#1 :How to Paint like a Pro - Top 10 Painting Tips . Most important: What red flags to make a look out for of during the interview poses  when hiring a "professional painting contractor"

First lets start with some question you may have that will make your project go a little smoother if you intend to paint yourself.

Choosing the Right Color, Choosing the Right Type of Paint Can Make All the Difference

   Having trouble picking the perfect paint color for your home decorating project? Not sure what type of paint you should use? Don’t feel bad -- even the pros need help from time to time.

Over the years we have frequently fielded questions from home decorators and interior designers. Here’s a list of their top 10 questions, and our answers to help you better understand the basics of color and paint selection and transform your weekend project into a professional quality job.

1. What is the best way to decide which color is best for my room?

The first step is determining your color scheme by examining your existing furniture, window treatments, and other accessories (or shop for these items first). Choose your favorite colors in these items and visit your paint dealer to get coordinating color chips. Look at the color chips in the daylight and at night so you will see how lighting will affect your color choices. As a last resort, you might want to buy a quart of your chosen color and test it on one of your walls.

2. My room has a chair rail and I am using two colors. Which one goes where?

If you want an open, airy look, always paint the portion of the wall below the chair rail with the darker color. This allows the lighter color to dominate.

3. Should trim work be painted the same color as the walls or a different shade?

The answer to this question depends on what you are trying to achieve with your room. Use the same color on the trim if you are trying to disguise ordinary or unattractive trim work, or if you are trying to create a uniform, monochromatic look. Use a lighter or darker color to accentuate trim work or to add subtle hints or bold flashes of color to your room.

4. Will the paint I chose look lighter or darker on the wall?

Over a larger surface area, most colors appear lighter. It’s a good idea to choose colors a shade or two darker than what you want. Clean, bright colors can appear either lighter or darker depending on the surrounding colors and lighting in the room.              

5. I’ve just finished painting my room and the color is bolder than I expected. How can I soften the look?

Try applying a lighter or more muted color over the original color using a design technique such as rag rolling, sponging, or color washing.

6. How do colors affect a room’s size?

Generally, strong, warm colors like reds, oranges and yellows tend to close a space. These colors are known as advancing colors because they jump out and meet the eye. Conversely, receding colors like blue, green and violet tend to make a room look larger because they “stand back” visually. However, the darkest values of the receding colors, like navy blue or hunter green, also tend to have a diminishing effect on a room’s size. Small rooms are best made to appear larger by painting them white or a light neutral color.

7. What color should I paint my ceiling?

It is customary to paint ceilings white or off-white. This creates the illusion of higher ceilings and a more open space. Medium to dark colors will create the illusion of lowering the ceiling, which can create a cozy look if the ceiling is higher than usual. With normal height ceilings, medium and dark colors could close in the area too much creating a cave-like appearance.

8. What’s the difference between different types of paint finishes and which finish works best where?

* Flat finishes have no shine, making them ideal for hiding minor surface imperfections. While traditional flat finishes are not usually stain-resistant, many interior paints are designed to provide maximum stain resistance while maintaining a beautiful flat finish.

* Eggshell or velvet finishes work in just about any room. They are easier to clean than flat finishes and offer a soft glow that warms up any room.

* Satin or semi-gloss finishes are easy to clean and are good for highlighting architectural details. They work well in kitchens, baths, and on doors and trim.

* Gloss finishes are shiny and scrub able, so they are perfect for doors, trim and specialty uses.

* Sheen terminologies vary by manufacturer.

9. What is the difference between oil-based and water-based paint, and what are the advantages of each?

Alkyd or oil-based paint penetrates wood better than latex (water-based) paint and won’t stick when you keep your doors and windows shut for the winter. For the bulk of most jobs, latex (water-based) paint is the better choice. It dries faster, doesn’t yellow and can be cleaned up with soap and water when you break for the day.

10. How do I determine the amount of paint I’ll need for a particular job?

The first step is to add the width of all walls in the room together. Multiply this sum by the height of one wall from floor to ceiling. Take this total number and subtract the total area of your doors, windows, archways, etc. to get the exact area of wall space you will paint. A flat surface usually requires one gallon for every 400 square feet. Take into account the number of coats you will need to do the job right. Blue and yellow are hard colors to cover up with just one coat.

BIG RED FLAGS that will show you the difference between a "Blow and Go" painter and a "Professional Painting contractor" that has your best interest at heart.

# 1: Never let your self be pushed into signing any form of a contract the same day you meet with the estimator, I don't care who or what company they are representing. Don't get fooled into the line " If you sign right now we will give you a discount". In my opinion any professorial Painting Contractor  should not need to pressure you into signing a contract right away.  If this form of sales tactic gets you to sign please remember that in California you can cancel the contract within three days from the time you signed it. this law was put in place especially with this form of sales tactic in mind.

# 2: After signing any contract with any contractor not only painters, the law states that you are only obliged to give the Contractor 10% of the entire contact or $1'000.00  as a down payment which ever is less.

# 3: Make sure that the Painting Contractor is not going to complete their preparation on the exterior by means of a power washer. This can create a liability not just for the contractor but also for the homeowner. the days of prepping and removing the loose paint by pressure washer are long gone but there are still painters that use this method. California Law states that all loose and peeling paint should be wet sanded and removed prior to washing. This is because of the possibility of lead being present in the first few layers of the paint.. Any home older than 1978 has a strong likelihood of lead being present.

Burke Painting treats every home the same which really does not take that much longer to complete but saves a lot of time cleaning up chips of paint that are blown everywhere -neighbors, streets and your own property. Any painter that is keeping up with the new laws should already know this  10 year old California Law. Three words: Liability, liability, liability- Thrust me you don't need the headaches

# 4: Ask you Painting Contractor for references, I would recommend asking for not just any random three as is most clients practice but ask for the last few jos that he or she has completed along with a couple of older ones. Any Contractor can give you a couple of names that they may may be friends with or did a great job, Any confident Contractor will have no problem giving you this information.

# 5 Don't relay on any other company to do your homework for you. You as a consumer should complete your do delaines to make sure that at the end of the project everyone leaves happy with knowing a great job was completed

# 6: I recommend getting at least three different estimates for any major project you need completed. Make sure everyone is on the same page or else you are going to receive a wide gummite of price ranges. It helps if you have an outline of what you need done along with the amount of coats preferred.

Burke Painting Recommends on the exterior of your home  1 full coat of the appropriate primer prior to filling and caulking (this helps the filler to stick better to the primer) spot prime the areas that needed sanding and then apply Two coats of Finish paint.. The second coat of finish has three benefits. The first is that it only takes a 1/4 of the time to apply it because everything is already set up and masked,  Second if you ask any paint manufactory they will tell you that the extra mill thickness that is built up because of the second coat can extend the life of the overall paint job by 3-5 year extra. Third being that so many clients that I have worked with over the past twenty five years have a hard time picking color, So Burke Painting only buys enough paint to complete one coat at a time, that way if our client is not completely happy with their color selection after it has been applied to the whole houme they can tweck it a little if needed . This takes a lot of pressure of the home owner