Blue Tape Contest Door - created by a PNB counselor

One of Daly’s Paint & Decorating’s notorious former employees, we’ll simply call him Salesperson #49, works with the Pacific Northwest Ballet school every summer. As part of that, Daly’s donates a case of blue masking tape (the good stuff) for the students to use in their dorms when mounting posters.

This year they are having a Most Creative use of Blue Tape Contest, along with their typical Door Decorating Contest.

Even the trophy is made from Blue Tape!!

Look out, Blue Tape just might be gaining on duct tape…

Sue Ellen, our talented display designer, has really pulled out the stops and has constructed these fanciful summer frocks out of Thibaut wallpapers. We just love the subtle metallic gleam these papers have, and how they look beguilingly real!

Imagine how these designs would look on a wall… The metallic inks keep the color and design from becoming boring and blah, but because the designs are so sophisticated, it avoids the ‘trendy’ pitfall altogether.

Nice!

Daly’s Benite is one of the cornerstone products in the Daly’s Wood Finishing line and used in a variety of situations. In this video, Mike, Daly’s Bellevue Store Manager, shows you tips and tricks to using Daly’s Benite and getting the best results for your project.

Take the time to find the right painter - it's worth the effort!

When you are in the market to hire a painter, where do you start? Finding the right painter should involve a bid process with at least three different companies. Not every painter is appropriate for every job, and you want to make sure you find the right one for the project at hand.

1. An up-to-date contractor’s license
2. Proof of insurance
3. References

You’ll also want to learn:

1. How long have they been in business?
2. How do they price their work? Some bid by the project, others charge time and materials.
3. What is the payment schedule?
4. Who is going to be working on your project?
5. How long will it take?
6. What quality of paint do they plan to use? Labor costs stay the same regardless, but the quality of the paint can make a big difference in the lifespan of the job.

10.  Does the painter focus more on residential or commercial work? You do not want to hire a ‘blow-and-go’ painter or someone who does not understand the requirements of residential painting.

When you receive you bid:

11.  It should include all the steps they are planning for prepping, priming, painting and clean-up. Everything should be clearly defined in the bid.

12.  Compare apples to apples. When reviewing a number of bids make sure you understand the scope of work defined in each bid – don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Execute a contract:

13.  You contract should include the scope of work, total anticipated cost, payment schedule, start date and estimated end date. It should also call out each paint color, sheen and brand – specifying location of each color and sheen, plus the number of coats. Don’t forget to specify clean-up responsibilities and guarantees on work. Finally, your contract should define what the steps are if there are any changes to the bid.

Most paint stores can match paint (… and Paule does an awesome job of that!), but very few specialize in custom stain matches. Because Daly’s manufactures a full line of wood finishing products, we have the tool on hand to make stain magic. Some might say we even have a ‘stained reputation!’

Right now, a hot trend in the design field is to re-purpose old, outdated pieces by decking them out with a whole new painted look – Many designers are looking at the lines and quality of the construction of these vintage gems and realizing that simply approaching the old from a new point-of-view might be all it takes to transform ‘Aunt Betty’s’ old dining room set into a completly new look.

It takes some effort and time, but considering how well constructed some of these more vintage pieces are, it just may be worth the time. Plus you’ll end up with a unique itemunlike anyone else’s. What a great way to express your personality, repurpose an existing item and save some money at the same time!

Here is a quick check-list of what you’d need to do if you want to transform a tired old piece into something with a chic new attitude with paint and glaze. The following is a multi-step process to paint and glaze your furniture, like you would see from high-end cabinetry designers - perfect if you have lots of carving details that you want to feature:

• Scuff sand the finish to create ‘tooth’ on the surface
• Prime the piece to ensure adhesion
• Paint your entire piece in a creamy white
• Glaze over the painted surface with a tinted glaze. Many people like using an umber-tinted glaze color, but you could choose any color you’d like. Glaze adds a transparent ‘flavor’ on top of the paint. Depending on how you apply the glaze (brush or cheesecloth, for instance), more or less glaze will collect in the crevasses and corners of the furniture, adding depth and dimension.
• You can then top-coat it with a clear finish to add further durability, ranging from low to high sheen effects.
• Whew!

Another designer trick is to to paint the furniture in a high-gloss color to add instant impact to a room. Imagine painting a side-board mandarin orange or lipstick red. Drama!!! Glamour!!! Style!!! Cheap!!!

Daly's specializes in creating custom stain colors for furniture, floors and your home!

Did you know that Daly’s manufactures a full line of stains and finishes called Daly’s Wood Finishes? Not only that, but we specialized in creating custom stain colors, too. We can teach you how to strip off that old, tired finish and re-stain and refinish for a fresh new look - in a huge variety of cool stain colors! Stain has the added benefit of highlighting the natural beauty of the wood, so if you have something that doesn’t want to hide under a coat of paint, this may be the perfect option.

As a finishing touch, invest in new decorative hardware. Drawer pulls can range from modern cylindrical pulls to elaborate designs meant to bling out your furniture. It’s an important detail that allows you to really add flavor and attention to design to your furniture – and its a great way to update the old!

This law affects building built before 1978, and not only involves painters, but various types of contractors who might need to cut into a wall, sand a piece of trim or basically modify anything in the building that has a painted surface.

Locally, I’ve been speaking to painters and most are aware of the law and are enrolling in classes to learn about best practices, and get certified.