house paint source list

professional help:
hire a pro. my dad offered to paint our house, but well, i'd rather actually enjoy his visits than end up at the ER. and he's had significant pro painting experience, so i wasn't worried about the quality. we hired CertaPro after lots of rave reviews from friends & neighbors. they came out and recommended different treatments where the wood was beginning to rot, where sun was doing more damage, etc.

Their crews arrived on-time and were easy to work with. Jeremy at CertaPro was great. He actually sold his house to some friends of ours & he's been the go-to painter for our group. Even some friends in the construction industry have good things to say about 'em.

They started with a thorough pressure washing, followed by scraping where necessary. The paint was applied as both spray & hand, depending on the surface. They worked their tails off and were even here until 8pm on a Saturday night to finish the job. The pressure washing started on Mon, and they finished up on Saturday night. Any drops of paint were cleaned up, and they sealed the spots where knots were beginning to show through the existing paint.

and, i've already mentioned the priceless guidance from friends + fam.

colors:
body of house: SW7018 - dovetail
dormers: SW7019 - gauntlet gray
trim: SW7008 - alabaster
accents: SW6664 - marigold

I cannot say enough good things about my local Sherwin Williams store on Moreland Avenue. I visited another one by my office, and they weren't so helpful. But Brandon at my local store was very nice. I was waiting outside the door at 7am, and he was obviously having one of those mornings where things don't really go your way. Apparently, his dog had made a midnight ER trip during the night, so he was frazzled. But he still had a very pleasant attitude (which is more than I can say for my other store experience, and there was no sick dog in the equation.) When he asked me how many samples I'd already purchased, I told him "about a dozen." He was a bit surprised and told me those could sure get expensive at $7 a pop, but I told him it was worth it to make sure we got the right color. He said, "Well, today is going to be buy a dozen, get 4 free." Kudos to Brandon!

On another note, if you're thinking of sampling gray...I have 16 quarts of various shades. I'll sell you enough to sample multiple shades really cheap.


accessories:
turquoise planter: Lowe's, this season
black porch swing: box store, 2010
zinc planter by door: Crate & Barrel, this season (set of 3)
doormat: Ballard Designs, 2010
wall plaque: neighborhood store

If there's anything else you'd like to know, just let me know!