What is an exterior finish?
Exterior finishes are the types of material that cover the house or commercial building as a whole such as paint, stain or waterproofer. It is the outer layer of coverage that protects the structure of a building against the harsh Florida elements.
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These exterior finishes on your walls will protect your inside from outside elements like wind, rain etc. Without the exterior finishes, it is possible for the walls to deteriorate much earlier than expected. Exterior paint finishes can add insulation values to the outside walls as well. 

​What is power washing?
Power washing, on the other hand, is the process of removing surface materials such as dirt, mold, mildew, and pollen from exterior surfaces. This involves applying pressurized water on to a surface.

Hot water power washing?
In some instances, the water used is heated to a hot temperature, this is important when cleaning grease or oil areas. The water would have to be heated to a particular temperature depending on the area been done, the hot water, combined with a de-greaser breaks down oily, contaminated residue. Power washing is used for commercial, residential and industrial applications.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS USED IN POWER WASHING

• Cleaning solution
• Pressure washer
• Gloves
• Safety glasses
• Buckets
• Hose(s) based on the location of the power washer and the surface to be cleaned

Where is the need for power washing?

• Roofs (soft clean)
• Decks + Fences
• Concrete floors
• Pavers
• Gutters
• Home exteriors
• Commercial buildings

How is it done?
Due to the fact that power washing is done with force, it is recommended that it should be used on a hard surface and stable exterior finishes because these areas need extra force to remove all the grime, stains, and dirt on them. Delicate areas such as roofs or screening should have a soft cleaning. This is done with primarily chemicals and very low pressure, mainly just to rinse.

Power washing is very important on exterior finishes because before a building can be painted the surface needs to be clean and dry, also when you want to get your house repainted, power washing is important to make the paint last longer and look very attractive. When you're looking for how to improve your exterior appearance, power washing is the best because it offers that fresh/clean quality.
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Power washers must be used properly. Safety is paramount; make sure to use an experienced power washing company. When it is properly done by a professional it keeps our home maintenance up to par and in top shape.

Why is Power Washing so important?
Power washing removes mold, and mildew, dirt and other contaminate which can be very damaging to the home and even the health of the people leaving inside. If this mold and others are not properly addressed, it can later affect both the interior and exterior of the building with wood rot, etc.
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A MUST before painting!
Without power washing, paint won't be able to adhere properly to dirty surfaces on which it is applied. Always remove dirt, spider webs, molds, mildew and any other contaminates. The build-up will weaken the bonding factor when painting, cause pre-mature fade and damages the exterior finishes, with power washing this won't be a problem.
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Detergents can be used to disinfect and sanitize areas. This maintains a healthier outdoor environment for the family and people spending time outdoors. Power washing helps in keeping the exterior finishes healthy and safe.

Hire a power washing pro
In power washing, it is very important for you to hire an expert with a lot of experience, because every wrong step take influences the end product. Experts will clean and refinish your exterior efficiently with high-quality results.
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When hiring power washing from a inexperienced person, they might end up destroying the window screens and thereby cause leaking in window seals and more. Or “burning” the surfaces mandating a paint job. The water is shot at very high pressure, if used incorrectly it can be quite un-safe. Power washing can be so powerful, it can also remove paint in the same process.

​In addition to this, power washing prepares your house for painting and offers that fresh, new and clean appearance. Power washing is advisable for your decks and railings, wood and vinyl fences, asphalt and concrete driveways, metal patio furniture etc. FREE Quotes (904) 395.7181

Regardless of the fact that you are moving to a new place or painting to improve the existing one, the need for reshaping your painting skills and efficiency will always be there. You’ll want the right tools to get the job done, a painting extension pole can be a life saver!

Conventionally, there is widespread use of paint brushes or rollers for these tasks, however, when there is a need to have access to such points where you cannot reach normally like ceilings or high walls you will need help from an extension pole. The common practice is to use ladder to reach such surfaces for painting. Nevertheless, it could be an extremely laborious chore which also involves plenty of risk of falling or injury. 

​This is exactly where Wooster extension poles for the paint rollers come to rescue and ease up the job for you up to an immense extent. The extension poles, as the name depict, enhance the length of paint rollers to any certain length to enable you for reaching hard to reach places without having to use the ladder. Usually, the poles are available in numerous lengths varying from 2 to 16ft and even more as per the certain needs. 

Many have claimed, home painting with the longer extensions poles tend to be bulky which means they will demand more energy and power from you, but it is still worthy than harming yourself with inefficient ladders. There would be plenty of prospects which need consideration when you decide to buy an extension pole. Not only with the design perspective, but different brands also feature multiple features based on the performance and requirements of the users.
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Sherlock Extension Poles feature not only high dependability but usually come free from the hassle of slipping or twisting. All you have to do is to simply fix the length of 4 to 8ft pole which can be done with a mere touch of the thumb. After doing this you’re good to go painting.

• Features:

 

• Zinc die-cast threaded tip which can hold up the roller frame or even any other similar item on end of the pole to avoid looseness.
• Inner pole is constructed with hexagonal aluminium so that twisting could be avoided.
• Supremely lightweight and rugged fiberglass outer pole.
• Conveniently adjusting lock lever which fixes 6 inches only with a rub of thumb along with secure locking and backed up rubber-like comfortable grip.

​We have used the Sherlock poles for over 25 years and believe they are the best painting extension poles, bar none! A few more of the attributes are; the green quick-release position lock of the Sherlock Extension Poles, it’s constructed with reliable and organic fiberglass nylon and finished with a heavy-duty brass locking pin. And the fiberglass outer is quite lightweight so it helps in making the extension poles superbly convenient to handle. Furthermore, the hexagonal inner pole is quite robust as being made up of anodized aluminium, it avoids twisting and can lock in with the super smooth hand grip which eliminates skidding or slipping.

​Being a professional painting company, we use paint poles on a daily basis. These paint poles made by Wooster have proven dependable over many decades. On many or our commercial painting jobs in Jacksonville you will find our Pro Painters using Sherlock extension poles..

 Some Benefits of Power Washing in Jacksonville

  Power washing (pressure wash) can be described as the use of high-pressure water spray to remove mud, grime, chewing gum, dust, mold, loose paint and dirt from objects and surfaces such as vehicles, buildings and concrete surfaces. This method of cleaning assist homeowners to take care of their exterior surfaces by removing tough stains and substances with much ease and effectiveness.

​Even a "soft wash" with a power washer and chemical will do wonders for areas like; screens, pool enclosures and roofs. It will add years of life to your surfaces by keeping them clean and healthy.

Why do I need to power wash my home?

1.   To preserve its value
A home exterior surfaces are exposed to series of natural or artificial elements like smoke, pollution, dirt, wind, rain and sunlight which are capable of eroding the paint, thus causing it to peel or crack over time. The accumulation of these defects can make your home unattractive, thus tampering with its market value. Experts believe that pressure washing your home can increase its value by 5 to 10 percent.
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2.   It saves time and money
​Regularly power washing (every 12-18 months) can eliminate the presence of contaminants capable of contributing to mold growth or dry rot. These are factors that can trigger early failure in buildings materials like paint systems and allow wood decay. Power washing can save valuable time when preparing your home for painting. 

3.  It offers protection
​When your exterior surfaces get exposed to allergens, algae, dust, dirt, moisture and mold, its appearance may be tampered with thus reducing its market value while endangering the lives of its inhabitants. Since pressure washing can remove these items, it tends to limit the release of potential life-threatening, mold, rot and allergens. 

​Connect with our team of power washing professionals on how to pressure wash your home effectively; we can assist you to keep your home or business clean and your family healthy. Inquire about our maintenance plans for power washing residential homes and commercial facilities.

When it comes to ensuring that you get the best painting services there is to offer, you can definitely count on Jax Painting Service for quality and for durability. We are invested in providing the best and most dependable painting service there is to offer in the world of painting services. This is due to our commitment to deliver brilliant and long-lasting finishes to the interior and exterior of your Jacksonville home.

Many people often underestimate the importance of professionally painted homes, and of hiring the right painting service and the use of the right materials. The long-term outcome of this is that they end up with poorly executed painting tasks and lackluster results that don’t last. They don’t think the area is important enough to bother about painting professionally. They don’t see any reason to spend extra money to paint their Jacksonville home “professionally”.

We think otherwise.
Painting, when professionally done, accentuates the beauty and comfort of your home both visually and psychologically. Everyone who has ever seen a house with rotting and/or algae-covered walls would testify to how costly that can be, upsetting the home’s health. The same can be said for interior walls and trim that are not properly done.

Seeing that your home is where you retire from daily, all the discomfort of the world outside, it is important that your home offers the needed comfort and rest that you require when you retire indoors. Many people don’t get this, but color combinations contribute a lot to your comfort and relaxation in your Jacksonville home.

​We offer the best house painting services in Jacksonville,
We not only understand the mechanics of painting and why it is important; we are also very adept with the practical skill and have mastered various techniques to deliver the best and most visually appealing painting services in the Jacksonville area. 

Do everything professionally possible to bring  the best sparkle for your home or office space!
We know just how important it is for you to have the best painting services delivered to you. We understand how much you deserve to finish a stressful day and feel at home. We know how to combine and use colors to bring you that peace of mind and feeling of relaxation. We are a painting service who will go to any length to bring you that satisfaction that you deserve.
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We offer professional, background checked, trained staff and most professional equipment to handle all forms of painting for different kinds of projects. Whether it is a family home or an apartment for a single individual with a pet or two, we know just the right color combination and finish to use for you.

​Do you have special color aversions and needs?
We are trustworthy and reputable when it comes to offering services in painting Jacksonville homes, business and office spaces and every form of building structure there is. We base our service delivery on extensive and dependable research and implementation, taking into account all special needs and specific reservations on color schemes. 

​Contact Jax Painting Service for all your painting and waterproofing needs!
We have an amazing track record in the business of improving and upgrading the visual outlook of buildings (homes and office spaces) for almost 3 decades. Over the years, we have built a reputation on skill, expertise, dedication and extreme professionalism. Contact our painting service for a comprehensive free quote.

​Exterior House Painting 101
Painting the exterior of your Jacksonville, Fl. home is often considered a simple job and this explains how people hire terrible painters or resolve to do it themselves without proper guidance. Exterior house painting is not something that should be handled with levity on the assumption that it sounds simple to accomplish. In reality, the exterior is the more tasking aspect of the house to paint and this is because it requires the strict adherence to several processes in order to achieve a specific target.
In this blog article, we would share with you, insights on exterior house painting, to help you complete the task yourself professionally without having to spend the bank or stress much. Before we dive into that, let us list the materials you would need to DIY exterior house painting.

​Materials Needed for Exterior House Painting: exterior flat or satin paint, exterior semigloss paint, (Resilience is good exterior paint) pressure washer, paint sprayer, paintbrush, painter's tape, drop cloths, ladders, paint scraper, stain-blocking primer, epoxy filler, medium-grit sanding block, Spackle knife, exterior caulk, caulk gun, plastic sheeting.

First Step: Pressure Washing for the Walls
Pressure washing helps to ensure that dirt and dust buildup on the exterior of your house are removed and this ensures best coverage and helps the paint to stick better. The best way to go about pressure washing is to work your way from top to bottom of the house in a smooth, controlled manner. Be mindful to focus on any peeling or loose surfaces.
Second Step: Fix all Damaged Surfaces
In order to make the finished work smooth and alluring, check around the house for damaged surfaces such as masonry, wood rot, metal, loose siding, cracked stucco, etc., and fill all cracks and holes with epoxy filler using a spackle knife. When the filling is dry, sand with a medium grit sanding block. Be sure to fix wood rot; don’t paint over it.
Third Step: Get Rid of Loose Paint
When the exterior is dry, move around the perimeter of your house and take note of any loose or chipped paint. Place drop cloths along ground, then remove chipped and loose paint using paint scraper or medium grit sanding block. You’ll want a solid base for the new exterior paint.
Fourth Step: Caulk Trim and Prime Stains
Fill any gaps between house and trim around doors and windows using exterior caulk and caulk gun. If house has mixed materials such as siding and brick, add caulk along surface where different materials meet. After that, move on to examine the exterior for any stains or visible wood knots on which you should then apply one coat of stain-blocking primer with a paintbrush on the area. In addition, apply primer to any of the patching or wood filler that you used previously.
Fifth Step: Cover Doors, Windows and Lighting Fixtures and Paint Exterior
In order to protect your doors, windows and lighting fixtures from getting drips or over sprayed with unnecessary paint, it is important to cover them with plastic sheeting and painter’s tape. After that, load the exterior paint color into paint sprayer. Depending on intensity of hue, apply two coats of the exterior paint to entire house. Be sure to work your way from top to bottom in a smooth, controlled manner, overlapping each stroke by 8 inches. Also, if you are using a paintbrush or roller, then it is advisable to work your way carefully through the exterior of the house. It’s always better to back-roll when spraying…this gives a more consistent finish and works the material into the surface.

 Exterior Painting Maintenance
Adhering to the basic steps of exterior painting above, you can have a healthy, protected and low maintenance exterior. And remember, one of the most important aspects is keeping up on the maintenance of your exterior surfaces. Power washing every 12-18 months will add years of life to your exterior paint surfaces. And be sure to always keep an eye on sealants near windows and doors. This will help to eliminate moisture intrusion.  Check with local Jacksonville painting companies, many offer painting maintenance plans for homeowners and businesses.

Choose The Best Paint for Your Home
Choosing the right kind of paint for your home is often a tough decision to make because of the many options that are available in the paint market today. The type of paint for your home should depend on a number of factors. We will examine some of those in this article and hope they help you make a better decision when choosing paint for your home.
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Before we delve into what to consider before choosing color, let us consider the following things that paint color helps to achieve painting inside the home. 

1. Create a Focal Point
Emphasize your home's attractive architectural features, such as crown molding or arched window treatments, with contrasting paint – lighter or darker than the wall – or by painting them with a glossy finish. You can also make one wall an accent wall by painting it a different color, giving it a faux finish, adding wallpaper or a border.
2. Unify the Color Flow
You can unify rooms by using a common color palette. Create distinct spaces by altering the shade and hue within the common palette. Ask your painting company for help; they are well versed.
3. Emphasize or Minimize
Color can emphasize certain features - and minimize others. A long narrow room will look wider if you use a slightly darker color on the shorter walls and a lighter color on the longer walls. You can make a ceiling appear higher by applying a lighter color, or lower with a darker color. To give a big room a more intimate feel, paint the walls in colors that advance toward you, such as red, gold, orange and brown. To help a small room seem larger, paint the walls in colors that make them appear to recede, such as blue, green or violet. 
4. Reflect on Light Sources
Remember that the color you choose may look different at various times of the day and night. The warm tones of incandescent lights will have a different influence on the color than the natural light of day. Once you're aware of how different light sources can affect your paint colors.

Now, things to consider when choosing a paint for your office or home. The type of paint you'll use depends on how the room to be painted will be used and the type of finish you want. Interior paint is specifically formulated to provide:

• Ability to be scrubbed easily and stain resistance
• Good hiding ability
• Good coverage
• Spatter resistance
• Easy touch-up

Latex or Oil?
Interior house paints are either latex- or oil/alkyd-based. Today, most oil-based paints are made with synthetic resins (alkyds), which perform better than paints based on natural oils. Each has different characteristics and uses. Your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams paint expert can provide advice about which paint is right for your project.
Oil / Alkyd– Good adhesion, excellent durability and stain resistance make Sherwin-Williams oil/alkyd-based paints excellent choices for trim in high-traffic rooms, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Clean paint tools with mineral spirits.
Latex – Get the longest-lasting finish with the best gloss retention. Sherwin-Williams latex paints are easy to work with, dry quickly and are extremely durable. Latex paints clean up easily with soap and water.

​House Painting for Curb Appeal
Making your Jacksonville, Florida home pop with a very low budget is quite possible. With so many painting options available for curb appeal, you can create new and exciting perspectives to your home’s exterior design without necessary breaking the bank or breaking a sweat.
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If you are tired of coming home to the same dull graying colors; unable to move because, well, you’re on a budget. Maybe you direly need to sharpen up the hues of your walls in order to create a new look to your apartment or condo, and give your guests something to talk about, then painting your home for curb appeal is probably the most ideal thing to do.

​When painting your Jacksonville home for curb appeal, you don’t really need to spend much on getting the whole house repainted or spruced up. All you need is to focus your painting on specific parts of the home that guests would naturally check out or parts of the house that you are particularly drawn to – if you’re painting to please yourself.

House painting your Jacksonville home for curb appeal won’t require a heavy budget, and that is probably the best thing about it. Second best thing is that you don’t necessarily need to hire a professional painter or house painting company.

With this guide, as an example, you can learn about the places to focus on depending on what works for your particular abode and learn how to paint with amazing effects from the other posts available on our painting blog. But for now, we will focus on showing you areas in your house that you can paint for curb appeal.

​Create a Whole New Vibe by Repainting Your Stairs
We get it; people are hardly drawn to the way a stairway looks. But this is mostly because homeowners hardly ever focus on giving their guests something to look at on the stairways. Most stairways are just bland or simply painted.

​With very little effort and financial investment, you can reinvent the way your guests view your stairs whenever they visit you by creating a new experience from climbing the stairs through paint.
Today, there are some amazing 3-dimensional decals are available. They create the illusion of depth and texture. Amazon has a wide variety of stair decals able to produce great illusions. 

​Turn Your Front Door to a Work of Art
When you arrive at your home, when your guests arrive at your home, the front door is what they come across before going inside the house. You can use this to your advantage and turn your door into a work of art. The process is simple; you can either buy stencils from various outlets or online, or you can create your own design if you have the skill, experience or training of an artist.

Give Your Front Porch a Face lift
By painting some of the essentials on your front porch, you can transform the way you and your guests see visualize your home. Some of the essentials you can paint on your front porch to give it a face lift include the lights on the porch, the rocking chairs and other easily noticeable odd ends on the front porch. Painting these shouldn’t be difficult with the right color selection. For example, when painting the lights, choose a metallic color of paint instead of bright colors and alternate the choice for when painting other items on the porch.

​So, as you can see….with a little imagination and mimicking some professional ideas, you to can create that curb appeal “pop” that’s so sought after.
 
If your looking to spice up the way your home looks, add some fresh color, contact us for a free quote today! ​FREE Quotes~(904) 395.7181

​In recent times, gel stain has been considered by many as an effective way of rejuvenating household furniture and refurbishing stuff around the house to take on a new look. Among other things, gel stain is a great way to improve the way salvaged or thrift finds look. It can be used to refinish an old wooden front door, refurbish a counter top or wooden cabinet. In this post, we will consider some of the benefits of gel stain to household furniture and why you should consider this cost-effective means of redefining how surfaces can mimic repair wood by applying Gel-Stain.

​Gel Stain is Cost Effective
With Gel stain, investment is not really significant, and the expected impact is quite commendable. Gel stain is the one time you can fix furniture without having to go out on a limb in the name of investment for tools. Gel stain does not require you to spend too much on investment, and yet it offers you the best and most durable impact for mimicking wood. Using gel stain will save you money and guarantee you a strong impact. It allows for new opportunities concerning staining.
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​Gel Stain is Thick, Unlike Paint
Gel stain can be applied thick on the surfaces such as; painted trim, wooden cabinets or furniture, and you can still feel the natural wood grain underneath. This is unlike paint, in that the gel stain is a more viable option when trying to mimic wood. This means that instead of getting new furniture, you can just apply gel stain to your old furniture and it would give it that fresh wood glow – even over painted surfaces.

​You Can Use Gel Stain for More Creative Options
Gel stain covers a wide range of options and extends through a number of furniture overhauls that you can use it for. But one of the more important benefits of using this wonderful resource is the fact that it allows for more creative options. Due to the fact that gel stain is thicker, it can be applied in several situations like for painting faux wood grain on many surfaces, even finishing metal and plastic. This makes the use of gel stain almost endless.
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Gel Stain is Probably the Best Option 
Don’t throw out your old dresser or dump your old cabinet simply because there is no more room for it, start sanding then apply new gel stain finish or paint. Gel stain is the best bet for filling that vacancy of ideas on what to do about refurbishing old furniture and having it mimic wood. With gel stain, you can either choose to just stain your old furniture and give them a new look, or you can choose to totally refurbish the complete look and transform your old furniture into something absolutely new. This is, perhaps, the most versatile uses of gel stain, that it can transform your furniture into something else entirely.

Heat Factor: In addition, when exterior painting in harsh climates such as the Jacksonville, Florida area, where heat exhaustion and dehydration can kill, take the proper steps to combat the extreme heat and it's symptoms on the body.

With some common sense and these safety precautions applied; painting your own home can be a safe, rewarding and money saving adventure!
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​Jax Painting is the top painting contractor in Jacksonville, FL specializing in residential and commercial painting.

​Many people, especially amateurs trying to do things themselves, do not really consider the importance of power washing their surfaces before painting and this is mostly because most of the tutorials they follow online do not specify the essence of power washing. The truth is, it is a very essential aspect of preparing your exterior surfaces before painting. One major reason why it is very important to clean your home’s exterior before painting. It is that a clean exterior means that your paint project will last longer. Basically, painting dirty exteriors shorten the lifespan of your paint job and should not be considered. 

​Why Power washing?
Truth be told, power washing isn’t always the best way to get dirt off your exterior. But it definitely is the easiest way and with power washing, you can reach areas that hand washing cannot reach. This is why it is much advisable to use power or pressure washing. With this type of washing, you can force really tough stains off the sides of your exterior and really reduce the amount of dirt on it generally. So, for most, hand washing is the most effective, but it is incredibly burdensome and tiring and should only be considered in the absence of power washing.
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​Essential Tools for Power Washing
Most power washers come in gas or electric powered models but since you have to treat your exterior gently, you may not need a high-power gas washer; thus, an electric washer would suffice. If you are washing a two-story house, a high-volume gas power washer with a special nozzle attached would be efficient for cleaning the upper areas of the house without having to climb ladders or any such platforms. When choosing a cleaning solution, choose something that is made for power washers and one made for cleaning home exteriors. Do not use bleach or solutions made from bleach as they may damage your power washer or kill your plants if improperly applied.

Washing the Exterior
When washing the exterior, remember that the whole point of using the power washer is to wash it not to strip it of old paint. Most power washers have the strength and capacity to take off paint, but it is advisable to take on stripping with a scraper and sandpaper and, if need be, with a heat gun. So, it would be wise to avoid removing the paint with the power washer.
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Three Steps to Washing the Exterior of Your Home
First, you have to knock off the big gunk with plain water. This is and should be done before adding the cleaning solution. Here, the goal is to remove all visibly big gunk like insect nests, leaves and molds that have formed on your siding. Next step would be to clean the siding surface with a solution. This step should be completed when the siding is not in direct sunlight. To do this, fill up the power washer’s tank with the cleaning solution and spray the siding with the solution mixed water, working from top to bottom. The last step is a fresh water spray without any solution.

​Power Washing Results
The benefits with power washing are numerous. Just the adhesion aspect of your primers and finish coats alone are reason to always take this preparatory step. Your exterior paint finishes will last a lot longer. Furthermore, while doing the surfaces to be painted you can always freshen up the surrounding areas. This help give your fresh new paint job the “pop” it deserves.