Feature This...Staging Tip # 30987 Profitable Painting Paraphernalia

Painting advice is rampant with all sorts of gee-gaws and product suggestions to make projects go more smoothly.

 As Stagers who not only advise, but oversee the execution minor renovations, here's some real cost effective tools we use every day to make our work professional and profitable.... from Feature This...Real Estate Staging!

 Tools:

 The 4" Whizz Roller - less than $6.00

 The Whizz Roller looks like a child's toy compared to some of the ginormous rollers and handle sets on the market which offer maximum width and paint-holding capabilities. So why would anyone bother with a rinky-dink thing like a Whizz?

 We never use those big rollers, because Whizz Roller doesn't wear us out. Fatigue is the enemy here, not paint load. My shoulder isn't sore after painting several rooms in a day with a Whizz. It cleans up much faster for color-changes than traditional rollers. Whizz roller covers are cheaper, last longer, and doesn't shed. The end of the roller is also covered, to make perfect corners in seconds, They are smaller, and fit into tight areas, such as you'll find in bathrooms, and fit better in my paint supply case.

 I'd rather have my little Whizz laying down paint any day over every single paint product I have ever used, some quite expensive. It's just a smarter way to paint.

 The Paint Pad -About $2.00

 If you haven't used a paint pad yet, you are straight up behind the times. They are not perfect, but using a paint pad in conjunction with high-quality 1 inch trim brush will shave HOURS off your time. Just wipe it around the sides of any trim-out you have to do - the little roller-guides will do about 75% of your cut-in to perfection, leaving you with only about 25% to do minor correcting with the brush. Use them along the ceiling, too, to prevent 75% of the time you will have to keep your head at an awkward angle!

 Paint pads are extremely popular in the UK for nearly all residential projects , and is gaining a foothold here in North America. They cover MUCH better, with no splatter or flick-off, pass beautifully over most rough surfaces, and offer a much better finish. I especially like to use them to paint crown moulding before install. What used to take me a couple of hours to achieve now gets done in about 15 minutes with smoother, brush-stroke free results. And one pad will last you for a whole project - they are VERY long-lasting. But buy two, so you don't have to fight over using it with any assistants.

 The Ladder - $199

 With all that money and time the Whizz Roller and the paint pad will save/make for you, you need to turn around and buy the Little Giant Model 17 Commercial Grade Type 1 Ladder for $199. It is a mini- scaffold, and multi-useful step and extension ladder all in one. Don't forget to buy the Project Tray accessory, designed to hold tools and paint cans for only $40 more. Weighing in at well under 30 lbs., this is the BEST purchase you can make for yourself, your back, and your bottom line.

The Paint - $54 per gallon

Yes. $54/gallon paint is the ONLY paint we ever use, because we can do basic math! And the math shows us that paying $54 per gallon and getting DONE IN ONE DAY beats the britches off of paying $30 per gallon and having to drag out a job of TWO OR EVEN THREE DAYS!

So Here's the basic Math proof for those who are still choking on $54 per gallon:

 Example Project with Regular Paint

Master Bedroom currently painted a deep taupe-gray w/ Burgundy accent wall

Goal - Unify and brighten with a lighter neutral color.

Materials needed:

$20.00 -1 gal latex primer (to cover burgundy wall)

$60. 00 - 2 gals of Interior Wall Paint (for two+ required coats)

$35.00 - 1 Gal of Trim Paint (all trim and moulding, two doors, one set of double closet doors)

_________

$115.00 worth of supplies

Work:

-Apply Primer to Burgundy wall. Wait lit dry. One hour labor +6 hours dry time

Paint 1^st coat on walls. 1 hour labor + Wait til dry 4 hours

Paint 2^nd coat on walls, 1 hour labor

Cut in trim first coat. 3 hours labor +Wait lit dry 4 hours

Cut in trim second coat. 2 hours labor

__________

21hours of TIME and LABOR

OR you can use the RIGHT PAINT for the SAME PROJECT:

Materials needed

$108 for 2 gals of Benjamin Moore Aura Interior Paint, one trim and one wall

_________

$108 total

Do not prime - Aura is self-priming

Paint coat One - one hour of labor + recoat in ONE HOUR

Spot-Paint Coat two.

Paint Trim -3 hours

Paint Trim Second Coat - 2 hours

_________

8.5 hours of TIME and LABOR

That's a savings of 12 hours of labor AND $7 whole bucks~!

So using $54 per gallon Aura Paint by Benjamin Moore:

• SAVES MONEY AND TONS OF TIME

• Benjamin Moore Aura Paint - SELF PRIMES

• Often Requires only ONE COAT (the actual thickness of one coat of this paint is measurable EQUAL to 2 coats of regular brands)

• Full Coverage Guaranteed in TWO COATS

• Extremely LOW VOC

• Recoats in One Hour

• Fully Washable

• Seamless Touch-up Feature allows spot patching vs. whole wall painting

 Passing these tips along to your clients who wish to do their own painting will endear you to them.

I HAVE HAD CLEINTS ACTUALLY COME UP AND KISS ME AFTER USING THESE TIPS.

So be careful!

Michelle Molinari

Certified Professional Stager, Feature This... Real Estate Staging, www.FeatureThisDotDotDot.com
Lead Virtual Designer, www.CurbAppealForDummies.com
President, Acadiana Real Estate Staging Association, www.AcadianaRESA.com