tahoe areas with Residential and Commercial Painting Services
877.685.3382

We talked about low-VOC and no-VOC products recently (see our post, What the Heck are VOC’s), and we’ll be talking more in the future. But today, I just want to drop in and mention a couple of things painting crews can do to help keep our environment clean.

Eco-friendly Painting Practices

We call these eco-friendly painting practices (Read more about them on our website), and they help to reduce our footprint as we paint, stain, and cover surfaces of every type. They are:

• Use recycled paint whenever possible
• Use eco-friendly painting products whenever possible
• Reuse on-the-job materials such as canvas drop cloths, buckets, rollers and brushes
• Clean up with a minimum of water usage
• Reduce paper usage (Use email and electronic databases)
• Use a GPS (Global Positioning System) to ensure all drivers travel efficiently to and from sites
• Solar power! – Our webhost is solar-powered

We’re doing what we can, and we plan to do more and more in the future. Painting can be a no-fumes, eco-friendly experience – a small part we can play in helping to clean up our planet.

Contributed by John Allen, owner of Carvél Painting.
===
Carvél Painting ~ Beauty That Endures
Serving Reno and Tahoe areas with Residential and Commercial Painting Services
877.685.3382

The heat of summer is tough on paint and finishes. And let’s face it, the dry, 100-degrees-plus high desert climate in Nevada is even tougher than most – even in a relatively mild season as this one has been. The heart of the problem is the sun.

Fall is an especially good time to take a close look at your home or office building structure. You’ll notice that typically structures look their worst on the side facing the sun’s hottest, direct rays. You’ll often find fading, peeling paint and cracking wood on this side first.

If you see any of these signs (fading, peeling, cracking), take action. Catch these problems early and you’ll see some significant cost savings.

Save Money on Exterior Painting – an Insider’s Tip

Often we’re able to paint or resurface just one side of a building. That’s where your big savings lie, so catch peeling and cracking early. Paint early, paint well, and your building will stand up to our climate.

Colors, Textures and Products: We can usually match paint colors and textures, and this is an important factor when deciding to resurface just the sun-facing side of a building. (See more about our services on our Website.) Our expertise in color matching the newly painted side to the old sides enhances the building’s overall aesthetics.

So, take a walk around your building to assess this season’s damage – a small investment now can mean long-term cost savings.

Contributed by John Allen, owner of Carvél Painting.
===
Carvél Painting ~ Beauty That Endures
Serving Reno and Tahoe areas with Residential and Commercial Painting Services
877.685.3382

VOC’s are definitely something you should know about before you hire a painting professional or begin a painting project yourself.

In short, VOC’s are Volatile Organic Compounds that vaporize and enter the air we breathe. In paint, these are typically formaldehyde, benzene, diethyl phthalate and dibutyl. They can also be lead, cadmium and chromium.

Reactions to VOC Exposure

Typical short-term reactions to VOC exposure can include allergic symptoms such as headache and nausea. Long-term exposure to VOCs has been correlated to more serious health challenges such as liver and kidney cancer.

So be careful, read the labels on paint cans, and don’t hesitate to contact us here for any of your painting questions.

Contributed by John Allen, owner of Carvél Painting.
===
Carvél Painting ~ Beauty That Endures
Serving Reno and Tahoe areas with Residential and Commercial Painting Services
877.685.3382

]]> http://carvelpainting.com/blog/2009/10/02/voc-vocs/feed/ 1 http://carvelpainting.com/blog/2009/09/09/koruku-faux/ http://carvelpainting.com/blog/2009/09/09/koruku-faux/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:08:55 +0000 John Allen http://carvelpainting.com/blog/?p=6 Faux Art with Bryan Melillo

Koruku – for Beauty and Eco-friendly Environments

Koruku (pronounced co-roo-koo) blends Asian elegance with contemporary western design and ideals. It’s a terrific material with a myriad of applications, and it’s more than simply eco-friendly. It actually absorbs VOCs out of an environment.

This is one faux finish that is stunning, unusual and also good for your air quality.

Koruku, a product from Japan, is made out of cork and it comes in four different values. It’s applied over a scratch coat – a zero-VOC undercoat, creating a soft, cushioned finish. The cork’s tiny air pockets help it to work as a wonderful sound absorber. And the texture creates a beautiful, serene finish.

Sound like something you want to know more about? Call for more information and a free consultation/estimate or visit our section with more information about our our Faux services.

In this blog we’ll be bringing you our insights into the both time-tested and contemporary industry design tips, color and product trends as well as information about traditional and eco-friendly paints and coatings. We will also be including updates from our world-class faux artist, Bryan Melillo, about information on eco-friendly products and processes, and tips on decorative arts painting as well as guest articles from local design experts from time to time.

If you find yourself not being able to visit the blog as often as you might like, please sign up for our emails where we will be sending out similar information in our e-newsletters.

We’re very excited about our new website and brand and want to thank you for visiting. We hope you find the information we provide as being something that you find useful in your home and office decorating and painting projects.

Please have a look around our new website, too, and check out our painting galleries for great ideas and beautiful work.

John Allen (Owner)
Carvél Painting
877.685.3382