Hey folks, is your home in need of a little sprucing up? well, check out this contest ...

TLC’s Doug Wilson, Rohm and Haas and the Arbor Day Foundation Search for Homes

in Need of a Little TLC

$PRUCE UP AND SAVE: HOME IMPROVEMENTS THAT WON’T BREAK THE BANK

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Caulking windows, improving insulation and re-painting exteriors are all things on homeowners’ long list of to-dos. Rohm and Haas (NYSE: ROH), in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, recognizes this and seeks to help families maintain and improve their homes with the launch of its $pruce Up Your Home contest.

Rohm and Haas will celebrate the launch with Doug Wilson, author/designer and host of TLC’s Moving Up and Trading Spaces on Monday, September 15^th, when the company is honored with a National Historic Chemical Landmark designation by the American Chemical Society (ACS) for its water-based acrylic emulsion technology. The technology can be found in everything from house paints, caulks, adhesives, decking and trimboard, to dishwashers, baby diapers and even on or behind the walls of China's Forbidden City. 

To celebrate this honor, Rohm and Haas wants to help consumers understand that they can improve the beauty of their homes with relatively inexpensive ‘spruce ups’ – making a big difference in decreasing utility bills, and ultimately increasing home resale value. From September 15, 2008, to February 1, 2009, consumers can visit www.paintquality.com/spruceup for a chance to win one of eight home exterior paint jobs or the Grand Prize home improvement package.

“It’s a great time to fix up a home with a little paint and simple improvements,” says said Doug Wilson, author/designer and host of TLC’s Moving Up and Trading Spaces.  “We are all looking to get a unique look for less, so paint treatments, and easy fix ups in décor can really turn a house into a home, while improving energy efficiency that can ease up utility bills. Many consumers are catching on that it’s never been easier to do-it-yourself,” continues Wilson. “Even better, by choosing to make small improvements now, homeowners can immediately boost curb appeal and increase the value of their home with a relatively low up-front cost.”

A new acrylic-based paint job can add a sense of personal style with color and texture, without breaking the budget. Rohm and Haas’s water-based acrylic technology is also environmentally advanced. The technology has taken 20 million tons of VOCs out of the air since 1953 -- the equivalent of six pounds of fewer pollutants in the air for every man, woman and child alive in the world as of August 1, 2008.

Debbie Zimmer of the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute (www.paintquality.com) points out that it’s easy to buy good quality paints at big box retailers, hardware centers and retail paint and home improvement stores. She also offers these fresh tips for home improvement:

• A new coat of paint on a home’s exterior is functional – it protects the home from rain, snow, wind, and sun damage. But beyond improving the life of its ‘skin,’ paint revives curb appeal and pumps up the value of a home.

• Securely weatherizing your home – sealing windows, doors and other gaps with acrylic caulk and weather stripping, like those that use Rohm and Haas acrylic technology, save energy and decrease utility bills – by as much as $275 to $300 a year by some estimates.

• Properly insulated walls and ceilings saves 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, and can generate about $250 in annual energy savings, according to www.stopglobalwarming.org. Rohm and Haas’s acrylic emulsion technology is an integral component in making insulation without formaldehyde.

To enter the $pruce Up Your Home contest, consumers upload a photo of their home and explain in 200 words or less why it needs a spruce up. While there, consumers are encouraged to check out tips, tricks and trends from the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute^SM, a go-to source for consumers to learn more about interior and exterior paints and coatings.

In February 2009, 20 finalists will be selected by a distinguished panel of judges and consumers nationwide will have the opportunity to vote online at www.paintquality.com/spruceup for the top nine homes most deserving of a $pruce up. One Grand Prize winner will receive a package valued at more than $20,000, including an exterior home paint job and $8,000 home improvement gift card. Eight first place winners will receive a new paint exterior for their home. The nine winning homes will be unveiled on National Arbor Day, April 24, 2009, and each family will receive a young spruce tree on behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation. The Arbor Day Foundation will also donate 10,000 trees to the Grand Prize winner’s community, in the name of having a positive impact on the environment and the communities in which we live.

The judging panel for the contest includes: Doug Wilson, author/designer and host of TLC’s Moving Up and Trading Spaces; Brian Schenk, corporate partnerships manager, Arbor Day Foundation; Liz Robinson, executive director, Energy Coordinating Agency; Debbie Zimmer, Paint Quality Institute; and Katie Hunt, director of sustainability for Rohm and Haas.

To learn more about budget-friendly spruce ups and to enter the contest today, please visit www.paintquality.com/spruceup.

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About the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute
The Paint Quality Institute (SM) was formed by Rohm and Haas Company in 1989 to educate people on the advantages of using quality interior and exterior paints and coatings. The Paint Quality Institute's goal is to provide information on the virtues of quality paint as well as color trends and decorating with paint through a variety of vehicles, including television appearances, newspaper and magazine articles, and instructional literature. Please be sure to visit the Paint Quality Institute at www.paintquality.com.

About Rohm and Haas Company
Leading the way since 1909, Rohm and Haas is a global pioneer in the creation and development of innovative technologies and solutions for the specialty materials industry. The company’s technologies are found in a wide range of industries including: Building and Construction, Electronics and Electronic Devices, Household Goods and Personal Care, Packaging and Paper, Transportation, Pharmaceutical and Medical, Water, Food and Food Related, and Industrial Process. Innovative Rohm and Haas technologies and solutions help to improve life every day, around the world. Based in Philadelphia, PA, the company generated annual sales of approximately $8.9 billion in 2007. Visit www.rohmhaas.com for more information.

About National Historic Chemical Landmarks

The American Chemical Society established the National Historic Chemical Landmarks program in 1992 to recognize seminal historic events in chemistry and to increase public awareness of the contributions of chemistry to society. Designations through the prestigious program have included the invention of Bakelite, the discovery of penicillin and streptomycin, the development of Tide laundry detergent, and the work of historical figures, including Joseph Priestley, Antoine Lavoisier, and George Washington Carver, among others. For more on the Landmark program, please visit www.acs.org/landmarks.

The American Chemical Society — the world's largest scientific society — is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

About Arbor Day Foundation

The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit, conservation and education organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at www.arborday.org.