There is nothing like a nice coat of paint to make a room, a house or any space come alive -- but a paint job is only as good as   Lewis & Lewis Painting Inc.  doing it!

At  Lewis & Lewis Painting Inc. we know how to paint the interior of your home:

How to properly prepare the surface.

Which paints to use in each situation.

How to complete each painting project in a timely fashion

Our interior paint jobs are rated high by homeowners who have given us great recommendations. We do all kinds of paint jobs from small apartments to large luxury houses.

Not every painter can properly paint an interior

Have you ever seen latex paint peeling from an improperly prepared oil based paint? For surfaces previously coated with an oil-=based product is is preferable to convert to an acrylic, (water-based) paint. It is critical for the adhesion of the new coating to properly prep the surface. Here at  Lewis & Lewis Painting Inc. we take great pride in our process. We thoroughly sand the entire surface to provide a surface profile for the primer to “bite into”. Many painters if they do this stop there. We take it one step further by using a product called liquid sand .It is designed to clean and “soften” the very hard oil-base paint to provide even greater adhesion. We then use a top quality primer and usually two finish coats to provide a very beautiful and equally important, long lasting Many “professional” painters have no idea how to properly prepare interior surfaces.   It takes a trained eye and years of experience to know how to produce professional quality results on interior doors, cabinets, trim and moldings.

In order to ensure your complete satisfaction, our house painters begin and end every job with a personal consultation between you and the owner of the company. We are committed to provide the highest quality service and professionalism with each and every job.

Our Painting Process :

	Scheduling: One of the first things we ask about are your scheduling needs. We want to make sure we can accommodate you on this. When a signed proposal is received, the job is put onto our schedule. We tell you the approximate start date and then keep you updated.
	Start of project: At the beginning of your house painting project the president of our company will meet you at your house. He will have a write up of the job that follows the specifications on the painting proposal, to ensure that both parties are on the same page, before beginning the project.
	During Project: All painting work is done in proper sequence and in accordance with paint manufacturers specifications. Surface preparation i.e. washing, scraping, sanding, etc. is done first. Then the priming followed by the finish painting. Our professional exterior painters will inspect the work periodically while it is ongoing to ensure it is running smoothly and according to plan.
	Project Completion: We will let you know a day or so before we expect to complete the work. This gives you an opportunity to inspect the work to ensure that nothing got missed. Our exterior painters wrap up the job and take care of any touch ups to your full satisfaction.

  You may have heard of Elastomeric Coatings but if you are like most people, you are not sure what they are. Someone may have told you an Elastomeric Coating is the best thing for your house. They may be right, but these specialized coatings are not for every situation. As specialists in application of these coatings, we not only know how to use them but we know when to use them as well. In the right situation, they will significantly increase the life of the paint job. Used incorrectly, they can lead to early failure. (For instance, just using the wrong size spray tip can compromise the integrity of the coating by shearing the resins.) Which coating you use is less important than who does the work. Choosing  Lewis & Lewis Painting Inc.  assures you will get the best products available applied by professional, trained painters..

What Is Elastomeric Coating?

A thick, rubberized paint product relatively high in acrylic content. Generally water-based, it creates a waterproof membrane between stucco or masonry substrate and outside elements. With 300% elasticity, this coating can bridge cracks up to 1/8" wide when applied properly.

  Lewis & Lewis Painting Inc.  is proud to offer a full compliment of faux finishes from simple two and three color techniques to more artistic  and textured finishes. We can work with you to help you determine what suits your taste and budget. 

Walls are always prepped correctly and inspected upon estimate to determine what work needs to be done. All surfaces are covered and protected and there is an unmatched attention to detail you will not find anywhere else. If you decide to hire Lewis & Lewis Painting Inc. for your decorative finishing or interior painting, you will be happy to have us in your home or business and will be confident leaving us there till the job is complete.

At  Lewis & Lewis Painting Inc.   we will transform your ugly, old, mildewed, rust stained and cracked concrete into a beautiful surface that will cosmetically enhance your home.

  Concrete is very porous, much like wood, and it often already has stains from vehicle oils and fluids, small spills, water, rust, and the like, all of which can be covered . The best part is that with existing discoloration, the stain will give a patch of concrete that  decorative  patina appearance. No matter how discolored the concrete, the current blemishes will only add to the character of the finished coat. Application hazards like brush marks or uneven distribution blend right in with the  decorative effect of concrete stain. That is why we offer some of the best concrete decorative finishes .

People tend to put a lot of emphasis on paint finishes. Of course, the importance of a new and sparkling paint film of a well chosen color can't be over stated. After all, this is what they will be looking at after the paint has dried. But if this look of a freshly painted home is to last, one must not underestimate the importance of proper surface preparation.

Listed below are preparation steps for both interior and exterior paint jobs. These steps do not cover all of the possible circumstances that one can encounter on a painting project, only the more common ones.

Interior Paint Preparation Steps

• Wash the walls if accumulated dirt is a problem. Any household detergent will work. Use TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) for grease or a heavy build up of cigarette smoke. If you use powdered TSP, be sure to rinse it off with water. Use chlorine based bleach on mildew.
• Using a scraper or a Spackle blade, remove all loose paint and sand down the rough ridges where the paint had broken off. Dig out any cracks a fraction of an inch on booth sides so as to form a "V" shape. This increases contact area for your patching material to adhere to.
• Apply Spackle to cracks, holes and heavy paint ridges. Two thin patch coats are always better than one thick coat. Spackle that's too thick tends to shrink and crack as it dries. In deep holes and cracks, I like to use "Fix-All" for the first patch coat. "Fix-All" is difficult to sand so keep it in the crack or hole, slightly recessed below the surface of the wall, then follow it up with a thin coat of spackle.
• If the existing wall has something other than a smooth texture, your patch should match that texture as close as possible. You can create a stippled effect by dabbing the surface with a sponge or stiff bristle brush while the patching material is still tacky. You can also roll a coat of stipple paint or thinned out joint compound on top of a dry patch.
• Use latex caulk to seal joints around door jambs, window casings and baseboards. Wide and deep cracks may require more than one application. Use a damp rag to wipe off any excess caulk.
• Sand all glossy surfaces or treat them with liquid sandpaper. This provides a roughened surface or "tooth" for good adhesion of a subsequent coat.

Primer Application

No matter what type of surface you're painting it has to be clean, free of loose or craked paint, rust scale, oil, grease, dirt, mildew and chemical residue before application of primer.

Primer or undercoat has two main purposes: a) to seal the substrate in order is to prevent the chemistry in the substrate from migrating into and interfering with the chemistry of the finish coat; b) to help bind the finish coat to the surface being painted.

There is a specialty primer for just about every type of surface - wood, masonry, metal, etc. Essentially, the primer serves as a foundation that supports the finish coat. Understanding this should help you understand the importance of primer. The best primer available is going to be your best choice for any paint job.

Exterior Paint Preparation Steps

Before any other work is begun, check for leaks and any moisture getting into the substrate. Repair any roof leaks, gutters, windows and leaky plumbing. Damp basements and other excessively humid interior rooms are other common sources of moisture in the substrate. Use vents and dehumidifiers as necessary. Unless the source of moisture in the substrate is found and eliminated the quality of your paint job will be compromised.

• All exterior surfaces will need to be washed to remove mildew, dirt and excessive chalking. Consider using a power washer if there are more than 500 square feet of surface to wash.

Mildew has a blotchy and powdery appearance. It is a living organism that's common in damp areas which get little sunlight. Any surface that has mildew must be completely sterilized before painting. Wash the mildewed surface with a mixture of one quart of household bleach in a gallon of water.

Chalking is loosely-bound powder that forms on the surface of paint. Chalking happens when paint binder is destroyed by sun and moisture. Scrape, sand and wash off all chalking before primer application.

• On stucco, thoroughly scrape off loose paint. Repair all cracks and holes. Fill gaps around windows, door casings, or where two materials meet such as at the foundation line or where wood meets masonry. Use caulk or elastomeric  based patch to fill these cracks. (Elastomeric  is a polymer with the property of high elasticity. The term derives from elastic polymer)

Cracks of 1/16" wide or larger should be chiseled out a fraction of an inch on booth sides so as to form a "V". This increases contact area the patching material that you will be using. If you use a non-textured stucco patching material, texturize the patched area to make it approximate the existing stucco. You can use a coarse fiber brush, like a scrub brush, for this purpose. Rub the brush over the partially set patch in a circular motion until the repair looks like the rest of the wall. If you are using elastomeric  based patch, take an old brush, dip it in water and feather out the edges of the patch.

Remove any efflorescence (calcium deposits) with a stiff-bristled brush. Then neutralize the salt with a 5% solution of muriatic acid. Rinse thoroughly with clear water.

Use good exterior primer or surface conditioner for previously painted stucco. Because of the chemical reaction that occurs in the newly applied stucco, the new stucco must be allowed to properly cure out and then primed with alkali resistant primer.

• On wood surfaces, thoroughly scrape off all of the loose and cracking paint. Sand it to remove any remaining loose paint and create a smoother surface. Consider stripping if more then twenty five per cent of the coating is cracked or peeling. In stripping, the chemicals or heat is used to completely remove all of the existing coatings down to the substrate. When multiple coatings are present, stripping may be the best way to prepare the surface: however, because of the laborious nature of the stripping process, costs vs. benefits will need to be evaluated. Inject caulking compound into any cracks around windows, doors and all open vertical seams. Use good quality exterior wood primer.

Note: Do not caulk the horizontal seams between siding planks. Because siding planks overlap each other, this opening almost never is a source of a leak. On the contrary, caulking of these joints can cause moisture to be trapped in the substrate.

Note: Never use an inflexible patching material, such as Spackle, in a shallow depression of an exterior surface. This is because exterior surfaces (and wood in particular) undergo a greater degree of contraction and expansion due to humidity and heat fluctuation in a substrate. If your patching material does not move at the same rate, it will tend to crack and cause premature paint failure. If you must use patching to smooth out shallow imperfections (like paint ridges), use elastomeric  based products that will move with the substrate as it expands and contracts.

• When you're painting iron or steel, the most important thing is good contact between the surface and the coating. These metals rust when air and moisture get under the protective coating. Rust is like cancer. Once it is in the metal, it is virtually impossible to get rid of. That's why surface preparation is so important. Use a good rust inhibitor primer.
• Rusting metal must be sanded to remove loose rust scale, cleaned and primed with rust inhibitor primer. Punch in rusting nails to set them slightly below the surface, spot prime the nail heads with rust inhibitor primer and fill the nail holes with epoxy filler.
• Galvanized metal comes from the factory with a residue of the manufacturing process that prevents good paint adhesion. It is best to let galvanized metal surfaces whether for about six months. Weathering tends to neutralize the surface, making it more ready to accept paint. If you have to paint galvanized metal right away, etch the surface with a mild acid such as vinegar. Rinse the surface thoroughly and then apply a coat of galvanized metal primer.

In my past twenty five plus years as a painting contractor I have been called on to help with many prematurely failing paint jobs. Some of these jobs were done by amateurs and some by "professionals", but all of them had one thing in common - one or more skipped or improperly done preparation steps.

As mentioned before, good surface preparation is essential for a lasting paint job. The most expensive paint, the best painting technique and the finest brush will not compensate for even a single needed but skipped preparation step. Skimp on surface preparation and you will literally cut years off a useful life of your paint job.

Painting your home is a major home improvement project. It is in both parties' best interests to make yourself available at the start and completion of your job regardless of whether it is an interior or exterior paint job. This will insure that all items are completed, as agreed to, per your contract.

Here are two brief checklists that will help you prepare your house for a successful painting project.                    

Exterior

1. Turn off the sprinklers the night before so that surfaces will be dry
2. Trim back plants, shrubs, and trees that are next to or touching the parts of the building that will be painted.
3. If possible, clear away the dirt next to the foundation. Dig down to about 4” below the existing grade, and make the “trench”6” wide so we can apply the paint low. This will prevent moisture from getting underneath the paint. You’ll be able to back fill after 12 hours.
4. Remove light fixtures, house numbers, and other exterior items so we can paint the surfaces completely. We’ll mask everything that’s left in place, but remember, things change! To prevent unsightly marks left if you replace a light fixture or lock sets, make your changes before we paint. Don’t forget to check to see if the rain gutters need replacing. Make us the last stop in your home improvement plan.
5. Tell your neighbors that you are painting and give them the dates. Ask them to move cars and items such as grills, bicycles, and easy to move items to help prevent possible damage.

Interior

1. Remove all drapes, blinds, wall coverings, and light knick- knacks. Move into an area not being painted.
2. Box up all items that will have to be moved (magazines, books, toys, and items that inhibit access). China cabinets, curio cabinets, and things that have to be moved should be emptied so things don't fall over and break. It is the customer's responsibility to disconnect computers, stereos, entertainment systems, etc., so that they can be moved for access.
3. Leave your work or cell phone numbers so we may contact you if needed.
4. Make sure you are comfortable with your color selections, and locations. We are happy to help guide customers in their selections; however, these choices are ultimately the customer's decision.
5. Communicate with your estimator and foreman. If you are not sure of something, please ask questions. It is better to catch something early before it is painted and minimize the possibility of being charged to have something redone.