Working on Victorians
We justfinished a nine week project renovating an 1876 Italianate Victorian. From the beginning our goal was to follow the EPA guidelines for working on pre-1978 homes. Success. During the warm days, 105 degrees, wearing protective mask and clothing allowed us to drink gallons of water. The silent paint remover and Fein vacuum attached sanders were fantastic!
After the failing paint and wood components had been removed it was time for Peel Bond and EZ Prime to be applied. After the wood was re-installed we primed again and used Acrylic Urethane caulking and Wood Epoxy for our repairs. Next came the color selection and placement. Fun! We finished with Sherwin Williams Duration paints. See the pics in the before gallery and Victorian gallery at our website.
What is new?
The Lead Law is in full force with the EPA citing companies not following the new laws. More power to them! $37,000.00 is more than most companies can digest. So, follow the rules and train your employees and inform your customers. Well, about those customers. So far, in almost a full year, the customers say: don’t care, why so much, I did not know, the other guys did not say anything, and my favorite is I am not going to sign anything. The response is not “let’s protect our environment and our employees” but “why is this costing me so much when the other guy can do it for a quarter of the cost”. Seriously, 75% less. Who wants to spend more when there is always, and I mean always, a guy who is unlicensed and not following any rules to do it CHEAPER.
So, why should you care about the Lead Law? Well, to protect your employees from the dangers of Lead dust, protect a child who is most vulnerable, and protect our environment. It is that simple!
Why does it cost more? The suits we wear cost $7.00 and we change them daily, the respirator cartridges costs $11.00 and we change them every 3 days at the longest, the gloves, plastic on the ground that needs to come up daily, plastic on the windows, and that is just the beginning. The time is takes to set up and take down DAILY. The time it takes to suit up and clean our work site with a HEPA vacuum. The time it takes to sand with a vacuum sander attachment is twice as long. And, we work slower because but we are wearing suits and standing on plastic.
Why do we have you sign a paper stating we have given you the proper documentation? Again, the law wants us to educate you of the dangers of Lead. We give you a pamphlet with all the information you the consumer should know about the dangers of Lead Base Paint. The contractor on your job should be educated on the dangers of Lead so you can be protected from the dangers of Lead. If you do not receive the pamphlet than the contractor may not be fully aware and/or certified to work on a home built before 1978.
Training is required for anyone working with Lead Based Paint. We have OSHA weekly “tail gate” safety meetings, yearly respirator fit training and test, and the RRP training to educate our employees on working with Lead. There are safety books each employee must follow for the heat and illness prevention program. Safety, safety, safety. It is important for you and us.
So, the new rules are for the safety of all of us. As time goes by we all will adjust to the extra time it takes to paint your older home. The joy of having an older home is priceless. My home was built in 1904 and it is one of a kind. We all love the funky angles, strange designs, tall ceilings, basements, gingerbread, and the stories of the great history of the people who lived in our homes before us.
Next time I may share some stories of painting historic homes but will definitely talk about COLORS. Have a great week!!
yellow pages or not
So, do we advertise in the yellow pages or not? They want to charge a bundle and sell us on how everyone uses the printed yellow book. They, the yellow pages, group packages together for the internet and the book and then give the business owner statistics from two years. Well, I called AT&T, for more explanation, and their response was great on the phone. But then I was passed on to a sales manager who again gave me statistics from two years ago! As a small business and in this economy, its imperative that money spent on marketing is effective. Does anyone use the yellow pages anymore? Do you?
So, of course we rely on word of mouth. Our exceptional customer service, skilled painters, and happy clients are our best form of advertising. However, we also need to make sure we are represented in the market, online and in print. What do we do? This is my week of decision. I will fill you in next week on the big question: printed paper or internet?
the rain is coming
Check your gutters and downspouts. Dry rot can happen when water backs up into your roof or spills over the drains. We repair more rot near these problem areas than anywhere else on a home.
Change your sprinklers with the cool and wet season now upon us. Clear the trees and shrubs from the roof and siding. Give your siding 12 inches of breathing room to dry in between the rains.
Check your South side windows and doors for leaks. Caulk now, after the weather dries for three days.
New Lead Law
The new EPA lead based paint law went into effect April 22, 2010. Now the responsibility of the contractor is to educate you the customer and our employees of the dangers of lead based paint. We must be certified, show proof of our cert., give you the proper paperwork, document this, and train our employees. All before working on your home, if built before 1978. Of course, we lead test your home, then begin our safe practices. This does add some costs to a job, but safety must be our first priority.
