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What Makes for Quality Wood Furniture?

info@vendilli.com (Chris Vendilli) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 15:44:30 GMT

There are all kinds of wooden furniture: modern, antique and everything in between. We’ve talked about style differences, but what about how it’s made and what it’s made of? Is there a large difference between the wood furniture of today and yesterday?

Original Solid Wood Furniture

Natural solid wood furniture isn’t exceptionally easy to find anymore. And that’s not completely a bad thing. While solid hardwood furniture is beautiful, functional and long lasting, many of the modern alternatives are good as well. But we’ll always have a passion for solid wood.

You can find wood furniture made of soft wood like redwood, pine, cedar and fur. It can be of good quality and beautiful, but requires more care to stay that way. Soft wood tends to scratch and dent easier. Hard woods such as maple, walnut, oak, mahogany and cherry are also beautiful and more resilient.

All of these woods have to be cut of course, into usable size and shapes and then transported to the place where they will be turned into furniture. All the wood will have to be air dried and then kiln dried to make sure all the moisture is removed before it’s formed into furniture.

What’s Modern Wood Furniture if not Solid Wood?

Well friends, there are many words for and many different kinds of that. You have plywood, engineered wood, composite wood, veneered wood and more. What do all these mean, is it still “real” wood? And which is better? Well, that last question is up to the asker of course, but we can tell you a little bit about it.

Engineered/composite wood is created. It does have wood in it and it is often made to look like natural wood. It is typically made of sawdust, glues and wood fibers. Plywood and veneer wood are more based on actual wood strips. It presses several thin layers of wood together, sometimes with other materials, and glues them.

Much of the wooden furniture you find in stores today will be of this variety. It’s easier to mass produce and often cheaper to manufacture. While you may initially want to look down on these products they can be attractive, long lasting and sturdy. It’s up to you what is best for your home.

Find the Furniture You’re Looking for at Ace Paints & Unfinished Furniture

We have beautiful unfinished furniture just waiting to be painted the perfect color by you. Come check out our furniture and our amazing paint on our website !

What Does Your Favorite Shade of Green Mean?

info@vendilli.com (Chris Vendilli) — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 15:37:33 GMT

Colors are so fascinating. They make us feel, they help us express how we feel. The right colors can really set the mood in a room, or on an outfit. There’s a lot to color theory and what each of the colors mean. This St. Patrick’s Day we thought it’d be fun to explore a little about green.

Worldwide Meanings of Green

The color and the world green have come to be rather symbolic internationally. Going green is now a verb, it’s more than a color. It’s of course always associated with the natural world, but now when someone is green it often refers to a lifestyle of preserving the environment. It’s always been symbolic of growth. In Ireland the color is attributed to luck. And in America it is often considered a color of wealth.

Shades of Green

There are thought to be more different shades of green than any other color. From yellow greens to bluish greens, it covers a wide spectrum while remaining “green.” One of the great things about color is that it can mean something different to each person who perceives it. You might have a memory you associate with a certain shade of green that changes the meaning for you. For example dark green has many negative connotations, like greed and ambition. When I was young, my grandmother had a dark green mushroom stool I sat on to watch TV. Thus I have always associated that color with peace and contentment, no matter what the popular definition is.

Some commonly accepted meanings of shades of green are:

Yellow-Green represents sickness, jealousy and discord
Olive Green stands for peace and calm
Dark Green references ambition, money, greed and also fertility
Aqua is said to represent healing for emotions and protection
Bright greens symbolize rebirth

What Can Shades Do For A Room?

So what effect does the shade of green you pick have on a room? Here are some thoughts.

Sage Green is a bit of a washed out green color. Thus it is soothing and contemplative. Perhaps a good color for a meditation area.
Lime is vibrant and lively. It energizes a room and gives you a youthful feel.
Emerald green represents wealth and royalty. Use it in rooms where you want to feel rich.
Olive green conveys a sense of history and sophistication.
Seafoam green is peaceful and pleasing. It’s a great color for relaxation.
Mint green is refreshing and inspiring. This can be a great color for an office or a craft room.

Get All Your Green at Ace Paints

No matter what shade you’re looking for we can help you find it! Come to use to get beautiful shades of green or any color. Check out our website to learn more about what we have to offer and purchase products right from the comfort of your own home.

Beautiful Wood Stains are a Work of Art

info@vendilli.com (Chris Vendilli) — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:03:35 GMT

One of the wonderful things about good wood furniture is that it doesn’t have to be merely functional. It can be beautiful as well. We’ve seen some amazing pieces made with wood stains that are more than just furniture, they’re works of art. So if you’ve got an old table, desk or other piece of wood furniture that needs jazzed up, why don’t you consider using some of our great stains to try one of these ideas.

Choose Your Wood Stain

Consider the kind of wood you’re using, the colors of the room you want to place the item in and anything else that feels relevant. And make sure to use wood that is ready to be stained, ie stripped, sanded etc. Woods like maple, mahogany, cherry and other rare and dark woods usually shouldn’t be stained. But if the finish of the wood was somehow damaged then you may want to consider some of this artistic staining.

They come in a variety of shades, colors and formulas, you can check out some of what we have online or in our store. Pick something that will compliment the wood color and grain as well as the room it’s in.

Draw on Your Furniture

That’s right, be a rebel. Use pencil for this part of the project. For your first project we’d recommend starting with something simple. Flowers, geometric shapes etc. Lightly draw the design with your pencil directly onto the wood. When you start using the stain keep in mind that the longer you leave it on the wood the darker it will be. If you want a lot of contrast on your piece go dark.

Apply Your Wood Stain

You can use a paintbrush, but our research shows that using a cloth over your finger to apply the stain creates a smoother and cleaner line. To have a truly beautiful effect you’ll want to have shading so you don’t want to fill the whole design with stain. Start heavy in the center and fade into the edges. You can also time yourself and wipe off different sections of the stain at different times for a more variegated look.

You also might want to mix different shades of stain for more variety, just make sure one is dried, wiped, etc before adding the next. You can create so many unique works of art and have furniture that is so specifically you. There are plenty of online tutorials to look for as well like this one and this one .

Find Beautiful Wood Stains & More at Ace Paints

For an artistic shading project or any woodwork stain you want to do you can find beautiful and durable stains at Ace Paints. Check out our website to learn more and let your imagination and creativity run wild.

What's Your Furniture Style?

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 16:50:39 GMT

There are a multitude of styles in which you can furnish your house. It can seem overwhelming. Of course you don’t have to stick to a certain type, but sometimes that can be fun. You also want to make sure the furniture fits in with the rest of your house and your lifestyle. Here’s a few of the more popular styles and the kind of look they give your home.

Furniture Styles

Rustic

A great choice for furniture as it gives the image of hand built cabins in the woods and down home style farmhouses. It’s cozy, warm and comfortable. Rustic tends to be rough wood or stone, large solid pieces and a bit of a vintage feel. Typically done in rich dark colors that go with the season. It’s both casual and refined, with an organic and lifelike style. You can contrast the heavy style of furniture with soft lighting and decorations.

Contemporary

This is a fluid design style, as the point is to exist in the current moment. It’s not about following design rules as much as trends. Current contemporary can mean geometric form and funky patterns combined with open space and urban street signs. Abstract with a focus on architectural form and a monochromatic color palette. It’s a bold statement making style that should be accented with edgy and artistic pieces that go with the times.

Traditional

Somewhat old school, but still very common. This harkens back to the old English and French furniture styles from the 18th and 19th century. It boasts warm and inviting spaces, rich dark wood tones, opulent style fabrics and durable textures. It’s all soft edges and clean lines, with fancy detail work and subtle neutral color tones.

Casual

Casual’s focus is always comfort. Picture plush cushions, lots of seating options, soft and relaxing features. Casual embodies a place to hang out with friends and family. Expect recliners, cup holders, storage areas for games and books. Casual furniture style is made to be lived in. It’s nothing so bold and edgy that it goes out of style, having more of a timeless nature. There’s a lot of neutral tones with an occasional pop of color.

Find the Paint and Furniture for Any Style at Ace Paints

Whether you are interested in one of these or a more original style, we can help you build just the look you want. We have lots of furniture for you to choose from. We also have a designer who can help you find the perfect painting color scheme to help bring the room together. Come check us out.

Best Wood for Furniture

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 17:53:13 GMT

The Best Wood for Furniture

Wood is our most basic raw material used for creating furniture. Wood furniture is timeless, and the aesthetic options are endless. Let’s talk about a few today, shall we?

Popular Types of Furniture Wood

Let's explore some of the most common woods used for furniture and what makes them unique,

Mahogany

Mahogany is one of the most beautiful and more traditional woods used for furniture. It has the strength of oak with a little less weight. It’s often a brownish red color but it does come lighter. Genuine mahogany furniture has become expensive.

Maple

Considered by some to be the ideal wood for furniture, maple is used frequently. All types of maple trees are known for producing durable and visually appealing furniture pieces. The fact that maple is naturally nontoxic gives you more options for things such as cutting boards and other kitchen quality pieces, too.

Oak

Perhaps the most durable and strong wood in this list, oak is often used for flooring and is most often used for kitchen furniture. Despite its many benefits, oak isn’t a very expensive wood, but is still quite beautiful and commonly used. While it does tend to yellow with age, proper care can keep it looking beautiful for generations.

Cedar

Cedar is quite soft and not the most durable choice for inside furniture. However it is naturally weather-resistant making it a great furniture choice for outside. It’s scent is also bug repellant making it a popular choice for lining closets.

Pine

Pine is often pictured in rustic cabins in the woods, but it’s actually not a great choice of wood for furniture. It’s a softwood that can be damaged easily. It does not have the durability preferred for furniture. Pine is better suited for simple shelves or accent pieces that won’t bear a lot of weight. It is however rather inexpensive.

Cherry

Cherry wood is much loved for its color which darkens over time, making it look even more rich and beautiful. It is also non-toxic with a nice even grain. While it’s not the most durable wood, it is strong and tends to be resistant to dents and scratches. New Paragraph

Whatever Your Style, Ace Paints Can Help Achieve It

Whether you want to add a piece to an existing room decor or change up your style entirely, you can find what you need at Ace Paints. We have many furniture options and always have paints to help you customize and get exactly what you’re looking for.

Restyle Your Home for the New Year

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 18:33:32 GMT

The 2010s saw an uptick in modern interiors, bringing in clean lines and simple looks to decor and furniture, so what does the new decade have in store? Restyle your home for the new year with the latest trends.

Alternatives to an All-White Kitchen

We’ve lost track of how long white tones reigned supreme in kitchens. But the clean, pure-white trend might actually be receding this year in favor of notes of color.

While most folks probably won’t be trading in their white cabinetry for bright orange any time soon, soft colors are in demand. Hues like grays, blues and dark greens are sound alternatives that can complement fixtures in the kitchen. And good news for fans of wooden accents: they’re back, too. Use hints of natural wood to either replace or merge with your white decor, in places like open shelving and cabinetry.

Add Some Bathroom Seating

The loo is for more than the obvious. You brush your teeth, apply and remove makeup and sink into a hot bath. Why not further promote relaxation with a simple seating option?

Match your bathroom seating to the way you use the room. Is your bathroom more of a spa retreat for “me time?” Or do you just want added functionality to make personal maintenance easier? If the space is a retreat, consider installing a window seat to enjoy the morning sun as you apply your makeup. For functionality, bring in a stool to use with or without your vanity for tasks like nighttime skincare or shaving.

Restyle Your Home with 80s-Inspired Furniture

The 80s are back, folks. For furniture, anyway. The last several years saw increasingly modern looks, but with 2020 comes a shift back to a bygone age.

Think big, like the hairstyles of the era. Chunky shapes and geometric designs are coming back for your sofas and accent chairs. Showcase these pieces the right way in your home alongside accents like oversized pottery and earth-toned walls.

Revamp and Restyle with the Latest Trends from Ace Paints

The new decade clearly has everyone ready for change, so what will yours be? Incorporate these decor suggestions with the 2020 colors of the year to create an enviable look for your home. Stop into one of our South Hills locations for advice from one of our experts and get your project started.

Color Trends for 2020

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 17:17:26 GMT

Are they bright and bold? Wild and wacky? It’s a thrill for our industry to learn what the latest “in” colors will be each year, and they never disappoint. The color trends for 2020 include shades of green, blue and pink, and each have an inherent welcoming quality.

Colors of the Year

The 2020 colors of the year have been selected by designers and paint manufacturers with a common theme in mind: cool colors are out and warm colors are in. We dive into the color trends for 2020 by looking at the colors of the year selected by some of the major brands available here at Ace.

Benjamin Moore: BM was thinking “pink” when selecting the color for 2020. First Light 2102-70 is a soft, rosy shade that works well as a neutral hue. Andrea Magno, Benjamin Moore director of color marketing and development, explained that this color represents a necessary "shift in mindset from the material to satisfying the core needs in life: community, comfort, security, self-expression, authenticity, and ultimately, optimism.
PPG: Chinese Porcelain, a calm blue, is PPG’s pick for a year dedicated to comfort in life. “This soothing blue imparts slowness, encouraging consumers to practice mindfulness and be more present in their lives, while also offering the spirit of hopefulness,” notes Dee Schlotter, PPG senior color marketing manager.
Sikkens/Akzo Nobel: What’s more natural and soothing than the sky above us? Tranquil Dawn, a pale green-gray, is “reminiscent of the colours of the morning sky and encapsulates our desire to treasure our most human quality,” according to Heleen Van Gent, Creative Director Global Aesthetic Center. The color is featured in four different palettes under the theme of “the human touch,” which represent care, play, meaning and creativity.

Pink, blue or green? No matter your pick, your home’s new look is guaranteed to inspire comfort. But how exactly will you use these colors?

How Will You Use the Colors of the Year?

Don’t hesitate to start incorporating the color trends for 2020 into your home’s look. You’ll be the talk of the neighborhood with such a keen eye for the latest interior styles. Choosing the paint color is usually the hard part, but since that’s already done, let’s think about some tried and true ways to incorporate these hues.

Benjamin Moore’s First Light 2102-70BM - Because it’s more subdued than traditional shades of pink, First Light is pretty versatile. The color is subtle enough to be used in a sunroom or bedroom as the primary paint color, and will feel more neutral than overwhelming. Pair it with bright white or beige furniture and decor and you’ll easily create a serene oasis.
PPG’s Chinese Porcelain - While the color is warm and comforting, moderation is important. Chinese Porcelain is a deep hue, and with overuse it might begin to feel cold if used wall-to-wall. Instead, opt to use the shade on an accent wall or on your front door accompanied by white trim for a welcoming vibe.
Sikkens’ Tranquil Dawn - The green-gray of Tranquil Dawn is soft and warm, making it an ideal wall-to-wall choice for any room. Try it in your living room or relaxing common areas to make your house feel a bit cozier.

From sunrooms to front doors, the 2020 colors of the year are versatile enough to meet your redesign needs. Embrace a welcome change in the new year.

Ace Paints is on Top of the Color Trends for 2020

Every year, styles change at least a little (sometimes a lot). At Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture, we keep an eye on the yearly color trends so that you can trust us for the latest and greatest paint products. Stop into one of our South Hills locations to see these shades , and pick up a few cans to begin sprucing up your home!

How to Protect Your Furniture During Holiday Parties

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 20:01:16 GMT

Holiday parties are definitely part of the magic of the season, but the cleanup is a pain—especially when furniture is involved. Prevent disasters and recover quickly with a few solid tips on how to protect your furniture during holiday parties.

Define Off-Limits Areas

You’re allowed to have a “nice,” decorative room in your home. Many of us do. Just make sure guests know that these spaces aren’t hangout areas during your party. Simply gate off the room(s) or place a sign with a gentle reminder that the area is a no-no to get your message across.

Common spaces to protect may include the dining room, study or others with valuable furniture pieces or antiques. To maximize the available party space without putting high-end accessories at risk, put those items in your off-limits areas. Consider collecting and storing guest coats and purses here so they’re safely out of the way.

Use Stain Repellent

Accidents happen. Someone spills their red wine, food drips off the plate in the worst possible place. These don’t have to be disasters.

Before party time, take time to spray couches and chair upholstery with stain repellents to minimize damage from accidental spills. Rather than setting in, stains will bead and be easier to sop up. Of course, if you’re really nervous about spills, use fabric slip covers on larger furniture pieces to protect them. All you’ll need to do is throw it in the wash later.

If accidents DO happen and these steps aren’t sufficient, don’t panic. Put a few additional party supplies on your list and make sure to have them available. Products like seltzer water and stain removing wipes can be lifesavers .

Mind Your Wood Furniture

Wood furniture is delightful, but is SO delicate. To protect wood tables, chairs and more, take a few precautions to prevent damage.

Not only a good idea for everyday use, encourage visitors to use coasters for their beverages. Condensation from cups leaves nasty rings on wooden tables, after all. Likewise, when you set out hot dishes, be sure to put them on potholders or trivets to avoid damage from steam and heat.

Stock Up on Plates

Whether it’s a smaller gathering worthy of using your everyday china, or a big holiday bash better suited to paper plates, make sure there’s enough to go around. Your furniture and carpets will thank you for it.

If you don’t have enough plates for guests during your gathering, that’s a recipe for disaster. Too few plates for guests to use means they’ll resort to stacking appetizers on cocktail napkins. Crumbs and spills could end up everywhere.

Turn to Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture for Furniture Help

Don’t get caught off guard when the holiday revelry gets out of hand. If you’re in the market for quality wood furniture, or just need help learning how to maintain it, we’re here for you. Get in touch or visit one of our South Hills locations today.

What Do the Holiday Colors Mean?

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 17:45:47 GMT

The holiday season has arrived, and soon every corner will be decked out in red and green. But have you ever stopped to think about what holiday colors mean ? Religious connections aside, red and green have long been the go-to color palette for winter and especially Christmas. Let’s find out why.

Green as a Holiday Color

The simple explanation for what green means as a holiday color can be summed up in one word: life. Dating to the early years of humankind, evergreen plants have been a source of beauty and mystery. While all other plant life lies dormant or dies during the cold of winter, evergreens like fir and holly remain. To show reverence to this mystery, which was regarded as both magical and fearsome, green became a symbol of life during the winter and corresponding holiday season.

Another connection? The wreaths hung by the Romans during the winter celebration of Saturnalia. Green and red holly wreaths were traditionally hung on doors as a symbol of rebirth, beckoning the God Saturn and expressing a desire for the return of summer.

Red as a Holiday Color

You can’t explore what holiday colors mean without looking at red, too. On its own or paired with green, the color red has a rich history with the winter holidays. On a base level, the color represents integrity, trust and love, but there’s plenty more to it. At Christmas, red apples became a tradition in performing the Paradise Play, as they were strung to trees to represent good and evil. Sound familiar? That’s because over time, the practice evolved into hanging ornaments on Christmas trees.

Red is traditionally the color of bishops’ robes, too. St. Nicholas, before becoming synonymous with Santa Claus, was a bishop by trade, making it only natural that the big guy wear a red suit as he delivered toys. Of course, Santa had a few iterations before he become the jolly fellow we all know and love today. It wasn’t until a certain soda maker stepped in that Santa adopted a permanent, signature look.

Red, Green or in Between, Ace Paints Has it All

Wreaths, trees, Santa and more. This time of year, the red and green color combination may just be reserved for holiday decorating. When you’re ready for your next paint project, turn to Ace Paints for any hue, be it red, green or blue! Stop into one of our South Hills locations to select the perfect color.

How to Safely Remove Wood Stain from Furniture

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 20:00:50 GMT

Interior design trends change. Instead of giving your furniture the boot, give it a new look. Restaining an old piece with a new varnish color can go a long way, but first you need to remove the old stain color. These essential steps remove wood stain from furniture.

Safety Precautions

Any project involving debris and chemical fumes requires appropriate safety measures, both for yourself and for the surrounding area.

Personal Safety

As with most home projects, you’ll want to gear up with appropriate equipment. Outfit yourself in old clothes and appropriate equipment to ensure your safety when you remove wood stain from furniture. A pair of goggles, a face mask and gloves should be worn for the project’s duration. If possible, do your project outside to ensure adequate ventilation against caustic chemicals.

Secure the Area

You don’t want accidents from this project to create another repair project later, so minimize your risk. Start by prepping the area you’ll be working in by laying a drop cloth under the furniture and surrounding area to prevent spills or mess from debris. Tape off metal pulls and hinges to avoid contact with chemical agents. Before you get to work on removing the wood stain, take a few minutes to wipe away dust and dirt with mild soap and water, allowing your furniture to dry completely.

Use a Chemical Stripper

Specialized chemicals are the most effective means of removing wood stain from furniture, and using them only takes a few steps.

Apply the Chemical Agent

Removing wood stain products isn’t very difficult. Start by pouring the wood stripper into a glass or metal container, and be sure to have a small paintbrush handy. Using the brush, apply a layer of wood stripper to the surface of the furniture, using the tip to get into difficult cracks and crevices. After a few minutes, the wood stripping agent will bubble, signaling that you can remove it from the furniture.

Scrape Away the Residue

After the wood stripper has bubbled, it’s ready to be removed. Don’t worry if the chemicals aren’t dry yet, as they should remain damp. Using a plastic paint scraper or putty knife, gently scrape the wood stripper off of your furniture. It should take the pigment stains along with it, leaving a fresh surface. To get into stubborn areas, use a steel wool pad, scrubbing in the direction of the grain. Wipe the furniture surface with a damp rag to clear any remaining chemicals.

Sand the Surface

Chemical agents aren't guaranteed to remove 100% of wood stain, and mild damage can still occur even with proper care. Sanding may be required when wood stain penetrates deeper.

Sand Gently

For pieces with lingering wood stain finish, break out your sand block or orbital sander. Using a medium-grade sandpaper (100-150-grit), gently sand the surface to eliminate the wood stain and imperfections. Be sure to sand evenly to maintain a level surface.

Clean Up Your Work

With most of the work completed, switch to 180-grit sandpaper. Medium-grit paper can leave marks behind, and the heavy-duty materials can smooth this out. Remember not to sand down any more than 1/16”, as it may affect the shape of your furniture the quality of the surface. Wipe everything down with a damp cloth again and let it dry before applying a new stain color.

Choose Your New Wood Stain Products at Ace

Out with the old, as the saying goes. Having removed the former hue of wood stain, you can revamp your furniture. That’s where we can help. Stop into one of our south hills locations to choose a new color from our selection of high-quality wood stains today.

How to Paint Your Ceiling

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:22:52 GMT

So, you’ve painted your living room...But what about the ceiling? This is frequently a project of its own. Follow along with our tips on how to paint your ceiling for a finished project that rivals the pros.

Prep

Every paint project begins with thorough preparation to do the job right. From purchasing appropriate equipment and paints, to preparing the room, your end result relies on adequate planning.

Paint Products

There’s a difference between standard interior wall paint and ceiling paint. Look for latex ceiling paint , as it spatters less and has a longer drying time, allowing you to avoid lap marks in your paint job. 2-in-1 primer + paint will allow you to avoid having to prime the surface first. If this isn’t available, pick up a ceiling primer in a similar color to the paint you’ll be using (flat white is common, but bright colors provide the illusion of space).

Equipment

A trip to the hardware store for paint will include picking up a few things. For easy application, get an angled paint brush and a few roller covers . Don’t have an extension pole ? Make do with a broom handle or buy a metal telescoping pole. Other tools you may already have include painter’s tape, roller handles, paint trays and a step ladder.

Room Prep

You’re almost ready to start painting your ceiling. For prep tips, turn to our article, Interior Home Painting Mistakes to Avoid . A few other must-dos include:

Patch Cracks or Holes - If the ceiling has imperfections, paint will highlight them. Do some spackling to smooth the surface.
Protect Furniture and Fixtures - Remove furniture from the room if possible, and cover fixtures with bags.
Place Equipment Nearby - Avoid going on a scavenger hunt for equipment by making sure everything you need is already in the room.

Paint

It’s time to get down to brass tax: the paint job. Consider wearing a pair of goggles to guard against paint spatter, and get to work.

Priming

Not able to purchase a 2-in-1 paint? Ensuring that your painter’s tape is in place to protect the surrounding walls, apply primer to the ceiling using a roller on an extension pole and let dry. Primer provides a stain guard to the surface.

Paint Process

Knowing how to paint your ceiling means using the right techniques, from cutting in with a brush to application with a roller.

Cut In - Using the angled brush, cut in the paint from the corner and ceiling edge. Start just over the painter’s tape and inward to the ceiling, establishing a 2-3 inch wide buffer area. This will help you avoid forcing your roller into crevices for full coverage. The line should be 3-4 feet long along one wall and its adjoining wall, creating a section to paint with the roller. Repeat this step for each section you paint.
Roll On - While the cut-in paint is still wet, coat your roller with paint from the tray and begin applying it. Maintain relatively straight lines, using a slight zigzag here and there. This will create some feathering (which prevents lap marks), as you can pick up the next stroke from the fully-saturated coating (keeping a “wet edge”) and into these lightly-painted areas. Push the roller away from yourself, and roll back to smooth it out. Repeat the process on the adjoining wall, as well as each painted section.

Trust Ace for Paint Product and Tools

Who knew painting a ceiling was hard work? From brushes and rollers, to primer and paint, trust Ace for the best tools for your project. Visit our South Hills locations today.

Easy Exterior House Painting Tips

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 18:52:08 GMT

Is your house looking drab? Weather abuse, color fade and paint chipping can impact the appearance of any home, sometimes making it look older than it is. Breathe new life into the outside of your home by following a few exterior house painting tips.

Pay Attention to Weather Conditions

Temperature, moisture and wind all affect house painting projects. Once you’ve decided to dive into such a large-scale project, it is essential to be mindful of outdoor conditions. As a general rule, avoid extreme conditions, such as:

Moisture and Humidity - Paint won’t adhere to damp or wet surfaces, so avoid painting on humid days or days when rain is on the horizon. Instead, aim for a dry, mild day for the paint project.
Extreme Sunlight - The rate at which paint dries can dramatically impact the end result. Painting in extreme or direct sunlight is a nono, because the warmth causes paint to dry too rapidly, resulting in lap marks (dark spots caused by painting over dried layers).
Severe Wind - Leaves, dust, dirt. A few things you really don’t want mixing with a fresh coat of paint. Never paint in windy conditions, as debris will blow into the wet paint, ruining the project.
Low Temperatures - Paint compounds behave differently depending on temperature. Latex paint, the most common exterior house paint, shouldn’t be applied below 50 degrees unless the label says otherwise. This means that even a brisk fall day could even be out of the question.

Quality is # 1

The old adage of, “You get what you pay for” holds true. This is your home, and it should stand out in all the right ways. Take the time to invest in high-quality paints and painting tools to get the job done right.

Quality Paint

Latex paint is the go-to for exterior painting because it’s simple to apply, dries fast and spills are easily cleaned with soap and water. Aim for 100% latex/acrylic paint. This paint has three main components: pigment (provides color), binders (adheres paint) and solvents (makes paint spreadable). The better binders in acrylic make it last longer.

Premium Tools

Using the right tools is a must for the project. Remember: quality over cost. While prices run a little higher, look for paint brushes that have synthetic bristles to spread paint more cleanly. Additionally, for those larger siding areas, you’ll need a few durable rollers. Invest in a heavy duty roller cage (the part with the handle), a few ½-inch nap roller covers and roller screen.

Surface Prep

Prime conditions and premium materials won’t mean a thing for your exterior paint job if you neglect to adequately prepare the surface. For a lasting paint finish on your brick or siding, clean the surface and clear away loose debris.

Out with the Old

Before applying new paint, do your best to get rid of the old. This is especially true if it’s chipped, as new paint will not adhere properly. Take a scraper and carefully chip away at the old coating to create a smoother surface. Have mildew buildup, too? Use a 50/50 water/bleach solution to clean the area.

Wash and Sand

For stubborn chips and dirt, bring out the big guns. Use a pressure washer to remove dirt and lingering peeling paint, letting the siding dry completely after. For a pristine work area, sand the surface of your home’s siding to ensure that all remaining debris is removed and the surface is ready for paint.

Trust Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture for Your Paint Needs

Spruce up your home’s exterior with a fresh coat of paint. While a lot goes into large-scale projects, these exterior house painting tips should get you started in the right direction. As always, trust Ace for top-of-the-line paint products and tools to get the job done right.

How to Remove Paint Stains: Part 3

Mon, 07 Oct 2019 20:23:58 GMT

In parts 1 and 2 of this series, we talked about fabric mishaps and upholstery snafus . Now we tackle one final challenge—removing paint stains from hard flooring. Your flooring, especially something as delicate as hardwood, is frequently your pride and joy (and major selling point) in your home, so it’s essential to know how to protect it. Let’s review how to remove paint stains from your hard flooring.

Remove Paint Stains from Linoleum and Hardwood

Water-Based Paint

While fabric surfaces like clothing, carpeting or upholstery seem to present more paint removal issues, ridding your hard floors of paint spills is no laughing matter either. On these hard surfaces, it’s better to let water-based paints dry first.

Scrape away dried on paint with a putty knife, being mindful of pressure so as to avoid creating scratches and grinding the paint in. Soak the stained area in dish soap and water and let sit for five minutes. Blot, then scrub to gradually remove the stuck on paint. Not effective? Try rubbing alcohol as a backup plan, but avoid overuse so as to not dull the natural shine of the flooring.

Oil-Based Paint

You actually can get oil-based paint off of linoleum and hardwood floors. If it’s still wet, grab a wet paper towel and quickly wipe up the paint. For dried on paint, start with the same pre-treating steps, and try to scrape the paint debris away so cleaning is easier.

There are a few options for cleaning, too. One method requires sanding down the remaining paint. Of course, this might affect the surface later. Not appealing? Try heat and mineral spirits instead. Start by heating the spilled paint in order to soften and scrape away the parts that begin to melt. Follow that up with linoleum- and wood-safe mineral spirits to wipe the rest of the oil-based paint away.

Remove Paint Stains from Concrete Flooring

In most cases, you must follow contrasting best practices for removing water- or oil-based paint. Interestingly, this doesn’t hold true for concrete flooring. As you approach this job, remember that concrete is extremely porous. This means you’ll need some extra elbow grease to remove it, be it a few droplets or stripping the entire floor.

Step 1: Clean the Floor

Before applying chemicals, it’s best to clean up your work area. If possible, try using a diluted trisodium phosphate (TSP) mixture to loosen paint from the surface, wearing gloves throughout. Proceed to scrub it in with a long-handled brush or broom. If TSP isn’t an option, a soap/water mix will do. Peel paint away with a putty knife.

Step 2: Strip it Down

Removing paint from concrete requires paint stripper. If you know the type of paint you’re removing, look for paint stripper designed for that paint variety. Renovating a new home and don’t know the paint type? Opt for oil-based paint stripper. Take a long-handled paint roller and apply the chemicals to the area.

Rinse it Away

After eight hours, most paint will lift. From here, you’ll need a wire scrub brush and water (small spot) or a pressure washer (large area). Concrete floors are usually in garages, so turning a pressure washer up to 3,000 psi won’t flood or damage your home. Clean the space to reveal a like-new floor. Note: It may take more than one attempt to strip paint residue.

Turn to Ace for the Best Paint Products

Tired of worrying over every DIY mistake? It’s easy to figure out how to remove paint stains. And when you need to stock up on supplies, turn to Ace for quality paint solutions. Stop by one of our South Hills locations today.

How to Remove Paint Stains: Part 2

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 18:55:46 GMT

Remove Paint Stains from Upholstery

Water-Based Paint

Paint doesn’t discriminate when it comes to spill accidents, Last week , we talked about clothing and carpeting mishaps and how to remove stains. But other parts of your home could certainly be affected during an interior paint job. What about furniture and other flooring? Learn how to remove water-based and oil-based paints from your upholstery.

A few basic cleanup strategies can be your first line of defense in removing water-based paint from fabric-based furniture. If paint is still wet, use extra caution to avoid spreading the paint around. Wet or dry, lightly scrape away large chunks of paint ASAP before proceeding to in-depth cleanup.

From here, soap and water are your dream team. Mix bar soap, dish soap or detergent with water and gently blot the affected area to lift the stain, rotating your rag to avoid spreading. Be careful not to use too much water, as this will dilute and spread the paint. Finish cleaning up the water-based paint by blotting with a plain wet rag or sponge, applying a bit of acetone if the stain doesn’t completely lift.

Oil-Based Paint

Though difficult, oil-based paint isn’t necessarily impossible to remove from furniture upholstery. Wet paint requires a delicate touch, and you should take care to gently scrape away larger clumps of oil-based paint before it has a chance to dry.

Paint thinner is always a solid go-to for oil products. Follow the scraping process on your favorite armchair or sofa with a paint thinner application. Using a damp cloth, dab paint thinner onto the affected area, carefully working the stain and cloth to avoid making the situation worse. If the paint stain dries before you can clean up, skip the paint thinner and move straight to dry cleaning solvent.

Fabric Codes

Different fabrics interact with paint in various ways, making removal a little trickier. Home furniture is made from a wide variety of fabrics, so despite best practices, there isn’t a 100% one-size-fits-all stain removal solution. If the above steps aren’t ideal or you’ve tried them without success, check furniture tags and cushions for advice. Lettered tags provide cleaning instructions. For instance:

W: Use water-based detergent

S: Use dry cleaning solvent

WS: Use water-based or dry-cleaning solvent

Turn to Ace for the Best Paint Products

No one enjoys cleaning up DIY messes. Mistakes are easy enough to recover from, however. Remember these tips for your next paint project, and turn to Ace for the best paint products to get the job done. Stop by one of our South Hills locations for the finest paint products.

How to Remove Paint Stains: Part 1

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 19:22:37 GMT

During your latest DIY project, the paint spilled on your clothing and carpeting. Your first instinct could be to panic, but keep a cool head with some of these tips on how to remove paint stains.

Remove Paint from Clothing

It’s a headache when your favorite clothes accidentally get stained, and paint stains are tricky. But all is not lost. A few trusted methods can fix the problem, depending on the type of paint involved as well as the condition of the paint.

Water-Based Paint

Wet

You’ve spied a glob of paint on your favorite jeans, but this doesn’t mean they have to be tossed. When you catch a stain that’s still wet, there’s actually more hope to remedy the situation.

Carefully use a spoon or dull butter knife to lift away any wet paint residue from your garment. From here, turn your clothing inside out. Attacking the stain from the back to avoid grinding the paint in further, rinse only the stained area (do not soak the clothing) under warm, forceful running water. This will release thick paint from the fibers. More work may be required, however. If the stain remains, spot treat the garment with dish soap or laundry detergent, scrubbing and rinsing as necessary. Then toss in the wash!

Dry

Once water-based paint has dried, your removal approach must shift and the results are unlikely to be as pristine. Still, there are a few things to try.

Again, try to scrape away any paint residue that’ll loosen with a dull tool like a spoon. Instead of flushing a dry stain, follow up by applying a chemical compound like acetone or rubbing alcohol, carefully working the solution into the fabric with a cotton swab from the outermost part of the stain inward. Finish up by attempting to clean the clothing in the washing machine. If the stain persists, avoid machine drying to prevent heat from setting the stain further.

Oil-Based Paint

Wet

The important thing to remember with oil-based paints is to NEVER try to remove stains with water, as it will make matters worse. Instead, rely on simple paint thinner. Before diving headlong into the process, lightly scrape away any clumped up paint.

Once the excess paint in cleared away, grab your trusty paint thinner and start working. Turn the garment inside out, then lightly apply the paint thinner with an old rag. Take care to put rags or paper underneath the fabric to avoid transferring the stain to your work surface and work the solution into the fibers. A few light taps here and there should loosen the paint, which should be primed for an in-depth wash. After, apply detergent to the stain and soak the garment overnight in the warmest water permitted (based on washing instructions on the tag), then run through the washing machine.

Dry

We won’t lie, dry oil-based paint is beyond hard to remove. You can still try, however. The key to removing oil-based paint is to keep it wet. So, consider wetting the stained area with paint thinner or turpentine and following the same cleaning process as above. The odds of total stain remove are considerably less, however, professional dry cleaning may be another option.

Remove Paint from Carpeting

Staining your clothes during a paint project is one thing, but home carpeting is a substantial expense that you want to protect. To avoid having to recarpet the entire room, try a few of these strategies to remove paint stains.

Water-Based Paint

Wet

Removing water-based paint from your carpeting is all about damage control. It is essential to lift as much of the stain as possible before taking more aggressive action, otherwise you’ll grind the wet paint into the floor.

Start by lightly scraping the excess paint away, just as you would with clothing. Next, use a clean cloth to gently blot the affected area with water and begin to lift the stain away. Be sure to rotate to a clean portion of the rag before each contact with the floor to avoid spreading the stain, and rinse as you go. It’s possible that this strategy will not remove the stain completely, so consider getting in touch with a professional carpet cleaner before the stain sets.

Dry

Once paint has dried, it must be softened so you can remove it. Soap and water will be helpful in this process. To get started, fill a bucket with some hot water and dish or laundry detergent. Grab a toothbrush brush to help with the effort and get to work by dipping the brush into the solution and gently applying it to the stain (Don’t scrub!).

Once the paint is sufficiently moistened, begin to scrape it away with a blunt tool. As it might not be 100% clean after scraping, keep blotting the area with the water/soap solution to remove the paint from the carpeting. After, let the floor dry and return later to vacuum any remaining debris from the carpet fibers.

Oil-Based Paint

Wet

As we well-know by now, wet oil-based paint is easiest to clean. When it lands on your carpeting, lift the paint as soon as possible.

As a first defense, trust the gentle scraping method to wick away thicker droplets of paint. From here, blot the area with a clean dry cloth to lift additional paint and finish up the pre-treating process. To remove the stain, turn to your trusty paint thinner and apply by blotting the area gently. If the carpet appears to be drying too quickly for you to finish cleaning the area, consider using a handheld clothing steamer to keep the surface wet.

Dry

Once oil-based paint dries on carpeting, the odds of removing it are slim, but you might try the same steps as outlined above, in conjunction with trusting a professional carpet cleaner. If the stain is in a small, inconspicuous area, it might be passable to carefully trim the top-most stained fibers (Just don’t trim away too much!) to minimize the damage.

Trust Ace for Quality Paint Products

Mistakes happen, but don’t let them keep you from tackling rewarding home projects. Get in touch with our team to discuss painting best practices, and stop by one of our South Hills locations for the finest paint products.

Paint Schemes for Year-Round Fall Vibes

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 15:32:10 GMT

Don’t you ever wish you could enjoy your favorite season all year? You can! By carefully crafting a paint scheme, it’s easy to bring the colors of seasons like fall into the various rooms of your home. Popular options? Shades of brown, orange and red, of course. Check out a few go-to paint schemes for year-round fall vibes and get to work, pumpkin spice latte in-hand.

Browns

Shades of brown might get muddled outside, but they lend to rich looks inside the home. This is especially true when paired with other familiar fall hues.

Mocha

Warm, dark browns like mocha might not be as common in nature, per se, but they create that cozy feeling you’re after. Crisp, cold air. Hot cocoa. You get the idea. What’s nice is that shades like this have a strong presence that blend well with milder, neutral shades to add some pop without being overwhelming. For example: mocha walls with white trim in the living room.

Latte

Coffee is for sure a fall color theme! In any case, neutral is a safe option all year round, and shades like latte also give a nod to autumn. Neutral browns are warm and welcoming for your home, making them popular. Bonus points: shades like latte work well with seasonal decor, as they create a nice backdrop for decorations which should be taking center stage.

Oranges

On its own, orange is often bright and bold. Your personality might be, too. If so, brighter orange is an autumn enthusiast’s ideal color. Experimenting with the various shades of the color and accent uses is also essential to setting the right mood, which can vary widely.

Burnt Orange

This shade is a happy medium between orange and brown and is bright enough without being too much to handle. It evokes a sense of calm and richness, especially when paired with vintage or antique metal decor. Can’t commit to burnt orange as a paint color? It’s also a hot choice for accents like pillows and curtains.

Pumpkin

Besides fallen leaves, what do you think of when the fall season approaches? Pumpkins, of course. As a color, pumpkin is the epitome of autumn, combining a rustic vibe with vibrant notes. It might get a little overwhelming on its own, though, so pairing it with other colors is ideal. Earthy tones like dark greens and muted browns combined with pumpkin infuse a sense of calm into any room.

Reds

Sure, red might be intense, but only if that’s your goal. The color is mostly used to create a sense of depth in a room, as well as add a touch of charm.

Garnet

An overall bold hue, garnet has the potential to command the room. If that’s not the intention, however, you can achieve a pop of color without sacrificing a warm and inviting space. Just turn to your decor and furnishings to get the right look, like neutral sofas and wall art.

Ruby

Red has a gemstone theme! Ruby red is pretty deep, but that means it coordinates well. Combine ruby red with shades of orange or even pink to create an unexpected but gorgeous look. Another idea: If deep red isn’t the right paint color, turn to velvet furniture pieces.

Turn to Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture for Your Fall Look

Have a fall theme paint project in mind? Trust us to deliver the finest interior paint products on the market, from Sikkens to Benjamin Moore. Get in touch to discuss your project or stop by one of our South Hills locations .

How to Make the Ultimate Fan Cave

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 19:06:44 GMT

With the return of football season, many of us will be sporting our favorite team colors. Whether that’s Black and Gold or something else, bringing that love of your team into your home is a great way to show your devotion. A lot of times, that means turning a spare room or basement into your ultimate fan cave.

Team Color Paint Themes

Trying to settle on a paint scheme for your new fan cave is pretty easy in this case. Just go with your favorite team’s colors. Luckily, if you’re a Pittsburgh sports fan, you won’t have to choose between hockey, baseball or football—unless you’re really into that retro powder blue and white combination.

No matter who you root for, team colors tend to be dark and bold. Because of this, we don’t recommend painting all four walls the same color, as they’ll make your fan cave feel much, much smaller. Instead, opt for an accent wall or two. This will achieve the vibe you want without making the room feel crowded. Pro tip: Leave whichever wall your TV is on white. This will help with contrast and make images a little more crisp.

Display Memorabilia with Pride

Most sports fans have a few knick knacks, tchotchkes and other sports memorabilia lying around. Whether that’s a prized autographed helmet or that figurine you got on bobblehead night, you want to show them off with pride.

Some are bound to have significant value and you probably don’t want them getting knocked off a table or out for anyone to get their dirty hands all over. Invest in a sturdy piece of furniture to help you out. We recommend a bookcase that allows you to display more valuable items out of reach. Furthermore, if you choose an unfinished piece of furniture, you can customize it with your team’s colors or whatever vibe fits your fan cave’s aesthetic.

Find All Your Ultimate Fan Cave Supplies at Ace Paints

From the perfect paint color to sturdy wooden furniture, Ace has everything you need to bring out the best in your ultimate fan cave. Explore our products online, or stop by one of our South Hills locations.

Update Your Grown Child’s Bedroom: Part 2

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 16:13:48 GMT

When your child leaves the nest to attend college or moves out, you have the freedom to redecorate and repurpose. Last time, we talked about turning a child’s bedroom into a guest bedroom or office to provide additional purpose-driven space. But maybe you just want to have some fun with that extra room, creating a workout space, man cave or TV/movie room. Update your grown child’s bedroom into these and other function spaces with themed elements of color and decor.

Function Rooms + Color Ideas

When you transform your child’s bedroom into something new, the possibilities are endless. Will you blow out a wall in a downstairs bedroom to create a makeshift dining room? Or is your goal to create more of a fun space? Either way, the direction you take with the paint scheme will differ for a hobby room in comparison to a bedroom.

Workout or Craft Room

Get your blood pumping and those creative juices flowing. Most people shy away from bold paint schemes in general, but they actually work here. Bold colors are shocking and energetic, so colors like reds, oranges and purples become a quiet source of motivation and energy for your daily workout or inspire your mind when you tackle a new craft project.

Man Cave/Rec Room

Man caves and rec rooms are designed to serve one purpose: to have a space just for fun. So the color theme and accents should reflect hobbies and activities. There are a few ways to approach this, from a sports-centric vibe to gaming themes. Do you bleed black and gold? Obviously black walls are not ideal, but gold would serve as a fun and energetic primary color, accented with black trim.

Movie Room

Are you a movie buff? A TV nut? Even if it’s not an all-out home theater, a movie and TV-themed room can be a fun design concept and the space will undoubtedly be a welcome respite from daily responsibilities. This theme has a few inherent color concepts, too. Get your hands on a stencil (or do it from scratch, depending on skill level) and add some black and white film strip accents or borders to the walls. For a real Walk of Fame experience, paint on large gold stars.

Decor Ideas

Workout and Craft Room Art

If the room is to become a workout or craft room, staying on-theme is a piece of cake. Simply add a bit of sports memorabilia or accessories, or for the craft space, maybe a vintage sewing machine against the wall or cross stitch artwork!

Man Cave/Rec Room Art

Round out the sports and gaming theme with artwork to match. Sports memorabilia makes a tremendous addition to a man cave/rec room area and art prints contribute to the theme of the space. For a “fan zone” of sorts, photos, plaques and pennants from favorite teams are readily available and would add some extra pop to this fun room. Going for a wider activity theme? Framed prints of pooches playing poker and similar wall art reflecting favorite activities would be cute and quirky.

TV/Movie Room Art

Turn your TV/movie room into a space worthy of any cinephile with fun art accents. Get your hands on entertainment-related decor to bring focus to the theme of the room. Want to go old school? Be on the lookout for film reel canisters to mount on the wall, or even a clapperboard from your favorite flick. Autographed posters of favorite actors make nice additions too, if you have the budget for the real thing.

Convert Your Child’s Bedroom with Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture

Paint themes and new decor go a long way toward transforming your child’s old room into a fresh hobby or function room. The end result will be something that allows your interests and personality to shine through, too. Have fun throughout the process, and Trust Ace for the quality paint products you need. Get in touch to discuss your project needs today.

Update Your Grown Child's Bedroom: Part 1

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 19:46:30 GMT

Your son or daughter has left the nest to attend college, leaving an unoccupied space in your home with plenty of creative potential. What do you want to do with the bedroom? Why not create a guest room or add a home office? Transform your space with elements of color, updated decor and new furniture.

Convert the Room with Color

When kids grow up, a playfully-themed bedroom no longer suits them, much less you. Naturally, when you’re brainstorming how to repurpose the space into a guest room or office, color is top-of-mind. Luckily, you don’t have to go too crazy with the paint job.

Guest Room and Office Paint

When repurposing a bedroom to become a guest room or office, less is more. Cool or neutral colors are calm and relaxing for your guests. White, beige and earthy greens are mild choices and have the benefit of matching with most decor. Cool hues like blues and grays are safe choices, too, because these colors are clean and calm.

Revisit Decor and Furniture

Pop singer posters and trophies aren’t going to complement the new vibe of the room, so take it up a notch. While you’re at it, bid farewell to the trusty twin bed and nightstand, too. Try to match the new purpose of the room with any decor choices so the space remains inviting. This goes for any artwork, window hangings and furniture. The idea is to introduce more mature design elements to the room.

Wall Art

Sure, posters are the hallmark of childhood and adolescence, but there comes a time to ditch these taped pictures for more sophisticated decor choices. To keep a nod to your child’s younger years alive in the space, consider framing a favorite photo or award and displaying it tastefully. Of course, another tried-and-true option is to hang a wall mirror and/or a few art prints to bring in some flair.

Queen Bed

Lots of kids had twin beds growing up, because they’re just the right size and are space efficient, providing plenty of room for toys and indoor play. This is one of the first things to ditch when the room becomes a guest room, because adult guests are simply too big for them! Coincidentally, adults often visit as couples, so at least a queen bed is an ideal upgrade for a comfortable stay. Of course, if the room is small, a foldout sofa bed will provide enough room to move around and a sufficient sleeping space at night.

Table or Desk + Extra Storage

A table or desk would be a huge productivity boost in the new space if it will become an office. So many people work from home regularly now that an office is almost a necessity. A designated workspace provides a way to settle in and be productive, plus you can hook up WiFi nearby to accommodate internet needs.

Round out the office vibe with storage solutions to match. Filing cabinets are compact enough to both remain out of the way and store essential documents in the room, and may be placed against walls or under tables. Additionally, sleek bookshelves provide plenty of room for reference materials, as well as family favorite books if the room will be better served as a combination office/library.

Restyle Your Child’s Bedroom with Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture

From a new paint scheme to different decor, it’s challenging to reinvent what was once your child’s beloved bedroom. Trust Ace for the quality paint products you need, and trust your gut for the rest! Redesigning a room is hard work, but don’t forget to have fun with it. It’ll be worth it in the end.

How to Remove Paint from Walls

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 20:28:19 GMT

You’re looking forward to a home DIY painting project, but the old, crusty paint is in the way. The old paint is peeling, so it just won’t do to paint over it. Removing the old paint is the only option. We’re talking about stripping paint from the wall(s), and it’s a long process. Luckily, acrylic (oil) and latex (water) paints are removed in the same way. Follow these steps to make the process a bit easier.

Preparing to Remove Paint

Removing paint from drywall is both tedious and messy. Before breaking out the scrapers and chemical agents, get the room ready. You’ll want to move any large furniture pieces at least two feet away from the workspace, but ideally, out of the room. Slip into some old, comfy clothes and then lay down a few drop cloths to catch the debris. Since dust will be flying about, consider opening a window or positioning a fan nearby to promote ventilation

How to Remove Paint from Walls Manually

Paint can be removed with both tools and chemicals, and each is effective at different stages of the cleanup. When you manually remove drywall paint, hand tools are your best friends. In the event the paint is already damaged, you have an advantage because it has already begun to loosen. Take a wire brush and scrape it along the areas that paint has already bubbled or chipped. Doing so is a good starter for heavy duty paint removal with a scraper.

After removing the lighter debris, you’ll need a sharp scraper for the heavy lifting. Depending on the condition of the paint, large areas may easily be peeled off by carefully working the scraper underneath the paint bubbles. Smaller scrapers and tools are available to reach tough corners, but you’ll likely need a chemical paint stripper to reach the finish line.

Tools Needed:

Wire Brush
Paint Scraper

How to Use Chemicals to Remove Paint from Walls

All paints respond to chemical removal, but the type of paint stripper may vary depending on whether you’re getting rid of acrylic (oil) or latex (water) paint. Check the label at the hardware store before purchasing to ensure you have the correct compound. Aside from this, chemical removal is pretty straightforward.

Paint strippers are sold as both liquids and gels, and each is equally effective. However, if you want to minimize the mess, however, use gel, which doesn’t run down walls quite as much. To apply paint stripper, use a brush or roller (depending on the surface area) and apply liberally to the wall(s). Let sit, per the instructions on the label, before peeling back the dried stripping compound (and accompanying paint) with a putty knife or paint scraper.

Tools Needed:

Paint Stripping Compound
Putty Knife/Paint Scraper

Optional: Sanding

For safety reasons, sanding the wall(s) is an optional step. You’re likely kicking up a fair bit of debris and dust just by scraping the paint anyway, and additional dust from the sanding process will linger in the air far longer.

That said, if sanding becomes necessary, try not to do too much of it, and break out that handy wire brush again. If you have access to an orbital sander with safety features like dust extraction to minimize workspace pollution, sanding might be a viable option for you. Just attach a 60 or 80-grit sanding disk and get to work—wearing all safety equipment (earplugs, goggles, mask), of course. Be sure to keep the sander in constant motion and limit pressure to avoid damaging the wall(s).

Find the Best Paint Products at Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture

After the hard work of removing old paint is complete, you have a new adventure to look forward to: repainting! That’s where we come in. Ace Paints offers the finest paint products for your next project, from major manufacturers like Sikkens and Benjamin Moore. Stop in today and trust Ace for next repainting project.

Types of Paints to Use for Different Projects

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 20:44:00 GMT

You’ve got a major DIY project coming up and are in the market for paint to get the job done. You’ve browsed the hardware store, only to leave scratching your head. What the heck is the difference between oil-based and water-based paint? What does “sheen” mean? We’ll explore some common home paint projects, as well as the right paints to use.

Project Types

Before diving into the variety of paints available for home projects, think about the projects themselves. What are you working on, and what other projects might be on the horizon? Painting inside and outside are different animals, so let’s break it up into exterior and interior paint projects:

Exterior

Brick

The look of natural brick isn’t for everyone, so a coat of paint may be necessary. You should be positive that painted brick is what you want because its porous nature makes it nearly impossible to remove later. Thoroughly clean the surface with a wire brush and soapy water to remove debris and wait 48 hours before tackling the project.

Concrete Block

Do you have a concrete wall along your driveway or surrounding the perimeter of your home? Provide some extra pop with color. Painting the concrete breaks up the otherwise ho-hum gray look of these basic blocks. If the blocks are brand new, you should wait about 90 days before treating them with paint. Otherwise, prep the surface with a 1-to-1 bleach/water solution to remove efflorescence and follow it up with trisodium phosphate (TSP) cleaner. Apply paint after 48 hours.

Vinyl Shutters

Old or new, your home’s shutters can be jazzed up with a coat of paint. New vinyl shutters have a coat of mold-release agents on their surface, so you’ll need to wipe that off with paint thinner before you do anything else. Clean each panel with a mild detergent to prepare for painting before attaching them to the house.

Interior

Tile

While you’ll want to avoid painting tile flooring because it gets too much traffic, that doesn’t rule out decorative tile accents or tiled walls. Get the most out of your paint job and maximize adhesion by sanding with a 150-grit sandpaper. Follow that up with a TSP cleaner before applying your first coat.

Drywall

Even if you never tackle another home painting project, your walls will need a fresh coat at some point. You’re going to look at it a lot, so clean up your drywall with a vinegar solution to remove dust and hair before cracking open a can of paint. Walls with a bit of wear might have cracks or holes to repair too, and spackling compound will get the job done.

Laminate Counters

Painted countertops? It isn’t very common anymore but may work as a temporary surface in a pinch while you save for higher end granite. The project prep is similar to drywall, too. Sand the surface with 150-grit sandpaper and clean it up with a TSP product before applying primer and paint.

Paint Types

Oil-Based

Natural and synthetic materials form the primary makeup of oil-based paints. In a natural formulation, linseed oil is the primary ingredient, aside from chemical pigments and preservatives. The more common (and less expensive) option is synthetic oil-based paint. Made of alkyd, it tends to be more rugged than its natural counterpart. Ideal use: trim work because trim experiences more wear and tear than surfaces like walls or brick.

Water-Based

Indoor paint projects don’t require extreme flexibility, as conditions remain pretty constant and the margin for error is lower. That’s where latex or water-based paints come in. They’re not as tough or as flexible as oil, but these paints dry fast so that your home will be back to normal in no time.

In either case, to ensure a quality end product and longevity, use primer for your paint projects. Oil-based primers will protect and ensure smooth application of oil paint, while latex primer will do the same for water-based painted areas.

Paint Sheen

The sheen, or paint finish, impacts the final appearance of each job, making it just as important as the variety of paint you use. Oil- and water-based paints come in different sheens for specific applications and effects. Countless options are available, but a few of the most common finishes are gloss, semigloss and matte.

Gloss

Gloss paint varieties are ideal for wood applications, and provide a high shine finish, allowing wooden accents to stand out. The shine enhances light and shadow, which provides depth, but also highlights imperfections. As a result, you’ll want to apply two coats of paint for maximum coverage and quality appearance. Gloss paints take a long time to dry, so they aren’t always ideal for larger indoor surfaces.

Matte

Easily the most common interior paint, matte sheen paint is ideal for large coverage areas like walls. Matte paints work so well because they don’t produce any shine after drying, so imperfections are drastically minimized. You can easily apply the paint with a brush or roller, and two coats are recommended for a quality end product. These paints work welland are affordably-priced because when they frequently get marked up they do require retouching.

Semigloss

Looking for a quality finish for trim work? Semigloss paints are widely used indoors for smaller projects and are easy to work with. A balance between its gloss and matte counterparts, semigloss provides a hard finish with a slight shine. Because it’s a moderate option, semigloss won’t overwhelm the space or highlight imperfections, generally producing desired results with only one coat. Bonus: if your paint gets marked up with scuffs, semigloss is easy to clean with soap and water.

Stop by Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture for the Best Paint Options

Whether you’re working indoors or outdoors, tackling a large or small project, Ace Paints can help. We offer a variety of paint products from major brands like Sikkens and Benjamin Moore to help you achieve your desired end result. Stop by our Mt. Lebanon or Peter’s Township locations to browse our selection .

Interior Home Painting Mistakes to Avoid

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 20:23:10 GMT

Paint projects are time consuming, and depending on project scope, also expensive. Small mistakes are costly to a beautiful end product, so it’s essential to learn how to avoid them. From pre-painting prep to the effects of various weather conditions, we discuss a few of the most common home painting mistakes to avoid.

Forgetting to Prep the Area

It’s Painting 101: Always prepare your workspace before diving into a painting project at home. From what you wear (old clothes are best) to protecting the area, make sure the stage is set. A few things to do before you begin:

Prep the walls. Dust, dirt and hair stick to walls over time. To ensure that the paint glides on smoothly and evenly distributes, wipe down the walls with a water and vinegar solution beforehand.
Define the paint surface with painter’s tape. Will you be painting near angled or framed areas, like windows or baseboards? Stick painter’s tape along any frame or borders, as well as barriers between the wall and ceiling. Apply the paint slightly over the edges for clean lines, but remove the tape before the paint dries to prevent it from peeling up with the tape.
Protect flooring with drop cloths. Paint can stain anything, including flooring. Don’t compromise luxurious hardwood or expensive carpeting. Line the floor in the immediate paint area with the drop cloth (like an old sheet) to catch paint droplets or spills.

Not Using Primer

The walls are painted, you’re eager to be finished with such a time-consuming project...but it just doesn’t look right. Forget the primer? For a smooth finish, apply a coat of primer before embarking on a paint project. Primer helps paint adhere to walls cleanly and evenly, and even brings out its ideal shade as seen on a paint swatch. Several brands offer primer-paint 2-in-1 products, so the extra step isn’t necessary. If you’re painting the surface for the first time, however, it’s best to use two separate products.

Wrong Paint

Latex or oil-based paint? Flat or semigloss? Know what kind of paint to use in advance of a project to avoid disastrous results.

For instance, if the walls are already treated with oil-based products, a new coat of latex paint will crack once it’s dried. It’s fine to change paint type, but also a headache: oil-based paint needs to be sanded off before latex is applied. Makeup wearers can probably relate to another painting mistake, too. Just like using makeup over a pimple tends to make it stand out more, using a glossy paint over an imperfect surface (i.e. wood) highlights defects. Stick to flat paint in these cases, as light and shadow won’t catch as easily. Moreover, if you’re making a drastic color change, try a tinted primer first (like gray) when transitioning between a light and dark hue.

Temperature and Weather Issues

Ew, what is that slop? Oh no, it’s your can of paint! Extreme temperatures can ruin otherwise new paint, turning it into a compound that’s utterly unusable.

When painting in warm climates or embarking on an exterior paint project, be mindful of heat and humidity. Humidity plays havoc with water-based paints especially, slowing drying times. Straight up heat sometimes has the opposite effect: paint dries too rapidly while you’re spreading it, causing it to bubble. In either case, if you can wait to do the project, it’s best to put it off until conditions improve.

On the polar opposite of the spectrum (pun intended), extreme cold is horrible for paint. If cold temperatures are on the horizon, bring cans of acrylic and latex paint indoors to avoid freezing and ruining the product. Likewise, avoid engaging in a new project during freezing temperatures, as paint will not fully dry.

Turn to Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture for Your Paint Needs

Getting ready for a major paint project? Turn to Ace to find the right product and color shade. We partner with suppliers of major brands like Sikkens and Benjamin Moore to provide quality water- and oil-based paints for every project. Stop by our Mount Lebanon or Peter’s Township locations to browse our paint selection today.

Bring Your Favorite Vacation Destination to Your Home Decor

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 19:40:47 GMT

Think of your favorite vacation spot. Where are you in your mind? Maybe it’s someplace warm and colorful. Perhaps the opposite is true, and you envision a ski trip and a woodsy lodge. The bustle of the city may even be your happy place. Wouldn’t it be nice to bring it home with you? You can, with a little design inspiration. Check out our tips for how to bring your favorite vacation destination to your home decor, and start enjoying your favorite vibe all year round.

Tropical Decor

Tropical destinations are top of mind for lots of people, especially this time of year. You head to an island or to the beach and work on your tan, but miss the atmosphere when the trip is over. Guess what? It’s easy to bring home with an eye toward lots of color decorative accents.

Popping Colors

Recreate your tropical oasis easily with lots of color. Don’t be afraid to go bold here. Go all out by painting walls and ceilings with bold blues, or even bright yellows. Depending on the look, neon hues could even add to the theme while creating an illusion of more space.

You don’t even have to limit this look to paint colors. Try adding color through the upholstery. Throw pillows and armchairs provide just enough pop to break up the space without overwhelming it.

Natural Furniture

Some beach furniture is light and airy, just like the environment. Light and woody furniture, like wicker chairs and rattan tables are casual options for a tropical space, lending to the laid-back feel you’re going for. Bonus: Are you retro at heart? This look gives a hat tip to the ‘60s, too.

Mountain-Themed Decor

Ah. Fresh air, log cabins and mother nature. Many people feel alive in the mountains, but don’t have a cabin to call their own. Whether you head uphill for a summer camping trip or a wintry ski escape, one thing is clear: rustic digs are your idea of happiness.

Earth Tones All Around

You want to transform your space into an outdoorsy sanctuary, so simplicity is your friend. That said, pull nature inside by incorporating wood heavily into the design. Distressed hardwood floors instantly create a rustic, lived-in look reminiscent of a log cabin retreat, while polished dark wood conjures thoughts of your favorite upscale ski lodge. Consider also adding a wood panel accent wall stained to complement color schemes like beiges, browns, deep reds or forest green hues.

Nature and Wildlife Accents

It’s easy to go overboard with the nature theme, but a few accents can heighten the atmosphere. Are you a hunter? A piece or two of natural or artificial taxidermy would make the room in question take on that hunting cabin look. To bring the outdoor environment inside, add touches of greenery to provide subtle color.

Metropolitan Vibes

Paris, New York—the list goes on. Urban, metropolitan funk is just home to you with its combination of luxury and simplicity. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh isn’t known as a style-forward, vacation-worthy destination. So, you might want to look to the bigger cities for decor inspiration.

Modern

Cities like New York are known for sophistication. They’re also known for the ambiance of the city itself. So, go for simplicity in colors, like grays or beiges. That pop of class comes from modern style furniture, as well as colored accents like pillows and rugs.

Industrial and Architectural

You’ll want to make your space very open and raw looking, if the goal is similar to a NYC studio apartment. Exposed brick walls or even concrete tables lend well to this look. And while you’re at it, why not give a nod to architectural design? Framed black and white photos, blueprints and wrought-iron accents complete the look!

Get Your Decorating Supplies from Ace and Achieve Your Style

Whether you love the tropics or consider yourself a snow bunny, it’s easy to bring your favorite vacation destination home and incorporate it into your decor. Stock up on paints and stains at Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture , and get your DIY on.

Choosing the Right Paint Brush

Thu, 25 Jul 2019 14:47:51 GMT

Choose color. Check. Choose paint. Check. Choose brushes...Umm??? When diving into a home painting project, we typically think about the basics of the job surrounding the end result, but unless you’re a professional, details about maximizing efficiency and results are cast aside. The truth is, choosing the right paint brush for the project is essential to the job. Let’s discuss whether you should use a brush for your project, and which kind.

Choosing a Type of Paint Brush

The paint brush you choose will really depend on the type of project, as different compositions of paint and surfaces play better with specific tools. The big question here is about brush material. Should you go for natural or synthetic brushes?

Natural

Natural brushes are made from animal hair, and they hold up against oil-based paints and varnishes the best. Because the bristles have a “flagging” at their tips—a fuzz-like split end texture—natural brushes hold lots of paint and distribute it evenly on your surface.

Synthetic

Paint brushes don’t have to be made of natural fibers. In fact, man-made fibers actually last longer sometimes. Synthetic brushes are usually constructed from nylon, polyester or a blend of each, and are ideal for use with water- and latex-based paints. These brushes last longer (and are therefore pricier) because of a few key characteristics: nylon is highly durable and polyester maintains its shape. What you get in the end is a stiff brush that won’t morph over time and will last for multiple paint jobs.

Choosing the Right Paint Brush Size and Shape

There really is no universal paint brush for every project. After all, a larger flat brush wouldn’t be effective for trim work. So in addition to exploring your options about brush material, consider the ideal size and shape to fill in the nooks and crannies while providing a thorough coat.

Brush Width

Depending on your project needs, you’ll have brush sizes ranging from one to four inches wide to choose from. Brushes that are 1”-2” are ideal for trim work, window frames and molding, whereas 3”-4” brushes work wonders on doors and walls/ceilings.

Brush Style

To make things more complicated (OK, maybe “precise” is a better term), paint brushes come in all sorts of shapes and styles which influence how they hold and apply paint. A few options include:

Angled Sash - These brushes have slanted bristles, hold more paint and cut into tight corners effectively. They’re generally available in 1”-2 ½” widths for maximum precision.
Flat Sash - Instead of an angle, flat sash brushes cut straight across at the tip, making them ideal for larger, flat surfaces. These usually come in 3”-4” varieties for large applications.

Shop Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture for Quality Paint Products

It doesn’t matter the project size, Ace has a vast selection of paint options for any application. We carry the finest paints to fit your needs, from brands like Benjamin Moore, PPG and Sikkens. Not sure which direction to take? Stop by our locations in Mt. Lebanon or McMurray to discuss your project, or give us a call.

Amish Furniture: A Tradition of Excellence

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 19:27:39 GMT

When the Amish first left Switzerland for Pennsylvania in the 1690s, simplicity was their major goal. Little did we know their way of life would eventually bring such beauty to ours in the form of handmade goods and fine wood furniture. Today, Amish furniture is in high demand, and stands out from anything else.

Handmade Furniture by Skilled Amish Craftsmen

From a young age, the Amish learn specific trades which have been passed down through their families, like farming and carpentry. After about an eighth grade education, members are brought further into the fold by spending the time to perfect a craft which will benefit their families and society both functionally and financially. Given that woodworking is literally a tradition in many families, there’s greater motivation to craft quality products.

Materials and Tools

The way most of us would think about furniture making involves power saws, nails, screws and production lines. Given the simplistic, technology-averse nature of Amish culture, they approach woodworking much differently. From wood quality to the tools and materials used, Amish craftsmen turn woodworking into an artform.

Wood Quality

Purity is guaranteed in each unique piece of furniture. Why? Because Amish woodworkers make a point to never use low grade wood. This means that each piece of wood used in crafting a rocking chair, table, dresser (or whatever else you can think of) uses solid wood rather than fillers or artificial materials like particleboard. Beyond this, craftsmen typically prefer to use oak, maple, mahogany and other woods which are free of imperfections.

Amish craftsmen are sticklers for the quality and appearance of each piece of furniture, so it’s common for individual pieces of wood to be thoroughly checked for flaws and for how each will fit into the finished product.

Power or Manual?

Most of us know the Amish don’t use modern technology, including electricity. So how do they efficiently construct complex furniture pieces? Various hand tools are common, like auger drills and saws, but “power” tools are pretty common. Using a few tricks up their sleeves, these artisans use pneumatic (air) tools powered by diesel compressors, as well as generators to operate complex systems of pulleys. The rest? It’s called “getting you hands dirty” for a reason. In addition to various manual tools to get the job done, workers secure each piece with joints— mortise-and-tenon joints to form a right angle, dovetail joints to hold the corners together and tongue-in-groove joints to sturdily connect boards side-by-side lengthwise—instead of screws.

Unique Features of Amish Furniture

Because Amish furniture is handcrafted, workers have the freedom to put their mark on each piece. Seasoned furniture makers express their skill and creativity by incorporating chiseled and hand-carved designs into the wood, making each piece its own. Intriguingly, some workers go so far as to hide secret compartments—like drawers and bins—into pieces like tables and bookcases. What a place to stash that spare cash!

Shop Amish Craftsmanship at Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture

Amish furniture has been revered for its artistry and unparalleled quality since the 18th century, and it’s easy to see why. The fact is, no two pieces are exactly alike, providing you with something truly unique, and the standard of excellence for these pieces never wavers.

Contact Ace to discuss your needs, or shop online to furnish your home the Amish way.

Summertime Color Palettes That Don’t Disappoint

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 16:36:00 GMT

Each season brings with it a certain color vibe—darker tones during winter, earthy for fall, etc. Summertime is all about the bright and the bold. Think of your clothing, for instance. You’re way more likely to sport bright yellow during the height of summer. Why? Because the sun is blazing and doesn’t penetrate light colors to an extreme degree (keeping you cooler) and because we tend to mirror our environment. The same holds true for home decor and color palettes. Try one of these themes for your next paint job to really capture that summertime vibe.

Citrus Tones

Ah, lemonade. Citrus isn’t just a source of summertime refreshment, it can also add a brighter color palette to your home. Pale and bright yellows, greens and oranges liven up spaces like bathrooms and sunrooms, while permitting natural light to pass. Throw in some white for a balanced color combination.

Berry Bold

Summer is as much about energy as it is about sunshine. Enter bight, bold hues. Shades of purple, red and blue give a nod to the plentiful fresh berries and produce of the season, and are also perfect if you have a vibrant personality. For a little bit of contrast and dimension, combine bold tones with cooler ones like turquoise to create a stellar look for the bedroom.

Natural and Neutral

Bright, bold and...neutral? Okay, maybe cool and calming. The vision of the summer season generally includes some greenery, cool beiges and blues—like you’d find at the beach. Using these tones in a bathroom, sunroom or even family room creates a serene vibe, just like the vastness of nautical getaways. Bonus points: light, calm colors create an illusion of space and openness, so a small room will feel larger.

Trust Ace Paints for the Finest Color Products

Ready to take the plunge on a renovation project this season? Shop our selection of paints and stains to complete your summer-themed renovation. Not sure which brand is best for your needs? Get in touch for expert advice to make your project stand out!

Ideal Wood for Furniture

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 16:53:15 GMT

There’s an elegance to wood furniture, created by manipulating nature’s materials into something beautiful and functional. Wood may be transformed into anything you can think of, in styles ranging from rustic to upscale. But there’s a key to unleashing this magic: choosing the right wood for the desired furniture piece. Two different types of wood are used in furniture applications--softwoods and hardwoods--each with specific species, benefits and ideal uses.

Softwoods

Contrary to logic, softwoods aren’t necessarily softer materials, though perhaps less dense. They come from coniferous trees, which grow straight and fast, so the wood is relatively abundant and cheaper. These wood varieties are usually less elaborate when it comes to grain patterns. Go-to softwoods include cedar, pine and fir, each of which is ideal for outdoor furniture.

Cedar

Oh, the earthy aroma of cedarwood! For this reason, red cedar is a top choice for bedroom closets and storage chests. People love the smell! Additionally, cedar is naturally effective in repelling insects and is moisture resistant, so it stands the test of time for both indoor and outdoor use. Its light red hue and straight grain blend well with just about anything, and this wood only requires a clear finish for shine. Cedar is ideal for those with a moderate budget.

Pine

Looking for something with a custom touch? Pine might be the way to go. That’s because its soft nature makes this wood easy to carve, so individual pieces of furniture can be truly one of a kind. The light shade (often white or yellowish) of pinewood means it blends with just about any decor, and it takes various shades of stain well. Affordable and versatile, pine has been widely used for years. The only drawback is that it is easily damaged.

Fir

Fir isn’t a first choice furniture option, primarily because its inflexible. This reddish brown wood is difficult to stain and its grain is a bit boring. However, if the end goal is to paint a newly-crafted porch rocker, you’ve got a friend in fir. It’s pretty common and inexpensive, to boot!

Hardwoods

Slow-growing deciduous trees bring us the highly diverse and versatile hardwoods that are more top of mind in the furniture industry. With a greater variety of colors, grain patterns and textures, there’s strong demand for hardwoods. There are too many varieties to name, but the créme de la créme of the hardwood kingdom includes mahogany, cherry and oak.

Mahogany

My, oh my, mahogany! When money is no object and quality is the highest priority, mahogany furniture is the ideal. Varying from dark brown to deep red, this wood is tops because of how rare it’s become. Mahogany is usually shipped in from Honduras and various Latin American regions, so it carries a hefty price tag. It also has a distinct grain and versatility to be used in both indoor and outdoor furniture pieces!

Cherry

Aging like a fine wine, cherrywood has incredible endurance. This wood is usually some shade of reddish brown, and only darkens as it ages, enhancing its beauty. Cherry is a physically harder wood, making it resistant to dents, scratches and holes--an ideal wood for outdoor applications or an office desk! And with such a vibrant natural color, all you have to do is use a light stain or clear finish. It carries a higher price tag.

Oak

Available in both red and white varieties, oak is a longstanding favorite for furniture applications. It stands out because of its grain, which often appears as streaks in the wood. Oak is a physically harder wood, but simultaneously porous and moisture resistant, so it functions well as a cost-effective material for indoor and outdoor furniture.

Is There a “Right” Furniture Material?

The short answer here is no. Obviously individual tastes vary, so it would be stifling to say that one material must be used over another. Overall, though, hardwoods like mahogany and oak fair better in wooden furniture applications, with wider indoor/outdoor flexibility.

Call on Ace Paints for Your Wood Furniture Needs

At Ace Paints, we sell only the highest quality furniture, with absolutely no fillers. Bookcases, desks, nightstands and more, our selection meets any functional or decor need you may have. Ask us about our current featured pieces, and about specialty retailers near you!

Power Washing Without Ruining Exterior Stains and Paints

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 06:30:23 GMT

You want your house to be clean, but you also want it to have a good paint job. You can have both! Read on for information about power washing safely.

Power Washing Impressive Cleaning Powers

Cleaning the exterior of your home can be time consuming, physically exerting and often hard to do well. Luckily, pressure washers help us with this. These babies use up to 80% less water than a hose with nearly 50 times the power behind it, saving you time and money. However, if you’re not careful, you can do more harm than good to the outside of your home.

Be Safe and Efficient with Your Power Washer

Even a pressure washer with a low psi can be hazardous to both your home and your body. Never aim the pressure washer at any people, pets, or prized plants. Make sure to grip tightly so you have complete control over the machine at all times.

To protect exterior paints and stains, make sure to move side to side in a sweeping motion. It’s not good to concentrate the pressure on one area for an extended time. You also always want to start on the lowest pressure. If you find it’s not enough and isn’t causing damage to your house, you can notch it up slowly. However, if you start high and ruin your paint job, it’ll be too late to lower the pressure.

You also want to start farther away from the area you’re cleaning. Standing too close can break away stain or even damage softer woods. Start at least ten steps away and come forward one step at a time to test results. You just need to be able to remove dirt and grime, not blast away paint and vibrancy.

Pick the Power Washing Right Equipment

There are multiple nozzles to choose from when fitting your power washer, and they all help to harness the water in the appropriate way for the job at hand. When low-pressure washing your siding or deck, you’ll want to use a wider nozzle, around 40 degrees.

For washing away dirt and grime on concrete and masonry work, you’ll want to go for a 24-degree nozzle. If you have stubborn stains on a strong surface, you can try the zero to 15 degree nozzles, but do so very carefully. This concentrated spray is very powerful.

Come to Ace When You’re Ready to Repaint or Stain

If cleaning’s not going to cut it this year and you want a fresh new look, we can help! Visit one of our South Hills locations or check out our online store today!

Matching Paint Colors with Wood Tones

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 02:27:10 GMT

You have some beautiful woodwork in your house that you’d like to show off, but you also like some color. How do you find the right colors to go with your wood tone? With a little planning you can make both patterns pop and complement each other. Keep reading to learn more!

Enhancing Your Wood’s Finish

Don’t try to match paint colors to your wood. They should not be the same, but complement each other. Each piece of wood can have a unique color and grain look, and all of that can be altered with different stains.

What is the dominant hue in your wood? Think about that as you look for corresponding colors. Also decide if you want to create a bold contrast in colors or a low quiet sort of contrast. Both can be great! And don’t think that you have to use the same kinds of wood throughout one room. A more evolved look of different shades is great.

Attention Getting Rooms

Bold colors grab the eye and you can get this both ways. Pair light or pastel colored walls with dark bold wood finishes. For example, woods such as walnut, mahogany or cherry stand out well against peach, light blue, green or sunny yellow walls.

You could also flip it. With dark and bold wall colors such as ruby, forest green or navy, pair with lightly colored woods. Both will have the same eye catching affect. This is a great tactic if you have one or two key pieces of wood furniture you’d like to draw attention to. However if a room has a lot of wood features, it may look better with less contrast through your paint color.

Walls for a Subtle Palette

If you’re more low-key, but no less stylish, you’ll want a more subtle approach to color. This can be achieved by using wood furniture and wall colors with equal intensity. This does not mean they have to be the same color, just hues of uniform strength.

A dark walnut chest against a deep ruby red wall will create a dynamic look that adds aesthetic value to the room. In the same way, a soft, butter-colored wall with an ash or white oak table can be equally pleasing. This in no way takes away from showcasing your fine wood furniture.

Ace Can Help Find Your Perfect Colors!Come see us to find a variety of paint colors as well as unfinished furniture! Visit one of our South Hills locations or check out our online store today!

Green Paint to Liven Up Your Space

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 02:40:25 GMT

March means St. Patrick’s Day, and that gets us all in the Green spirit! A lot of folks shy away from green paints for their home, but we think it’s time to embrace them! We love color, and we know you do, too. The color green can do wonderful things for your house. It can help energize a room, make you feel calm and grounded with the earth and more. We have some tips to help you use green paint to make your house fresh without feeling tacky.

Add a Subtle Pop of Color with Light Green Paint

A paler green is great for a room in which you want calmness, but still need a little pop. You want a seamless hint of color, not something loud and distracting. Light green walls make a great background without being boring, giving you the opportunity to add boldness with decor and furniture. Use colors like mint, pistachio, melon, honeydew or lime for a soft green touch.

Bright, jewel toned greens can really liven up a room, too! These are colors that manage to be bold without being loud. If you’re looking for color that’ll feel lavish, go for emerald greens, jade, aquamarine, malachite and aventurine.

What About Earthy Greens?

Want to feel more connected to the planet and life around you? Green can help with that! There are different kinds of earthy greens you can go with. There are the bright, cheerful greens that imply new life, reminding us of new leaves, fresh buds and cute little succulents. These are inviting and spring-like. Opt for colors such as lichen, celery, pear, lettuce alone and beanstalk.

And then you have the deeper, darker earth greens—the ones that remind you of hot summer days and lush gardens. These provide a safe and homey atmosphere in any room. With the darker colors you’ll want to be sure you use them in large, brightly lit rooms and use a lighter accent color. Some great choices are grape leaves, olive, clover/shamrock, blarney stone, and moss.

Come Down to Earth at Ace!

We have all the green paints to help you achieve your perfect blend of life and serenity. Take a step outside your color comfort zone and let us help! Visit one of our South Hills locations or check out our online store today!

Don’t Forget Your Walls for Spring Cleaning!

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 03:00:04 GMT

With spring on the way, many of us are getting excited about all those outdoor projects we’ve been meaning to do. But, before you let your attention stray outdoors make sure you do a thorough Spring Cleaning inside!

What to Use When Cleaning Your Walls

Cleaning walls is easy to overlook. After all, how dirty can they really get? If you’re curious, dampen a rag and wipe over a few spots. See that? Dust, cobwebs and other debris can still cling to vertical surfaces. Yeah, it’s time to clean your walls.

Luckily, this is a simple task. You can purchase specific cleaners and tools, or a sponge and some hand dishwashing detergent can often do the trick. You might want to get a long handled sponge-type mop for those hard to reach higher places. You will also want a dry cloth to wipe down walls afterwards. You also might need a step ladder if you have particularly high walls. And of course, the bucket. What cleaning adventure is complete without a bucket or two? Go for two so you can use one with your soap solutions and another to wring out your dirty sponge.

Consider Your Paint

Walls that have flat paint, are stained or have eggshell finishes are not exceptionally durable. These should not be scrubbed aggressively. You should also use the mildest cleaner possible. Try plain water. If that doesn’t work the water/dish soap mix above will work fine. Semi-gloss and enamel paint should show no ill effects from washing.

How to Clean Your Walls

Turn off any fans in the room first. You don’t want to blow dust on to your damp walls. You want to start from the top of your walls and clean down. With your sponge damp, not dripping, wipe down the wall with cleaner solution and then again with water to rinse. Start with a small section. Upon finishing each section dry it with your cloth to prevent streaking. Move on to the next section.

And If You Get the Urge to Paint, Come See Us at Ace!

Once you’re done, you’ll have fresh and sparkling walls. If you get the urge to paint those walls a new and exciting color, we’ve got you covered! Come down to Ace to find the perfect hue for you! — Visit one of our South Hills locations or check out our online store today!

Time to Start Thinking About Restaining Your Deck

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 03:16:09 GMT

Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner. As the weather gets warmer, many of us will be turning our attention to all of those outdoor projects we’ve been meaning to tackle. Two big projects you might want to tackle involve your home’s exterior. Keep reading to learn what you need to treat your deck.

Cleaning Your Deck

Our decks and patios can take a beating throughout the winter. Ice and snow can lead to warping, cracking and discoloration. If you’re planning on redoing your deck this spring, here are few things to keep in mind.

When restaining a deck, you want to wait for a dry, sunny day when the wood has lost its soginess. This makes sure your stain adheres correctly. Next, check for debris and other surface problems. You want to make sure the space is as clean as possible before beginning. You may even need to wash the deck, allowing three days to dry before you start restaining. It’s also important to check your deck for rotted wood. Restaining these pieces won’t do you any good. It’s best to replace them before you start staining, or at least clean them vigorously.

Choosing the Right Stain

Once your wooden deck space is clean and dry, you’ll need to decide what kind of stain you want to apply. Wood-toned and clear stains will allow the natural color of the wood to remain. From there, the shades get darker. Ranging from semi-transparent, semi-solid, semi-solid and solid, it all depends how rich you want the color to be or how much of the wood grain you want to show through.

No matter what finish you go with, make sure it’s optimized for outdoor use. While a good stain coating gives your deck a fresh look, it also needs to protect it from the elements throughout the year. Make sure you’re going with a brand you trust to protect your deck for years to come.

How to Stain Your Deck

Now that you’re ready to start actually staining, there are few things to keep in mind. A natural bristle brush is going to be your best friend for this process. Apply broad strokes to two or three boards at a time. Start your next batch as the previous ones are drying to avoid lap marks that will make the finish look uneven. It’s important to note that less is more. If the stain isn’t as dark as you’d prefer when you first apply it, give it time to dry before deciding if you need another coat.

Finally, take of your deck throughout the years by reapplying your stain when necessary. You don’t have to do this every year, but if you notice your deck isn’t repelling water and wooden boards are remaining soggy, it’s probably a good time to restain.

Visit Ace for All Your Deck Stain Needs

We have the stains and brushes you need to take your outdoor space to the next level. Visit one of our South Hills locations or check out our online store today!

Caring for Wooden Furniture

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 03:30:07 GMT

Well built wooden furniture is timeless and can easily become heirlooms you pass down from generation to generation. Making sure your wooden furniture stands the test of time requires a little TLC and elbow grease. Here are few tips for caring for your wooden furniture.

Keep Cleaning Simple

When it comes to cleaning your wooden furniture, you don’t need to involve a lot of chemicals or expensive cleaning products. All you really need is a good duster, some soap, and water. The first step is to gently dusty your furniture, making sure to get in all the various nooks and crannies. Once, you’ve dusted your piece thoroughly, it’s time to get to cleaning.

wUse a soft cloth soaked in soapy water to wipe the surface area of your furniture. Believe it or not, the water won’t hurt your furniture, as long as you don’t soak it. If you really want to be thorough, consider using a toothbrush to get into the corners and other hard-to-reach areas. Once you’ve washed your furniture, gently dry it off with a soft towel with special care not to scratch it.

Stay Away from the Heat

Wood can be very temperamental and fluctuations between temperatures can cause it to warp or buckle over time. This is especially true in damp or humid weather. Another way to avoid damage is by keeping wooden furniture away from radiators or heating vents. Dry heat can cause wood to crack. It may even be a good idea to use a humidifier throughout the winter.

Likewise, it’s a good idea to keep wooden furniture out of direct sunlight. When the sun comes in through your windows, it can become so hot that the wood’s finish literally melts. On top of that, prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause fading and discoloration.

Consult an Expert Before Restoring

As furniture ages, it takes on an antique look. Whether this is through everyday use or just natural aging, your wooden furniture may begin to look a little less than perfect. However, when it comes to restoring old furniture, you don’t want to ruin it by overdoing things. Repainting or re-staining are straightforward enough, but even this can leave your furniture looking less than ideal.

Consider visiting your local furniture store for tips and tricks before attempting a furniture restoration. Stores like ours have experts on hand to answer any questions and point you in the right direction.

Visit Ace for Quality Wooden Furniture

From nightstands to coffee tables, bookcases to desks, Ace has the wooden furniture to make your house feel like a home. Visit one of our South Hills locations or view our inventory online.

Personalize Your Furniture with the DIY Projects

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 04:54:02 GMT

Customizing your own furniture is a great way to add a little personality to any room of your home. When you start with a piece of unfinished wood furniture, you can really make it unique. Here are few DIY projects you can take on to help you make your furniture truly your own!

Use Painters Tape

With a little painters tape, you can create fun designs and patterns on any piece of furniture. From zig zags to polka dots to whatever you can dream up, it’s a pretty easy process. The first step is to paint your furniture whatever color you want your pattern to be. Let that dry before moving on. Next, place your tape in whatever pattern you’ve settled on. Then take your next paint color and paint over everything. Again, let it dry. Once it’s dry, begin peeling off the tape. You’ll be left with a fun design with a nice pop of color!

Add Some Contact Paper

Adding a fun pattern or design to your furniture can be as easy as peeling and sticking on some fun contact paper. Start by cleaning and wiping down your entire piece of furniture. Next, choose whatever design you like and begin applying it. Make sure you smooth out any air bubbles.

Finally, you can add a very light coat of stain to give it a unique and antique look! Have some old wallpaper hanging around? You can use that instead of contact paper with a little paste.

Pop on Some Stickers or Decals

This might be the easiest way to personalize your furniture. But instead of applying them after you stain or clear coat and risk them peeling off, try adding them beforehand. This lets the design become part of the furniture itself.

Find All Your Unfinished Furniture at Ace

From bookcases to nightstands, from coffee tables to computer desks, Ace has all the furniture you want, unfinished and ready for you to customize. View our online inventory today.

How to Give Wooden Furniture a Distressed Look

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 05:36:52 GMT

This a great DIY project to help you achieve a very popular design for your home’s furniture. If you like the farmhouse chic style, or just want your wooden furniture to look more personal, this is an easy way to do it. The best part about doing it yourself is that you’ll save money, instead of buying finished pieces at a furniture store. Keep reading to learn how to do it!

Apply Your Base Color

The first step is to choose which color you’d like to paint your piece of furniture. You can pick any color that suits your taste or style. If you want a more natural look, you can always opt for a wood stain. We recommend using a satin latex paint or stain for the best effect.

Once you’ve chosen your color, apply your base coat. The number of coats you apply depends on how much wood grain you want to show in the final product. Use fewer coats or lighter brush strokes for a more natural look. Let your furniture dry completely before moving onto the next step.

Distressing Your Furniture

When your piece is totally dry, you can begin the process of actually giving it that distressed look. You’ll need sandpaper for this step.Try to stick to areas that would receive the most use naturally, or that would be most likely to get bumped.. For example, corners, legs, top surfaces and handles are great places to start.

It’s important not to over-sand. This will cause your furniture to look inauthentic. You want to make sure you leave some color behind to really create that wear-and-tear look.

Finish It Off

After you’ve finished sanding, it’s time to apply your finishing coat. Before your start, make sure to wipe off the entire piece with a cloth to get rid of the dust you created while sanding. This isn’t necessary, but it will help preserve your furniture and lock in the distressed look you created. If you don’t want to apply another coat, your piece will gather a greater distressed look over time.

For a finishing coat, we recommend going with the same color paint or stain you used in the base coat. This is will help create a more genuine look. Once your top coat dries, you’re all set, and ready to enjoy your new, DIY piece of distressed furniture!

Find All Your Project Furniture at Ace Paints

Whether you’re looking for a bookcase, coffee table or computer desk, Ace Paints and Unfinished furniture has the perfect piece for your project, plus every paint or stain you’ll need. Browse our online inventory or visit one of our South Hills locations today!

Tips for Painting Your Bathroom

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 05:51:35 GMT

Bathrooms have become so much more than just another room in the house. They are becoming oases from the outside world and spaces we want to enjoy. With that, many folks are investing a lot more time, energy and money to spruce up their powder rooms and en suites. However, when it comes to painting in your bathroom, there are few special considerations you’ll need to make.

Remove Fixtures

The first step is to clear your space as much as possible. Depending on where you’re painting, this may include removing shower heads, towel racks, or even the toilet tank. The last one is probably the most important. This is easier to do that you might think, as most toilets come in two parts. This helps you avoid having to stick your hand in that small space between the tank and the wall and lets you paint more comfortably.

There are, of course, some fixtures such as your sink and toilet bowl that you won’t be able to move. Make sure to invest in a lot of painters tape and tarps so you don’t wind up with any unsightly drips that will make the whole project look sloppy. It’s also a good idea to cover the floor to avoid any unnecessary messes.

Clean, Clean, Clean

Other rooms in your house require far less cleaning before you paint. Areas like the living room or bedrooms can get by with a simple dusting. However, that’s not the case when it comes to your bathroom walls. Soap scum, dust and mildew are all common finds on your bathroom walls. Painting without cleaning could mean the coat won’t adhere properly.

The best way to prep your bathroom for painting is to thoroughly clean every surface with your preferred product and let it dry for about 24 hours. This way, you won’t have to worry about any residue or dampness when you star painting.

Use Appropriate Paint

Now that it’s actually time to paint, you’ll want to make sure you have right products for the job. The type of paint you use needs to stand up to the dampness and mess your bathroom walls are subject to. There are specialty bathroom paints, but if you don’t want to use one of those, opt for a higher quality paint. They may cost a little more, but the solid count found in better paints is higher, leading to a better bond with your walls and a better protective later. Aura Bath and Spa from Benjamin Moore is excellent choice for a low sheen bathroom paint capable of standing up to the moisture of a full bathroom.

Another important factor to consider when choosing your bathroom paint color is the overall sheen. Higher sheens and glossy finishes whisk away moisture much better than matte finishes. These sheens will be much easier to clean and won’t stain the way other paints would.

Visit Ace Paints for Your Next Painting Project

Whether you’re painting your bathroom or any other room in the house, Ace has you covered. Visit one of our South Hills locations or shop online to get started with your next project.

How to Match Old Paint Colors

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 05:56:35 GMT

This time of year offers a great opportunity to take care of all those home improvement projects you’ve been putting off. One project you may have been meaning to tackle is touching up your wall’s coat of paint. Years of wear and tear can lead to any number scuffs, scrapes or holes left on your walls. However, sometimes we don’t know the exact color or brand of the old paint. How do you match a new can to what’s already on your walls?

Bring in an Accurate Sample

A big mistake many folks make when trying to match their current paint colors is taking a picture with their cell phone and bringing it into the store. Unfortunately, photos don’t always capture the exact color of the real thing. Shadows, angles and your camera’s flash can all lead to an inaccurate depiction of your paint color.

The most tried and true way to bring in an accurate sample is to actually scrape some of the paint off the walls. The best way to do this is with a utility knife. Cut a small piece out of your wall from an inconspicuous area. You can patch and repaint this after you’ve found the right color.

Applying New Paint to Old Walls

If you’re worried about finding the exact match, ask for a small sample to try out at home. Keep in mind, your wall color may have faded over time, so apply the sample to another inconspicuous spot. This might be more important if you plan on painting a larger surface rather just touching up a few spots here and there.

Another trick you can try is requesting a shade that’s slightly darker than your sample. See how it dries, and if it’s still not right, try adding a little white paint (from the same brand) to lighten it up. This might be a trial and error process, but it could save you multiple trips to the store. If you just can’t seem to get it right, paint a swatch of the new color on a piece of paper and bring it along with the original sample to your paint store. This may help you find the right hue. Finally, it’s best to use a small roller to apply your new paint. It will look more natural than a brush.

Visit Ace Paints for All Your Touch-Up Needs

Whether you just want to hit a few spots on the wall, or you’re looking to redo the entire room, Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture has the paint and other supplies you need. On top of that, we have a staff of experts ready to assist you in finding the perfect color and brand. Visit one of our two South Hills locations or shop online !

3 Ways to Preserve Your Deck Through Winter

Tue, 15 Jan 2019 05:59:12 GMT

There’s nothing better than sitting on your deck or patio in the warmer parts of the year. However, unless you’re hardcore about your outdoor time, it probably doesn’t see a lot of use throughout the winter and can be easy to ignore. However, a wooden deck requires a little TLC throughout winter to make sure your wood and its protective seals and stains see another summer.

Clear Away Snow as Often as Possible

A normal layer of snow isn’t going to ruin your deck. The problem is when this snow melts or turns to ice. Wood, no matter how well stained or guarded, is still porous. When liquid water seeps into the wood, it can lead warping and discoloration. Furthermore, water that seeps into wood can refreeze and expand, leading to cracks.

It might take a little time, but making sure you clear away snow as soon as possible will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. If you don’t want clear away snow after every storm, try using a plastic tarp to cover your deck throughout the winter.

Use a Plastic Shovel or Snowblower

When you do clear off your deck, it’s important to have the right tool for the job. A plastic shovel is your best bet. Plastic is relatively soft and won’t ruin your deck’s finish. Metal shovels, on the other hand, are much harder, and often have sharp edges. While your deck’s finish can withstand a lot of abuse, it isn’t strong enough to prevent scratches and chips.

If you’re worried about a plastic shovel, you can always go the snowblower route. The important thing is to remove the snow as often as possible. After removing the snow , you can help your deck even more by sweeping away any leaves or other debris so they don’t cause stains.

Skip the Salt

If you use your deck as a primary entrance into your home, you’re going to want to keep it cleared anyway. Even if you don’t use your deck’s entrance that often, it’s still a good idea to keep at least part of it clear in case of an emergency and you need another exit from your home.

However, unlike your sidewalks and driveway, salt has no place on your deck. Salt can be extremely harsh and damage your deck’s finish and wood. Salt can also cause pitting on the deck’s surface and even weaken the integrity of the wood. If you do want to de-ice your deck, opt for product without salt.

Treat Your Deck with Ace Paints

Keeping your deck looking like new requires a little bit of hard work, but it shouldn’t require a fortune. Ace Paints has finishes and sealants from the top brands. Browse our online inventory to get read for spring and summer.

Choosing the Right Colors for Design Trends

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 07:28:39 GMT

New year, new you, right? When the calendar turns over, many people take the opportunity to reinvent parts of their lives. For some, that means touching up or completely redoing various spaces in your home. If you’re looking to redesign a room in your house, here are some popular styles and paint colors that work best.

Mid-Century Modern

If you’ve shopped for furniture or been on Pinterest in the last five years, you’re probably somewhat familiar with the mid-century modern motif. As its name suggests, this style draws inspiration from American trends of the 1950s and 60s. Furniture tends to be streamlined, and round shapes are everywhere.

When it comes to painting your mid-century modern room, go with darker, bolder colors. Olive green, mustard yellow and rich browns are all good options. You want to give your space that loungey feeling, one that’s warm and perfect for your evening cocktail. You can offset darker tones with light blues and pinks, as well as rich cream tones.

Industrial

Fueled by bold statement pieces made of dark woods and iron, the industrial trend has been quite popular of the past decade, especially in urban areas. The idea behind industrial motifs is a sense of incompleteness, leaving your and your family to give the space its life.

Industrial rooms are designed with warehouses and factories in mind. That means very basic paint colors and patterns. Stick to white or beige walls and unfinished woods accents. If you want a pop of color, try painting an accent wall a bold tone like dark blue or grey. This will really help bring your industrial aesthetic together.

Minimalist

Minimalism has popped up throughout history, but it’s been gaining traction in the past few years. As people strive to declutter their lives, rooms are becoming less about the stuff they hold, and more about the memories had within them. Like the industrial motif, minimalism relies on sparsely decorated rooms with few pieces of furniture and little clutter. This means your walls’ paint color will be on full display.

Keep your color palette light and airy. Whites and tans are good ways to go, but if you’d like some color, go for natural tones on the lighter side of the spectrum. Sky blue or a very light green are great options. The best part about minimalism is that the lack of clutter and bright walls really make the room look bigger.

Visit Ace Paints for Everything You Need

When you’re ready to introduce a new style or motif to your home, count on Ace Paints to have the perfect color and brand you need. Stop in one of our South Hills locations or shop our online inventory .

Painting Resolutions for 2019

Wed, 02 Jan 2019 16:00:00 GMT

Every homeowner knows maintaining and keeping a house looking good takes time, energy and love. Taking the time to ensure your home looks its best gives you a space to feel good about, and will help you get a better price if and when you decide to sell. With a new year upon us, resolve to take a few of these painting pointers into consideration.

Use Quality Paints

A good paint job you can be proud of starts with a good paint. You want something that will last and hold up over the years. If you’re unsure how to tell the difference between higher and lower quality paints, name and price can often be good indicators. Name brands you probably already know are usually a good bet. Higher price points usually point to better composition which, in turn, mean higher quality.

What makes a paint higher quality? It usually comes down to the pigments found in the paint. Higher quality paints typically use hiding pigments like titanium dioxide. Conversely, lower quality paints will use a larger cocktail of pigments such as talc and clay. While they may look the same, lower quality paints will not withstand the test of time as well as higher quality products.

Take Care of Your Walls

Taking the time to properly prepare your walls before you paint can ensure a much smoother and longer lasting color and texture. Before applying your coat, take time to properly clean your walls and scrape off any dirt or debris. This will help your paint bond more evenly with the wall. Furthermore, don’t scrimp on a good primer. This will enhance your paint’s hiding capabilities and lead to a better-looking coat.

After you’ve painted, don’t forget to clean your walls from time to time. This will help your coat last longer and look more vibrant. Start by vacuuming or dusting. This will help you remove heavier particles before you start washing. The way you clean your walls partially depends on what type of paint you used. For more durable paints, such as enamel or semi-gloss, you can scrub with a simple solution of soap and water. For more delicate paint finishes such as flat paint or stains, you’ll want to scrub more delicately.

Keep an Eye on Trends

This is especially important if you’re selling or plan to sell your home in the near future. Regardless of whether or not you follow design and decor trends, an updated space with a trendy paint job can help get more bang for your buck. There are plenty of sites and blogs that outline popular colors, textures and motifs. There are usually enough options that you’ll be sure to find something that fits your style and tastes.

If you’re not into chasing the latest trends, but still want to make sure your rooms are appealing to a potential buyer, stick with neutral colors or patterns. This allows buyers to really envision their furniture and decor in the space. However, at the end of the day, whether you’re selling soon or not, your space should be reflection of you, so don’t overthink it!

Rely on Ace Paints for Your Next Project

Whether you’re touching up or completely repainting, Ace has the quality products you need to get the job done. Visit one of our South Hills locations or view our online inventory to find the perfect shade for your home.

Color Trends for 2019

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 07:32:55 GMT

Another year has come and gone. 2018 saw many home design and decor trends emerge and fizzle out, and 2019 is sure to be just the same. So as 2018 comes to an end, we thought we’d take a look at some of the emerging trends to watch for in the new year.

Going Green

The color green will continue to dominate many a living room in 2019. This is the first time since perhaps the art deco movement that it has been this popular. As both a wall color and for accents pieces, green provides a sense of serenity and leaves a space feeling calm and inviting. On top of that, green offers an air of sophistication and is a great option for formal entertainment spaces.

If you’re a plant enthusiast, green walls can also enhance your aesthetic. Green walls and accents can pair quite well with natural hues and wooden furniture, helping you create a space that really blurs the lines of the indoors and outdoors.

Natural Shapes

No matter what colors you choose for your walls and accents, complement your space with natural shapes. Curves and rounded edges will dominate decor in 2019. This comes in stark contrast to the harsh lines and angles that have been so popular in the past few years. People are looking to “soften up” their spaces.

This also includes your decor. Prints and pictures are veering away from depictions of the man made and industrial motifs we’ve seen so much of, and are, instead, leaning toward organic subject matters and softer imagery. The same goes for colors, both paint and accents. Bold statement walls are giving way to lighter tones that provide a brighter, more airy environment.

Contrast is King

If a lighter, more natural feel through the trends we described above aren’t your thing, have no fear. 2019 will accommodate your desire to make bold statements in any room. Particularly, contrasting dark and light neutral shades through wall colors and accents will give your space a bold feel while remaining inviting.

Conversely, if you’re looking to make more of a statement and adding a little more flair to your space, go with bright pops of color through your furniture and decor while keeping your walls a neutral tone. Basic wall a color allows your personality to shine through your accent pieces while also giving you the option to redecorate as new trends emerge.

Visit Ace Paints All Year Long

No matter if you’re looking for a greener or more organic feel to your space, or really want to boost your contrast game, Ace Paints has everything you need all year long. Visit one of our South Hills locations or view our newest products online .

Common Problems with Exterior Paint and How to Prevent Them

Tue, 18 Dec 2018 08:40:07 GMT

Home maintenance is often a never-ending list of chores and tasks. Your home’s exterior certainly requires a lot of attention, especially without preparation. When it comes to exterior paint, there are number issues that can arise, but there are just as many solutions to these common problems.

Sagging or Running

When not applied or mixed properly, exterior paint can look like it’s in a constant state of dripping. This is usually caused when the paint is first applied. It could be that too much paint was applied at once, making it too heavy and causing it to run. Conversely, sagging could be the result of using to much paint thinner, preventing it from bonding with your walls.

The easiest solution to this problem is to avoid over coating or over thinning your paint. If you catch sagging while paint is still wet, smooth it out before it dries. If it’s already dried, sanding and repainting are the best ways to correct the situation.

Blistering

This is most common on wood panels. Blistering is easy to identify as it looks like what it’s called. Small to medium-sized bubbles form when you paint in direct sunlight and/or on a hot day. The vapors from the paint are trapped under the surface and start to bubble. Furthermore, painting on wet exterior can cause water to become trapped, leading to the same effect.

The best way to prevent this is to avoid painting in direct sunlight or on a cooler, cloudier, dry day. If you discover blistering, scrape them off and reapply your paint in the previously noted weather conditions.

Mildew

Unlike paint exposed to too much sun, mildew is usually a result of not enough light or excessive moisture. If your home is mostly shaded and prone to a lot of moisture, from rain, snow and ice, mildew could be a real concern. You can recognize mildew by the grey, brown or green splotches that form along the seams in your home’s exterior.

Don’t ever paint over an area of your exterior where mildew already exists. Before painting, scrub the afflicted areas with soap, cleaning thoroughly. You can repaint once the surface is completely dry.

Ace Paints has the Products You Need

From exterior paints to stains and seals, Ace has everything you need to keep your home looking pristine and functional. Stop by our store, or browse our online inventory .

Fun Holiday Painting Activities

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 08:42:31 GMT

The right ambiance and decor can add a lot to your holiday festivities. It’s even better when you design and make this decor yourself! It’s a perfect DIY project. i As you prepare for your holiday get-togethers, consider taking on a few projects to really give your home that personal touch, or give someone a personalized gift they’ll cherish for years!

Design a Holiday Furniture Piece

Adding some holiday flair to a piece of furniture is a great way to get into the holiday spirit. Furthermore, creating your own winter-themed masterpiece will provide you or your loved ones keepsake to enjoy for years to come.

Start with an unfinished furniture piece. For this project, we’d recommend a smaller piece, such as a chair, bench, coffee table or even a nightstand. Start by planning your design and what colors you’ll need. You could keep it as simple as using a red and green motif, or get more intricate with holiday-themed designs like holly, snowflakes, ornaments or whatever your favorite symbols of the season are!

Metallic Paint for a Holiday Feel

You can really achieve a holiday feel by adding a little metallic flair to some older decor pieces. This is not only a great way to breathe new life into some of your older pieces, with our metallic paints from Molten Metallics and Ralph Lauren, you can achieve a beautiful look that adds a touch of silver and gold to any room of the house.

If you’re looking to repaint a room’s walls, these metallic paints make a great statement, not only throughout the holidays, but all year long. You’ll be amazed by how these walls shine and glimmer in the glow of a candle or fireplace, creating the perfect ambiance for any holiday celebration.

Ace is Your Stop for All Your Painting Needs

Whether you’re looking for a piece of unfinished furniture to make your own, or need a fresh coat of paint for your walls, Ace has everything you need. Stop by one of our locations, or shop online .

Holiday Decorating with Your Home’s Exterior in Mind

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

You’re probably well into your holiday decorating by now, but that doesn’t mean it’s always going smoothly. Between lights and lawn decorations, wreaths and fake snow, there’s a lot to keep track of. Furthermore, decorating the outside of your home for the holidays needs to be done in a way that ensures your home’s exterior stays clean and damage free. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Protecting Your Home’s Exterior this Holiday

Your home’s exterior paint takes a beating all year long. The sun may cause it to fade over time and rain can lead to staining. You’ve probably accounted for this normal wear and tear, so there’s no reason to add to it when decorating your home for the holidays.

There a quite a few ways your decorations can harm your home’s exterior. A big one is heavy objects that could potentially scratch your paint. Keep this in mind when hanging or affixing objects to your home. Things like lights, wreaths or other ornamental decor that rest on your exterior walls could potentially wear down a paint job. This is especially true for your outside door or shutters. Heavy metal hangers can scrape off paint pretty quickly.

If you’re using real plants in your outdoor decorating, keep in mind that they can often be a bit messy. The holiday season incorporates a lot of evergreens that usually produce some amount of sap. Check your live trees or wreaths before hanging them up and try to eliminate any sap or dirt you find.

Finally, take care when you’re putting up and taking down decorations. Depending on how elaborate your display, you might be using tools such as a hammer and nail, pliers, heavy-duty staplers and others. It’s important to use caution when using any tool, but a misplaced hammer swing could easily dent, gash or scrape your home’s exterior. This is also true when using a ladder. When positioning a ladder, lean it gently against the side of your home to avoid unwanted scratches and dings.

Visit Ace Paints for Your Next Exterior Project

Whether you want to touch up a few areas of your home’s exterior or repaint it completely, Ace has the supplies and expert advice you need. Stop by one of our locations or browse our online inventory today.

Ace Paints Holiday Gifts

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 00:25:23 GMT

Whether you’re shopping for an avid painter, or want something with a personal touch, Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture has the right gift for everyone on your list. Better still, we have the supplies you need to create your own special gift. So as you start your holiday shopping, keep some of these ideas in mind. They’ll truly make the holidays unique and special.

Paints, Stains and Supplies

No matter what project your friends and family might be taking on, we have the right supplies for the job. If you’re shopping for more practical folks, there are plenty of options. From wood stains to beautiful, high-quality paints, you can help your friends or family take their home improvement to a new level.

If you don’t want to presume or simply don’t know their preferences, we carry a extensive line of painting accessories that are perfect for anyone starting a new project. From paint brushes to masking tapes and cleaning supplies, you can build a bundle to satisfy and thrill any DIY-er.

Create One-of-a-Kind Furniture

There are no better gifts than the ones we make ourselves. This is particularly true when it comes to something our loved ones will have for a long time. With a piece of quality unfinished furniture, you can create a statement piece that will suit any taste.

From dressers, to desks, to coffee tables, we carry plenty of options to create a piece of truly unique furniture that’s all wood and built to last. When paired with a stain or other finish, you can completely customize your furniture to match anyone’s aesthetic. If you’ve tackled an unfinished furniture project, visit our earlier blog for a few tips to get you started.

Stop by Ace Paints for a Great Holiday Gifts

With two locations in Mt. Lebanon and McMurray, Ace Paints has been serving the South Hills area for over 30 years. If you’re ready to start your holiday shopping or have questions about our furniture, stop in or contact us today.

Popular Kitchen Motifs Through Time

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:37:01 GMT

Thanksgiving means a lot of time spent in the kitchen. Many of us find it to be the best room in the entire house. With individual decor and accessorizing, you can really make your kitchen a reflection of who you are. There are plenty of design trends that find their way into the kitchen, and that’s been the case for decades. Let’s look at what kitchens looked like through the eras.

Kitchens in the Fifties

The 50’s saw an age of prosperity like American had never seen. As more families moved to the suburbs, houses truly became homes. This is perhaps no more apparent than in the kitchen. The room was a place to really express the family’s style and demonstrate their success. Electricity-powered appliances were the norm for the first time and laminate flooring proved easy to clean and popular.

Cabinetry tended to go unpainted and lighter woods were they style. Even they were painted, it was usually a strong contrast to the wall. Bright colors were the name of the game. Bright pinks, yellows and blue dominated many a kitchen. Walls would follow this trend, either by a solid color or a detailed wallpaper.

The Groovy Seventies Kitchen

There’s a lot of style choices from the 70’s that many of us would like to forget. Colorful laminates became the craze. While these cabinets and floors may not have aged well, they were cheap and easy to manage. Muted reds, yellows and oranges were contrasted with dark browns or white.

When wood was used, the decade called for dark woods or stains. While wallpaper remained popular, the patterns got much more elaborate, if not garish. Paint color was typically limited to whites and tans to offset the dark laminates or wood.

Today’s Kitchen Trends

Heading into 2019, kitchen trends will remain on par with this year. Today’s kitchen are all about bright, open space with minimal clutter. We’ll continue to see terrazzo and marble surfaces with subway tile backsplashes. Popular accent colors will stick to copper, gold and even concrete.

In terms of paint color, warm and inviting colors are what’s in. Stick to either organic or natural shades of brown, light green and grey. Conversely, you can make the space even cozier with a muted orange or red. Keep clutter to a minimum to really let your colors pop!

Revamp Your Kitchen with a New Coat of Paint

No matter if you’re going for a retro vibe or want to update your motif to today’s trends, Ace has the paints and stains you need to get the job done. Stop by one of our locations or view or inventory online .

Keeping Your Walls Safe this Holiday Season

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 00:56:12 GMT

There’s nothing better than a gathering of family and friends. The holidays truly come alive when everyone gathers at your home, ready to eat, drink and be merry. However, keeping track of everyone and making sure your nicely painted walls survive the extra people is another matter. Here are a few tips to help you and your walls make it through the holiday season.

Cover Your Chairs

Whether someone’s getting up in a huff or just trying to navigate around all those third cousins, chairs are going to come into contact with your walls. Oftentimes, this results in nasty scuff marks that serve as an unfortunate reminder of an otherwise festive occasion.

You can nip this problem in the bud and keep your walls pristine by covering your chairs with fabric. You can buy these at most furniture stores, or get creative and make your own. Not only will these handy covers protect your walls, they’re a great way to add a festive flair to your celebration.

If you don’t want to cover the entire chairs, adding a small piece of rubber or felt to each corner will help ease the contact with your walls.

Add a Chair Rail

For a more permanent solution, consider adding a chair rail to your dining room or other areas. Although typically thought of as decorative, these chair rails do what their name implies. Placed about ⅔ of the way up the wall, chair rails are great for absorbing the damage that would otherwise go to your walls.

Again, this is a permanent solution, to take care when installing and painting your chair rails. This is a great project before the holidays start and involves a good amount of work. It’s definitely not a project to undertake after your guests have already arrived.

Have Cleaning Products on Hand

If you plan on reacting to scuffs and stains as they happen, make sure you have your supplies on hand. Letting certain stains sit is only going to make things worse. Tackle your stains and scuffs as soon as possible and you’ll feel much better, Not only will you forgo the stress of dealing with it later, you’ll also be able to get back to your celebrations much quicker.

Touch Up Walls with Ace Paints

When the dust has settled and your walls are in need of a little touch up, come over to Ace Paints for all your supplies!

Taking on an Unfinished Furniture Project

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 01:45:42 GMT

While we love our paints, unfinished furniture is another passion of ours. The great thing about these items is they’re completely customizable to suit your style. Taking on an unfinished piece of furniture is a great DIY project, but it helps when you know what you’re doing. If it’s your first time, keep reading for some helpful hints.

Go for Quality

As with any other major purchase, you want something that is both functional and going to last. This is certainly true when it comes to unfinished furniture. Purchase your pieces from a trusted retailer or dealer and demand quality materials. With the right research, your new furniture will last for generations.

Oftentimes, you can buy off the showroom floor or work with a builder for a truly unique piece. Keep in mind the space or room for which you’re buying the new furniture. This will help you settle on the right size or shape and ensure you don’t have any buyer’s remorse.

Use a Good Finishing Stain

Just as you wouldn’t buy a subpar piece of furniture, don’t cut corners on the finishing touches. For first-timers, go with the most efficient finish. Bartley gel stain is a great option for this and comes in a variety of shades to meet your needs. The great thing about Bartley is that it requires very little work to look beautiful.

Simply apply it with a cloth or brush, 2 to 3 coats, and you’ll be left with a smooth finish that looks hand-rubbed and warm. The best part is you don’t need sand between coats or add a separate finishing coat!

Let Ace Help You Find Your Perfect Furniture

With a wide variety of available unfinished furniture, we can help you customize everything from bookcases to entertainment stands to office furniture. Contact us to learn more, of browse our inventory.

3 Ways to Clean Your Home’s Exterior

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 02:07:11 GMT

Hopefully, Halloween hasn’t left you with too many “tricks” to clean up. However, if the holiday has left the outside of your home a bit messy, these tips might help you getting your home’s exterior paint job back to its former glory.

Spot Clean with Water, Dish Soap, and Bleach

If you only need to address a few areas of your house, a simple solution of dish soap and bleach will do the trick. This is the perfect solution for getting rid of Halloween-related messes, such as eggs or wet toilet paper. Let’s be honest, you skimped on the candy, didn’t you?

All you need to do is fill a bucket with one gallon of water, about 30 oz. of oxygen bleach, and an eighth of a cup of dish soap. Using a sponge or cloth, simply scrub out the offending stains and you’re all set!

Use Your Garden Hose

While this may seem obvious, there are a few tricks to keep in mind. For one, you’ll want to do this on a warm, sunny day. That’s easier said than done this time of year, so make sure you’re ready for when the weather is decent.

The best results with a garden hose are achieved with a special attachment. You can find exterior cleaning attachments at most hardware stores. However, if you don’t want to spend the extra money, you can use the 40 degree nozzle on your standard hose attachment. This fans the water out and covers a greater area at a time. Make sure to wash top to bottom so you’re not doubling your work.

Pressure Washing

The most important thing to remember about pressure washers is that they are powerful. Make sure to spray from side to side without stay on one spot too long. This can often result in damaging the facade or even stripping the paint.

Make Your Home Beautiful, Inside and Out

Whether you want to touch up or completely change your home’s appearance, Ace Paints has the right interior and exterior products to match your budget and aesthetic. View our products today !

What to Do with Leftover Paint

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 02:27:13 GMT

They’re a staple in many garages and basements—old cans of paint with labels so faded you can’t even read them. No one wants to throw out perfectly good paint, but no one ever seems to know what to do with these old cans.

Donate Your Leftover Paint

Instead of collecting dust on a rickety lawn shed shelf, give your leftover paint to someone who actually needs it. Many organizations and charities accept paint donations, especially those that build or remodel homes such as Habitat for Humanity. You can also try calling around to local schools, community centers or churches to see if they could use it.

Another route is to check out local resale shops that take paint. A lot of upcycling or salvage stores will often take used paint cans. Whatever you decide, you can rest easy knowing the paint won’t be taking up room in your garage and is getting used by someone who really needs it.

Upcycle or Repurpose Your Paint

Just because the intended project is done, it doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to use your leftover paint. If you have lighter colors, these can be mixed together to create a DIY primer for your next paint job. You can also use leftover paint to add a pop of color to old furniture, window frames, or other accents. Finally, if you’re feeling really creative, you can buy some canvas and make your very own works of art that will definitely go with your walls!

If you are planning to repurpose your paint, always store it in the original can with its proper label. A piece of plastic wrap or cellophane over the top of the can will keep it from drying out. Always make sure your paint is stored properly and safely—away from children, pets and open flames.

Dispose of Paint the Proper Way

When there are no more reasons to hang onto leftover paint, make sure you dispose of it the right way. If you’re leaving paint for curbside pick-up, keep in mind that some paints can be hazardous to people, plants and the environment. Allow your paint to harden before taking it out. You can speed up this process by adding some kitty litter to the paint, or by purchasing paint hardener.

If you don’t feel comfortable putting it out for pickup, try calling an organization that specializes in removing paint or a disposal center. They’ll take care of preparing the paint for you.

Start and Finish Your Next Project with Ace Paints

Ready for some new paint? We’ve got you covered. Browse our extensive inventory online or come to our store.

How to Texture Walls

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 02:30:01 GMT

While a new paint color can quickly bring life back to any room, some folks like to take it a step further. Textured walls add another level of interest to your aesthetic and make your space even more personalized. There are plenty of different ways to go about adding texture to walls, even a few DIY options!

As with most design trends, there are plenty of variations to suit your specific style or needs. Choosing the right wall texture can really enhance your room’s motif. Here are few of the most popular.

Joint Compound Method

This type of wall texturing might require a little bit of a time investment, but the result will be well worth it! You can really let your personality shine with this project. Start by applying drywall joint compound, or mud, to your painted walls. While this material is typically used for finishing off drywall, it also gives you a great “blank canvas” to work with.

The joint compound will ultimately scrape off, so don’t worry about using too much. After you apply it, it’s time to choose your texturing tool. Some popular methods include:

Broom
Squeegee
Hair comb
Paper Bag
Sponge.

Whatever you use will be unique. Try googling different methods to see which you like best. This is a great option for adding visual depth to your walls.

The Stucco Look

Another way to add texture to your walls without breaking the bank is to create a sort of faux stucco look. This is a relatively easy process that even new DIY-ers can tackle. Using drywall mud again, apply to unpainted walls. You can do this by dabbing the wet mud onto walls with a sponge or a compound knife.

Stucco is all about uneven texture, so apply blotches along the wall for an authentic look. Once you have the framework of your “stucco” wall all set, apply your chosen paint color as you would on a flat wall. The end result is a perfect stucco look-alike at a fraction of the cost.

Start Your Wall Texture Project with Ace Paints

No matter how you texture your walls, don’t forget a fresh coat of paint. Not only does Ace Paints have the perfect paint or stain, we also have plenty of unfinished furniture to help you really customize your space! View all of the Ace Paints products to get your dream home started!

Choosing the Right Accent Pieces for Your Paint Color

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 05:27:50 GMT

You’ve spent countless hours choosing the perfect paint color, masking the walls, priming, painting, and painting again. Now you finally have the space you’ve always wanted. But this isn’t the end of the journey. With every color in the rainbow comes a unique pallet. Your next step is deciding how to decorate around your new paint job.

What Colors Go Well Together?

Nothing can offset the beauty of a new paint color than decor and furniture that don’t quite match. When done correctly, your decor shouldn’t only harmonize with your wall colors, but enhance them as well!

The first thing to determine is what colors work well with others. Let’s go back to art class and revisit the color wheel. This handy device tells us which colors work well together. First, the primary colors: yellow, red and blue. Next, the secondary colors: these are colors that can be made with two primary colors – green (blue and yellow), orange (yellow and red) and purple (red and blue).

Colors can also be defined as analogous and complementary. Analogous colors sit right next to each other on the color wheel, like purple and blue or yellow and orange. These combinations typically clash when not arranged correctly. However, the second option– complementary colors – do exactly what their name suggest: they complement one another. Some examples include blue and yellow, or green and red.

Of course, there’s no accounting for personal preference! Mix whatever colors you like best.

How to Decorate Around Your New Paint Color

When it comes to picking out decor and furniture, you should consider what color combinations you prefer, but also what shades and hues would work well. For instance, a strong color accent wall might look best with lighter hued furniture next to it. Conversely, you can add depth to lighter walls with darker colors. Again, it’s all a matter of taste and preference.

You can also explore different design trends to further inform your decision. Some popular trends right now include natural-looking furniture and decor, curves and waves, bold accent pieces, and lots and lots of potted plants. Following some of these trends can help you hone in on the right colors for your paint color.

The possibilities really are endless when it comes to showing off your new space. The most important thing is that it feels like home and fits your unique style.

Start Creating Your New Space with Ace Paints

No matter how you decorate your new space, it all starts with a fresh coat of paint. Not only does Ace Paints have the perfect paint or stain, we also have plenty of unfinished furniture to help you really customize your space! View all of the Ace Paints products to get your dream home started!

Halloween Decoration Tips That Won’t Ruin Your Paint Job

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 05:27:27 GMT

As the chill returns to the air, so too does the Halloween season. Before you know it, it’s time to don your spookiest costume and hand out fun-sized candy to the neighborhood kids. But what’s Halloween without the traditional decorations? As fun as they are, they can too often lead to permanent damage around the house, especially to your nicely painted walls. Talk about scary!

Try some of these paint-friendly solutions as you prepare for the season and ease your worries about taking down your decorations on November 1st.

Skip the Harmful Tape and Thumbtacks

Whether you’re into ghosts and ghouls, or broomsticks and bats, creating a festive atmosphere around the house often includes hanging things up around the house. While it might be tempting to grab that roll of masking tape from the junk drawer, you’ll be in for a real fright when you go to remove it. Just imagine your beautifully painted room scarred by missing patches.

When purchasing your decorations, look for tape that is expressly safe for walls. Many tape manufacturers carry product lines designed for this very purpose. If you’re hanging something a little heavier, it might be wise to go with mounting putty or Command™ strips.

Opt for Battery-Powered Candles

An electronic candle in your jack-o’-lantern will always be safer than a real flame. However, there’s another added benefit that won’t have your walls shrieking in terror. Regular candle burners probably know that soot stains on the wall or ceiling are not only unsightly, but not a lot of fun to get rid of.

However, if you do prefer traditional flame candles, make sure they’re adequately covered at all times. Open flames will leave more smoke and soot marks.When you’re ready to extinguish, make sure to snuff them out completely and cover the wick. Letting the smoke rise is how much of the soot finds its way to your walls.

Keep an Eye on Your Costumes

Dressing up in spooky and kooky costumes is easily one of the best parts about Halloween for kids of all ages. However, bulky or awkward costumes tend to warp the sense of space, making it easy to go bumping into walls, leaving nasty streaks or dings. This goes for all of those cheap plastic accessories, too. While old, run-down, haunted houses are fun for the season, you don’t want to live in one all year long.

Try putting your younger kids’ costumes on by the front door, limiting your exposure to the rest of the house. \In fact, , wait until it’s almost time to leave for trick-or-treating before getting your younger ones ready. This way, they’re not running all around the house, leaving nasty scuffs with their pirate swords or fairy wands.

Ace Paints Will Make Your House Look So Good, It’s Scary!

Has your house been the casualty of too many scary Halloweens? Ace Paints is here to help bring your walls or any other paint job back to its former glory. Explore our products to find the perfect match for your home.

How to Preserve Your Deck This Winter

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 06:00:23 GMT

When you’ve worked hard to build the perfect deck for your home, you want to preserve that investment as long as possible to be able to enjoy it long into the future. But what steps should you take to preserve your deck this winter to ensure it stays in great shape for spring, summer and fall enjoyment? Here are a few tips to help you keep it in amazing shape.

Clean it off. When you leave debris on your porch over the winter, or even furniture or other items, it creates a space for moisture, mold and decaying agents to build up, staining and damaging your deck.
Put a fresh coat of stain on. If your deck is starting to look a little ragged, fall is a great time to add a fresh layer of stain. Start by doing a deep cleaning to remove all the previous stain, then lay down a new layer to help recondition and preserve the wood.
Consider tarping it for the season. East coast winters are harsh, so if you don’t need to access your deck over the winter, consider adding a tarp to keep the extra moisture off the surface. Check underneath for moisture buildup.
Clear off the snow. If you decide against tarping, try keeping your deck clear of snow. This helps prevent moisture from building up, causing damage and rotting in the future. For light, fluffy snows, try simply sweeping it off to reduce the snow load.
Add a water repellent layer. Much like several of the previous steps, your aim here is to keep the moisture off the deck’s surface and away from the wood. This helps prevent rot and decay in your deck, keeping it sound for years to come.

By taking the time to do these easy steps, you can ensure that your deck will last for many years to come, giving you a wonderful backdrop for making new memories. But if you decide to add a layer of stain to preserve the wood’s personality and finish, how do you decide which one will best compliment your home’s exterior while preserving your deck? The professionals at Ace Paint are ready to help. Please feel free to reach out today to connect with our experienced associates and see how we can help you beautify your home.

5 Tips for Choosing the Right Primer for Your Home Painting Project

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:29:39 GMT

Everything starts with primer. Before you begin choosing your colors and getting down to business, you’ll need to select a primer. A primer prepares the surface for your paint, ensuring that it adheres properly redundant and making the colors brighter and more brilliant. Here’s what you need to know:

Choose the right type of primer for your needs. There are oil-based, latex-based and shellac primers. Oil-based paints are commonly used for their durability and ease of use, but they dry slowly, and they may emit volatile organic compounds into the air. Latex-based primers are faster drying and gentler, but they aren’t as thick and high coverage as oil paints. Shellacs are generally used for outside purposes, for sealing as well as painting.
Get the right color. If you’re going lighter, you need a white primer. If you’re going darker, you will want a black primer.. The color matters a lot; it’ll be an uphill battle if you’re trying to paint a dark color over a light primer or vice versa.
Consider stain blocking primer. If you’re having moisture issues, or if you’re trying to paint over stains and odors, a stain-blocking primer works best. This forms a protective seal that will prevent anything from coming up out of the surface and into your paint. This is commonly used when repainting an area in which a smoker lived.
Get the right brand. Often, it’s best to match the brand of primer to the brand of paint, as you’ll get more consistent results. Of course, there are also industry standard primer brands, such as Zinsser, which have solid reputations. Look for reviews and don’t go for just the cheapest primer.
Be careful with self-priming paints. Self-priming paints exist for those who want a one-stop solution. However, they often aren’t nearly as effective as using a separate primer and paint, especially in terms of getting deep, vibrant colors lasting a long time. If you want something that’s going to be permanent, use a separate primer.

Priming is going to be the first step towards a successful home painting project, so it’s worth doing some extra research. For more information on the best paints to use, continue to follow Ace Paints .

Home Painting Trends to Watch This Fall

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 16:00:00 GMT

If you’re tired of your home’s interior, or just want to change things up a little bit, nothing makes such a huge change with such little work as a coat of paint. But what changes will have your home in the peak of fashion this fall? What colors and techniques will make it stand out from the rest, whether it’s just for entertaining, or because you’re trying to up its value? Here’s a quick look of what trends you should watch for this fall.

Brighten it up. Were you expecting traditional muted tones for fall? If you were, you couldn’t be further off. Pantone’s palette of beautiful, clear tones is mixed with a few tones that are closer to what we may consider to be ] traditional fall tones, but even then they are bold and breathtaking. Add a bit of texture to give large, flat walls a little more character and depth to a boring space.
Paint that ceiling! How much time do you spend waking up, lounging on the couch, or otherwise looking at your white ceiling? Take a little time to create a great design, whether it’s just a quick application of the perfect color, a bit of trim, a little mural work, or a ton of new woodworking to incorporate a bold new look. If you’re going for serious detail, consider scaffolding to avoid neck cramps.
Want to go with a small, easy project that brings out the amazing fall palette without the big commitment? Consider upcycling or revamping a piece of furniture with a fresh coat of paint in a fun color. A little sanding and priming, and you’ll be ready to go. It also gives you the chance to do something daring, such as adding tiles to the top of a table, gold leaf for some sparkle, or any number of other options.

By staying on top of the painting trends this fall, you’ll have your home looking amazing in no time. But selecting the right materials and the perfect colors for your project can seem somewhat intimidating. That’s why Ace Paints is here to help. Our experienced associates are always ready to help you make the right choice for your situation. Why not t ake a look at the amazing paint selection we have available for your next project?

How Paint Influences the Mood of a Room

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Whether you’re just feeling blue, are green with envy, or are absolutely red with passion, there’s no doubt that color has a psychology all of its own. You may find a white room stark, a dark room depressing, or a bright room harsh on a rough day. But how can you control your emotional environment through the colors you use to paint your walls? Here’s a quick look to help you get started.

If you need more energy, consider warm tones. From deep burgundies to pale yellows, warm tones help to energize your home and create a sense of coziness. However, if you’re worried about being able to relax, consider sticking with muted tones of your favorite warm colors, allowing you to chill out when you need to.

Frazzled after long days in the office? Cool tones help calm you down, from pale blues to deep teals. However, too much can create a chilling effect, making your home feel cold or frigid. To fight this effect, look towards cool tones with hints of warmth, such as warmer shades of green, plums, purples and rich, deep blues.

Want to create an environment of serenity? Consider a palette of neutrals, such as tans, grays, whites and creams. This is an excellent way to showcase your home if you’re getting reach to sell, allowing prospective buyers to imagine themselves in your space. To keep things from getting too serene, add some bright accent pieces.

If your idea of a fabulous home environment is one that pops with excitement and pushes your creative buttons to the max, look for a palette of related bright tones that enliven your surroundings. However, it’s important to remember to keep some neutral tones to keep things from getting out of hand, such as a clear pale yellow or blue.

When you take the time to really consider the psychology behind the colors you’re choosing for your home, you can make your home a place to energize, calm down or just plain enjoy. But if you’re considering making a change in your home, you need to know more than just the perfect color. Sheen, VOCs and any number of other aspects are also important. Why not reach out to Ace Paint’s experienced professionals for help finding the perfect materials for your project?

3 Home Decorating Trends You Don’t Want to Miss This Autumn

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 16:00:00 GMT

If you’re like many homeowners, you experience a fresh burst of energy when late summer gives way to fall. It’s only natural to feel the urge to indulge in home decorating projects during this time of year. Luckily, fall of 2018 features some of the most interesting home decor trends in years. Following are just three of this fall’s decorating trends that you don’t want to miss.

Maximalism

Minimalism has taken center stage for so long in the world of home design that many are breathing a sigh of relief to welcome in this fall’s return to maximalism . Look for big colors, oversized furniture, dramatic statement art, and lush, luxurious fabrics. A good way to get your feet wet with maximalist decor is to start with something fairly noncommittal such as oversized cushions, a jewel-toned velvet bedspread, a pair of ornate lamps, or a gorgeous painting featuring vibrant colors in one of the major focal points in your home.

Richer Palettes

Deeper and richer color palettes are in the forefront of decorating trends for fall of 2018. You’ll see plenty of jewel-toned furnishings, accent walls in vibrant colors such as ruby-red and turquoise, and sunny splashes of golden hues everywhere. You’ll also see black used as a statement color along with lots of ultraviolet highlights.

Terrazzo

Serving a variety of purposes for more than 500 years, terrazzo has its origins in Italy. It began as a way to use leftover marble chips from art and building projects. The chips were mixed in with cement and polished to create a smooth surface for flooring. Today’s terrazzo isn’t limited to marble scraps, however; quartz, granite, and glass are all used to create an eclectic look. Modern uses include exterior hardscaping such as statuary, fountain, steps, and stepping stones, and it’s used for flooring and countertops indoors. You can also expect to see terrazzo-inspired patterns on furnishings and even walls this fall.

At Ace Paints, we offer Pittsburgh area residents over three decades of experience and expertise in home decor. With more than 3,000 paint shades to choose from, you’ll be sure to find just the right one for that autumn home decor project you’ve been planning. Please contact us today to speak with one of our in-house designers.

5 Classic Paint Colors That Will Never Go Out of Style

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Every year has its popular colors. Some years, celadon green is everyone’s darling, while other years feature smoky ultraviolet on center stage. Every color eventually gets its turn and then waits in the wings until its turn comes around again, but some have the staying power necessary to become classics . Following are five paint colors that have evolved from passing fancies into tried-and-true traditions that never go out of style.

Lemon Yellow

Lemon yellow is a sunny and happy color that has earned the right to be considered a classic in any home environment. It got its start in kitchens, and even though the all-white kitchen has been a mainstay of trendsetters for the past decade or so, lemon yellow hasn’t been dethroned. In fact, it’s evolved beyond the kitchen and is now regularly seen in all parts of the home.

Robin’s Egg Blue

It didn’t take long for this versatile shade of blue to achieve classic status in the home decor world. It’s ideal as the main player in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms and can also be used to highlight trim and on accent walls.

Eggshell White

Eggshell white is a quintessential neutral that provides the perfect backdrop for any home decor palette. You can layer it with other shades of white for a minimalist look or add color in keeping with this year’s trend toward brighter interior spaces.

Burnt Sienna

Burnt sienna is everyone’s favorite neutral that adds an instant warm glow to any indoor environment. It pairs well with traditional warm color palettes as well as provides good contrast to cool tones such as ice blue and frosted yellow.

Classic Gray

Classic gray is a muted tone that transforms any room into a soothing, tranquil environment. It’s especially good for use in bedrooms and also works well in general living spaces.

As your full service Benjamin Moore dealer in the greater Pittsburgh area, we’ve got you covered when it comes to paint colors from classics through the latest trends and every shade in between.

Everything You Need to Know About Painting Your Garage

Tue, 14 Aug 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Painting your garage will not only add value to your home, but it will also make it feel more like a part of your home rather than something that is just attached to it. And if you’re selling your home, it’s an inexpensive and thoughtful way to spruce up what is normally a dull and dusty area.

Choosing Your Paint

You’ll need to choose a paint for your garage walls. We recommend that you use a good interior latex paint, such as Benjamin Moore’s SCUFF-X, as it will not outgas dangerous fumes that exterior paints might. Stay away from flat paint as it looks awful when it becomes dirty. Instead, we recommend that you choose eggshell, semi-gloss, matte, or satin paints, and be sure to choose a lighter color for the walls as it will make your garage look brighter and cleaner.

Preparing Your Surfaces

In most cases, you’ll need to clean all the surfaces first. Don’t use a pressure washer on the walls as it can damage the drywall. Instead, wash your walls with Dawn dishwashing soap to get rid of any grease. If your drywall is unfinished, you will have to first finish it. Whether it is finished, already painted, or brand new, it’s a good idea to use a primer. Your choice of primer may depend on whether there is oil based paint or other types of paint on your wall. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff can help you choose the right primer for your situation.

Painting Your Walls

If you have an airless sprayer, use it to paint your walls and ceiling. If you need an airless sprayer, we can help you with that as well. Sure, you can also use a traditional paint roller, but it will take more time. Be sure to use masking tape and plastic over any areas you don’t want paint on. That includes light switches, fixtures, and yes, even the floor. If you first use primer, be sure it dries before painting with whatever color you’ve chosen.

We have many different paints in stock that work well for garage interiors. Check out our selection of Benjamin Moore’s Ultra Spec SCUFF-X at Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture .

3 Ways Paint Will Make Your Bathroom Look Larger

Tue, 07 Aug 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Almost everyone wishes they had a bigger bathroom. Fortunately, strategies exist to maximize space as well as make small bathrooms appear larger . For instance, you’d be surprised at the difference the right paint job can make. Following are several tips designed to help make small bathrooms appear more spacious.

Use Light Colors

Light colors are the key to making any small space look larger, but keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that you should stick with stark white walls. Layering various hues of white provides contrast and texture without making the space look smaller. For instance, vertical white-on-white pinstriping or alternating walls with eggshell and cream paint are better choices than plain white walls all around. If t white isn’t appealing to you, consider something like lemon yellow, pearl gray, a misty shade of green, or a very light shade of sky blue.

Provide Visual Continuity

Colors and patterns that don’t blend well create a choppy look that typically results in the room looking smaller. If your bathroom tiles are dark, they will break up the visual continuity necessary to achieve the seamless effect that makes a space seem larger . People in the know also recommend that you paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. If your ceiling is very low and you want to make it appear taller, paint the ceiling a shade lighter than the walls and extend the color down the sides of the walls for about 12 inches.

Provide Vibrant Accent Colors

Don’t be afraid to use bright colors sparingly in your small bathroom. If your room has a radiator, for instance, consider painting it a vibrant shade that complements your overall color scheme. Accent walls can also work in small bathrooms, especially if you choose the wall that holds the mirror, sink, and wall-mounted light fixtures.

With over 3,000 colors to choose from, Ace Paints has the right shades for any bathroom. Please feel free to check out our selection of Aura Grand Entrance paints to find the colors for your upcoming painting project.

4 Benefits of Working with a Color Expert When Painting Your Home

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 16:00:00 GMT

One of the easiest ways to give your space an updated look is by adding a coat or two of fresh paint. However, a large and common stumbling block for many homeowners is deciding on the right color.

Thankfully, there are dedicated experts who can provide assistance. These professionals are available at your local paint or hardware store and generally offer their services for free or a small fee. Here are four benefits of working with a color expert.

Find a Perfect Match for an Existing Paint Color

Do you love your walls but feel they need a fresh start? Perhaps the biggest benefit to utilizing a color service is that you can match your existing paint to a new batch. This allows you the ability to keep the same hue you already know you love with the bonus of being able to change the paint formula. For example, if the original paint was flat and you need something a little easier to clean, then you can easily switch without worrying about selecting a new color.

Discover a Perfect New Hue

Another reason to ask for expert advice is that they can help you discover the perfect color you didn’t even know you liked. Looking over hundreds or thousands of swatches in a store can sometimes be a little overwhelming, but with help you can easily narrow the option down to just a select few. If you’re having a hard time selecting your new color, trying asking for the general hue family and see what your paint expert suggests. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Find Inspiration with Color in Unimaginable Ways

One additional service most paint centers provide is color matching to special items. This can be an image in a magazine, a fabric swatch, or even something a little more whimsical, like your favorite sweater or your child’s cherished teddy bear. Technology has made it easier than ever to accurately duplicate colors for paint, which means there’s very little you can’t use to find inspiration.

Get a Second Opinion from a Trained Eye

The final and perhaps most crucial reason to work with a paint expert is that they can provide feedback on your color choices. These individuals understand that just because a certain shade looks great on a swatch doesn’t always mean it would be wise to paint the entire outside of your home in the same hue. Likewise, working with a professional can be a great way to get feedback and answered questions before starting your project, such as which brand or formula of paint holds up best to fingerprints or crayon marks. Remember, they are there to act as your resource!

So if you’re ready to find the perfect paint color for freshening up your home, rest assured, picking the perfect color doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Simply visit your nearest color matching center for ideas and expert advice today.

Tips for Painting your Aluminum Siding

Tue, 24 Jul 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Aluminum siding can come in many different colors. Maybe when you made the decision to go with aluminum siding you had a different color scheme in mind. That color scheme isn’t working for you anymore? No sweat. Much like other exteriors we covered previously, you can also paint your aluminum siding.

It’s All About Prep

The one thing that is crucial to any exterior painting success is the prep work. Power washing your home’s exterior is absolutely vital – especially when working with aluminum. The biggest threat to an aluminum paint job is any troubled areas, such as flaking. These need to be addressed before you can prime.

Prime!

Choosing the right primer is the next big step in painting your aluminum siding. Unlike other exterior material, you have to be really careful about what type of primer you’re going with. It can be tempting to just head into your local store and grab a cheap primer without even thinking twice about what’s in it. After all, it’s just primer. What’s the big deal?

You must pick an oil-based primer for metal surfaces. If you don’t go with an oil-based primer then your paint job just won’t last. Latex primer produces an elastic gas bubble underneath, which will destroy all of your hard work. Make sure you’re using an oil-based primer!

Stop in at Ace Paints

For long-lasting, quality paint in Pittsburgh, stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture. We’re happy to provide you with samples and advice that can help you get started on your next paint project.

Picking a Color for your Small Space

Tue, 17 Jul 2018 16:00:00 GMT

It’s a common misconception that white and cream are the two best colors for a small space. Harsh neutrals like white can jump out more than other colors, creating a sense that the walls are closing in. So what’s the best paint color for your small room? You might be surprised.

Vibrant Colors Spice Up The Space

Bright, bold, definite colors can help distract from size. Cheerful colors like Benjamin Moore’s Mermaid’s Tale , Sunburst and Costa Rica Blue help push back the walls and create a sense of fun. Pairing vibrant colors with cheerful patterns can also help.

Picking the color can be a challenge. When choosing the shade, a number of variables come into play. The amount of natural light, shape and purpose of the room all play a role in the color that will look best.

For example, a bedroom is a place of peace and calm. Many will choose a soothing shade of chocolate brown or deep gray blue. These colors make for a good sleep environment and turn the bedroom into a sanctuary. However, these paint colors can also make a room gloomy if there’s little natural light. In a naturally dark room, a shade of soft peach or sky blue works better to create a sense of space and light.

Create a Focal Point

Accent walls create a focal point and give the space a sense of depth. Picking a color for an accent wall can be a challenge. Often, accent walls are a very different shade from the other three walls. For example, a room with cheerful yellow walls might have an accent color of a deep gray blue. The gray blue pushes back the accent wall, making the room seem larger.

Coordinate With Interior Decor

No matter what color you select for your small space, it’s important to coordinate with the interior decor. Choose upholstery, pillow covers, carpeting, draperies and other interior elements that match the rest of the room. If you have an accent wall, splash that color around the room as well, to tie the interior decor together.

Stop in at Ace Paints

For long-lasting, quality paint in Pittsburgh, stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture . We’re happy to provide you with samples and advice that can help you get started on your next paint project.

Summertime Home Improvement: As Easy As Grabbing A Can Of Paint

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Summer is a busy time. Between vacations, your kids being out of school, and work being stressful because everyone seems to be on vacation, there isn’t much time for home improvement projects – unless, of course, it’s planned. Painting is a great project to tackle during a summer weekend.

Start with the biggest project first

Perhaps you’ve been putting off painting the kitchen for years. Sure, you’ve been talking about redoing the entire kitchen with new cabinets and maybe a neat backsplash but you’re unsure of how it will all work with your current color scheme? Painting, especially when you are doing it yourself, is a cost effective way to update any room. And it’s easy to do.

Start with your biggest pain point, solve that and move on to your next project. By tackling your home renovations room by room, you pick up some small victories along the way that make it easier to keep going.

Exterior renovations

There’s really no better time to paint the exterior of your house than in the summer. It’s much easier to do when the weather is nice, and it’s also a great way to get outside and spend some time making your house beautiful along the way. When considering an exterior upgrade, consider more neutral colors if you’re trying to play it safe.

Painting the exterior also forces you to clean the exterior. Before painting, it’s imperative you give your house a good power washing. You’ll get years of dirt, grime and other buildup off of your house to prep it for painting.

Finally, head to your deck and finish the job

If you’ve been following our blog, you’ve probably seen numerous posts about everything we’ve talked about so far. However, other than the actual color of your house, the deck is the most important space for many. It’s where you spend countless hours basking in the sun or gazing at the stars. The nicer your space, the more time you will spend out there.

Whether you are building a new deck, or just trying to give your current space the long overdue TLC it deserves, staining your deck can be a great way to upgrade your space and get it back to looking brand new.

Stop in at Ace Paints!

Still have questions? Stop in to Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture. We’re happy to help you pick the right product for your needs.

How to Choose the Right Paint to Waterproof

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 16:00:00 GMT

You finally did it. You decided to finish your basement. What’s the one thing that can ruin a finished basement? Water. Actually, water can ruin pretty much any basement. If you dread a forecast of seven straight days of rain, or if you are tired of lugging the shop-vac down the stairs every time it rains, then this blog is for you. You shouldn’t have to deal with water in your basement. Keeping water out of your basement can be as simple as using the right paint to waterproof your space.

How do I waterproof my basement?

There are numerous things you need to do before even thinking about purchasing a waterproof paint.

The first step is to test your walls to see where the leaks are. If you cover your wall with some clear plastic, come back in a few weeks and see an area that is wet, you’ve pretty much found an area that needs some quick TLC.

Next, go through and use concrete patching compound to seal those cracks and prevent more water from coming in.

Also, check the outside of your home. If you’re really serious about waterproofing, it doesn’t hurt to install a backup sump pump as well.

Once you’re done with all of that, then you can buy some waterproof paint, such as Dry Lock from UGl or Waterblock from Benjamin Moore. After that, you can pick any color you’d like for the finish coat and paint it like you would any other room!

Sounds simple enough, right? It’s a small price to pay to keeping your basement dry. Just one day of prep, one day of work, and you won’t have to worry about dodging puddles in your basement again!

Stop in at Ace Paints!

Still have questions? Stop in to Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture. We’re happy to help you pick the right product for your needs.

Remodeling Your Summer Home? Read This First.

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Everyone knows someone with a summer home. Whether it be on a lake, near the ocean or in the middle of the woods, many families cherish their summer escape. Even so, it can be easy to lose sight of your summer home upkeep when it comes to remodeling or updating. So, if you’re thinking about giving it a fresh look, be sure to read this first.

Exterior Paint Makes a Huge Difference

We’ve written numerous blogs on how exterior paint can really make a house pop and look fresh. The same goes for exterior paint. Even if you’re only there on the weekends it’s worth it. The nicer the home, the more you look forward to visiting. An added bonus? Depending on your summer home’s location, you can even rent it out when you’re not there through Airbnb. The nicer your home, the more you can charge.

When it comes to choosing exterior paint, go with something neutral – one of the classics. There’s a song about little pink houses for you and me, but does anyone really want a pink house? Probably not. Whether you go with an off-white, a light shade of yellow, or even a lighter shade of green or peach, it’s going to make your summer home look great!

One quick reminder:don’t just go out and buy a can of paint. Make sure you do your research – and all the prep work!

Go One Room at a Time

Renovations can be overwhelming, not to mention pricey. If you’re the DIY type with a smaller budget, doing one room at a time can help you accomplish your goals of renovating your summer home.

Start with the trouble areas first. For example, if you’ve been talking about updating the kitchen every summer for the past decade, then that’s a great spot to start. Once you get the kitchen looking the way you want, you can then move on to a living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.

It’s not going to be an overnight process, but be sure to shoot before and after pictures for when you’re feeling like the project isn’t going anywhere.

Stick to Neutrals

Sticking to neutrals is especially important if you’re not going to be the only one using the summer home. If you’re renting it out, neutrals are a safer bet to make sure people are renting out your more conservative home than something wild and unique.

Also, some families share summer homes. If this is the case, it can be difficult to get everyone to agree on renovations. A neutral color can help keep the whole family happy.

Cabinets, Flooring and a Few Final Things to Consider

There are two major things we haven’t really mentioned yet in this post. First, the flooring, and then the cabinets. When redoing your kitchen, it’s important to make sure everything matches and flows.

Decide on some non-negotiables, such as a flooring material and design you really love, and then design around that. If you love the look of a specific set of cabinets, but also love a specific flooring that doesn’t quite match well, then your space is going to look a bit off. Renovation is a process. Mostly, a fun process, but definitely a process that needs to be followed.

Stop in at Ace Paints

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners pick the perfect colors for any part of their home. To see our huge selection of paint colors, stop in at one of our convenient store locations today.

Unique Things You Didn’t Know You Could Make with Wood Pallets

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 16:00:00 GMT

In last week’s post we talked about how to choose the right paint for your wooden restoration projects. In keeping with the same theme, this week is all about how to turn wooden pallets into beautiful creations. Whether you want to build a bookshelf, a coffee table, a shelf, or turn a pallet into a flag, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to make sure your pallets don’t go to waste.

How to make a bookshelf out of a wooden pallet

There are numerous ways to make a bookshelf out of pretty much any type of wood. However, have you ever seen a bookshelf made out of a wooden pallet? Believe it or not, there are some beautiful bookshelves made out of wooden pallets.

Sure, you’re going to need some additional tools to bring the creation to life. You’re going to need a saw, some screws and whatever you decide on to hold it all together. I wouldn’t recommend putting your largest books on the shelf, but it’s a great place to store a few books and other small things. Once you finish building it, you get to stain or paint it!

Repurposing a wooden pallet into a new headboard

Headboards are, pretty much, a necessity. And they aren’t cheap. They help bring your bedroom together.. If you’re the DIY type, a new headboard made out of a few wooden pallets might just be a perfect Saturday project.

Unlike the bookshelves, the headboard should be sturdy. Pick out a few pallets that are in great shape, put them together to form that headboard and attach it to your box spring. You can get as creative as you want, but wooden pallets are perfect for a rustic looking headboard.

Can you make a nightstand out of a wooden pallet?

If you’ve made it this far in the post, you’re probably thinking of a bunch of things you can make with wooden pallets. We’ll shed some light on one final creation before letting you get to work.

A nightstand is a great option for a wooden pallet project. You might want to use a sturdier wood for the legs, but the surface of the nightstand can be made entirely of pieces of a wooden pallet. If you’ve got heavy table lamps, this might not be the project for you. But as long as you keep it reasonably light, a wooden pallet nightstand would look great in any room.

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Choosing the Right Paint for Antique Restoration

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Finding and restoring antique furniture is becoming a popular hobby for people all over the country. There are numerous home improvement shows that consistently show how to turn something that looks like junk sitting on the side of the road into something worth selling for hundreds of dollars. Whether you’re trying to start a side business restoring antique wooden furniture, or you’re just trying to update your own home, we’ll show you how choosing the right paint can make or break the entire project.

How do I know if a piece of furniture can be restored?

There are numerous things to look for in wooden furniture that will immediately tell you if it’s worth restoring, or how much work it will be. If you are strictly restoring, then the antique you come across needs to be intact and have no structural damage. For example, if you want to restore a wooden dresser, but it’s missing three drawers, you’re going to need to buy more materials as opposed to just refinishing. Remember that the quality of the construction is important . It can look outdated or worn, but it must be intact.

Also, if the piece you come across is already painted, then stay away. Who knows what’s underneath that paint? Water damage? Stains? Sure, it’s easy enough to strip, but if it’s not free. And it’s not worth the gamble.

Repurposing a wooden pallet into a new headboard

What do I need to do before even thinking about the paint?

Painting or staining is the fun part. However, in most cases, you need to do a lot of prep work. The first step is to clean. Before refinishing or painting, you must have the piece of furniture looking as clean as possible.

The next step is to make any needed repairs, and then take some sandpaper and get to work. No doubt, there are going to be rough spots that need sanding out. In fact, you may have to do a ton of sanding!In others, you might just have to smooth out some rough edges.

Once the piece is cleaned and sanded it’s ready to be painted.

I’m ready to paint, now what?

Now that your piece of furniture is looking nice and fresh, you can stain or paint the wood. This is the fun part – and the part you envisioned when you saw that old dresser just laying on the ground on the side of the road or at a flea market.

Picking the right stain is important. It’s important to consider where the piece is going. Make sure it works in the room you want to feature it in. If you’re just refinishing in order to sell, this step isn’t as crucial. But our advice is to stay neutral if you’re trying to sell.

Once you’ve decided on a stain or a paint, you’re ready to go. It doesn’t hurt to give it a little more sanding right before you paint. You can use a rag, a brush, or even a sponge to stain the wood. Be careful and take your time. The more precise you are the better the finished product will look.

How to protect and preserve my new antique piece

Once you’ve finished staining or painting, it’s important to pick a finishing option. Many people go for a polyurethane finish because it will keep your wooden piece looking beautiful for a long time. It also does a great job of improving the durability of the wood.

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How a Barn Door Can Make a Big Difference in Your Home

Tue, 05 Jun 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Barn doors are pretty neat. They’re also very much “in” right now. A barn door can be a unique addition to any part of your home. Whether you’re remodeling your kitchen, dining room, bathroom, or even your laundry room, a barn door can be just the piece you need to make your space really stand out to your guests.

Where do I buy a barn door?

You can buy a barn door at pretty much any home improvement retailer, such as Home Depot, Lowes, etc. You can also purchase them online through Amazon, Wayfair and others. However, you can save a little bit of money by buying the hardware and putting it all together yourself.

Where do I put my fancy new barn door?

Barn doors look great in numerous settings. The picture above shows a barn door separating the kitchen from the dining room. Notice it makes the space look very modern, and plays well with the walls and hardwood floors.

Basically, anywhere you currently have a door, you can put a barn door; however,it looks best when separating two different spaces like in the picture above. It also looks great for a laundry room or as a closet door in your bedrooms.

Are barn doors expensive?

Barn doors aren’t exactly cheap, but they sure are neat. Through some quick research, barn doors start around $200 and go up from there depending on your choice of finish and materials.

Should you paint your barn door?

Absolutely. If you’re doing it yourself you will definitely want to spruce it up a bit with a good bit of sanding, a coat of wooden protectant, and a color that will match the rest of the room.

How to protect and preserve my new antique piece

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Should You Paint Your Concrete Patio?

Tue, 29 May 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Concrete patios can be beautiful, or they can be incredibly ugly. Paint, believe it or not, can both help or hurt. A great paint job on your concrete patio can make it really pop, but a bad paint job makes it pop for all the wrong reasons. When in doubt, assess the situation. How do you assess your situation? We’re glad you asked!

When is it a good idea to paint a concrete patio?

There are a lot of things you can cover up with a simple coat of paint.

Crayon creations by your kids
Nicks from reclining back too far
A stain from actually throwing pasta at the wall (with the sauce already on it)

The list goes on. However, what’s the one thing you can’t cover up with paint? Cracks in your concrete. It seems obvious, but you may be tempted to try and cover up some unfriendly looking spots with paint. If it’s purely cosmetic, then go for it. However, if you’re going to paint when what you really need is a resurfacing job, don’t expect the best results.

When it’s not a good idea to paint your concrete patio

There are other reasons why you should consider leaving the concrete alone. Unless you’ve really thought it out,painting your concrete patio could be a disaster. We’ve all been to an old drive-in or mini-golf course where they coated their concrete in an ugly blue or green color. It makes it look incredibly dated when, in all reality, the stone color would have looked just fine left alone..

How to paint your concrete patio

Ultimately, the choice is yours. You can paint it or you can leave it. You can resurface it or you can rip it up. Concrete is pretty versatile. But if you do decide to paint your concrete patio make sure you plan it out.

Consult a professional
Do your homework
Pick the right paint
Use the right materials
Make sure you love the color and the finish it will provide
Take your time

Stop in at Ace Paints

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help homeowners pick the perfect colors for any part of their home. To see our huge selection of paint colors, stop in at one of our convenient store locations today.

The Best Paint For Your Kid’s Bedroom

Tue, 22 May 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Welcoming a new baby into your family is an exciting time. However, before you welcome your new addition, you have to prepare the new room. Choosing a quality paint, and the right color, are crucial components of any room’s decor. You may love a certain color, but does it really work for the furniture you already bought? And will it help minimize the damage to the walls when your son or daughter is old enough to use a crayon? Something to think about.

The Perfect Type of Paint for your Kid’s Bedroom

Kids can be remarkably creative. Unfortunately, they sometimes display that creativity on their bedroom walls using a crayon, or even worse, a marker. Gasp! I know. It’s OK, though. We’ve all been there.

Keeping your little ones in mind, you’ll want to choose a durable paint. The perfect paint for your child’s room would be one that takes high-traffic areas into consideration, while also providing a good primer. Feel free to stop in at either of our greater Pittsburgh locations and we can point you in the right direction!

How to Choose the Right Color Regardless of Gender

Now that you’ve figured out which type of paint you should buy, it’s time to consider the color. Sure, you can go with the classic blue for a boy, or pink for a girl, but why limit yourself to the classics? Here’ are a few outside the box colors to go with.

Gender Neutral

Cream/OffWhite
Lighter shades of gray

Boys

Lighter shades of blue
Lighter shades of green

Girls

Lighter shades of purple
Mint

A few final things

One great way to be proactive about the protection of the walls in your child’s room is by giving them a space to be creative. You can do this by using chalkboard paint on one of the four walls. It sounds a bit messy, but it’s worth it – especially if it convinces your little ones to only draw on one of the walls.

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Tips to Make Your Garden Beautiful this Summer

Tue, 15 May 2018 16:00:00 GMT

You can’t have a beautiful white picket fence if that same fence looks like it hasn’t been painted in years. The key to a beautiful garden space is keeping the surrounding areas just as beautiful. Whether you’ve got a white picket fence, a rustic looking bench or an adirondack chair, make sure you’re giving it a fresh coat every few years.

P.S. Don’t neglect those two Adirondack chairs where you and your spouse spend the summers sipping lemonade and talking about how glad you are that brutal Pittsburgh winter has finally run its course.

How to paint your garden fence

A white picket fence is synonymous with the American dream. It’s a classic staple to many beautiful homes’ exterior. When maintained and updated, it can truly make a difference in your home’s appearance. Giving your outdoor fence a fresh coat of paint every few years is also a cost-effective way to give your home added curb appeal. When it comes to reviving your outdoor fence, you have two options. You can paint or you can stain. The answer here depends on the color of your fence. If it’s a more natural looking wood color.like your deck, you should go with a stain. If you have that white picket fence, or any other color, give it a fresh coat of paint.

Whether you’re painting or staining your fence, make sure t that you’ve prepared the area around the fence first. This means making sure your grass is cut, your plants or flowers are covered, and the weather looks clear for the next few days. Whether you’re painting or staining, make sure you go for the good stuff. It will last longer and look better.

Easiest Ways to Paint or Stain Wooden Outdoor Furniture

Painting your outdoor wooden furniture isn’t all that different from painting your outdoor fence. If you have an Adirondack chair, a bench or table, giving it a fresh coat can make a huge difference. Use high quality paint and take your time.

If your outdoor furniture has multiple colors or certain metal aspects, don’t be afraid to cover those spots with painter’s tape – especially if you decide to use a sprayer.

Winterizing Your Outdoor Furniture

Many experts recommend painting or staining your furniture every 2-3 years . This is a safe bet, especially if you take pride in taking care of it. This means, simply, don’t leave your furniture out year-round. Once the weather breaks, store your furniture in your shed or your basement. It also helps to cover your furniture if you know it’s going to rain.

Unfortunately, you can’t just store your outdoor fence for the winter. So it’s extra important to make sure you are using a high quality paint – and adding an extra coat – or you’ll have to paint your fence every year.

All in all, when in doubt, give it a fresh coat. It’s a cost effective way to make sure your outdoor space leaves a great first impression on passerbys and guests.

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Choosing the Perfect Backsplash for any Room

Tue, 08 May 2018 16:00:00 GMT

You’ve finally convinced your significant other that it’s time to redo the kitchen. Better yet, you’re going to do the bathroom, too. Ok, well, maybe just one room at a time. Either way, you need to figure out how to pick the trendy looking backsplash you’ve wanted ever since you saw how beautiful they looked on your favorite HGTV show. No worries, we’re here to help.

Picking a Color

Much like painting your kitchen, the first thing you need to decide is what color you’re going to go with. The beautiful thing about backsplashes is they really have the ability to make your kitchen pop. Also, picking the wrong color will make it stand out for all the wrong reasons. Save yourself the trouble and go with something neutral.

If you are feeling a bit wild and want an out-of-the-box pattern, just make sure it plays well with the rest of your kitchen or bathroom. How will you know? Just trust your gut. Remember, if you get the color right it can make your kitchen or bathroom really pop.

Picking a Material

Hardwood, laminate, tile, and carpeting are all key considerations for your floor. If you get the floor right, you’re in good shape. Same goes for your backsplash. It can make or break the room.

Not all backsplashes are made out of the same material. You can go with a ceramic tile, brick, wood, or numerous other materials. Most are made out of a ceramic tile , but If you’re the crafty type, a do-it- yourself version can look great – and save you money!

Shape and Size

You’ve seen hundreds of thin rectangle porcelain tile backsplashes. However, that’s not your only option. As far as shapes go, the possibilities are endless, and it really is up to you to decide what you like. Do you want the backsplash to cover the entire wall? Just a thin strip? Perhaps a unique pattern? All are possible. Don’t feel limited to just your ordinary rectangular backsplash behind the faucet or stove.

Cost (Sorry)

Cost depends on material and creativity. The nicer the material, the more it will cost. The more difficult it is to design, the more it will cost. If you’re looking for a nice backsplash, but don’t want to spring for the high cost custom project, just stick with the basics.

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How to Get Rid of that Ugly Popcorn Ceiling

Tue, 01 May 2018 16:00:00 GMT

No matter what your ceilings are telling you, it’s 2018. The Beatles aren’t touring anymore. Mickey Mantle doesn’t play for the Yankees anymore. Perhaps more important than any of these facts: nobody has a popcorn ceiling anymore. Sure, they may have been a hit back in the day. However, fast forward 40 years, and they’re just not that cool anymore. Sorry. Don’t worry, though. We’re going to give you a step-by-step guide on how to get rid of it.

Preparing to Remove Your Popcorn Ceiling

First thing’s first, it’s going to be messy. Unfortunately, there’s just no way around it. Cover everything and anything you can. Get as much of the furniture out of the room you’re working on. Remove your ceiling fan, cover the floors with a tarp and the walls with plastic. There’s going to be pieces of popcorn flying everywhere once you start scraping.

Ready to Scrape

Your first actual step is to take a scraper and see how the ceiling reacts, and how difficult it is for the popcorn portion to come off. If you’ve painted over your ceiling in the past, this can make it a bit tougher to remove than if you’ve left it alone since installation.

Sometimes the popcorn portion of the ceiling will come off right away. Other times it’s stubborn. One trick is wetting the ceiling. How do you do that? Take a power washer and… just kidding. You can use a much gentler version of a power washer, such as water pump. Wetting the ceiling makes it softer. The popcorn particles will just fall right off.

Don’t Get Crazy

It can be tempting to take the largest scraper you can find and cover large areas very quickly. However, there are a few reasons this isn’t a good idea:

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Common Mistakes People Make When Painting Inside Their Home

Mon, 23 Apr 2018 16:00:00 GMT

You’ve decided you’re going to do it yourself. You’re going to paint every room in your house and it’s going to be perfect. Painting isn’t all that hard, right? Maybe you’ve had success in your living room, or you painted the nursery before your firstborn came along. It’s certainly a task worth tackling, but you should do your homework to make sure you’re not falling victim to common mistakes people make when painting inside their homes.

They Weren’t Prepared

If you’ve been reading our blog for a while, one common theme visible in every painting related blog post is preparation. It’s crucial. If you just wake up one day and decide you want to paint your whole house, you shouldn’t just run to the store, grab a can of paint and a paintbrush and just throw it on the wall. There’s a process to follow and that process begins with preparation.

Preparation is key – whether you’re staining your deck, painting your kitchen, your bedroom or a cabinet. Here are a few tips to make sure you’re prepared for your next project:

Relocate the room furniture
Dust the walls and and give them a good scrubbing with a laundry detergent water mixture
Repair any random imperfections (Most can be fixed with a bit of sandpaper and some muscle)
Choose a high-quality primer to help cover up any imperfections
Grab some paint brushes, stirring sticks, a paint tray and a few rollers
Cover the wall trim with painter’s tape

Put a tarp down to make sure you don’t ruin the flooring Their Equipment Wasn’t Good Enough.

Quality and price are often proportionate. You probably don’t need the most expensive brush. But you definitely don’t want the cheapest brush either. The same goes with rollers, primer and paint. Make sure you’re not just going with the cheapest equipment. You’ll thank yourself when you don’t have to run back out to the store in the middle of your paint day.

They Didn’t Use Primer

What?! No primer? Primer is important. It doesn’t matter what color your wall was before you decided it was time to paint. Do yourself a favor and throw a coat of high quality primer on there. It will help cover up those imperfections and the crayon stick figures you didn’t know your kids drew behind the couch.

They Didn’t Paint Top Down

When painting any room, starting from the ceiling down will give you the best results. This allows you to get the most out of your paint, and makes everything smooth. Be strategic and you’ll be pleased with the results. They Didn’t Use Painter’s Tape.

This one seems like a no-brainer, especially when painting near ceilings, doors, or cabinets. You may think you have the steadiest hand in the world, but it’s much easier to apply painter’s tape and then you won’t have to stress when painting the harder-to-reach places with your smaller brush.

They didn’t go to Ace Paints

Why You Should Restain Your Deck this Summer

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Spring, out here in Pittsburgh, is always an adventure. It might take awhile but the warm weather will get here. It always does. In the meantime, ask yourself when the last time you stained your deck was. There are few things better than sitting outside with your favorite beverage, a warm and glowing fire as you watch the summer sky turn to night. It’s truly relaxing. Perhaps you like to host some friends on Sunday afternoons for hot dogs and cornhole? Regardless, staining your deck will not only make it shine and look brand new, it will surely impress your guests too.

The perfect time to stain your deck

The weather is an important factor to consider when thinking about staining your deck. After all, the weather is the main reason you need to stain your deck each summer.. If you live in Pittsburgh, or in another climate where you experience all four seasons in one week, your deck has probably taken a beating from all the rain, snow, wind, and sun.

Depending on the size of your deck, you should plan for this to be at least a two-day project. Prior to staining, make sure all deck boards are up to par and that you’ve given them a good power wash. Here are things to consider:

No loose boards
No large splinters
No rotting wood
No nails sticking out
A good power wash
Applying a good deck cleaner
Check and recheck that you’re ready to go and ready to stain

As far as when to actually stain the deck, there is no super clear answer. However, if you do it too early in the spring, be aware that the stain can peel and it will absorb moisture. Generally, there is more moisture in the spring, so play it safe by waiting for a nice sunny day where the temperature climbs above 80 degrees and there’s no rain in the forecast for the next three days.

How to stain your deck

Have you finished the prep work? Great, here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Deck Cleaner
Push Broom
Sander
Paint Brush
High Quality Stain

Once you have all of your supplies, go ahead and begin staining your deck. Of course, make sure you remove all of the furniture from your deck beforehand, and sand down some of the damaged boards. Staining can get a bit messy, so make sure you cover surrounding plants with a plastic tarp. Sweep off your deck right before starting. Give the can of stain a good stir and then apply a thin, even coat using an extended roller. Thin coats typically work much better than one heavy coat. Make sure you’re using a brush for the smaller difficult areas. Once you’ve applied our first coat, repeat the process one more time. Then, let it dry thoroughly. You’ll be enjoying awesome summer parties out on your beautifully stained deck in no time.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners pick the perfect colors for any and every part of their home – deck stains included. To see our huge selection, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

How choosing the right paint color can make your tiny house feel much bigger

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Tiny Houses seem to be the fad that doesn’t appear to be going away. Many people around the world opt for the minimalist lifestyle. That lifestyle has extended into the home building process. Whether you’re reading this curled up in your tiny house, or you’re considering building a tiny house, you should know that choosing the right paint can have a huge impact on how big your tiny house feels.

How does paint change my perception of how big a room is?

Granted,paint won’t add any actual square feet to your house, but the right paint can really make your tiny house feel not so tiny. When considering how to make your tiny living space look larger, the lighter the better. White or other light colors are more reflective and play better with natural light to really make the space look open.

A darker color may catch your eye when choosing a paint, but j the darker the paint, the less natural light affects your living space. Dark colors absorb all of that natural light instead of reflecting it.

Don’t just pick plain old white

After reading the first few paragraphs you may be saying to yourself, “I’m heading out to the store right now and buying the whitest paint I can find.” Don’t do that. If anything, go with an off-white. But there are plenty of great light colors that will also do the trick. You don’t have to settle for walls that look like sheets of computer paper.

Other things to consider when choosing your paint color

If you’re trying to decide on a wall color after you’ve already built the house, you don’t have as much freedom. Here are some things to consider when choosing a paint color:

What floor colors do I have?
How much natural light shines through my windows?
What’s the overall theme of my home?
How well will my paint retain moisture?

Ask yourself these questions before choosing a paint, because choosing the wrong paint just to make a space look bigger can and will ruin the overall look..

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners pick the perfect colors for any and every part of their home – no matter its size. To see our huge selection of paint colors, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Tips for Painting and Restoring Old Kitchen Cabinets

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 16:00:00 GMT

If you happen to stumble upon this blog post, chances are, you’re either sick of looking at your old outdated cabinets, or you just scored a great deal on some old kitchen cabinets at a yard sale and you’re going to make it your life’s work to restore them into something beautiful. Either way, you’ve come to the right place. A simple sand and a fresh coat of paint can take your cabinets from looking like the set of the “Brady Bunch” to something you’d see on HGTV.

Are you sure I can salvage these cabinets?

It’s hard to tell without physically seeing the cabinet, but chances are you can salvage them. Some cabinets are going to require more work or materials than others. If you’ve got most of the pieces, you’re in good shape. Sure, it’s easier to probably just buy new ones, however, if you’re the DIY type, restoring your cabinets can be a fun weekend project.

Clean ‘em out

No matter how rough the cabinets are, the first step is always going to be to clean the cabinets. Since we’re specifically talking about kitchen cabinets, there’s a good chance there has been grease buildup over the years. Removing grease stains out of wood can be tough but not impossible. It’s just going to take a good cleaning solution and some elbow grease (pun intended). It’s also a good idea to finish them off with a light sanding using a low grit sandpaper or a Brillo pad.

Primetime

Now that you’ve got the cabinets clean, the next step is similar to painting any other room in your house: It’s time to prime. t’s very important to get a stain-blocking primer. This will help keep those stubborn grease stains from building up over time and keep your cabinets looking fresh.

Buckle up. This next step is tough

Painting the actual cabinet is probably the toughest part of this whole process. If not done carefully it can be a disaster. There are a few different options you have when considering what type of paint to buy. Many people like to buy a spray paint and use multiple coats, but you can also use a can and a brush if you’re super good around the edges.

One more step

Almost done. Once you’ve applied a few coats of paint, the last step is to finish it off with a furniture grade clear coat. This will help protect the hours of work you spent meticulously painting your cabinets. Also, be sure to make sure the stain you choose is compatible with the paint you used.

That was easy, right?

Voila. You’re done. Some people like to use the money they saved by doing this themselves on others things – like ice cream or tickets to a ball game. If you plan on doing this, make sure to let us know how it goes!

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners pick the perfect colors for any and every part of their home. To see our huge selection of paint colors, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Three Essentials to Painting Your Kitchen

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Your kitchen is an essential part of your home. No matter how busy your life is, or how often you choose to eat out, the kitchen will always be one of the main focal points of your home. Whether you use it to brew a quick cup of coffee in the morning, or make hearty, nutritious meals for your family in the evening, nobody likes an ugly kitchen!

Choosing the Right Color

This may seem like an easy task, but it can be one that keeps homeowners up at night. It’s too easy to sit at home watching HGTV all weekend and also think of several different ideas for your kitchen based on the hottest trends you’re seeing on TV. When in doubt, however, go with a warmer color. Shades of red are a common go-to for homeowners looking to really make their kitchen pop.

It’s also important to consider other things, such as the colors in the surrounding areas, cabinets, backsplashes, etc. The warmer the color, the more it will pop. However, neutral shades of gray and blue are also very versatile. And when used correctly, can really make a kitchen look very clean and modern.

Preparation is Key

Whether you’re painting a bedroom, bathroom, garage door or your kitchen, preparation is important. Here’s a few non-negotiables to consider when painting your kitchen:

Relocate the kitchen furniture
Dust the walls and give them a good scrub with a laundry detergent water mixture
Repair any random imperfections (Most can be fixed with a bit of sandpaper and some muscle)
Choose a high-quality primer to help cover up any imperfections
Grab some paint brushes, stirring sticks, a paint tray, and a few rollers
Cover the wall trim with painter’s tape

Now that you’ve got that out of the way, it’s time for the fun part.

Time to Paint

After you’ve completed the prep work, start with a coat of high quality primer. Once the primer dries you’re ready to paint. This is the fun part, but also the tricky part. You must paint the corners first, and then move on to the ceiling borders with a small brush.

Now that you’ve got those pesky corners and borders out of the way, it gets a bit easier. Grab your roller and begin painting.

One great tip we tell our customers is to paint a “W” on the wall and then fill it in with the roller. Doing this allows you to be certain you’re not missing any spots, and that you’re applying the same amount of paint to each section. That’s important.

If you’re going from a dark color to a light color, applying a second coat is a good idea.

Just follow these steps and you’ll be sitting in a kitchen you love in no time.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Things to Consider When Painting the Exterior of Your House

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:00:00 GMT

There’s much more that goes into painting the exterior of your house than just picking up some exterior paint at your local hardware store. There’s quite a bit of prep work to be done in order to make your house look just the way you see it in your imagination.

Painting a house is much like a buying a fish tank. It’s a process. Much like you’re not able to walk into a pet store to buy a bunch of fish and then put them right into the tank the same day, you can’t just go to the hardware store one day, pick up some paint and get painting.

Let’s get started

The first thing you’ll want to do is take a walk around your house to check for any sort of chips, peeling, mildew or anything else you may not have noticed from your driveway. Once you’ve inspected every nook and cranny of the exterior you’re ready to go ahead and pressure wash the whole house.

Once you’ve pressure washed the entire house you can start priming. This is a key step, and one you won’t want to skip. Also, make sure you’re picking a primer with a high quality sealer to help keep everything in place.

Now we wait.

Depending on the type of primer you go with, you may have to wait a bit before you can start painting. The wait varies based on which primer or sealer you’re using.

The fun part, picking the paint

Remember, it’s your house we’re talking about here, so, you want to make sure you’re picking a great, durable exterior paint that will weather the elements. We recommend going with a paint that is 100-percent acrylic.

Choosing a color

When picking your color you’ll want to ask yourself a few questions:

What other colors do I have on my home?
How do I stand out (in a good way!) in my neighborhood?
What sort of weather do we get?

The perfect paint is a perfect blend of your answers to those three questions. If you’re in Florida, the sun is intense, so you’ll want to use bright colors. If you’re in Pittsburgh, you can go with a cooler hue. Also, if you’re looking for great inspiration, there are tons of resources online.

Finally… time to paint

The easiest way to paint the exterior of your house is using a technique called spraying a back-rolling. The only catch here is, you can’t do it alone. One person does the spraying while the other person follows and rolls over the paint that was just sprayed on. One coat of this usually does the trick, but if you have the extra cash, two coats will certainly help with durability.

Pssst… You’re not done yet

Don’t forget about your doors and shutters. Unfortunately, it’s best to paint doors and shutters with a brush. It’s going to take a bit more time, but it will be worth it. If you take your time, use quality paint and don’t try to do it by yourself, your beautiful new exterior paint job can last between 15-20 years depending on your climate.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Stop in and see one of our great team members at Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture . We’ve got two locations: Mt. Lebanon, 412-531-2029 , and McMurray, 724-941-9060 . We’ll be happy to help you plan your next painting project!

Sikkens Oil Based Products are Still Available at Ace Paints

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 16:00:00 GMT

This is your annual reminder that Oil Based Stains from Sikkens are still readily available at Ace Paints. This includes Cetol DEK Finish, Cetol 1 and Cetol 23+ as well as Log and Siding and Oil Based SRD.

The general prep procedure for staining or maintaining your deck or siding begins with the application of a Tri Sodium Phosphate (TSP) mixture using a pump action garden sprayer onto the surface being treated. This mixture should remain wet on the surface for about 15 minutes before being power washed off completely at a pressure per square inch (PSI) no greater than 500 lbs. If there is any mold or mildew on the surface being treated you can substitute some of the water in the TSP solution for bleach. TSP packages contain detailed mixing instructions. Follow them.

Following the cleaning is the most difficult step for many homeowners; getting two dry days consecutively to allow the deck for siding to dry. This is important because moisture trapped in the wood before the wood is sealed is one the chief causes of peeling finishes. The usual recommendation is less than 18% percent moisture in the wood, which can be checked accurately with a moisture meter. If you don’t have a moisture meter, the 48 dry hour rule is usually safe.

Now the fun part. Stain your wood using high quality natural bristle brushes to ensure a smooth even finish. If you insist on rolling, you really should back brush the stain to help it penetrate the wood. Make sure to pay attention to end grain of the boards, this is the spot most likely to wick up moisture during the year, and can take more stain than you realize to seal properly.

If you follow these instructions and use a beautiful shining stain like DEK finish or CETOL 1. you might notice cars slow down passing you house just to marvel at your gorgeous outdoor living space.

All products mentioned in the above post are available and in stock at Ace Paints in Mt Lebanon and Peter’s Township in the south hills of Pittsburgh.

Why Neutral Colors Are Never a Bad Idea In Any Room

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Maybe the hardest part about painting a room is picking the color. It feels like a commitment, even if the room can be repainted relatively easily. For homeowners who feel unprepared, or unable to pick a bold hue, neutrals are a lifesaver. Neutral shades, like greige, beige, cream, gray and variations of these colors, can all make the home a more sophisticated and elegant place to live.

Buyer-Friendly

Home sellers can tell you: neutrals pay off. In fact, CBS News reported that homeowners who paint their home’s exterior in greige can sell their home for about $1,500 more than homeowners who paint their house white. Similarly, homeowners who paint their living room in taupe or oatmeal can sell their home for $1,800 more .

Why is this true? People tend to develop deep emotional feelings about colors . While these feelings are largely subjective, a color that has happy associations for one person can have negative associations for another. Ultimately, when it’s time to sell your home, there’s no way to know what buyers want to see on the walls. Neutrals tend not to have powerful associations, so they’re less likely to be off-putting to potential home buyers.

Go With Everything

Natural materials are commonplace in the home. Stone countertops, hardwood floors and hardwood furniture are considered to be both attractive and valuable. Homeowners who decorate with natural materials often look for the perfect color to complement their decor, and they usually find that perfect color in neutrals.

Because neutrals are so flexible, they enable homeowners to swap in and out furniture pieces and other fixtures without concern about creating a mismatch. Neutrals typically match the natural decor that most people use in their homes.

Establish Peace and Harmony

As mentioned, colors can stimulate powerful emotions . For example, red excites passion, orange stimulates creativity and yellow creates joy. While many people want to feel these emotions from time to time, it’s considered undesirable to feel strong emotions all the time. The home is a place of peace and relaxation. Neutrals are reassuring and calming. They bring peace to the home without stimulating stronger feelings that can be hard to ignore.

Timeless

Color trends come and go . From mint green in the 50’s, to mauve in the 80’s, the design trends in history have been pronounced. Still, through it all, neutral colors have been an acceptable choice for any home. Neutrals are forever, and homeowners who paint their home in neutrals are more likely to stay satisfied with their home’s paint color for longer.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help homeowners pick the perfect color for their home. To see our huge selection of paint colors, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

5 Things to Consider When Planning to Paint Multiple Rooms

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Painting, whether on a small or large scale, requires coordination and planning. When painting multiple rooms, the task can become complicated. Homeowners who paint multiple rooms at once must consider which color combinations look best, the kind of tools they need and other logistical concerns.

Color Combinations

Consider adjacent rooms to be a pair, especially if one room can be seen from the doorway of the other. Colors between two side-by-side rooms don’t have to be the same, but flow is important and should be strongly considered when selecting colors. Familiarize yourself with color theory and choose colors that have a relationship to one another.

Remember that strong contrasts between paint colors will stand out, often with striking results. Link rooms of different hues with matching trim and accents. If you’re not sure which colors will compliment one another, check out the Benjamin Moore website for color collections that unify spaces .

Materials

Unless you’ve never painted a room before, you probably already have some painting supplies on hand in your home. If you’re planning to paint multiple rooms at once, you’ll need double the materials. Take stock of the painting tools you have. At minimum, you should have at least one angled brush, one flat brush and one paint roller per person working on the project, and at least one paint tray per room. Purchase extra painting materials if needed, including brushes, rollers, paint trays, tape and tarps.

Time

Twice the painting can equal twice the work time, unless you’re working with a large group of people. A coat of latex paint needs about 4 to 6 hours to dry between coats. If the first coat is applied in the morning, and the second coat was applied in the afternoon, you can finish one room per day. Give yourself time to complete the task. And if you’re working in a tight time frame, get some friends to help.

Furniture

In an ideal world, you’ll remove all the furniture from the room before painting. If you’re painting two rooms at one time, understandably, that may not be possible. Plan to move all furniture to the center of the room, and cover each item with a clean tarp. Use painter’s tape to attach tarps to furniture, as this type of tape is safe on most wood finishes and painted surfaces.

Impact to Daily Life

Painting can be disruptive. If you’re painting important rooms, like the dining room and kitchen, or kitchen and living room, plan to paint one room at a time. Give thought to how your family or members of your household must flex their behaviors and routines to accommodate the work being done.

Stop At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Before you start painting, stop at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture . With multiple locations in the Pittsburgh area, we’re happy to help you with any painting project, big or small.

Ready To Paint the Exterior Of Your House? Read This First

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Painting a home’s exterior can be grueling, intense work. Still, for a homeowner on a budget, DIY exterior painting is the way to go. Knowing what to do can help ensure a smooth process. These tips will help you apply a beautiful, lasting finish to your home.

Pick the Right Color

Picking a color is harder than it sounds. A lot of thought must go in to the selection process. Factors to consider include the environment around your property, the color of other houses in the neighborhood and the architecture of your home. If you’re using a quality Benjamin Moore paint product, check out their online color selection toolkit before stopping in to buy paint. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we recommend painting samples on your home before making your final selection.

Do Your Research

There are a number of online tutorials that can help homeowners through the home painting process. Read several from reputable sources before starting the process.

If you’re painting a home that was built before 1978, familiarize yourself with lead-based paint and how it can affect your painting process. Take all precautions to contain lead-based paint and protect yourself from exposure. Encapsulation and clean up are a critical part of the containment process of painting a home with lead-based paint. When in doubt, contact an expert in your area for help.

Prep the Area

Prepping the area is an essential first step.If your home is not sufficiently prepared before the paint is applied, the finish is unlikely to last. Surface prep is time consuming, but each step is critical . Skipping steps to save time will likely cause problems down the road.

Clean the home thoroughly before beginning to paint. Use a scrubber and warm soapy water for this step.
Shave away old or damaged paint to reveal the wood underneath. Always use a respirator for this step.
Patch holes and make repairs as needed.
Cover parts of the home that shouldn’t be painted (example: light fixtures).
Prime parts of the house where the paint is damaged or the wood is exposed. If the old paint is undamaged, priming may not be necessary.

Wait for the Right Conditions

Paint needs to be applied when the outside temperatures fall within a certain range and when the forecast is dry. Check the manufacturer’s instructions listed on the paint can to find out which temperatures are ideal for applying your particular type of paint.

Use the Right Tools

Paint sprayers are convenient, but they can also be messy and difficult to control. For a reliable coat of paint, use high-quality paint brushes and paint rollers. If you’re determined to use a paint sprayer, watch the tutorial below for a little more information.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners take on DIY projects to improve their lives and their homes. We sell everything you need to paint your walls, refinish your deck and make other home improvements. For the supplies, you need to tackle your 2018 home improvement projects, stop in at one of our convenient locations.

Why You Should Paint Before Selling Your House

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Putting a home up for sale is an involved process. One of the things most homeowners do before they list their property is make home repairs and perform basic maintenance. Painting is a common item on the list of repairs. This relatively inexpensive task can increase the value of a property while helping the home sell more quickly.

Exterior Paint Boosts Curb Appeal

Exterior paint makes your home look fresh and new, as if it were recently built or newly remodeled. A fresh coat of exterior paint is also a great way to cover up stains from mildew and dirt. Homeowners on a budget who want some of the benefits of painting their home without the work and expense can instead paint their front door . This easy to complete project can be finished in a weekend without the help of a contractor, and costs very little money.

Interior Paint Helps with Staging

Staging is the art of making your home’s interior look clean, well-maintained and well-decorated. A staged home has universal appeal that enables buyers to imagine themselves living on the property. Proper staging can increase the sale price of the home by as much as a two thousand dollars and can even help the home sell more quickly.

For most homeowners, staging involves a cross between decorating and renovating, with a few home repairs thrown in for good measure. Painting fits in the mix well. A new coat of interior paint can help tie together the color schemes in the room, making the space seem more like a unified whole. Paint also helps with the staging process by giving the house an unlived-in appearance. Paint covers up handprints , fingerprints , dirt, scuff marks, scratches and other marks that come from everyday wear and tear.

Paint Gives Your Home Universal Appeal

Many home buyers who purchase a property with brightly colored walls will plan to repaint as soon as they move in. Knowing that a big chore awaits upon move-in, many buyers will make lower offers to compensate.

Neutral paints and earthy tones are the preferred shades when you’re selling your home. Pleasant neutrals like Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray or Revere Pewter are popular shades that complement a range of furniture styles and colors. Lighter neutrals like cream and white, though acceptable, can make the space seem washed out and lacking in personality. In large rooms, lighter colors can make the space appear overwhelmingly large. Medium-toned paints are best in most circumstances.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

If you’re a homeowner thinking about selling this spring, now is the time to paint. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell a range of beautiful interior and exterior grade paints, including Benjamin Moore products. Stop in at one of our conveniently located stores to pick out the right shade for your home.

The 3 Easiest Ways to Remove Old Wallpaper

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 16:00:00 GMT

In general, there are three things that people use to remove old wallpaper: water, solvent and steam. The method you choose will depend on your wallpaper, what it’s made of and how it was applied. Most homeowners start with simple water and graduate to other products if water fails. Wallpaper removal can take hours or days, depending on the size of the room, the type of paper, age of the paper and other factors. If you’re planning to remove wallpaper, give yourself a large block of time to complete the project.

No matter what method you use, removing old wallpaper takes upper body strength. If you don’t feel up to the task, get a partner or contact a professional.

Before Getting Started

Find out whether or not your walls were properly prepared before the wallpaper was applied. To do this, soften a corner of the wallpaper with a damp sponge, then pull back the edge of the paper and peer behind it. If the wall is a gray-brown color, the wallboard may not have been properly primed before the wallpaper was installed. Talk to a professional before moving forward.

Some wallpaper is designed to peel away easily. Once you get a section of the wallpaper going, try tearing it off in large chunks. If the wallpaper comes off without water, remove all the paper you can. Some shreds of wallpaper may remain on the walls. You can remove this at a later time with water.

Gather Your Materials

For this project, you’ll need:

Tarps
Painter’s tape
Scoring tool
Paint scraper
Ladder
Bucket
Sponge and spray bottle

You may also need a solvent or steamer, depending on much resistance you encounter from the wallpaper.

Follow the Process

Remove or move the furniture to the center of the room. Cover the floors with tarps and tape the tarps to the baseboards. Remove any outlet covers, then protect the outlets with plastic.

Turn off the power, because you’ll be using dripping water to soften the walls. Clear kids out of the area in case the glue contains toxic fungicides. Open the windows to ventilate the space.

Score the wallpaper with the scoring tool.
Spray a wallpaper section with warm water, or apply water to the paper with a damp sponge. Work in small sections (two feet by two feet, approximately) or the glue will start to dry before you can remove the paper.
Allow the water to soak into the paper. This usually takes seconds, not minutes.
Scrape the wallpaper away when the glue behind the wallpaper is soft. If the wallpaper is difficult to remove, the glue wasn’t properly softened when you started scraping. Spray again and give it more time.
Repeat steps 1 through 4 in sections throughout the room.

If these steps don’t work, add vinegar to the water, as it can help soften the glue. This tutorial shows the whole process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvBdijrPSGA

If vinegar doesn’t work, rent a steamer, or use a solvent. follow all manufacturer instructions when using a solvent and keep the space well ventilated. Wear work gloves and eye protection.

Beware of the dripping hot water and steam that will come from the steamer. Hold the steamer to the wallpaper long enough for the glue to soften, but not so long that the wall itself will be damaged. Scrape away the wallpaper using a scraper. Don’t pull the wallpaper off with your fingers, as you may get burned. Watch this tutorial for more information:

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Once the wallpaper has been removed, it’s time to paint! Stop in at Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture for all the tools and paint products you need.

Tips and Tricks to Painting your Ceilings

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Ceiling painting may not be the most enjoyable activity in the world, but with the right tools and painting methods, ceiling painting can take less time and yield attractive results. These tips will help you paint your ceiling with as little time and trouble as possible.

Choose the Right Materials

Painting a ceiling requires basic painting tools like quality paint brushes, tarps, blue painter’s tape and paint trays. A few special tools you’ll need include:

Ceiling paint: This product is a flat paint that produces fewer splatters than standard paint. Ceiling paint also takes longer to dry than standard wall paint, to make blending easier.
Extension poles for rollers: Unless they’re really necessary, avoid extra long handles, which can get heavy during the painting process. Check the length of the handles before starting your project to ensure they’re long enough to reach the tallest point on your ceiling.
Nappy roller: This is critical for popcorn or textured ceilings.
Baseball cap: You will be splattered with paint during your project, so protect your hair with a hat.
Tall ladder: Don’t try to paint a ceiling with a dinky step stool. Get a real ladder that enables you to get close up to your ceiling if need be.

If you’re painting your ceiling because of a stain from a roof leak, don’t forget to apply stain-blocking primer to prepare your ceiling.

Protect Everything In the Room

It’s basically impossible to paint a ceiling without producing splatters, so cover everything you possibly can with tarp. Move whatever you can out of the room to avoid staining your furniture.

Give Yourself Adequate Time

Painting a ceiling is an all-weekend project, so give yourself enough time to finish the project. This ensures that you’ll do a good job and will prevent you from cutting corners at the end.

Cut In, Roll, Repeat

“Cutting in” is the process of painting the edges of the room with an angled paint brush. When you’re ready to start painting, cut in a portion of the room’s perimeter with an angled paint brush, then paint the middle with a roller. When that entire section of the room has been painted, cut in another section of the room and then paint the middle with a roller. Keep doing this until the entire room has been painted.

Thinking About Selling Your Home Soon? Choose White

Home buyers like white ceilings and neutral colored walls. To ensure that your home will be attractive to these prospective home buyers, paint your ceilings a shade of white or cream. If you’re not planning to sell your home any time soon, pick whatever color you want!

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we have the tools you need to paint your ceilings! To get started with your painting project, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Remodeling this spring? Here’s what’s trending

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Overall, the forecast for 2018 is bright with promise, cool neutrals, muted tones and the occasional hot pops of color to liven things up a bit. Here’s a quick look at the hottest new trends for the home for spring 2018:

Black and Gray Neutrals Remain

Black is back and here to stay. From true blacks to cool charcoals and warm Deep Onyx, black is remaining a powerful color choice, including fun tones with a touch of purple, like Black Flame. Followed by virtually every gray from pewter to silver, including cool medium Delray Gray and warm medium Soho Loft these neutrals form an elegant backdrop for your home decor.

Neutral Beige Warms it Up

But don’t count the brown tones out! Neutral beige tones are popular this year, giving you some options for warming up your home’s interior without committing to a specific palette. Driftscape Tan leans heavily towards the pink, while Broken Arrow lends a warm mocha to beautiful beiges.

Muted Tones

Many of this year’s tones are remaining muted, contributing to a quiet, peaceful environment for your home. Boca Raton Blue hangs out in the background, as does Fort Pierce Green, giving you a piece of the tropics. However, don’t count these colors out either. Paired correctly with bold brights, they’ll work hard to make your home’s interior pop.

Bold Brights

With all these neutral and muted tones, it’s easy to assume that this year’s palette will be sedate and quiet. Not so! Yellow Finch and Showtime are some amazingly bright, clear yellow tones that work perfectly as a single accent color, or paired with some of this year’s berry tones and vivid blues like bold, bright Mosaic or deep, rich Starry Night Blue.

Rich Berries

This year, it’s all about bountiful, beautiful berries. Today’s reds are covering a wide range of berry tones, from Caponata’s deep burgundy to Caliente’s scarlet tones. Whether it’s making a statement wall pop or just adding some warmth to your home’s interior, these reds work hard to bring elegance and energy into your home.

Contrast Stays Strong

Another area that remains vibrant is the use of contrast in your home’s interior. Trim and casings should pop out visually from the walls they’re framing, but without clashing.

By knowing what colors will be hot this year, and which ones seem to be here to stay, you can make better color choices, ensuring that it will be up to date with today’s fashions while staying true to tomorrow’s trends. Try out a few of these new colors and see where your design muse takes you today!

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture For Supplies

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we provide painting supplies to people of Pittsburgh and the surrounding area. Stop in today at one of our convenient locations for paint brushes, enamel, tarps and other materials. We have what you need to get your painting project completed!

Tips for Painting an Old Radiator

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 16:00:00 GMT

An old, peeling radiator can be an eyesore in your home or apartment. Repainting is a common way that people dress up their radiator and make it more attractive. Using the right type of paint is important, as is cleaning and preparing the surface for paint. These tips will help you make your radiator less of a blemish in your home and more of a functional part of the decor.

Gather Your Materials

Before you can get started with your project, it’s important to gather the proper materials.

Tarp
Paint scraper
Wire brush
Sponge
Bucket
Mild detergent (or degreaser if necessary)
High-heat enamel (aerosol or non-aerosol)
Blue painter’s tape
Paintbrushes (if using non-aerosol paint)

Prepare the Surface

Prepping the surface is essential and helps ensure that your paint job will last a long time. To start, turn off the radiator. Scrape off the old paint and get the surface clean. Lay down a tarp beneath the radiator to catch paint chips and drops of wet paint that fall on the floor.

Use a paint scraper to remove some of the biggest flakes of paint, then use a wire brush to scrape off paint that is peeling from the surface of the radiator.

Once the paint has been thoroughly removed, use a damp, soapy sponge to wipe down the radiator. If the radiator is positioned in a kitchen, chances are that it is covered in grease and oils. If this is the case, use a degreaser to wipe away old layers of scum off the surface of the radiator so your paint sticks properly when the project is completed.

Paint the Radiator

Once the paint has been removed, and the surface of the radiator has been cleaned, it’s time to paint using a high-heat enamel. If your radiator isn’t functioning, you can paint the radiator with normal paint formulated for metal surfaces.

To paint the radiator with an aerosol can, position a tarp on the wall near the radiator to protect the wall and anything else in the vicinity. You may need to use blue painter’s tape to hold the tarp to the wall. Spray the radiator using namel, then allow it to dry before spraying it again.

If you’re painting the radiator with a non-aerosol can, use a narrow, angled paint brush to reach the crevices and a chisel edge brush for the portions of the radiator that you can reach more easily. Painting can be time consuming because radiators tend to have lots of hidden places that need to be coated. Apply two coats to the radiator.

Alternative Suggestions

As an alternative to not wanting to go to the trouble of cleaning and painting the radiator, simply use a radiator cover instead. Measure the radiator to find a cover that is wide enough. You can find a variety of radiator covers at home improvement centers and hardware stores.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture For Supplies

Painting Your Cabinets? Do It Right!

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 16:00:00 GMT

What are the best practices for refinishing your cabinets? Painting your cabinets the right way can help ensure that the finish will stand up to the test of time.

Gather Your Materials

First, gather your materials before getting started:

Tarps
Screwdriver
Sandwich baggies
Pencil
Marker
Painter’s tape
Liquid finish remover
Abrasive Pad
Rags
Wood putty
Putty knife
Gloves
Sandpaper
Primer
Paint Brushes (flat and chisel-edge)
Paint

Prep the Surface

Before you begin to paint, you must prep your cabinets. Cabinet prep is time-consuming but worth it in the end. Surface scratches and pockmarks need to be filled, and grease, grime and old finishes must be removed.

Begin by T removing doors and drawers. Mark each door and drawer so you’ll know where they go when you’re ready to put them back. Remove all hardware and use baggies to contain the hardware so you’ll know which set corresponds to which cabinet or drawer. Mark each baggie accordingly.

Cover all countertops with tarps, and remember to tape the walls around the cabinets. To scrub off the grease and old finish, use an abrasive pad and liquid finish remover. Scrub down all doors, drawers and cabinet boxes until they’re cleaned and the finish removed. Note: keep the room ventilated.

Next, fill any holes in the cabinets with wood filler.When dry, sand down the filler until it’s flush with the surface of the cabinet. Sand the surfaces where paint will be applied to make the surface rough and ready to absorb paint. Finally, clean the cabinets one more time to remove any wood shavings.

Note: If you choose to paint the inside of the cabinets, you’ll need to prep the inside in the same way that you prep the outside. Painting the inside of the cabinets are not required and many homeowners choose to skip this step. If you choose not to paint the inside, apply painter’s tape to the inside edge of the cabinets to keep the paint line clean.

Apply Primer and Paint

Once the cabinets are cleaned, sanded and cleaned again, they’re ready to be painted. Apply primer to all parts of the cabinets you plan to paint. Allow the primer to dry fully before proceeding. If you’re not sure how long the primer needs to dry, read the manufacturer’s instructions. Primer is usually ready to be painted over when the primer is no longer tacky.

When the primer is dry, sand down the primer with a fine grit sandpaper, then wash the cabinets to remove paint shavings. Apply a second coat of primer. When it’s dry, re-sand and re-clean the primer. Why? Because sanding the primer is an important step to help hide brush marks. Sanding the primer also roughs up the surface so paint and primer can attach itself to the primer more easily.

Finally, apply your first coat of paint. Wait for the paint to dry, then sand it lightly to remove brush marks. Clean the paint and then apply a second coat. Once the surfaces are painted and the cabinets are finished, use a screwdriver to reattach the doors and hardware. Use a slower-drying waterborne paints for cabinets to ensure a smoother finish.

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

If you’re planning to paint your cabinets in Pittsburgh, stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture . We sell everything you need to get started with your project!

Color Trends for 2018

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 16:00:00 GMT

2018 is going to be a big year for bold, saturated colors. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we’re getting ready for the coming year by stocking up on all the boldest, brightest, and most beautiful hues we can. What will be the top colors choices for the coming year?

Deep Red

Deep red makes a striking accent color in rooms like the bedroom, dining room and kitchen. This color works best in small quantities unless it’s painted in a large space with a lot of natural light. If you’re wondering which shades, we recommend a rich, luxurious shade that works in well-lit rooms, especially when contrasted against white trim and white window treatments. Deep reds pair well with colors like soft mustard, cream and light gray-green.

Earthy Green

Earthy green is a color that brings peace and calm to a room, while also creating a sophisticated environment where you can work, play, eat or relax. This color is best combined with shades of ivory or cream and soft gray. We recommend this shade in the home office, study, reading room, living room or dining room, where a calm environment can make all the difference.

Deep Gold

Deep gold is the color of comfort and pleasure. Whether applied to the walls of a bathroom, bedroom or nursery, deep gold makes your home a place of love and happiness. This soft color is perfect when combined with navy, gray and cream. We recommend Golden Retriever to be used in a warm Tuscan-style kitchen or on your living room accent wall.

Cool Gray

Gray has been in for many years now, and its popularity is still going strong. Cool gray is reminiscent of moody autumn afternoons and soft rain as it hits the window. Gray is perfect for just about any room of the house, including the bathroom, bedroom, and guest rooms. Best of all, gray pairs well with just about any color, including soft blue, medium-toned brown, cream, white and khaki.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help homeowners transform their living space. We provide quality paints and stains, plus all the tools that you need to apply those paints. We’re also happy to give advice that can help with your upcoming DIY project.

Are you thinking about painting your home in 2018? Stop in at one of our convenient locations to pick up the paint. We’ll be happy to help you get started with your upcoming project!

Home Improvement Projects for 2018

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 16:00:00 GMT

As 2018 rolls in, it’s time to decide which DIY projects will increase your property’s value and also improve your quality of life this coming year. Getting started early will help you make the most of your valuable time. These four home improvement plans are excellent projects to consider.

Refinish the Deck

Resealing or repainting can prevent rot and decay from ruining your deck. Decks need to be resealed every few years to ensure complete protection. If you’re not sure whether or not your deck needs to be resealed, first spray it with a light mist, then check whether the water is absorbed into the wood. If the water beads up on the surface of the deck, this is a sure sign that the wood needs resealing.

If your deck is painted rather than stained, you’ll know it’s time to repaint when the old paint begins to bubble or flake off. To get started, you’ll need either a can of paint or stain, depending on what you prefer to use. Clean and repair the deck first, sand where necessary, then apply stain or paint over the old protective coat.

Spruce Up the Garage

Cleaning and organizing your garage is a great way to make more storage space in your home. Every garage is different, so you’ll need to decide for yourself the best ways to make the space more usable. A few suggestions include:

Install shelves to make storage space.
Hang bikes from the ceiling to make room on the floor.
Repaint the walls to make the space look cleaner, lighter and more inviting.
Clean the floor and remove oil spills, then repaint or reseal the concrete as necessary.

Organize and Reduce Clutter

Organizing and reducing clutter in the home is a great way to make your living space seem more spacious. Modular storage can help organize closets, while built-in storage shelves look best in spaces like the living room and dining room. If you’re paying a contractor to install shelves in your home, you can save money by doing the painting yourself.

Repaint a Room

Repainting a room can make the space appear more tidy and pleasant. Repainting is also a great way to hide scuff marks and everyday wear and tear. Picking the right color is so important. To make this easier, paint samples on the wall before making a final selection. Once you’ve picked the right paint for your home, clean the walls with a microfiber cloth and make repairs with spackling. Move all furniture out of the room, or cover the furniture with tarps to prevent splatters from ruining the upholstery. Following these basic suggestions can help ensure that the finished project will be beautiful.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Once you’ve decided what home improvement projects you’ll be completing in 2018, stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture for your supplies. We have all the paint and paint supplies you’ll need for your upcoming DIY projects. We’re also happy to give advice and discuss paint application methods if you have any questions. Stop in at one of our convenient locations for all your painting needs.

New Year, New Home Improvements

Tue, 26 Dec 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Around the new year, it’s common for people to make resolutions to improve their homes. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help homeowners make these improvements.

Get Organized

Clutter can make it difficult to keep your home clean and beautiful. Eliminating clutter can help you keep your house pleasant, attractive and healthy for other members of your household.

Clutter can take many forms, and thus can be eliminated through a variety of methods. Some of the best ways to eliminate clutter:

Have a garage sale to sell those things you no longer need and want.
Purchase modular storage for your home’s closets, garage and shed.
Sort through everything currently being stored to decide what stays and what goes.
Resolve to throw away or shred junk mail on a nightly, weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Go through your closets and storage areas; take unneeded items to local charities and non-profits.

Keeping your house free of clutter will make it look tidier and may even make it look larger inside as well! Decluttering can be a year-long process, so get started as soon as possible.

Improve Safety

Safety is critical to maintaining good quality of life in your home. There are many ways to make your home safer for the people in your family:

Check the batteries in your smoke detectors on a regular basis.
Install motion-sensor lights outside.
Put your interior lights on timers.
Maintain your doors and fix broken doors or locks right away.
Keep toxic cleaning products out of reach of children and pets.
Pick up your mail and newspapers daily.
Use non-slip floor mats in your bathroom and in wet parts of the kitchen.

Following these tips can help you and other members of your family stay safe.

Repaint

Repainting your home is a great way to redecorate. Repainting is also an effective way to tie together decorating schemes that may have become disparate over the years. We recommend using Low VOC paint to maintain good indoor air quality. When choosing a color to paint your home, these tips can help:

Paint samples on the wall before choosing a final color.
Larger rooms tend to look best with medium to dark colors, while smaller rooms tend to look best with light to medium colors.
If you plan to sell your home in the near future, neutral colors are more buyer-friendly.
Shiny paints that bounce light around the space work well in dark rooms.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help homeowners take on DIY projects to improve their lives and their homes. We sell everything you need to paint your walls, refinish your deck and make other home improvements. For the supplies, you need to take on your 2018 home improvement projects, stop in at one of our convenient locations.

Last Minute Christmas Ideas

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Are you looking for some last minute Christmas ideas for a family member, loved one or significant other? Create furniture that looks beautiful and lasts for years. Nothing says “Happy Holidays” more than a beautiful chair, hand-painted, glazed and decorated by you.

Choose the Right Piece

Consignment shops and furniture stores are both good sources for sturdy wooden furniture. Whether you’re using bare furniture or older furniture that needs refinishing, the final results will still be beautiful.

If you’re planning to fix an older chair, look it over well and make a list of what you’ll need to make repairs. Wood filler can fill nail holes, scratches and other problems. Use nails or screws to stabilize a wobbly chair. Wood glue can keep chair spokes and other parts in place. A microfiber cloth will be necessary to clean the chair. Finally, don’t forget sandpaper, which will be necessary to rough up the old finish or paint.

Prep the Furniture

Bare furniture is usually ready to glaze or paint immediately, so you can skip this step if you’ve purchased new naked furniture. If you purchased older furniture that needs to be refinished, do the following:

Fill nail holes and gouges with wood filler. Allow the wood filler to dry, then sand until it is flush with the rest of the furniture.
Glue, nail or screw any loose pieces until the chair is completely stable and does not wobble.
Rough up the existing finish with sandpaper.
Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the chair clean.

Paint or Glaze

Once the chair has been fully prepped, use a paint brush to apply paint or glaze. You can also use a small paint roller on the flat surfaces of the chair, like the seat. A paint roller is an expedient tool to use and has the advantage of not leaving brush marks, but whether or not you choose to use a roller is up to you. Allow the chair to fully dry before applying a second coat. You’ll be able to tell if the chair is dry by whether or not it is tacky to the touch.

Decorate the Chair

Need decorating ideas? We found plenty of ideas online . If the chair is for a spouse or significant other, we recommend wrapping a bow around the back and dangling mistletoe from the ribbon. If the chair is for a parent or an older relative, drape it with a solid white table runner and lay a pillow down on top of the runner. If the chair is for a younger relative (a child), set a small stuffed animal on the chair, and place a bow on the seat next to the stuffed animal.

Stop at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we sell unfinished furniture, painting supplies and more. To get started with your last minute Christmas shopping, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 16:00:00 GMT

The holidays are just around the corner! Now is the time to get ready for your holiday guests. Cleaning, decorating and fixing up your home are important components of holiday planning and preparations.

Clean, Clean, Clean

Before your guests arrive, perform a deep cleaning of sometimes overlooked parts of your house in addition to your normal cleaning duties. Above-and-beyond cleaning will make your house sparkle.

Spot treat your carpet. This is especially important in more public parts of your house, like your living room, dining room, and walkways
Organize your pantry and clean out your refrigerator. Cleaning out your kitchen storage will make food preparation and cleanup easier.
Wash your windows. Make them sparkle so that your guests can watch the snow fall outside!
Dust and vacuum the guest room thoroughly. This will certainly make your guests’ stay more comfortable.

Make Small Home Improvements

To go the extra mile and make your home as impressive and beautiful as possible for your guests, make small home improvements that you’ve been putting off all year.

Repaint or use touch-up paint in rooms with scuffs on the walls.
Fix broken door knobs.
Replace burnt out light bulbs.
Repair any broken or jammed doors.

Decorate Your Interior and Exterior

Interior and exterior decorations are very important for putting people in the holiday spirit. If you don’t have the time to put up holiday lights outside, installing yard projector decorations takes only a few minutes and can dramatically bathe your house in glowing lights that can be seen for blocks.

To welcome your guests as they arrive, put a wreath on your door, and if possible, put up colorful garland wrapped in Christmas lights on your mantel, around your stair railing, or draped over the tops your kitchen cabinets. These little touches can make your home more festive, warm and inviting.

Make the Outside Safe For Guests

Safety is always a priority. Ensure their safety from falling on ice or slipping on a snow-covered staircase.

Shovel snow immediately as it begins to fall.
De-ice your walkways regularly throughout the season.
Using a timer, turn on your exterior Christmas lights to ensure that there is light enough for your guests to see even after the sun goes down.
Tape down, or cover, cords from Christmas lights to prevent guests from tripping over them.

Perform Deck Maintenance

Deck maintenance is equally important at this time of year. Clearing off the snow and sealing the wood against the elements can help protect the deck, while also preventing the wood from deteriorating.

You won’t want to worry about this chore when Christmas rolls around, so finish up your deck maintenance now. While you’re at it, decorate your deck with Christmas lights to give your guests a place to escape for a few minutes while the holiday parties are happening.

Get Scented Things

Scented candles and potpourri will make your home smell fresh, clean and Christmas-y. Putting something scented in every room will make your home a little more cozy for your guests.

Stop at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners prepare for the holidays. If you’re in need of paint or deck sealer in these weeks before Christmas, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

How to Distress Furniture with Glaze

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Properly applied, tinted glaze can give your furniture a distinctive aged appearance. Many people assume this distressed look can only be achieved by professional furniture refinishers, but in reality, glaze is easy to tint at home and application can be performed by a capable DIYer. In this tutorial, we’ll talk about how to tint glaze with paint you may already have at your house and how to distress furniture once glaze is prepared.

How To Tint Your Own Glaze

Glaze is a medium that makes paint transparent. Glaze also extends the paint drying time, so people who work with glaze have time they need to get exactly the right look for their furniture. To tint glaze, combine four parts glaze to one part paint, then mix the glaze and paint together in a cup. Note: if the manufacturer provides different instructions or a different ratio, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

You can tint your own water-based glaze with any water-based paints that you have on hand. Typically, furniture distressers will tint glaze from black or brown paint, or a combination thereof. The color you choose should relate directly to the furniture color itself. Warm browns look best over warm paint colors like red, orange and yellow. Cool black or cool browns look best over cool paint colors like blue, purple and green.

Until it is dry, you can wipe glaze off of furniture finishes as necessary. Feel free to mix a little glaze.try it on your furniture and make new glaze if you don’t like the results.

How to Distress Furniture with Glaze

Glaze distressing begins by painting the furniture in whatever color is desired. After the glaze is applied, it is strategically wiped off to leave the furniture looking tinted and aged. Glaze makes the paint underneath look darker and richer, so feel free to choose a brighter than desired paint. The best paint to glaze is low-luster or semi-gloss. Once the paint has been applied and has dried, you’re ready to start glazing. Follow these steps.

Use a paint brush or sponge to apply glaze to a small section of the painted furniture. Glaze takes between 10 and 20 minutes to dry, so working in small sections can help you stay ahead of the curve.
Wipe off glaze from the furniture with a clean rag, leaving it in the cracks and angles of the piece.
Move to another section when you’re satisfied with the first section.
Repeat steps 1 through 3 until the furniture has been completely covered. When you’re finished, touch up glaze as needed to get a smoother, more even application.
Leave the glaze to dry fully. Glaze is dry when it is no longer tacky.

This process is just one of many things that you can do to distress your furniture. In addition to glazing, you can also distress furniture by applying two coats of paint and sanding the first coat to reveal the second coat.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners complete their craft and DIY projects. We sell everything you need to get your painting projects off the ground. To get started, stop in at one of our convenient locations. We sell paints, glaze, tarps, paint brushes and other helpful tools.

Will Snow Damage My Deck This Winter?

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT

When winter arrives, decks will require maintenance and protection from the ice and snow. At Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture, we help homeowners to care for their decks at all times of the year. Knowing what causes damage to your deck, and what you can do to stop that damage, can help you protect your home and investment.

Yes, Snow Can Damage Your Deck

Snow and ice can do significant damage to wood over a long period of time. Wood that is regularly exposed to moisture may mold, rot, or grow mildew. This impacts the look of the deck and can also compromise the structural integrity of the deck itself.

Proper Sealant Can Protect Your Deck

Proper sealant is needed to prevent ice and snow from being absorbed by the wood when warm weather finally returns. Homeowners with wooden decks need to reseal the wood periodically to ensure that the sealant is still working.

How can you tell if the sealant has worn off? Spray the deck with a fine mist of water and watch for the moisture to bead up on the surface. If the water is absorbed back into the wood without beading up, this is an indication that the sealant has worn off and needs to be refreshed.

To reseal your deck, start by cleaning the surface. Sweep, then remove algae or mildew by scrubbing your deck with oxygen water and bleach. Then, use a paint roller to roll sealant over the entire deck. Use an angled paintbrush to apply sealant to corners and tight spaces.

When and How to Shovel Your Deck

Many homeowners worry that the weight of snow can cause their deck to collapse. In reality, though, a properly built deck can withstand a great deal of snow before damage occurs. Experts recommend shoveling snow off of your deck if the depth of the snow reaches 3 to 3.5 feet.

When shoveling your deck, use a plastic shovel and remember to shovel in the direction of the boards, not against the boards. Expert tip : Hammer down any nails that may be popping up, and tighten loose screws before the snow falls in winter. This makes it easier to clear snow accumulations because nails and screws can catch on shovels.

Remove Furniture From Your Deck Before Snow Falls

Furniture and planters can trap moisture on your deck and may lead to rot over time. Remove furniture from your deck to protect the wood. If you have nowhere to store your furniture, place it in your yard.

Stop in At Ace Paint For the Products You Need

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell deck sealant, paint and stains to keep your deck looking its best over the course of the winter. Now is the time to prepare your deck for the coming season! Stop in today to pick up the tools and products you need.

Spruce Up Your Home for the Holidays

Tue, 21 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT

The holidays are coming, so now is the time to get your home ready for guests! Sprucing your home up with paint is a great way to make a good impression on visitors and loved ones. A fresh coat of paint can make your home look well-cleaned and well-maintained. In this post, we’ll talk about the best ways to optimize your paint job. We’ll also discuss the best colors to use in your home this holiday season.

Paint High-Traffic Areas

Paint the high-traffic areas of your home to ensure that your guests can see and admire your handiwork. Areas like the living room, kitchen and dining room will be the focal points for most of your guests. To go above and beyond, paint the room they’ll be sleeping in if they’re planning to stay overnight. In parts of the house where you can’t paint, clean the walls with a damp rag.

Create a Focal Point

Don’t want to paint the entire living room? Paint one wall to create an accent wall. This is best done in a part of the room where guests will focus their attention anyway, like the wall behind the fireplace or the area where the Christmas tree will be installed.

Spruce Up Your Front Door

Painting your front door is a perfect way to boost your home’s curb appeal and make your home look more inviting. This is best done on a day with mild weather and temperatures that aren’t too cold, so we recommend doing this as soon as possible. Use exterior-grade latex paint for your project. You’ll need to start by cleaning and sanding the old paint job. Apply two thin coats of paint, or more if necessary.

Pick a color that is vibrant and attractive, but don’t worry too much about matching the color of the door to the rest of the house. A standout front door can make your home’s facade pop.

Refinish the Kitchen

Refinishing your cabinets is a great way to make your kitchen look newly remodeled. Remember to clean the cabinets first to remove all grease. Next, take off the hardware, sand down the cabinets, wipe down with a damp rag, then dry. When the cabinets are dry, clean and sanded, apply interior-grade paint. This is a good weekend project for DIYers who enjoy performing multi-step home renovations.

Choose Colors Carefully

Choosing holiday colors for your home will make your house seem a bit more festive for your guests. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we recommend a variety of paint colors by Benjamin Moore, including:

Marblehead Gold : This rustic, golden-yellow color is reminiscent of bells, lit candles and brass ornaments at the holidays.
Jojoba : Jojoba is part green, part silvery gray. It’s classy, elegant and the perfect backdrop for a beautiful Christmas tree.
Pilgrimage Foliage : This slightly pumpkin-y color is appropriate for your Thanksgiving dining room. It’s warm, inviting and alluring.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners pick the perfect paint for their home. No matter what your painting needs, we can help. Come to one of our convenient locations today.

From Fall to Winter – Protecting your deck from the elements

Tue, 14 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Near the middle and end of fall is the time of year when many homeowners start looking for ways to prepare their decks for winter. Snow, rain, and sleet can be hard on wooden decks. Preparing your deck for the season (or “now”) can help protect your property and extend the life of your deck.

Remove Debris

Leaves and other yard debris can trap moisture on wood, causing mold and rot over time. Sweeping away leaves and sticks is necessary throughout fall to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

Clean the Wood

Use a strong jet of water from a hose, a scrub brush and a bucket filled with soapy water to clean the wood. If your deck is stained with mold or mildew, pour oxygen-bleach into the water and use the scrub brush to scrub away the mold. If you’re careful, you can use a power washer for this task. A power washer can damage wood if it’s not used carefully, so read the manufacturer’s instructions before getting started.

Remove Furniture

Leaves and debris can trap moisture against your deck too, causing the early deterioration of the stain or the wood itself. To prevent problems, remove your patio furniture and put it somewhere safe like your garage. If you don’t have room to put all of your deck furniture in your garage, make a point to remove wide-base items like planters. Place these items elsewhere in your yard. Wide-base items cause the biggest problems for decks during the wet and snowy season.

Make Repairs

Check your deck for wood rot and soft spots. Stains and cracks are some of the visual signs of wood rot. If you spot an area that looks rotten, use the pointy end of a screwdriver or awl to pierce the wood. If the wood feels soft, or if the tool can easily be pushed into the deck, this is a sign that the wood needs to be replaced. When replacing boards, look for wood of the same type to get the closest match possible. Use ceramic coated deck screws to screw new boards in place.

Refinish If Necessary

Decks need to be refinished from time to time. You’ll know your deck needs refinishing when the old stain begins to fade. It’s easy to tell by spraying the deck with a mist of water. Droplets should bead up on the surface of the deck. If the water is absorbed into the wood, this is a sign that the stain is wearing off and needs to be replaced.

To refinish your deck, start by cleaning and making repairs as described above. Next, use paint rollers to coat the deck with stain. Angled paintbrushes can help you get stain into the little nooks and crannies. To protect your landscaping, drape nearby plants with tarps.

Remove Snow Throughout Winter

When winter comes, you can protect your newly finished deck by removing snow as it falls. This prevents the moisture from wearing away the stain prematurely.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell deck stain and other materials you need to refinish your deck this winter. To get started with your project, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Colorful Thanksgiving Crafts For Kids

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Halloween may be over, but Thanksgiving is on the way! Now is the perfect time to start working on fun Thanksgiving crafts with your kids. In this post, we’ll talk about three, fabulous Thanksgiving crafts that you can do with your little ones this November.

Pumpkin Turkey

Materials:

Red and yellow construction paper
Brown felt
Safety scissors
Googly eyes
Feathers
Glue
Skewers
Mini pumpkin

This project will make good use the mini pumpkins you’ve had laying around your house since Halloween. To start, cut the brown felt into a peanut shape. The top half of the peanut will be the turkey’s head, the bottom half will be the neck. Help your child cut out a yellow triangle for the beak, and a red, oval-shaped wattle. Glue the beak and wattle into place on the turkey’s head, then glue googly eyes over the beak. Set the felt aside to dry.

Use the skewers to poke holes in the top of one side of the mini pumpkin, then dip the tips of the feathers into glue and insert the feathers into the holes so that they stick up and out of the back of the pumpkin. When the feathers are securely in place, and the glue is dry, glue the head into place on the front half of the pumpkin. This project is the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving feast!

Fall Leaf Turkeys

Materials:

Googly eyes
2 leaves of the same shape
Yellow construction paper
Red construction paper or one small red leaf
Glue

Start this project off by taking a fun nature walk with your toddler-age or older child. Look for two leaves of the same shape. Each leaf should have a nice long stem. Maple leaves tend to be the right shape for this project, but you can use any leaves that you find attractive. If you happen to find a small red leaf for the turkey’s wattle while you’re out, take that home as well!

At home, glue the two leaves together so that one is aligned over the other. Position the stems so they’re side by side at the bottom. In this project, the leaves will form the body, and the stems will form the legs.

Glue googly eyes in the center of the leaf. Cut a yellow triangle out of the construction paper, then glue that triangle into the center of the turkey just below the eyes. If you did not find a red leaf for the wattle, cut out the triangle-shaped wattle from the red construction paper. Glue the wattle into place beside the break.

Coffee Filter Turkeys

Materials:

Brown, red and yellow construction paper
Safety scissors
Googly eyes
Coffee filter
Washable markers
Paintbrush
Glue

These cute turkeys make nice wall decorations and cool refrigerator magnets! This is a good craft for children ages around 5 years old and up. Some kids will need more help cutting and gluing than others.

To get started, help your child cut out a peanut-shaped piece of brown construction paper. This will serve as the body of the turkey. Help your child cut out yellow triangles for the beak and feet, and a red, oval-shaped wattle. Glue the feet, beak, and wattle into place, and glue googly eyes over the beak.

To make the feathers, fold the coffee filter into fourths, and then cut out a quarter section along the folds. Decorate the coffee filter with washable markers, and lightly drip the filter with water from a paintbrush to run the colors together. When the coffee filter has dried, glue the feathers into place behind the body.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell a range of beautiful paints and unfinished furniture. To get started on your home improvement projects, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Spooky Porch Decorating Ideas for Halloween

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Halloween is here! How spooky does your front porch look? These tips will certainly help you get into the Halloween spirit and ensure that your home is ready for trick-or-treaters tonight!

Murder Scene

Turn your home into a whodunit style murder scene, complete with chalk outline and blood on the porch! To keep things lighthearted and safe, keep your porch well-lit and play some fun Halloween party music in the background (think: Monster Mash).

Enter the Witch’s Lair

Witches are spooky and fun at this time of year. Set a cauldron out on your porch and fill it with witch accessories like a broomstick, antique bottles of potions and a stuffed black cat. Drape your front porch with gauzy, loose fabric, then light your porch with a subtle green glow and strings of white twinkle lights. Tonight, play a soundtrack of witches cackling, wolves howling and wind whipping through the trees.

Pumpkins Galore

Nothing says fall like a collection of friendly-looking pumpkins. If you set out your pumpkins weeks in advance, decorate them with paint instead of carving them open. For a traditional Halloween color scheme, paint your pumpkins in black and white. For a more tasteful collection, paint your pumpkins in cream, black and gold. When arranging your stack of pumpkins, elevate the ones at the back with an overturned harvest basket. Use other seasonal decorations like dried corn stalks or a scarecrow to help set the scene.

Spooky, Scary Ghost

Make a chicken wire and cheesecloth ghost for your front porch, then light the scene with black light. Use artificial flickering candles placed on either side of your doorway to give your visitors a way to see, and light the path leading to your front door with twinkling strings of Halloween colored lights. When choosing a soundtrack for your front porch on Halloween night, witch cackling sounds, spooky whining groans and wolves howling are appropriate.

Tips For A Spooky And Fun Front Porch

When decorating your front porch, keep these tips in mind:

Keep your audience in mind. Children at different ages will have different expectations for the holiday. Older children tolerate much scarier decorations than younger children. Younger kids like their decorations light-hearted and sweet. Try to find a happy medium if you’re expecting a mixture of ages.
Keep it safe. Accidents happen when the porch is too dark and when obstructions block the path. Take care to ensure your front porch is well-lit and the path to your door is clear.
Don’t forget the rain. If it rains on Halloween night, will your decorations hold up? Have a contingency plan in mind for the big night.
Watch for signs of electrical overload. If you’ve plugged in a lot of string lights into one outlet, you could overload the circuit. Watch for sparks and feel the outlet plate for warmth; these are both signs that you have too many lights plugged into one source.

Stop In At Ace Paint!

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we’re bursting with ideas and supplies to help you get started with your Halloween decorations. To pick up paint, tarps and other materials, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Fun Fall Crafts To Make With Your Kids

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Fall is a great time to do fun art projects with your children! With parental help, these five art projects are perfect for children of a variety of ages.

Pumpkin Apple Stamps

Materials:

Orange, green and black paint
Paper plate
Apple and knife
White paper
Paint brush

Process:

This fun art project is great for children as young as 3, but parents must help at all stages to keep the project on track. Cut the apple vertically in half. Rub the cut side of the apple into orange paint on a paper plate, then place the painted side of the apple down on a piece of white construction paper. The painted shape on the paper is your “pumpkin.” Repeat this once or twice, so there are several pumpkins on the paper. Allow the paint to dry, then use the paintbrush to paint a green stem. Use black paint to make shapes for the jack-o-lantern’s eyes, nose and mouth.

Leaf Rubbings

Materials:

Leaves
Thin white paper
Crayons (paper labels removed) or chalk pastel

Process:

This classic art project has been a favorite in schools and preschools for years. Place a leaf down on the table, then place a piece of paper over it. Rub the paper in the area over the leaf with the side of a crayon or pastel. The texture of the leaf will appear through the paper.

Leaf Tree Project

Materials:

Large leaf (not too brittle)
Fingerpaint
White construction or craft paper

Process:

Leaf Tree Project

Materials:

Large leaf (not too brittle)
Fingerpaint
White construction or craft paper

Process:

This is a great project to do with very young children. Paint a large, textured leaf with finger paint using a variety of colors, then press the leaf into the white construction paper. The leaf will leave textured, colorful paint on the paper in a shape of a leaf. Repeat this process to create a beautiful pattern of leaves on the paper.

Spray Mounted Leaves

Materials:

Leaf
White squares of card stock, approximately 4 inches by 4 inches
Spray mount

Process:

This project is simple and elegant. Go on a nature walk with your children and collect leaves together. Once home, use spray mount to attach your favorite leaves to white cards, then attach those cards to your walls.

Apple Garland

Materials:

10 Burlap squares, approximately 5 inches by 5 inches
Apple and knife
Green, red and brown paint
Paper plates
Paint brush
String

Process:

This cute, easy to make garland looks great in the dining room or living room. To make this project, cut an apple in half. Dip the cut side of the apple into green paint on a paper plate, then stamp a green apple shape on five of the burlap squares. Repeat this process stamping red apple shapes on the remaining five burlap squares. Use the paintbrush to paint brown seeds in the center of each apple. Run a string through the burlap to make a garland, then let the paint dry.

Contact Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help people in Pittsburgh complete their home decor and remodeling projects. We sell quality paint, supplies and naked furniture. To check out our supply of paint and paint-related tools, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Rustic Fall Color Schemes

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Fall is here, and it’s inspiring everyone! It’s at this time of year that we like to showcase our best fall paint colors and how they can be used in the home. If you’re going to be starting a paint project sometime soon, we encourage you to consider painting your home in beautiful shades of orange, gray, blue-gray or cream.

Gray and White

Gray and white clouds are common in fall. Gray and white are also classic paint colors that can be used successfully in almost any room. In darker parts of the house (north- and east-facing rooms), we recommend using more light grays and whites. In south-facing and western-facing parts of the house, where natural light is more prevalent, darker grays can make rooms look stately and elegant.

Blue Gray, Greige, and White

Blue-gray and greige (a color between beige and gray) remind us of chilly autumn Sunday afternoons when the breeze has picked up and leaves are flying by. These sophisticated colors go well together in living rooms, but can also be used in bedrooms with relaxing, beautiful results. When working with three paints colors in one room, pick one color to be the dominant shade and leave the others to be accents. This helps establish a structure and order to the colors in the room and makes it easier to select matching furnishings and accessories.

Burnt Orange, Light Gray, Cream

Burnt orange is a common color that people use in kitchens and dining rooms. Combined with light gray and cream, these colors remind us of long walks in the park, back to school days and the approach of Halloween. Again, select a dominant color to be the “main” paint color on the walls, then use the other colors to paint the trim, crown molding or an accent wall.

Dark Yellow, Deep Orange, and Cream

Dark yellow and deep orange combined with cream looks great in bedrooms and guest rooms, where they can make the walls pop. You can balance these colors with a soft gray if necessary.

Paint Suggestions

Looking for the perfect fall color for your home? These four Benjamin Moore paint colors have all the beauty and spice of a crisp fall day.

Roasted Sesame Seed: This creamy, dark yellow contains just a little bit brown, perfect for matching earth-toned furnishings in public areas of the house. We recommend painting this color in your foyer, living room, dining room or kitchen.
Azores: Reminiscent of the soft blue-gray of a rainy fall afternoon, Azores is a relaxing, peaceful color, perfect for a bedroom or bathroom.
Thicket : Just a little bit brown and a little bit gray, Thicket looks like the smoke that rises from burning leaves. Classy and sophisticated, this color works well on crown molding or wainscoting in areas like the dining room and family room.
Maryville Brown : Maryville Brown is earthy, soft and perfect in combination with light gray, cream or white.

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell a variety of paint colors for every occasion and every room. We also sell paintbrushes, tarps and everything you need to get started with your paint project! To get started painting your home, stop in at one of our convenient locations today .

Easy Halloween Chalkboard Projects

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Halloween is right around the corner! For crafty and creative people, it is the perfect opportunity to make dark, scary and exciting decorations for the house and yard. Chalkboard paint is a great medium for making creative Halloween decor. Something about the paint’s matte finish paired with white chalk or white chalk markers simply makes for a subtly spooky appearance that works well all over the house.

Chalkboard Painted Pumpkin

Instead of carving it, paint a pumpkin with black chalkboard paint. Once the paint is dry, you can use your pumpkin to convey whatever message you want. If you’re planning to use chalk on your pumpkin instead of a chalk marker, rub the side of a piece of chalk over the entire pumpkin, then erase the chalk. This helps prime the paint surface and makes it easier to erase future chalk messages.

Framed Halloween Message

Buy any ornate picture frame and paint with black chalkboard paint. You can use brush on paint, but spray paint is more likely to deliver smooth, even coverage. Once the paint dries, write a spooky Halloween message on the glass with a piece of chalk, or use a white chalk marker to deliver a more permanent message. Want to capture an image on the glass but don’t feel confident in your art skills? Use a projector to project an image onto the frame’s surface, then use the marker to trace the picture.

Wooden Chair For Greeting Trick Or Treaters

A spooky wooden chair is exactly what you’re going to want when it’s time to sit on your front porch and greet trick or treaters. To prep your wooden chair, paint it with black chalkboard paint. If the chair was finished previously, don’t forget to sand off the old finish and then wash away the wood shavings. Once this is done, then the chair is ready to paint. For the finishing touches, use a white chalk marker to draw a spider and web on the side of your chair.

Stop at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture is your source for chalkboard paint and painting supplies in Pittsburgh. We also have lots of ideas for fun art and craft projects. Whether you’re painting a pumpkin or making a whole scene of spooky gothic accessories, we can help. To get started, stop in at any one of our convenient locations today!

8 Ways to Decorate Your Porch for Fall

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Fall is here! Now is the time to add beautiful great autumn decor to your front stoop. We’ve collected our favorite ideas for local homeowners who want to make their front porch look its best.

Paint Your Door Mat

Doormats can start to look dingy and dirty over time. Fortunately, you can cover up a lot of the wear and tear with a fresh coat of paint. We recommend using exterior grade latex paint to dress up your doormat with expressive fall colors like red, orange, yellow and gray-brown or gray-blue. To start, clean your mat and get rid of any dirt or grit caught in the fibers. Next, paint your mat with a base color to make it look tidy and new. When this is done, use a fall-themed stencil (like an acorn or leaf shape) to make patterns on your mat.

Assemble Fall-Themed Objects

Assemble a collection of fall-themed objects on your porch to create a warm and cozy scene. Some common items that people use to decorate their front porch include:

Hay bales
Scarecrow
Dry corn plants and corn husks
Harvest-themed objects like a shovel, pitchfork or hoe
Wooden basket with apples

Paint Your Pumpkins

Painting your porch pumpkins is a smart way to add color to your landscaping. Many people choose to paint patterns and symbols on their pumpkins instead of faces. Can’t decide what kind of pattern or image to use? Try painting your pumpkin with chalkboard paint, then use chalk to draw a temporary image on your pumpkin. You can change the image anytime you want! We recommend using black chalkboard paint because it’s a tasteful color that only gets more appropriate as Halloween approaches.

Hang a Fall Garland

Fall garlands made from artificial or real fall leaves add a touch of color to space over your front door or your porch railing. These decorations pair well with fresh pumpkins, apples, gourds or squash.

Plant Autumn-Blooming Flowers

Autumn-blooming flowers like mums make your front porch look decorative and cheerful. We recommend planting mums in bold fall colors like deep purple, deep red, dark orange and sunny yellow.

Make Your Porch Cozy

Drape the rocker or chair on your front porch with a throw blanket, then set out a candle in an antique candle holder on the side table. This way when you spend time on your front porch, you’ll look and feel cozy even after the temperature outside drops.

Hang a Wreath

A wreath is a simple but powerful symbol of the unending wheel of time. Hang a fall wreath decorated in ribbon, wheat, gourds, acorns, pine cones and other seasonal objects to remind visitors and members of your household of the lovely season at hand.

Gather Colorful Heirloom Pumpkins

Orange pumpkins are nice, but wouldn’t you like to decorate your front porch in a variety of colors? Look for heirloom pumpkins in various colors like green, white and stripes. If possible, put one pumpkin on each step leading up to your front porch, then place a small stack of pumpkins at the top of the steps to make the space as decorative as possible.

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we carry the supplies you need to paint your welcome mat and pumpkins in beautiful fall colors. Shop with us today for paint brushes, tarps and more.

Painting Furniture with Chalk Paint

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Chalk paint is a common product used to make old pieces of furniture look beautiful. Whether amateur or professional, individuals who restore furniture love chalk paint because it is easy to apply, richly colored and durable. If you’ve never used chalk paint before, these tips will help you get started with your project.

Choose Your Furniture

Chalk paint can be applied to nearly any piece of wooden furniture, including previously finished or even scratched and damaged pieces. Chalk paint leaves brush strokes and small imperfections in the surface of the paint, which means that scratches, dents, and holes beneath the surface of the paint are less noticeable. When choosing a piece of wooden furniture, remember that chalk paint resembles an antique or distress finish. Old and vintage pieces are the perfect candidates for painting with chalk paint.

Gather Your Materials

Before getting started with your project, gather the right materials.

Microfiber cloth
Tools to remove hardware
Painter’s tape
Tarp
Paintbrushes
Chalk paint

If you decide to distress your furniture, you’ll need some fine-grit sandpaper and an additional paint color. If you decide to antique your furniture, you’ll need clear wax and dark wax, a wax brush and a rag.

Get Ready To Paint

Place the furniture on the tarp in a well-ventilated place. Use a screwdriver or other tools to remove hardware (hinges, knobs, etc.) from the furniture. Finally, clean the furniture with the microfiber cloth. Chalk paint will adhere to wood finish, so there’s no need to remove the old finish. However, removing dust, grit, and cobwebs from the furniture is a good idea.

Apply the Paint

To apply the paint, simply shake the paint in the can, then dip the paintbrush into the paint and begin to apply. Chalk paint dries quickly. If you’re planning to distress the furniture, you’ll need at least two coats in two separate colors, with a thicker coat underneath and a thinner coat on top. The paint is dry when it no longer feels tacky.

Antique the Furniture

To achieve an antiqued effect , wait until the paint has fully dried. Next, dip the wax brush into the clear wax and apply to the furniture surface. Use a circular motion with the brush to apply the wax. When the furniture has been fully coated, use the rag to remove the excess wax.

Next, dip the brush into the dark wax. Apply the dark wax to a section of the furniture using circular motions with the brush. Finally, dip another rag into the clear wax, then use that same rag to wipe the dark wax off of the furniture. The dark wax will darken the paint and will fill the cracks in the furniture. Keep going like this until the piece has been fully covered in wax.

Distress the Furniture

To distress a piece of furniture, wait until the two coats of paint are both dry, and then use the sandpaper to lightly sand the top coat of paint. Sand the furniture only to the point that the undercoat is visible, not all the way down to the wood.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell a variety of products that can help people complete their home improvement projects, including chalk paint, brushes, tarps and more. To pick up your supplies , stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Chalk It Up – Chalkboard Ideas That’s Not Your Walls

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Chalkboard paint is useful in a million different ways, and not just for walls! Whether you’re trying to make an outdoor chalkboard or a creative system for labeling wine glasses , chalkboard paint can help. This post will go over some of our favorite ways to use chalkboard paint.

Jar Labels

Jars tend to be multipurpose: first, they’re used, for one thing, then another. So when it’s time to put a label on your jars, why not make the label multi purpose? Painting labels on your jars is an easy way to ensure that your jar’s labels can be used and reused as needed.

To complete this project, simply scratch the surface with steel wool before applying the paint, or prime the surface of the jar with glass primer to ensure that the chalkboard paint will stay in place. Use painter’s tape to establish the space where you’d like the label to be. And of course, give the paint time to dry before using it.

Potted Plants

Clay planters are the perfect surface for painting with chalkboard paint because clay easily absorbs paint. To do this project, clean the surface of the planter well before applying the paint. Give the paint adequate time to dry before applying the second coat. When you’re done, label the surface of the planter to identify the plants being grown inside!

Framed Custom Quotes

Framed custom quotes can set the mood in any room of your home. To make a framed custom quote, paint a piece of scrap wood with chalkboard paint, then write the quote on the wood when the paint is dry. For the finishing touch, frame the piece of wood and put it on your wall.

Wine Glass Stems

People are always forgetting which wine glass is theirs. With chalkboard paint, you won’t have that problem! To finish this project, dip the base of the stem with chalkboard paint and give it time to dry. When the project is finished, you can use chalk to label who has which wine glass at your next event. To find out more about this process, check out this helpful video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=Li0MDvHkcoA

Dresser Labels

Little kid dressers are always getting disorganized. With chalkboard paint, you can stop that from happening. Paint the dresser, then use chalk to label which types of clothes are kept in which section of the dresser. You can read more about this process in our old blog post on the subject.

Refrigerator Art

By painting your refrigerator with chalkboard paint, you give your kids a way to make art directly on the surface of the refrigerator. To complete this project , you’ll need to clean the fridge, remove the handles, unplug the appliance, remove the food, sand down the surface of the fridge, then prime it and paint it. This can be time-consuming, so be prepared. If you want the refrigerator to be magnetic, use a magnetic primer underneath the chalkboard paint.

Headboard Decor

Are you stuck with a boring old headboard? Now you can make it fancy and beautiful with chalk! Simply clean the surface, tape off the sections that you’d like to paint, sand down the wood, apply primer and then apply chalkboard paint. Don’t forget that chalkboard paint comes in a variety of colors, so you can match the color of your headboard to the color of your room. Ask us about different colored chalkboard paint at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture.

Stop at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture different colors of chalkboard paint for all of your chalkboard paint needs. To get started with your chalkboard paint project, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Instant Curb Appeal – Painting Your Front Door

Tue, 12 Sep 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Painting your front door can give your home instant curb appeal, but doing the job properly is important. These tips will help you complete your project the right way.

Pick the Right Color

The front door is a color that can be bold and vibrant, even when the rest of the house is a tasteful, neutral color. Yellows, reds, bright blues and greens are all common colors people choose for their front door. If you’re not sure what the best color is for your front door, paint a few sample colors on a piece of scrap wood and hold the samples up to the door, or check out Benjamin Moore’s personal color viewer to help you decide which shade is right for your home.

Gather The Materials

Before getting started, gather your materials. You’ll need:

Microfiber cloth
Household cleaner or vinegar and water
Plastic wood filler
Paint scraper
Fine or medium grit sandpaper
Exterior grade paint
Small paint roller
Angled paint brush
Flat paint brush
Tarp
Painter’s tape
Screw driver

Prep the Door

Before painting your door, you’ll need to prep the surface.

Lay out a tarp below the door.
Use the screwdriver to remove the door handle and other hardware from the door.
Clean the surface of the door with a microfiber cloth and general household cleaner (or vinegar and water).
Take some sandpaper and rough up the old coat of paint on the door.
Use a fresh microfiber cloth to clean off the wood shavings.
Use a paint scraper to scrape off any old, blistered paint on the door.
Fill the holes, gaps and cracks in the door with plastic wood.
Wait until the plastic wood is dry, then sand the plastic wood until it is seamlessly integrated into the surface of the door.
Clean the door one more time.
Apply painter’s tape to the parts of the door that you want to protect from the paint, like the edges.

Paint the Door

Once the door has been fully prepped, it’s time to paint. This is best done at the beginning of a dry, warm (but not hot) day. Humidity and temperature extremes can prevent the paint from drying properly. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions when trying to decide whether or not the conditions are right for painting your door.

Use the paint roller to apply paint to the flat portions of the door, then use the paint brush to apply paint to the small corners and hard to reach edges. Allow the paint to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions before applying the second coat. You may need to wait long stretches between coats, so take care to give yourself enough time to finish this project.

After Painting Tips

The front door may feel tacky for a while after the paint has dried. Sometimes this happens if a poor quality paint is used. It can also happen if the coats of paint are applied too thickly or if the second coat of paint is applied before the first coat is finished drying. Either way, tacky paint can cause the door to stick to the frame.

If your door continues to feel tacky even after the paint has dried, try taping wax paper to the frame, then close the door on the wax paper. This prevents the new paint from sticking to the door frame. The tacky feeling should go away within a few days.

Stop In At Ace Paint And Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell the tools you need to paint your front door. To get started on your project, stop in at one of our convenient locations today!

How to Apply Gel Stain

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Gel stain is an easy to use product that can achieve an even, smooth finish with little time and effort. Even the most scratched and marred pieces of furniture can benefit from a well applied gel stain, while new furniture might end up looking professionally finished when gel stain is properly applied. In this tutorial, we’ll talk about the best way to apply gel stain to your furniture.

Prep the Furniture

Before gel stain can be applied to a wooden surface, the wood must first be prepared to accept stain. Many standard stains require the old finish to be fully removed before a new finish can be applied. Gel stain is different from standard stain in that it can be applied over an old finish with limited preparation. Before applying gel stain, follow this process:

Remove any hardware from the furniture. Use a screwdriver to remove knobs and hinges before getting started with your project.
Clean the furniture. Use a microfiber cloth and wood cleaner to clean the furniture. Remove any dust, spider webs, grime and grit from the wood surface.
Sand down the furniture. Use a light grit sandpaper to sand down the surface of the wood. You don’t need to completely strip the stain from the wood, but use the sandpaper to rough up the surface of the wood.
Clean the furniture again. Use the microfiber cloth to remove any wood shavings from the surface of the furniture.

Once you’ve prepared the furniture, then you can start the staining process.

Apply Gel Stain

Applying gel stain is a relatively easy process, but it’s a different procedure from the application of standard stains. If you’re completely new to gel stain, you might find it useful to practice gel stain application on a piece of scrap wood before applying it to your furniture.

Use a rag to apply stain. Dip a rag into the stain, then apply the stain to the furniture. Lather the stain generously onto the wood.
Buff. Buffing is the process of removing excess stain from the wood. Use a clean rag to buff the stain off of the wood.
Reapply as necessary. Additional coats may be necessary if you’re hoping for a dark, rich finish.

Keep in mind that the stain will begin to dry rather quickly, so if you’re staining a large piece of furniture, apply the stain over a small area. When buffing the stain, use the rag to buff together multiple patches of stain to ensure even coverage over the entire piece of furniture.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell a variety of stains . From traditional stains to gel stains, we have the finishes and materials you need to stain your old furniture. To get started with your staining and home improvement projects, stop in at one of our convenient locations. We can also answer your questions and provide guidance as you start your home improvement projects.

Prepare Your Deck For Fall

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Summer weather can be hard on a deck. Summer sun can drain can wear away your deck’s protective seal, causing damage to the wood. As summer turns into fall, it’s important to check your deck’s sealant and renew your deck’s protection, if needed.

Test Your Deck’s Protective Seal

A deck that has been properly sealed against the elements will be water resistant. As the protective seal wears away, your deck will absorb water that falls on its surface. To test your deck’s protective seal, spray the deck with a light sprinkle of water from a hose. Water should bead up on the surface of the wood without soaking in. If the water soaks into the wood immediately after being sprayed on the deck, then the deck needs to be re-stained.

Clean the Deck

Clean your deck before staining and sealing to ensure that the stain and sealer will properly adhere to and protect the wood.

Cover nearby plants and landscaping with a tarp. This will help protect your plants from the chemicals that you’ll be applying to the deck.
Sweep away dirt with a broom.
Apply deck cleaner to the wood with a roller. Do not allow the deck cleaner to pool on the wood.
While the deck is still wet, scrub the wood with a stiff bristled plastic brush.
Allow the deck to dry for 48 hours before applying stain and sealer.

Follow all manufacturer’s instructions as you’re applying the deck cleaner to the surface of the deck.

Make Deck Repairs

Once the wood has been cleaned, it shouldn’t be hard to identify parts of the deck that need to be repaired. Replace protruding nails with ceramic coated deck screws, fill in any holes with wood putty and sand down splintered areas.

While you’re doing this, inspect the boards for rotten wood, and replace any rotten boards as needed. Rotten wood will be discolored, cracked and soft enough to puncture easily with a screwdriver or awl.

Stain and Seal the Deck

Staining and sealing the deck must be done at a time when no rain is expected for your area. Check weather predictions before beginning, and don’t start your project unless the weather is expected to be clear for at least two days. Before beginning your project, don’t forget to check the manufacturer’s recommended temperature conditions on the side of your stain/sealer product. Only apply the stain and sealer when the outdoor temperature is within acceptable parameters.

Pour the stain/sealer combo into a paint tray.
Cover your long-handled paint roller with sealer.
Cover the deck with sealer, starting at the farthest point from the deck exit or the door.
Use a narrow, angled paint brush to apply sealer in small cracks and crevices. Use a wide, flat paint brush to apply sealer on narrow, flat areas like railings.

When you’re finished, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding additional coats. Wait at least 24 hours before placing furniture on the deck.

Prepare For Late Fall

When late fall comes, plan to place large objects that normally sit on your deck into storage. Objects with a wide base, like planters, are especially bad for decks because they can trap moisture on the wood and damage the seal. Clear a space in your garage or elsewhere on your lawn to protect the wood and its seal.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we stock materials and products that help homeowners protect and maintain their decks. For materials to get started on your deck cleaning and sealing project, stop in at one of our stores today!

Fall Ready Front Porch

Tue, 22 Aug 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Fall is coming soon! With blustery winds, short days and falling leaves comes a great opportunity to spruce up your home’s porch. Adding fall decor can make your porch a sight to behold, while performing basic maintenance is important for ensuring that your front porch is able to withstand wet, cold fall conditions.

Spruce Up the Decor

Adding fall decor to your porch is one way to make your home inviting to guests, friends and members of your household. Below are a few decorative favorites we recommend to our customers at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture.

Wreath. The wreath is a symbol of eternity , but in fall wreaths take on additional meanings. Harvest wreaths decorated with vegetables, leaves, fruits and flowers symbolize the bounty of the season, showing visitors that your home is a place of plenty.
Signs. Make a simple “harvest” sign with leftover paint and a scrap of board, then place it on your porch in a prominent position. This simple project can help remind visitors of the natural activity that takes place on farms and in fields every year at this time.
Garland of leaves. Draping a fall leaf garland over your door helps add color to your front stoop. You can make your own or purchase one from a craft store. If your front door features a wreath and your garland will be close to the wreath, try coordinating the colors on the two decorations to give your front door and the space around it a unified appearance.
Cozy touches of home. Sitting on the front porch can get chilly in the evenings. Drape your porch swing or porch rocking chair with a throw blanket to make your time on the porch more comfortable and cozy.

Do a Little Maintenance

Peeling paint can leave your front porch vulnerable to the elements. To protect your porch, inspect the wood before the fall weather arrives. Look for areas where the wood is soft, discolored and bare of paint. These boards are rotten and will need to be replaced. If there are only a few places where paint is flaking off of the wood, this means it’s time to do touch ups. If the paint is peeling from large areas of the porch, it’s time to repaint. To do touch ups or repaint your porch, follow our tips from this previous post .

Landscape for the Season

Sprucing up your home’s landscaping around the front stops is another great way to draw attention to your porch. Fall blooming flowers like mums are an excellent way to add fall color to your property. Plant the flowers near your front steps or plant flowers in wooden planters, then place the planters up the steps to your front porch.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture For Your Supplies

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we have the supplies you’ll need to repaint your porch this fall. From tarps to paints, paint brushes to thinner, we have it all! To get your paint and other supplies, stop in at one of our locations . We can help you decide which paint to use, what supplies you’ll need and how to repaint your front porch.

Best Colors for the Dining Room

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Picking the right color for your dining room is important. The right paint color will bring together the decor and make your dining room a fun and festive place to spend time at meals. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we encourage our customers to give serious thought to the paint color they choose for their dining room. Remember that your holiday celebrations, birthday parties and cozy, homemade dinners will all focus around this one important room. Picking the right color for your walls can make meals and parties more satisfying and enjoyable.

What Color Makes You Hungry?

Some paint colors are actually known to make people feel hungry, while others make them feel less hungry. Colors that are peaceful and calming tend to relax the gastrointestinal system, ending meals before guests have gotten their fill. Dramatic colors, meanwhile, tend to excite the stomach, making people want to eat more. Colors that can encourage the meal to last longer include:

Red: Bold, deep reds are a classy, sophisticated color for the dining room. We recommend pairing red with white or cream, to offset the intensity of the color. Million Dollar Red by Benjamin Moore is an excellent example of a timeless color that can make your dining room the perfect place to eat in style.
Orange. Orange can be exciting and bright or rich and natural. One of our favorite shades for the dining room is Benjamin Moore’s Carrots , an autumnal color with deep warmth and rustic charm. Seeking something a little more peppy? Turn your attention to Orange Sky , a color with all the energy of a birthday party on a summer Saturday.
Yellow. If you’re looking for something a little more cheerful and happy, yellow is also known to excite hunger. In a large dining room, a Mediterranean color like Sun Porch can give your dining room a festive, cheerful character. In a smaller dining room, we recommend something a little softer and sweeter, like Banana Yellow .

Colors to Avoid

If you’re trying to stimulate your guests and make dining a true event, we recommend avoiding soft or cool colors, like certain shades of blue, gray, green and purple. Soft shades can leave people feeling subdued, thus ending meals early. Of course, if you are set on painting your dining room in cool, calming shades, we recommend pairing these colors with dramatic, contrasting shades.

For example, combinations of gray and yellow have become very popular in recent years. Decorating your dining room in a gray and yellow theme can make dining fun and enjoyable.

Get Started

Benjamin Moore’s easy to use Personal Color Viewer can make shopping for the right color more fun. This website features a rainbow of colors and accent colors, so you’ll never have to wonder what color pairs look the best. Once you’ve made your choice, you can stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture for the perfect color combos, or to take a look at our color swatches. We also sell samples, so you can choose the right shades for your dining room. Once you’re ready to get started, we have all the painting materials you’ll need to make your dining room beautiful!

Quick Home Painting Projects

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 16:00:00 GMT

When you’re trying to redecorate your home, a fresh coat of paint can make all the difference. These quick home painting projects can make your interior decor pop without all the expense and time of a total room repainting.

Accent Wall

An accent wall is a wall that’s been painted a different color from the other walls in the same room. Accent walls don’t have to be a bold, bright color to stand out. If you’re trying to decide which color to use for your home’s accent wall, look for a color that appears elsewhere in the room. Usually the color used for the accent wall is a color that contrasts with or complements the main color that decorates the room.

Accent walls help tie together the room’s decor, making for a more cohesive interior design. Not sure which wall to paint? Pick the wall where the focal point of the room appears. In the bedroom, this would often be the wall behind the bed. In the living room, this should be the wall around the fireplace or mantel.

Stripe Around the Crown Molding

Painting a stripe beneath the crown molding in a room helps draw the eyes upward, giving your room lift and height. In small rooms, this can make the space seem more spacious and airy. Like the accent wall, we suggest matching the stripe to one of the accent colors located elsewhere in the room.

Paint the Baseboards and Window Trim

Colorful baseboards and window trim can help the walls of your room pop! If you’re not sure what colors to paint your room’s trim, we recommend using a neutral color like brown, black or gray. This can add visual interest without creating a distraction from the rest of your room’s decor. If you’re not sure what type of paint to use for your home’s trim, we recommend using a satin or semi-gloss paint. Semi-gloss will help the trim standout while satin paint can be easier to clean.

Paint Half the Room

Paint the bottom half of the room , up to a position around waist-height. Usually this paint color will be a contrasting shade that distinguishes the upper half of the room. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, install a chair-rail at a height of 1/3 of the way up the wall, then paint the wall a different color up to the chair rail. This sophisticated look is perfect in formal rooms like dining rooms.

Touch Ups

Paint touch ups may not be the most exciting home improvement ever, but they sure can make a big difference. Of course, it’s important to get paint that is as close as possible to the original color. If you have the original paint on hand, use it. If the paint is very old, check for mold and other problems before applying it to your walls.

If you don’t have the original paint, you can take a chip of paint to your nearest paint store, or use the Benjamin Moore Color Capture app to analyze the color and determine the closest match. Either way, we recommend testing the paint first by applying a tiny amount of the touch up paint to a hidden part of your wall. This way, you’ll know for sure if the paint matches before applying it to a more obvious place in the room.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help homeowners in Pittsburgh to complete their home painting projects. Whether you’re painting an accent wall or touch ups, we encourage you to stop in at one of our convenient locations for all your paint supplies !

Turn Walls And Ceilings Into A Statement

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 16:00:00 GMT

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we frequently meet customers who strive to get creative in their home interior painting projects. If you’re looking for a new way to make the walls of your home look fresh and fun, these simple techniques can be accomplished by anyone with time, patience and the right materials.

Patterns

Painting a pattern on your wall is a good way to achieve the effect of wall paper without actually using wallpaper. Patterns can be applied to the walls in different ways, depending on the type of pattern desired.

Stencils. Stencils are helpful for creating intricate, repeating patterns over big spaces. Stencils are best applied to walls using thick acrylic paint that does not run easily. For an in-depth look at how to stencil your walls, take a look at our previous post on the subject. For best results, we recommend practicing on a board before actually applying the stencil to the wall.
Stamps. Stamps can be used to paint the same image in a repeating pattern on the wall. Stamps can be made from different materials and can even be homemade. In some cases, stamps can be used to create a faux finish, like the faux brick wall project, which can be created using sponge stamps.
Simple geometric designs. Simple geometric designs can be created simply by masking off geometric shapes on the walls using painter’s tape. This is an easy project for homeowners who want to achieve a checkerboard look or who want to paint their walls in repeating diamonds.

Faux Finishes

Faux finishes can be used to make the walls look like velvet, cloth, wood, marble and other attractive surfaces. Over the years, we’ve covered a variety of different methods for painting your walls and other surfaces with faux finishes.

Faux wood
Smoosh painting
Faux leather

We recommend applying faux finishes to small areas like accent walls and bathroom walls. Unless expertly done, the effect of a faux finish is often more dramatic and impressive when contained to small areas, contrasting against solid colors.

Strange Paints

Strange paints like metallic colors can be used in small doses to create a beautiful, stunning effect. For example, consider painting a thin gold line at chair-rail height on your dining room walls. Paint one color below the line and a different color above the line to provide visual interest.

Beautiful Murals

Painting a beautiful scene on the wall is a good way to make a child’s bedroom more personal and more interesting. Your beautiful scene can be something as simple as a sun rising over the water. If you have a flair for the creative and are confident in your ability to paint masterfully, you can try to create something more intricate and detailed, such as a scene of a sun rising over a forest.

If you would like to paint a complex scene but feel that you don’t have enough painting ability to do so, consider projecting a cartoon image on the walls, then trace that image with paint. This is a good way to get professional looking results without actually hiring a professional artist.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we have everything you need to paint your walls in beautiful colors. Stop in at one of our convenient locations to get started today!

Revamp Your Old Picnic Table

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Is your backyard lacking a little flair? At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture we have tons of ideas for making your outdoor space more attractive. Repainting an old picnic table, for example, is an excellent way to add color to your home’s exterior without spending a lot of money. In this post, we’ll discuss supplies, techniques and best practices.

Gather Your Materials

Gather the materials for your project. We recommend the following:

Tarps
Sand block, 220 grit
Mild detergent
Sponge
Bucket
Paint brushes – 2 inch flat, and 1 inch angled
Primer
Exterior grade semi-gloss paint

Prep the Surface

Before you can get started with your project, you’ll need to prep the surface of your picnic table. Use the sandpaper block to sand down any splinters and smooth the wood. Finally, wash down the table with a sponge and mild detergent. Give the table 24 hours to dry before proceeding. When the table is completely dry, put it over a tarp to prevent paint from splattering on the ground.

Prime the Surface

Wait for the primer to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions before applying the first coat of paint. If possible, allow the table to dry somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight.

Apply Paint Evenly

When the primer is completely dry, apply your first coat of paint. Use the same procedure that you used to apply the coat of primer. At this stage, the paint may look a little uneven, but that’s nothing to worry about. You’ll be able to smooth out the paint when you apply the second coat.

Let the paint dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions before proceeding. Remember to wash the paint brushes between coats, or wrap the paint brushes in foil and put them in the fridge to prevent them from drying out.

Add a Second Coat

When the paint is dry and no longer feels tacky to the touch, add the second coat of paint. Use the same techniques that you used to apply the first coat of paint. When the second coat has been applied, you can either call the project done or apply a third coat, if you feel like a third coat is warranted.

Tip: Sometimes very dark paint colors need several coats of paint to achieve even coverage. Using primer that has been tinted to match the paint can help even out the paint with fewer coats.

Fun Stuff You Can Do to Decorate Your Table

If you’re feeling creative, we recommend painting a pattern onto the table. Use painter’s tape to mask the area around the pattern, then apply the paint. Not sure what to paint? Why not a patriotic flag print ? Or, take a look at this subtle but elegant pattern made with wood stain . If you need more ideas, stop in and we can help!

Come To Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture!

we help people complete home improvement projects. Stop in at one of our stores for supplies , ideas and inspiration!

Creating A Unique Deck Design

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Most people stain or paint their deck in a solid color to either match their house or the surrounding landscape. However, at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we’ve done some research and found a few decks with super cool colors and beautiful designs. We think this is a great idea and encourage the creative people of Pittsburgh to consider making their decks a stand-out piece of art this summer!

Picking a Process

There are different ways to use paint creatively on a deck, including:

Stencils: Stencils are useful for creating a complex, repetitive pattern on your wooden deck. If you’re not used to painting with stencils, we recommend practicing on some scrap boards before committing to this project. This will help you get used to the process and will also help you decide if you stencils are really the route you would like to take.
Free-hand design: If you’re especially creative and comfortable with your ability to free-hand a design on your deck, then this is a fabulous way to make your wooden deck a work of art. Painting your deck can require a lot of back-breaking labor, so if you want to save your knees and your back, try containing the pattern to a small portion of your deck. You can always add more to the design later.
Paint a simple pattern: Painting subtle stripes or a subtle geometric pattern on your deck (think checkerboard) is a good way to make your deck attractive.

Gathering Your Materials

In addition to a little creativity (and possibly some beautiful stencils), you’re going to need the following materials to pain your deck:

Primer
Porch paint
Sand paper
Deck cleaner
Power washer (optional)
Paint brushes
Rollers
Blue painter’s tape
Tarps

We recommend using porch paint for an outdoor walking surface. Glossy paint is easy to clean but can be slippery, so choose your paint carefully based on your needs.

Prepping Your Deck

Before painting a pattern on your deck, you’ll need to clean the entire surface from top to bottom. Use deck cleaner to clean the surface, or if the wood is covered in mildew or mold, use a pressure washer. When using a pressure washer, follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, because a pressure washer can do significant damage to wood if it’s not used properly.

Once the deck has been cleaned, it will need 24 hours to dry. Sand the surface of the deck to remove any splinters, then wash away the dust. Replace any rotten boards with fresh boards of the same type of wood, and screw the boards in with ceramic coated deck screws.

Get Started Painting

Once you’ve prepped the surface of the deck, then it’s time to get started painting! If you’re using stencils, our previous post about stenciling will help guide you through the process. If you’re painting stripes on your deck, use blue painter’s tape to help you stay within the lines. If you’re painting free-hand, sketch the design on the deck before getting started.

Have Fun!

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we hope you have a great time repainting your deck. We sell all the materials you need to get started, so stop in today!

How to Paint a Concrete Floor

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Concrete floors can be beautiful, warm and homey when they’re painted. Whether you’re painting the floor of your house, garage or another indoor concrete surface, the process is the same. These tips will help you turn your indoor concrete floor into a beautiful and attractive walking surface.

Prep the Floor

Before you can paint your floor, you’ll need to rough up the concrete to give the paint something to adhere to. For this part of the task, use a pole sander and 80 grit sandpaper.

Put on a dust mask to protect your lungs from dust.
Use the pole sander to sand the entire floor in one direction.
Sweep the dust from the floor.
Sand the floor again in the opposite direction.
Sweep the dust from the floor.
Switch directions and sand the floor one more time. You’ll need to switch sandpapers throughout this process as the sandpapers wear down.
Sweep the floor one more time. This time you’ll need to be careful to remove all the dust from the floor, as dust can prevent the paint from properly adhering to the concrete. Use whatever means you have to remove the dust, but if you use water to scrub the floors, keep in mind that you’ll need to let the floors dry for 24 hours before painting.

Apply Paint

Once the floors have been sanded and cleaned, it’s time to apply paint. Porch paint, a paint used specifically on porches and patios, is the perfect product for painting your concrete floor. Porch paint is available in water based solutions, but oil-based paint is available as well. Water based paint takes less time to dry and produces fewer fumes, so many people prefer water based paint for this task.

To apply the paint, pour a small dollop about the size of a dinner plate on the floor, then use a long handled roller to push the paint around. Start in the closet or in a corner of the room and work your way to the door. Use the roller to smooth the paint as you go, ensuring even coverage. You may need an angled paintbrush to get the little corners and edges of the floor.

When you’re done, wait for the paint to cure before applying a second coat. You’ll be able to tell that the paint is finished drying when it loses its stickiness. When the paint has cured, apply a second coat, then wait about 24 hours.

Seal It Up

Once the floor has finished curing, use a concrete sealer to seal the paint on the floor. Avoid using polyurethane, because this product will yellow with time. Sealer helps protect the paint and also makes the floors easier to clean, but if you don’t want to use a sealer, you can also leave the paint bare on the floor.

To seal the paint, follow the same procedure that you used to paint the floor: pour a gob of paint on the floor in the closet or in the corner farthest from the door, then use a clean roller to spread the sealer around. When you’re done, wait for the sealer to dry. One coat should be enough.

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell everything you need to paint and seal your floors. To get your supplies, stop in at one of our convenient locations.

DIY Projects to Celebrate 4th of July

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Fourth of July is just around the corner! If you haven’t decorated your house yet for the big event, then now is the time to get started. Rustic, patriotic decorations made by hand look great in and around the house at this festive, joyful time of year. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we’ve done the research and compiled a list of our favorite patriotic DIY decorations that you can make at home.

Patriotic Flower Pot

Patriotic flower pots look attractive and are easy to make. Use red, white and blue paint to decorate a clay flower pot with stars and stripes, then plant red geraniums or white daisies in your festive new pot. To decorate your property, put the flower pot on your front porch or stoop for everyone to see.

Homemade Garland

Make a homemade garland from red, white and blue canvas or burlap strips. To make your garland, tear or cut strips of colored burlap, then tie the strips to a ribbon, leaving the ends of the burlap loose. Use the garland to decorate your fireplace or dining room table.

Red, White and Blue Bandana Tablecloth

This bandana tablecloth project is all American and lots of fun! Collect red, white and blue bandanas of the same size, then sew them together in a tablecloth of the right dimensions for your table. This tablecloth can be used to decorate your dining room table or the picnic table in your backyard.

Homemade Flag T-Shirt

Wear your patriotism on your sleeve with this homemade flag t-shirt. To complete this project, use star-shaped and stripe-shaped cutouts to decorate a t-shirt with red and blue fabric paint . This is a good project to do with kids. They’ll be so excited to wear their creations when the paint has finished drying!

Painted Mason Jars

Patriotic mason jars are great for decorating the mantel! To get started, paint some old mason jars with red, white and blue chalk paint. You can decorate the mason jars with a colorful pattern or leave them painted in solid colors, then use the mason jars to hold flowers, unlit sparklers or other decorative elements.

Patriotic Clothespin Wreath

Make a patriotic clothespin wreath to hang on your front door or somewhere in your home. Use red, white and blue spray paint to paint clothes pins. Next, attach the clothes pins to a round wreath wire, lining the entire wire so it’s completely hidden by the clothes pins.

Clump the blue pins together on the left hand side of the wreath, then alternate the red and white clothes pins to form stripes around the rest of the wreath. This simulates the appearance of the American flag. For the finishing touch, attach white star stickers to the blue section of the wreath.

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture to Get Started

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help people complete exciting, beautiful projects around the house. We sell quality paint products , tarps, paint brushes, thinner, sealer and other products that can help you on your quest to decorate your home in red, white and blue. To get started on your project, stop in at one of our convenient locations and pick up your supplies today.

Create An Outdoor Chalkboard Everyone Will Love

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Kids love to chalk up the sidewalk and patio during hours of play. This activity may be fun for kids, but it can also lead to chalk dust getting tracked into the house on the bottom of their feet. Outdoor chalkboards are a great solution to this problem. With a chalkboard attached to the privacy fence in the back yard, parents are happy because there’s less mess, and kids are happy because they have an outdoor drawing surface.

Materials

Exterior grade primer and paint
Unsanded grout in coordinating color
Paintbrushes
Tarps
Wood filler/putty
Electric sander
Plywood board in the size desired
2x4s to create a frame around the plywood board
Screws
Coat hook
Bucket
Drill

Make Your Chalkboard Paint

To make your chalkboard paint, combine exterior grade paint with the unsanded grout in proportions of two tablespoons of grout for every one cup of paint . Before you add the grout, set aside some exterior paint, as this will be used to paint the back of the plywood board as well as the frame around the chalkboard.

Prep Your Chalkboard Surface

Fill in any holes in the plywood using the wood putty, then let the wood putty dry for the manufacturer’s specified amount of time. Once the putty is dry, use the electric sander to sand down the surface of the board so that it is smooth.

Install the Frame

Measure the sides of the chalkboard and then cut 2×4 pieces of wood to fit the sides of the board to form the frame. Use exterior grade waterproof liquid nails to attach the parts of the frame to the board. Reinforce the frame by drilling screws through the frame and into the board. Countersink the screws so they’re not sticking out from the frame.

Paint the Chalkboard

Lay the chalkboard down on the tarp and use the rags to clean off any sawdust from the plywood. If the plywood gets wet during the cleaning process, wait for the plywood to dry. Prime the plywood (front and back) with the exterior grade primer, and wait for the primer to dry. You’ll be able to tell that the primer is done drying when it no longer feels tacky to the touch.

Next, coat the front of the chalkboard with the chalkboard paint that you made. Wait for the chalkboard paint to dry, then apply a second coat. When that’s finished drying, paint the back, sides and frame of the board with the exterior grade paint you set aside. When the exterior grade paint has finished drying, apply a second coat, then wait for that to dry.

Put Up the Board

Use a drill to screw the board into a fence in your backyard using ceramic coated deck screws. Tip: measure the thickness of the board and fence together and choose screws that will not poke out the back of the fence when they’re drilled in. Insert the screws around the edges of the chalkboard. Countersink the deck screws so they’re embedded in the wood.

Add the Finishing Touches

Attach a coat hook to one side of the chalkboard frame. Fill the bucket with chalk, then dangle it from the coat hook on the side of the chalkboard. Your chalkboard is ready to use! A word of caution: the bucket should not be left in the rain. Have the kids bring the chalk bucket indoors whenever they’re finished using the board.

Stop In At Ace Paint for Exterior Grade Paint and Supplies

Do you need paint brushes, exterior grade paint and tarps? Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture has the painting supplies you need to complete your project. Stop in today at one of our convenient locations for quality paint, paint brushes and more.

Summer Style – DIY Paint Can Planters

Tue, 20 Jun 2017 21:24:15 GMT

Paint cans are great for holding paint, but when that paint has been used up, the can continues to be useful. In this post we’ll talk about just one of the many things you can do with an old, cleaned out can of paint: use it as a planter! Paint cans are the perfect size for planters. They also have a craftsy/rustic quality that, when decorated, looks great inside and outside the home.

Materials

Gather your materials before getting started with this project.

Paint can that has been cleaned out. Ideally, all the old paint inside the can will be removed. Paint cans that still have paint inside of them should not be used for vegetable plants, herbs and other plants that produce edible parts.
Glue-removing cleaner (like Goo Gone).
Rag.
Spray paint. Use exterior-grade spray paint if the planter will be used outside.
Tarp.
Stencils (optional).
Painter’s tape.
Drill.

Process

When you’ve gathered your materials, follow this procedure to turn your paint can into a fabulous, cute DIY planter. If completing this project with children, parental guidance is required and some steps (like drilling) should be done by an adult.

Remove the label on the paint can and use the glue-removing cleaner to remove any glue from the outside of the can.
Rinse the cleaner off of the can and dry the can fully with a rag.
Decide what kind of pattern you would like to use on the paint can. Remember that stripes can easily be made with painter’s tape.
Paint the can with a base coat of paint. Turn the can upside down on a tarp to avoid painting the inside of the paint can.
Allow the paint to fully dry on the paint can. The paint will appear shiny when it’s still wet. If you’re not sure how long the paint will take to dry, check the manufacturer’s instructions for drying time.
If you plan to paint stripes on the paint can, outline the edges of the stripes in painter’s tape.
Fill in the stripes on the can with spray paint. Wait for the paint to dry.
Remove the painter’s tape from the paint can.
If stencils are desired, affix stencils to the paint can, then paint in the stencils with spray paint.
Wait for the paint to dry, then remove the stencils from the paint can.
Turn the paint can upside down on the tarp, then use a drill to make several holes in the bottom of the paint can. This will enable water to drain out of the bottom of the can when the plants are watered.

Once the can has been painted, the paint has dried and the holes have been drilled through the bottom of the paint can, the can itself can be used to hold plants. Fill the can with dirt and plant the desired flowers or plants in the can. Put the can on a plate to catch the water that leaks out the bottom.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture!

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture we have all the paint supplies you need to turn your old paint cans into flower pots. To pick up spray paint and other paint supplies, stop in at one of our c onvenient locations today .

10 New Projects With 1 Can of Paint

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 16:00:00 GMT

What can you do with a single can of paint? Quite a lot! In this post we’ll discuss 10 fun projects that require only about a gallon of paint (or less) to complete.

Patterns on the Walls

Paint patterns on your walls to give a boring room flair. To paint stripes on your walls, mask of the edges of the stripes with painter’s tape, then use a paint brush or paint roller to apply the paint. Be careful to stay within the lines when applying the paint, because the paint is likely to bleed beneath the masking tape.

Paint a Rug

Old rugs have a way of becoming stained and faded. Painting your rug, whether outdoor or indoor, can make the colors bright and bold once again. If you’re feeling ambitious, try masking off a pattern on the rug, then apply the paint only within the lines of the pattern. Use a stencil brush to apply the paint.

Give Flair to Decorative Trim

Make the decorative trim around cabinets and doors pop with shiny applications of color. Use a 1 inch (or smaller) angled paint brush to help you stay within the lines.

Add a Faux Stair Runner

Stair runners give your staircase extra definition and can be used to accent the room. Painting a faux stair runner onto the stairs takes time and patience, but when the project is finished, the finished product looks amazing. For longest-lasting results, use porch paint or hardwood floor paint, then apply a coat of varnish to seal in the paint and reduce wear and tear.

Repaint a Door

Scratches and scuff marks on a door can make a room look shabby. Covering your door with a fresh coat of paint can erase the lines of wear and tear and can transform the room.

Refinish Furniture

Chalk paint is known for being easy to apply to furniture, but even if your paint is wall paint instead of chalk paint, you can still refinish your old wooden dresser, table or chairs. When applying wall paint to previously finished furniture, don’t forget to sand the surface slightly to give the paint a surface that it can grip.

Make an Accent Wall

Pick one wall of your room and paint it a different color from the other walls. Accent walls don’t have to be bright or bold, but simply different from the other walls in the room. This provides a focal point and can be used to tie together a color scheme.

Update Patio Furniture

Paint your patio furniture to give your patio or deck a bright, colorful flair. Match the patio furniture to your flowers, your house or your deck to tie together the landscape around your home.

Upgrade the Fireplace

Painting the fireplace in your home can make your home’s interior more attractive. For a fireplace that’s never been painted before, more than one can of paint may be necessary, because unpainted brick can soak up a lot of paint. Applying primer first will help.

Breathe Life Into an Old Mirror

Paint the frame of an old mirror to make the frame match the rest of the room. If the frame was previously varnished or painted, sand the surface of the frame slightly to help the paint stick.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture we help homeowners with paint projects of all types. We sell a variety of paint and other materials. To get started with your painting project, stop in at one of our stores today .

Protect Your Deck This Summer

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Summer is one of the most intense times for outdoor structures like decks. High temperatures, intense UV rays, occasional rain storms and nearby plant growth can all affect your deck. Keeping your deck clean, sealed and protected from the elements can extend your deck’s service life.

Clean the Wood

Sweep the wood with a broom to remove all dirt from the surface. If the wood has growth from mildew or moss, scrub the wood with a combination of water mixed with oxygenated bleach. If you have no oxygenated bleach, you can also use chlorine bleach, but you’ll need to protect your nearby landscaping with tarps. Chlorine bleach can damage plants.

A pressure washer rented from a local home improvement center can be used to clean your deck. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that the wood is not damaged by the harsh spray of water.

Trim the Shrubs

Your deck requires air flow around the wood to help prevent growth from mold, mildew and moss. Keep all plants and nearby shrubs trimmed and at least one foot away from your wooden deck. Avoid planting any landscaping up against the deck. Remove nearby weeds and suppress their growth with mulch.

Replace Rotten Boards

Check your deck for wood rot. Rotten wood will be stained or discolored, may have cracks and splinters, and will be soft. The true test of whether or not wood is rotten is to use an awl to poke a hole in the wood. If the awl can easily be pressed into the wood, it’s rotten.

Pull up all old, rotten boards and replace them with new boards. Use ceramic coated deck screws to hold the new wood in place.

Stain and Seal If Necessary

If you’ve had to replace some of the old wood with new wood, staining and sealing those new boards will be necessary. The rest of the deck may need to be stained and sealed if the old seal has worn off. You can tell if the old seal needs to be replaced by spraying the deck with water. If the water beads up on the surface of the deck without soaking into the wood, the old stain and seal is still good. If the water soaks into the wood, this is a sign that the deck must be restained and sealed.

You can buy a variety of products to get this job done, including:

Clear water repellent: Clear water repellent will prevent the wood from absorbing water for the season. This may last about a year, but not much longer.
Semi-transparent stain: This product will last longer than clear water repellent because the stain provides UV protection. This may need to be replaced every two years.
Solid stain: Solid stains are more like paint than stain, but some wood grain will show through. Solid stains offer the most protection and last the longest.

To stain and seal your deck, pick the product of your choice, then read the manufacturer’s instructions. Many stain and seal products will need to be applied when the temperature outside is within a certain range. If possible, avoid putting on stain in full sun conditions.

Use a paint roller attached to a long pole to apply the sealer to the large, flat areas of the deck. Use a paintbrush to apply paint to the parts of the deck like the railing. If the stain and sealer you choose calls for two coats, apply the second coat after the first one has fully dried.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we sell a variety of stains and sealers for people hoping to take care of their deck this summer. We can also give advice that can help you with your project! Stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Paint Your Office For Success

Tue, 30 May 2017 16:00:00 GMT

The type of paint that you choose for your office can have a big impact on the environment where you do work. Picking the right color and the right type of paint is important. Knowing all the factors to consider can help you choose the right office paint for your company’s needs.

Pick the Right Color For Your Occupation

Color impacts mood, energy and productivity. In office environments where communication and teamwork is important, shades of blue can help people to relax and collaborate. Choose a shade of soft or medium-toned blue to keep yourself and your employees feeling peaceful and productive.

If creativity is especially important in your office, shades of green can help stimulate the imagination. Use green paint in combination with soft gray to keep the office environment peaceful and calm.

Red stimulates the appetite and increases the heart rate. This can be useful in offices where people work late nights and in the early morning, however red can also cause anxiety. To ensure that your office environment stimulates your employees without creating an unpleasant environment, try combining red with soothing colors like soft brown, beige or gray.

Orange can help spark enthusiasm but can also lead to feelings of aggression, and thus is best used in moderation. Yellow is similar to orange in that it can increase energy levels but can also put workers on edge. This is another color that is best when combined with a more soothing color.

Avoid large swaths of stark, flat, stark colors like white, which can reduce morale and negatively impact mood.

Consider VOCs

VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound. VOCs can contribute to poor indoor air quality. To create a healthy work environment, use paints that contain no VOCs. This will help reduce health hazards for yourself and your employees.

Neutrals Create a Relaxed Work Environment

Neutral colors like gray, beige and soft shades of gray-green, gray-blue and gray-beige can all help create a relaxed work environment that can soothe employees and customers. If your business is known to create pressure and stress for employees or clients, soothing neutrals can help level out moods. If you’re not sure which neutrals are right for your needs, take a look at this page that outlines some of Benjamin Moore’s most popular neutrals .

Glossy or Flat?

One of the last questions you’ll have to ask yourself when choosing a paint for your office space is is whether the walls should be painted in a glossy paint or a flat paint. Glossy paint is easier to clean, so if your work happens to involve anything messy that could dirty the walls, glossy paint is the safer choice. Glossy paint is also reflective, which bounces more light around the room. This can increase energy in the office and lift spirits. Flat paint is more subdued, which can create a muted, quiet atmosphere.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Are you thinking about painting your office space in the next few months? At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture we have everything you need to help you get started with this project. Whether you’re in need of paint supplies, paints or just a little bit of painting advice, we can help! Stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

How to Upcycle Furniture: Painting Techniques

Tue, 23 May 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Upcycling is a fun and inexpensive method of turning old furniture into new furniture! During the upcycling process it’s important to apply paint properly and to use the right materials. Below are some of the ways that people upcycle old shelves, dressers and other pieces.

Find the Right Piece of Furniture

When looking for the right piece of furniture, it’s important to remember that upcycling sometimes involves turning one piece of furniture into another . For example, with a little creativity, you may turn a dresser into a bookshelf, or you might turn an entertainment center into a bird cage.

Keep an open mind when looking for different pieces of furniture to upcycle. Sturdiness is the most important quality to look for in your upcycled piece of furniture. Try rocking the furniture back and forth to see if it’s sturdy, and if it isn’t, look for another piece.

Painting Process

Once you’ve picked a piece of furniture to upcycle, follow these tips.

Prep the surface. Wipe down the surface with a tack cloth or a microfiber cloth. Remove all cobwebs. If you plan to paint the furniture with chalk paint, no sanding or wood preparation is needed. If you plan to paint the furniture with a standard wall paint, sand down the furniture to rough up the wood, then wipe away wood shavings and clean the furniture again.
Remove all hardware and take out drawers. Use a screwdriver to remove knobs and hinges from the furniture. Remove all drawers before painting.
Apply paint. Apply the paint to the furniture. Use an angled paintbrush for applying the paint to the corners and angled parts of the furniture.
Allow the paint to dry fully, then apply a second coat. The paint will be done drying when it is no longer tacky to the touch.

Distressing

Distressing is the process of applying two coats of paint in different colors on top of one another and then sanding down the top layer of paint to reveal the coat beneath. Distressing is typically done with chalk paint.

When both coats have dried, the top layer of paint is sanded down around the edges to reveal the second layer of paint. This creates the appearance that the furniture is care worn and old. Once the paint has been sanded properly, apply a layer of soft, clear wax over the paint to seal the surface of the furniture.

Chalkboard Paint

Chalkboard paint is a perfect accent for any piece of upcycled furniture with a wide, flat area that would make a good message board. You can apply chalkboard paint to the surface of an old mirror, the side of a bookcase or on the front of an armoire. This makes the perfect place to leave messages to friends and loved ones.

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help people start their paint projects and upcycle their furniture. We sell paint in thousands of different shades! To get started on your upcoming project, stop in at our paint store to pick out the right paint for your needs.

Pots Rugs and Signs Unique Projects for Your Outdoor Space

Tue, 16 May 2017 16:00:00 GMT

The weather is beautiful and it’s time to decorate your yard! At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture we get a lot of customers seeking supplies for with their outdoor paint projects, especially at this time of year. In this post, we’ll highlight some of our favorite paint projects for a warm spring day. Each project will give you something to do with the kids, leaving you with a nice token of your time together.

Painted Tin Can Planters

Tin cans make perfect planters for flowers and other outdoor plants. While 8 ounce and 16 ounce cans will work well for the smallest plants, larger coffee tins are better for bigger plants. Before starting your project, drill holes in the bottom of the tins to allow water to seep out the bottom and prevent the roots of the plants from becoming waterlogged.

Next, prime the surface of the tin can with metal primer. Finally, use any paint from around the house to paint your tin cans. Paint your cans with a colorful pattern or a beautiful scene, or let your kids apply large hand prints to the cans.

Colorful Rugs

Buy an inexpensive rug from your local home improvement center or dollar store. Take it home and paint patterns or words on the rug using exterior grade house or porch paint. You’ll need to apply multiple coats to ensure good coverage and to ensure the paint will stick to the surface of the rug. Make your rug vibrant, cheerful and welcoming for your visitors. The more colors the better!

Painted Tire Planters

Old tires make fabulous planters, and they’re easy to paint. To get started, clean your tire with a sponge and soapy water, or use a degreaser to remove sticky substances. Next, prime the surface of the tire. Finally, paint the exterior of the tire with an exterior-grade house paint or porch paint. Smaller tires can be hung from the exterior walls of a garage or shed as a decoration. To make the tire into a planter, simply fill the bottom of the tire with soil and then add cascading flowers that will grow over the side of the tire. Larger tires can be laid down on the ground and the center then can be filled with soil. These planters have a thrifty, homemade quality that is perfect for homes with rustic exterior decor.

House Number Painted Board

Paint your house numbers on a scrap of old wood, then drill a hole through the top of the sign and hang it from your front door with twine. You can decorate the sign around the numbers with a pattern, but be careful not to let the sign get too busy or the numbers may become difficult to read. This project is rustic and functional, and can replace old house numbers that are hard to read or in bad shape.

Decorated Rocks

Decorated rocks make charming, sweet decorations for outdoor spaces. Have your kids select several large, smooth rocks, then paint the rocks to look like bugs, animals or colorful suns. Don’t forget to seal the rocks when you’re done, to prevent the paint from chipping with time. Finally, disperse the rocks throughout your front yard or back yard garden to add a colorful decoration to the spaces between flowers.

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we supply the people of Pittsburgh with the paint they need to complete their outdoor and indoor projects! To pick up your painting supplies, stop in today for porch paint, sealer, paint brushes and more.

Create A Colorful Patio

Tue, 09 May 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Now that your yard is no longer covered in snow and mud, it’s time to spruce up your backyard patio. There are many ways that a simple can of paint can transform your patio into a vibrant, beautiful space to spend your time. In this post, we’ll discuss three easy paint projects that can revamp your patio this spring.

Paint the Patio

Unpainted gray concrete lacks character. Painting your concrete is the perfect way to make your patio pop. Concrete painting is a project that many DIYers can handle on their own. Here’s the process:

Remove all furniture from the patio.
Clean the concrete using a strong concrete cleaner like TSP. Follow all manufacturers instructions when using this kind of cleaning product.
Spray the concrete with a power washer to remove all old paint.
Cover the nearby landscaping with tarps.
Paint the patio with concrete paint. Follow all manufacturers instructions on the paint when applying it to the concrete. Use a paint that contains a sealer.
Apply a second coat of paint to the concrete after the first coat has dried.
Wait for the paint to cure before using your patio.

Paint the Furniture

Refresh your old patio furniture with a new coat of paint . To get started, follow these steps:

Remove all cushions from your patio furniture.
Scrub the furniture with a stiff bristle brush and soapy water.
Sand away all rust from the patio furniture. If there is a significant amount of rust on the patio furniture, you may need to use an electric sander.
Rinse the patio furniture and allow it to dry.
Lay tarps down on the area where you’ll be painting, then place the furniture on the tarps.
Paint the furniture with a coat of exterior-grade spray paint. Give the paint time to dry, then apply a second coat.
Wait for the paint to cure before applying a second coat.

Paint Faded Cushions

Patio furniture cushions have a way of fading over time. To get rid of this sun-bleached look, try painting your old faded cushions with a can of spray paint!

Clean your cushions with soapy water and a sponge.
Allow the cushions to dry fully. Leave the cushions in a safe place, like your garage, while they’re drying. Do not leave the cushions outside where they can get re-dirtied or wet with rain.
Lay tarps on the ground under the cushions.
Spray the cushions lightly with a can of spray paint. Hold the can of spray paint well above the cushions to get a light even coat of paint.
Allow the paint to dry fully.
Turn over the cushions and paint the other side.
Repeat steps 4 through 6 to apply a second coat of paint. Allow the second coat of paint to cure before putting the cushions back on your furniture.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell all paint you need to make your patio colorful and beautiful this spring. To get started with your project, s top in at one of our convenient locations for spray paint, concrete paint, tarps and other painting supplies. We’ll be happy to answer questions about your painting projects and help you select the right materials for your needs!

Spring Updates – Painting Your Garden Fence

Tue, 02 May 2017 16:00:00 GMT

The snow has melted and spring is in full swing. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we’re finding that home buyers all around Pittsburgh are getting started with their outdoor maintenance projects. Now is the perfect time to paint exterior wooden structures like your garden fence. Applying a fresh coat of paint to wooden surfaces can help protect exterior structures from moisture and decay.

Gather Materials

Before you can get started with your project, you’ll need to gather your materials. Good quality painting materials can help ensure that your paint job looks professional and lasts a long time. Below are some of the most important painting materials to buy.

Tarps
Wood cleaner/algae remover
Stiff brush
Power washer (optional)
Wood filler
Paint scraper
Sand paper
Paint
Rollers
Paint can opener
Paint brushes (angled and flat)
Paint stirrer
Rags

Protect the Landscape

Before beginning to paint, take action to protect the landscaping around the fence. Cover the bushes and plants around the fence with tarps, and unlatch any climbing plants covering the parts of the fence that need to be painted.

Prepare the Surface

Preparing the surface for paint is just as important as the painting process itself. Without proper preparation, the paint will look bad or flake off of the fence prematurely.

Clean the fence with the stiff bristle brush. If the fence has algae, mold or mildew, dip the stiff brush into the cleaning product before cleaning the wood.
Use the paint scraper to remove old, flaking layers of paint. You can also use the sandpaper to remove old layers of paint. If you have a power washer, the power washer will be very effective for removing paint and dirt.
Fill any holes and gouges in the wood with wood filler. Give the wood filler time to dry, then use the sandpaper to sand the filler until it is flush with the surface of the wood.
Replace any pieces of wood that have deteriorated. If possible, use the same type of wood as what was originally used to build the fence.

Prepare the Surface

You may paint the fence once it has completely dried. Check the forecast before beginning to paint to ensure that you’re expecting a few days of rain-free weather. Check the manufacturer’s instructions on the paint can to ensure that the outdoor temperatures are within acceptable parameters for the paint to dry.

Apply the first coat of paint. Use a roller for large, wide, flat areas of paint, and use a paint brush for the edges, corners and tight spaces.
Allow the paint to fully dry. You’ll be able to tell when the paint is dry because it will no longer feel tacky or sticky.
Apply a second coat over the first coat.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture we sell exterior paint in a variety of colors and finishes. If you’re thinking about painting your exterior garden fence this spring, now is the time to get started. Stop in at one of our conveniently located stores for paint supplies and helpful painting advice. We can help you with your project from start to finish.

Doors, Windows, and Trim: Painting the Exterior of your Home

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 16:00:00 GMT

The doors, windows and trim might seem like a small portion of your home’s exterior, but painting these parts of your house is still a big job. Handling the project systematically and using the right materials is an important part of making your project a success.

Choose the Color

The color you choose for your trim and doors will have a big impact on the curb appeal and appearance of your home. Many homeowners choose trim and window colors that match their home’s exterior. It’s common to select a door color that stands out, making the door a visual focal point.

When selecting a color, start by exploring the options at your local paint store, or check out online tools designed to help you pick the color of your home .

Once you’ve narrowed your potential colors to a few top candidates, buy samples and apply large swatches of paint to your home’s exterior. View the samples at different times of day and in different places around your house to help you decide. If you’re not comfortable painting the samples directly onto your house, try painting a large board and hold the board up to your home in various areas around the home’s exterior.

Prepare the Surface

Preparing the surface for paint is very important. Without proper preparation, the paint may not stick to the wood, or the finish may be rough and unsatisfactory. To prep the surface, do the following:

Clean the wood thoroughly and allow it to dry.
Use a paint scraper and rough sandpaper to scrape off any loose paint. Use sandpaper to rough up any existing paint.
Remove any nails, knobs and other hardware.
Fill in the holes with wood filler, then allow the wood filler to dry and sand the surface with sandpaper.
Clean the surface thoroughly again to remove any flakes of paint or wood.
Paint the surface with exterior grade primer and allow it to dry fully. The primer will be fully dry when it’s no longer tacky to the touch.

Get Started

Once you’re ready to paint, wait for the temperature outside to be within acceptable parameters for the paint that you’ve chosen. The temperature requirements will be printed on the side of the can. Check the weather forecast to ensure that there is no rain expected for your area for the next several days. Lay out tarps to protect the parts of your home that you will not be painting. Cover your landscape as well.

Once it’s time to start painting, paint the windows from the center out. Use an angled paintbrush to paint the corners and small parts. Use a large, flat paintbrush to paint the wider, flatter surfaces. Allow the paint to dry fully before applying a second coat. Between coats, you can keep your paint brushes wrapped in foil and stored in a baggie in your refrigerator overnight; no cleaning necessary.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners in the area with their painting and home improvement projects. Our stores have all the painting supplies you need to keep your home looking its best. To get started painting your home’s trim, windows and doors, stop in at one of our convenient locations today. We’ll answer your questions and help you find the right products for your needs.

Ace Paints Now Serving West Virginia Area

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Good news! Ace Paints and Unfinished Furniture is now serving the Weirton, WV area! For over 32 years, we’ve been delivering quality paints and paint products to the people of Pittsburgh and McMurray, and now we’re delivering those same products to the people of Weirton!

Who Are We?

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture is a paint and furniture store with multiple locations in the Pittsburgh area. Our goal is to provide excellent customer service and quality products at reasonable prices. We don’t just sell paint. We value our customers.

To show our appreciation to our customers, we offer advice, answer questions and go the extra mile to ensure that everyone who walks through our doors enjoys an excellent experience in our stores. We also want you to have fun completing your home improvement projects, so we do what we can to help.

What Do We Sell?

We’re in the business of helping people keep their homes looking nice inside and outside. We’re the best place in Pittsburgh to find Porter and Ralph Lauren brand paints. We sell Bartley gel stains, Abatron wood replacement products and Modern Masters specialty finishes. We want all of our customers to have options when they create their interior and exterior masterpieces

To ensure that every customer leaves with the products they need, we sell paints in a variety of finishes and special effects. You can come to us for Daich Coatings, Sikkens fine exterior stains and more! Best of all, we’re a proud carrier of Benjamin Moore products, which means that you can get any of Ben Moore’s 3000+ colors. Our Benjamin Moore paints come in a variety of sheens, including classic Regal; low-odor, self-priming Aura super paint and VOC free Natura.

We also proudly sell paint and home improvement products like:

Fine Paints of Europe: Fine Paints of Europe produces oil and water based paints in thousands of colors. The long-lasting finish of Fine Paints of Europe has earned this company a reputation among painters and homeowners alike.
Unfinished furniture: Do you love painting your own furniture? Our unfinished wooden pieces are ready and waiting to be stained or painted to your heart’s content. Whether you’re trying to match your furniture to your walls or to an existing furniture set, our unfinished pieces are perfect for the enthusiastic DIYer.
SnotTape: SnotTape is the painter’s best friend! This paper tape and specially formulated polyurethane gel is designed to fill gaps on rough surfaces. SnotTape is the perfect product to use on rough walls and unfinished surfaces, and produces a sharp line even on hard to paint areas.
Gorilla glue: Gorilla wood glue forms a fast, strong bond for wood projects and wood repairs. It’s the perfect product to buy when you need to fix an old piece of furniture quickly.
Briwax Spray: This clear beeswax finish comes in a convenient aerosol spray, perfect for refinishing and conditioning wooden furniture.
General Finishes: State of the art water-base finishes and waterbourne coating.
Benjamin Moore: Various paint and stain for home interiors and exteriors. Find the perfect paint colors and products for your project.

We’re Online Too!

We’ve got a great weekly blog where we cover home improvement projects and home improvement trends. Following us online you can learn valuable lessons about painting your home, staining your deck and decorating for holidays. We also sell products online , because not everybody has time to get out to our stores.

Stop In At Our Store Today!

So head on into one of our three convenient locations for paint products and unfinished furniture. We’ll help you make your home beautiful.

Let’s Draw! Ideas for Dry Erase Paint

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 16:00:00 GMT

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we’re proud to announce that we have a new product on our shelves! Dry erase paint, made by Smark, turns any surface into a dry erase board. Whether you’re looking for a creative outlet for drawing and doodling, or you’re in search of a work surface for generating collaborative ideas, Smark is the product that can help you turn almost any flat surface into a dry erase board.

Dry Erase Desktop

Turn the top of an old work desk into a work surface for taking notes, drawing pictures and writing to do lists. Dry erase desktops look great! Take a look at this blog post online that describes the process for turning an old wooden desk into a dry erase board.

Wall-to-Wall Dry Erase

Start up companies have a way of popping up in warehouses, old commercial buildings and in residential basements. Often these facilities lack specially designed collaborative work spaces for workers to come together and generate ideas for the business. Dry erase paint allows you to create a collaborative work area anywhere in your office space.

Kid’s Play Area

Kids love to draw on walls, floors and everywhere else. As a parent, you might discourage your child from drawing on the television in crayon, but what if you could turn the walls into a surface where your child could draw with dry erase markers? Give your child a place to draw creatively by painting the walls of your child’s nursery, toy room or bedroom in dry erase paint.

Home Entryway

The home entryway is a perfect place to leave notes for loved ones as you come and go throughout the day. Paint the walls of your home’s foyer or paint the surface of a closet door, then leave a dry erase marker attached to the entryway table or attach one to the wall.

Teenager’s Bedroom Door

Do you and your teenager keep separate schedules? Is it hard to find time to talk to each other? Paint your child’s bedroom door with dry erase paint, and then you’ll have a surface where you can leave plainly visible notes to your child.

Proper Use of Smark

Proper application of Smark allows you to get the most out of your dry erase paint. You may apply the paint to any surface coated in a semi-gloss, eggshell, satin or gloss finish. Use the following process:

Repair any holes and divots in the surface about to be painted.
Sand the surface smooth.
Clean the surface.
Mark off the edges of the painting surface with blue painters tape.
Apply primer to the surface.
Allow the primer to fully dry.
Open the Smark paint components and mix them together.
Apply Smark to the primer surface and allow the paint to dry.

You can read more about the process on the Smark website, or you can learn about paint application by coming in to Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture. We’ll be happy to give you more information about painting surfaces with Smark.

Stop in At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

There are many different ways to use dry erase paint in your house or office! At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we sell Smark and chalkboard paint so you can turn any surface in your home or office into a practical and fun drawing surface. To find out more about our products or to get started with your upcoming projects, stop in at one of our convenient locations.

How to Decorate Your Deck for Spring

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Spring is here! It’s time to decorate your deck. If you’re a homeowner in Pittsburgh, you may have been thinking about your deck decorating strategies for a long time coming. Knowing where to start, what makes a deck attractive and how to make your deck comfortable in the process can help you turn your deck into the luxury space you’ve been fantasizing about for months.

Begin with the Basics

Before you can decorate your deck, you’ll need to get it ready for a long spring and summer of regular use. Your deck will need to be cleaned and possibly restained or repainted. This is a subject we’ve covered extensively in the past. If you’re not sure how to do this, check out this post that covers subjects like repairing and waterproofing your deck.

Unify with Color

Pick two or three colors for painting and decorating your deck. You can paint the furniture and accessories on the deck, or the deck itself. Limiting your color scheme to two or three hues will help bring unity to the space. If you’re not sure which colors will be best for your deck, consider the colors found in the landscape and the color of your house. Use colors found around the deck to help it seem more natural in the space where the deck is located.

Make a Living Wall

Attach a lattice up one wall of your deck, then grow long, trailing plants on the lattice. If you’re looking for an easy plant to grow, try morning glories. If possible, place the lattice on a side of the deck where it will cast shade on the chairs and benches. This helps keep the deck cool on the warmest days of summer.

Pillows, Pillows Everywhere

Pillows remind people of comfort. Placing pillows on all the chairs and benches of your deck will add visual interest while also making your deck look like a fun spot to relax. Choose pillows that match the color scheme of your deck to help tie together your decorating scheme. Remember to use pillows designed for outdoor use, and spray each one with a protective finish that will keep the material water resistant.

Pull it Together with Potted Plants

Your deck will be mostly done at this point, but adding potted plants can help fill empty spaces and bare surfaces. Flowering plants are nice but need to be deadheaded regularly. To keep your deck low maintenance, use non-flowering plants. Trailing or creeping plants like ivy can be especially charming on a deck, if allowed to wrap around the railing.

Personalize With Paint

Use paint to color the potted plants and a few pieces of furniture on your deck. Paint can be used to stencil patterns or to simply add more color to your deck space. This helps bring together your design and adds more unity to your overall color scheme.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we have a lot of the tools you’ll need to decorate your deck this spring. To get started with your project, stop in at one of our two convenient locations to buy paint, stain, brushes and other materials.

3 Ways to Update Your Patio Furniture with Paint

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 16:00:00 GMT

After many years of use, patio furniture has a way of looking old and tired. Luckily, paint can do a lot to help freshen and protect your patio furniture. By adding a couple new coats of paint, you can make your patio attractive once again.

Change the Color

The simplest way to update your patio furniture with paint is to choose a new color when you repaint. Since your patio is primarily used in the summer, we recommend something bright and bold, but not too dark. Consider these color combinations:

Lemon and soft gray
Nautical colors (blue and white)
Lime green and aqua marine

You can check out some more color combinations here . The colors you choose may get hot in the sun. Avoid dark shades to ensure that your patio furniture stays comfortable in the summer heat.

Add Stripes to Solid Surfaces

Stripes are lively and visually interesting. Remember that the patio is a place for relaxing, so less is more when it comes to stripes. A few stripes painted on a table or scattered across the back of a chair can make your patio furniture more visually interesting without making the color overwhelming.

Stencil a Pattern

Patterns stenciled onto benches and table tops add a touch of whimsy to your landscaping. Unless you’re very skilled with stencils, we recommend practicing the stencil beforehand, and keeping the pattern somewhat simple.

Painting Patio Furniture Process

The way you paint your patio furniture will depend on the material being painted; However, in general the process for painting patio furniture is as follows:

Pick the right paint. Read the manufacturer’s instructions when choosing the right paint for your needs. Match the paint to the material being painted, and look for paint that specifically states it’s created for patio use or outdoor use. Some patio paint comes with built in UV protection to prevent the paint from fading. Using this type of paint will extend the service life of the paint.
Clean the furniture. Remove all dirt and grit from the furniture to prepare the surface for paint. Metal furniture must have rust removed before proceeding. To learn more about prepping the surface for painting, check out our post about preparing patio furniture for a fresh coat of paint.
Prep the area for painting. Lay down tarps. If you’re painting in your garage, open the garage door for ventilation.
Apply the first coat. If you’re using paint brushes, use good quality brushes to ensure a smooth finish. If using spray paint, avoid drips by adjusting the distance between the spray can and the piece of furniture, keep the can moving as you’re painting, and keep the coat thin to avoid bubbling, globs and drips.
Wait for the paint to dry, then apply the second coat. The paint will be tacky while it is still wet. Keep the furniture out of direct sunlight as it dries.

Once you’ve applied two coats, you may need a third. Consult with the paint can to see how many coats the manufacturer recommends, then check the furniture for areas that need touch ups.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell paint for patio furniture and other outdoor items. We can help you pick out the right type of paint for your needs. To see our selection, stop in at one of our convenient locations.

What Type of Paint Should I Use On My Porch?

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Painting your porch can be a challenge. Because porches are a high-traffic areas that require special paint, the first step is to find the right type of paint for the job. Once you have the right product, you can get started on your project.

Type of Paint

Most paint companies will make specially formulated porch and deck paint. This type of paint is an extra hard, glossy enamel that sticks to wood and forms a hard shell around your porch floorboards. It’s important to note that porch paint can be slippery when wet, so homeowners worried about slips and falls should look for non-skid paint or coarse paint additives that make the surface of the porch less slippery.

Color of Paint

You can paint your porch any color you want, but consider the following before choosing your color:

Dark paint colors will hide scuff marks more readily, but will absorb heat in direct sunlight, making a hot surface for walking.
Light paint colors will show dirt and mud more easily, but will reflect light to stay cooler in the summer.

Consider the color of your home’s trim and siding as you pick the color for your porch. If you’re feeling creative, try painting subtle stripes on your porch .

To Prime or Not to Prime

Priming the wood is often unnecessary, unless you’re applying a water based paint over an oil based paint. However, priming the wood before painting your porch may improve the durability of the paint job, which can extend the time between paintings.

Process

The process for painting your porch is similar to the process for painting a deck or your home’s siding. Start by gathering your materials. In addition to special porch paint and primer, you’ll need:

Scrub brushes and sponges for cleaning the porch
Angled and flat paint brushes
Paint trays
Painter’s tape
Tarp or tarps

Once you’ve gathered everything for your project, this is the process:

Clean the porch using a strong jet of water from a hose and a sponge.
Wait for the porch to dry.
Prepare the area by taping tarps to the home surrounding the porch.
Cover the nearby landscaping with tarps.
Prime the porch with a layer of exterior grade porch primer. Use an angled paint brush to paint the corners and edges near the house, and use a flat paint brush to paint the open, flat parts of the porch.
Wait for the primer to dry. The primer is dry when it feels smooth and no longer tacky.
Apply the first coat of paint using the same techniques you used to apply the primer.
Wait for the first coat of paint to dry, then apply the second coat of paint.

It’s important to complete this project in good weather when no rain is expected. Keep in mind that paint needs to be applied within certain temperature parameters, so check out the manufacturer’s instructions if you’re planning to paint on a cold or hot day.

Stop in At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we carry a variety of paints for the porch and other parts of the home. We genuinely hope that your paint projects go well this spring and summer, and we’re happy to offer any advice we can for getting the work done. To get started on your project today, stop in at one of our convenient locations.

Upgrade Your Outdoor Space

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Spring is almost here! Now is the time to start thinking about home improvement projects that will help you upgrade your outdoor space this fall. Homeowners who want to make their outdoor space more pleasing to the eye and attractive for visitors can use the following ideas to make their home beautiful this spring.

Use Paint to Make Your Porch Pop

A fresh coat of paint can do much more than protect your home’s porch from water damage. Paint can be used to draw the eye to your front door, thus making the house seem more inviting. Homeowners hoping to sell their property this year may find this to be an especially beneficial project because boosting curb appeal can lead to a faster sale and bigger offers.

There are many different ways to add color to your porch so that it pops visually.

Floor: Painting the floor of your porch will hide old scuff marks and scratches. Choose a darker paint color to disguise footprints on the wood.
Ceiling: In the southern part of the United States, homeowners used to paint their porch ceiling “ haint blue ,” a light shade of blue green that was intended to ward away evil spirits. Of course, you can choose any color you want to make your porch ceiling attractive for visitors. We recommend coordinating the color of the ceiling and the floor to keep the colors unified. For example, if painting your porch floor a dark shade of green, paint your porch ceiling a shade of light green, to keep the parts of your porch unified and working together.
Railing: Coordinate the color of the porch railing with the porch floor, ceiling and the landscaping around your home. The color you choose may be the same color as the trim of your home, depending on the design of your house. If you’re not sure what color will look best on your railing, take home several samples from the paint store and try each one before making a decision.

Freshen Your Front Door With a New Coat of Paint

Your home’s front door is like a beacon for all visitors and guests who come to your property. Painting your front door a bright new shade of red or blue can draw attention to your house and could change the character of your property.

It’s common for homeowners to choose a color for their front door that does not match the color of the rest of the house, so feel free to go wild. Don’t forget that some colors have meanings when painted on the front door. Check out our old post on the topic to choose a color that’s right from your home.

Light the Way

Garden lighting is good for illuminating your landscaping and also good for improving your home’s property value. The right garden lighting can even help keep your home safe at night by cutting back on shady spots where possible intruders could lurk. Homeowners who don’t want to invest in hardwired garden lighting can always check out the solar options at their local home and garden center.

Mix Natural Materials

If you’re thinking about making serious upgrades to your home’s outdoor space this spring or summer, consider mixing natural materials like wood and stone to create a patio and deck area. Installation of a deck can boost your property value while also giving a strong return on investment when it’s time to sell.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Whether you’re painting your porch or installing a deck that needs to be stained, Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture can help. We’re your source for quality paint and stain in Pittsburgh. To get started on your home improvement projects, stop in at one of our convenient locations.

Preparing for Spring – Painting Your Doors and Shutters

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 16:00:00 GMT

The paint on your doors and shutters helps protect the wood from rain and snow. Applying a new coat of paint every so often will extend the life of your shutters and doors and will keep your home looking its best.

Determine the Need

Examine your doors and shutters to look for signs of wear and tear. Bare wood, bubbles in the paint, nicks and scratches and splintering areas are all signs that your doors and shutters need to be repainted.

Pick the Paint

When choosing the right paint for your needs, consider the color as well as the type of paint. The best way to pick a paint color that will match your home’s siding is to buy a few paint samples, and then apply large squares of sample paint to a scrap of plywood. Hold the sample paint up to your home and step back to check the colors together.

Satin and semigloss finishes are preferred for shutters and doors because they’re easy to clean and easy to apply. Glossy paint is the easiest to clean, however, glossy paint shows imperfections easily and is not very good for use on doors that have scratches.

You’ll need to choose between oil based or water based paint and primer. Oil based paint and primer takes longer to dry and must be thinned with mineral spirits, so this type of paint can be more difficult to apply. However, if your shutters and doors were previously painted with an oil based paint and primer, it’s best to use oil-based paint and primer again.

Prep the Surface

Remove your shutters and doors for painting, then remove all hardware. Place each door and shutters on saw horses or a work bench. To prep the surface, clean the wood with a damp cloth and use sandpaper to sand down the paint. Wipe away any sand paper with the damp cloth, then allow the surface of the door or shutters to dry before continuing.

Shutters are difficult to clean because dirt and grit has a way of collecting between the slats. Use a strong jet of water from a hose to clean the shutters, then give the shutters extra time to dry.

Fill any scratches or nail holes with wood putty, then allow the putty to dry and sand the surface until it’s flat. When the shutters and doors are smooth, clean and dry, they’re ready to be painted.

Paint the Surface

Prime the doors and shutters before applying a coat of paint. Use a mini roller to cover large, wide flat areas. Angled paintbrushes are best for painting tight spaces and corners. Wait for the primer to dry before applying the coat of paint. The primer is dry when it’s no longer tacky.

If using an alkyd (water-based) paint, mix the paint with additive that will extend the drying time and allow you to smooth out the brush marks for a smoother, shinier finish.

Contact Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell a variety of indoor and outdoor grade paints in many hues. For quality paint at an affordable price, contact Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , or stop in at one of our convenient locations.

Refresh Your Bedroom this Spring

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Spring is approaching quickly! This is great time to refresh your bedroom décor and give your personal space an all new look. Changes like repainting, redecorating and putting up wall art can make your bedroom the kind of place where you’ll enjoy spending more time.

Change Paint Colors

Get started by painting the walls of your bedroom with a refreshing new color. Light, bright, natural shades of green, blue and lavender are perfect for welcoming in the spring weather. In fact, Benjamin Moore makes several shades of spring-inspired colors that are elegant and graceful, perfect for a bedroom.

Shades of Spring. This delicious shade of green conveys all the energy and potential of a pleasant spring morning. Think: avocados and limes, lightened by heavy cream. To get the right effect, recommend combining Shades of Spring with white or barely off-white trim.
Spring Violet. A little bit gray and a bit more lavender, Spring Violet is the perfect color for a child’s bedroom. Spring Violet also goes well in bedrooms decorated in shabby chic styles. Combine Spring Violet with shades of white, gray or silver trim.
Warm Springs. This soft shade of blue green is reminiscent of robin eggs. We recommend combining warm springs with cream trim.

Update the Bedding

Getting a new bedspread is an efficient way to make an instant update to your bedroom. While you’re at it, decorate your bed with new pillows in a variety of accent colors. If possible, choose pillows that help tie your bedspread together with the new color of your walls.

Lighten and Brighten

Bringing more light into your bedroom will make it look clean and inviting when the redecorating is done.

Buy mirrors. Mirrors bounce light around the room, and can be especially helpful in small spaces. A well-placed mirror can help obscure dark corners and visually push back walls.
Use lamps. Buy several mini lamps. Place lamps on surfaces like the dresser, nightstands and cabinets.
Change your curtains. Your home’s curtains affect the amount of light that comes in through your bedroom windows. Take down dark curtains and replace them with light cotton curtains that flutter in the breeze.

Put Up Wall Art

Now that you’ve painted your walls, replaced your bedspread and increased the light in the room, this is the perfect opportunity to put up some new wall art. Wall art can get expensive. If you’re looking for affordable options, try printing a favorite photograph onto a stretched canvas, and leave off the frame.

Store Items Creatively

Clutter can make your bedroom seem small and cramped. Find creative ways to get rid of the clutter in your room by purchasing furniture that includes built-in storage space.

Air Out and Refresh

After a long winter, the air in your bedroom might be a little bit stuffy and stale. As a finishing touch, freshen the air in your room using scented candles, potpourri and a vase of fresh flowers. Open the windows as soon as the weather outside is warm enough to let the fresh air into your home.

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture in Pittsburgh, we have many of the tools you need to redo your bedroom this spring. We stock quality paint brands like Fine Paints of Europe and Benjamin Moore! To get started, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.

Bright and Sunshiny! Tips for Lightening Up Your Home

Tue, 21 Feb 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Dark homes can be a drag for people who like bright, airy interiors. Fortunately, there are many ways to make your dark home interior shine brighter. Painting the walls the right colors can help. In addition, there are many decorative touches that can make your home appear lighter and more cheerful.

Invest in Lamps

Overhead lighting can seem harsh and impersonal, but lamps bring warmth and intimacy to the rooms of your home. Use many small lamps rather than one or two large lamps ensure that corners and out of the way places are well lit.

Install Recessed Lighting

Tall ceilings can bring gloom to big, dark rooms. Installing recessed lighting can help make spaces seem brighter, casting away shadows in the far corners of the ceiling.

Bring in Daylight

Skylights and tubular daylighting devices can bring natural light to any room. These architectural features are especially helpful in rooms that have a northern exposure, where sunlight and natural daylight might be lacking. Installing skylights can be a process and will likely involve working with a licensed contractor, so many people do this when remodeling their home.

Combine Neutrals with White Trim

Neutral paint colors bring visual interest to a room without making the walls seem overbearing and dark. Neutral colors include grays, beige, cream and tan. Paint the trim in white to incorporate a lighter color into the space. We recommend using a slightly reflective paint, like a paint with an eggshell finish, can help bounce light around the room.

Use Dark Colors as Accents

Use dark colors sparingly, as accents but not as focal points. For example, in a room with light walls, light furniture and light wooden floors, use dark pillows to create an attractive accent.

Use Mirrors

Mirrors reflect light and push back walls, making dark spaces seem slightly less claustrophobic. Use mirrors throughout your home’s décor, on walls, above the mantel, on closet doors and in hallways. Try to position mirrors on the opposite side of the room from windows to maximize the effect of the reflection on the walls.

Remove Walls

Walls create shadows and make dark rooms seem like they’re closing in on occupants. Knocking down unnecessary walls can help create an open floor plan that cuts back on shadows in your home. Knocking down walls is relatively easy for confident DIYers, provided that the wall is not load bearing. If you’re not sure, work with a licensed contractor.

Install Glass Doors

Glass doors allow light into your room or your home. If you have privacy concerns, use doors with etched glass to prevent outsiders from looking in.

Contact Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we help homeowners redecorate their home to meet their needs. Our paints can help homeowners make dark spaces appear light and cheerful, or make light spaces seem dark and intimate. For help with your next painting project, stop in at one of our stores today!

7 Valentines Day Crafts That Will Make You Fall In Love

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Valentine’s day is the perfect occasion to make gifts for your loved one, spouse and children! These 7 Valentine’s day crafts can be done at home in your free time.

Monogrammed Heart Coasters

These rustic monogrammed heart coasters make great gifts for your loved one.

Materials: Log approximately 3 inches in diameter

Saw
Paint
Paint brush
Sand paper
Polyurethane

Cut a log into thin circles to form coasters. Use sandpaper to sand down any sharp edges, then paint hearts and initials of your loved one on the surface of the coasters. Protect the coasters with polyurethane when you’re done.

Stained Glass Tissue Paper Hearts

Stained glass tissue paper hearts make wonderful window decorations for your living room or bedroom. This project can be done with children as young as 2, provided that they have proper supervision and assistance.

Materials:

Clear contact paper
Red and pink tissue paper cut into little squares
Scissors

Have your child use tissue paper squares to decorate the sticky side of a sheet of contact paper. Lay down a second sheet of contact paper over the tissue paper, so the tissue paper is safely enclosed between two sheets of contact paper. Cut out the contact paper into the shape of a heart and tape it to your windows at home.

Heart Thumbprint Platter

This thumbprint platter will be a keepsake in your family for years to come.

Materials:

White platter
Glass paint
Oil based permanent marker

Have each family member decorate a plain white platter with painted hearts made out of their own thumb prints, then label each thumb print to indicate which member of the family made which heart. Bake the platter to finish the project. You can see the whole process here:

Edible Love Letters

Make sugar cookies using your favorite sugar cookie recipe, then ice the cookies and wait for the icing to dry. When the icing is dry, use a food-grade marker to write a love letter on the cookie, and give the cookie to a loved one. If you’re not sure which recipe will work well for this project, take a look at this recipe online .

Heart Chalk Board

This heart chalk board can be hung anywhere in the house and may be used to write loving messages to members of your family.

Materials:

Wooden heart-shaped board
Chalkboard paint

Use red or pink chalkboard paint to paint a wooden heart-shaped board. When it’s dry, hang the chalkboard anywhere in your house that will be visible to your family members. Write a new message on the board every day leading up to Valentine’s day!

Paint Strip Valentine’s Day Cards

Get creative with these hand made Valentine’s day cards.

Materials:

Red and pink sample strips from a paint store
Paper cutting dies
Glue
White archival card stock or paper to make a card
Markers and other materials

Fold over your white cardstock or paper to form the shape of a card. Use the paper cutting dies to cut out little shapes from your paper strips, then glue the pink and red shapes to your card. Use markers, paint and other materials to write a message on the inside or outside of your card. Take a look at examples of this project in action here:

Framed Hearts From the Kids

These precious keepsakes make good gifts for grandparents.

Materials:

Pencil
Construction paper
Paint
Scissors
Glue
Frame

Give each of your children one piece of construction paper with a large heart drawn on it. Have your children paint the hearts, using finger paint or whatever paint you have on hand. Allow the paint to dry and cut out the hearts. Glue the hearts to a decorative piece of paper and mount it in a frame.

Come to Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we have a variety of materials to help with your Valentine’s Day craft projects, including polyurethane, paint and paint sample strips! Come by our stores today.

DIY Project Ideas for Leftover Paint

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Leftover paint has a way of accumulating in basements and garages, and much of it never gets used. These creative, simple projects will help you clear out your old cans to make room for new leftover paint.

Create an Accent Wall

When you’ve got just enough paint to cover one wall but not an entire room, why not paint an accent wall? We recommend painting an accent wall in an area of the room where you’d like to draw attention. For example, when painting an accent wall in your living room, paint it on a wall where there is a natural focal point, like a fireplace or a television.

Paint An Old Chair

A coat of paint is a great tool for sprucing up an old chair or another piece of furniture, because paint can hide scratches and wear and tear that might otherwise make your furniture look shabby. When taking on this project, start by cleaning the chair, then sand down the wood to create a surface to which paint can adhere. Wipe away any sawdust, then apply the paint.

Antique Your Furniture

Antiquing is a good technique for using two or more coats of paint at one time. Use the techniques outlined above to paint the furniture of your choice. Once the piece of furniture is painted with two coats of one color, switch to a new color and apply two more coats of paint. Finally, sand away bits of the the top layer of paint to reveal the different colored paint underneath.

Add Stripes to a Nursery

Stripes are fun and cute! They make the perfect decoration for nursery walls. To paint stripes on the walls of your home, use painter’s tape to create the outline around the stripes, then paint within those lines. Be careful not to rely too heavily on the painter’s tape to contain the paint, as the paint may still bleed underneath the tape. Use the tape more as a guide than anything else.

Help Your Book Shelves Pop

Painting the inside of your bookshelves to brighten the space inside can draw attention to your books and make your shelves more decorative. Use the same processes that you would use to paint wooden furniture. We recommend using lighter colors inside your bookshelves to help lighten the space and keep your shelves easily visible.

Add Color to a Vase

Paint a glass vase in a bright, beautiful color to draw attention to the flowers. Keep in mind that paint cannot adhere to glass very well, so unless the paint is designed specifically to be applied to glass, we recommend handling the vase gently after painting it.

Other Things You Can Do with Your Old Paint

If you’re not in the mood to paint anything at all, you can still get rid of your old paint by giving it away to someone in need. We recommend calling local charities, non-profits, community theaters, churches and schools to see if any of the organizations in your area could make use of your old paint. If you can’t find any organizations in your area that will take your paint, post the paint on your Facebook page and on your local Freecycle page to see if you can find any takers.

Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Once you’ve gotten rid of your old paint, then you’ll have room to buy new paint. If you’re looking for new paint or paint accessories like brushes and paint thinner, stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture .

Fine Paints of Europe

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture is proud to announce that we’ll soon be selling Fine Paints of Europe! This exquisite brand of paint is made from all the finest ingredients and is widely recognized to be among the best quality paint commercially available. Fine Paints of Europe produces paint in vibrant, bold colors, perfect for interior and exterior projects. Whether you’re painting a wall, your home’s siding or your home’s exterior door, Fine Paints of Europe will coat your home with finest pigments and ingredients.

All About Fine Paints of Europe

Fine Paints of Europe is a high-quality paint product that provides a durable coat that can last for many years. In fact, this European paint is suitable for use on buildings that are very old indeed, as it it originates in the Netherlands where many structures are hundreds of years old.

Fine Paints of Europe produces rich, classic colors that are perfect for your home inside and out. The hues and shades are designed to set an ambiance and match your home’s unique style. This versatile paint can be used on many surfaces including walls, furniture, siding, floors, ceilings and murals.

What makes Fine Paints of Europe different from other paints?

Fine Paints of Europe is made from the highest quality ingredients available on the market. Not only is the finished product more beautiful, but it also lasts longer. Durability leads to fewer new applications of paint over time and increased savings.

Should your coat of Fine Paints of Europe ever become damaged or a little dingy, you can freshen the coat of paint by simply adding another layer over the original. This will help your home look its best with minimal effort for many years.

We also like that this brand produces an all natural, eco-friendly green product. This low contaminant paint product is low odor for the protection of your family members and your own personal health.

Who can use Fine Paints of Europe?

Anyone can stop in to Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture and pick up a can of Fine Paints of Europe, however, we recommend contacting a certified contractor who has been trained to use this exquisite paint product. You’ll get best results by hiring a professional to help with your project.

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture for the Best Quality Paints

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture is proud to offer this exquisite line of paint to our customers! We also carry a variety of other high quality products to ensure that our customers can get the paint products they need to paint their home inside and out.

We carry stains, paints, tarps, paint brushes and other items that can help you get your paint project off the ground. Best of all, our employees are trained to answer questions from homeowners hoping to take on DIY projects. Come to Ace for paint products and good advice!

Painting a Nursery and Child’s Room

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 21:24:16 GMT

Preparing a nursery is one of the many things that parents do when they’re expecting a baby. Choosing the right colors and the right paints for a nursery can help ensure that the project is a success. In this post, we’ll discuss the best colors for a beautiful nursery and the best type of paint to use on the walls and furniture.

Choose the Right Colors

Choosing the right colors for your baby’s nursery is important. Many new parents are tempted to choose playful, childish colors for their baby’s room. Don’t forget that your baby will soon grow up into an older child who may not appreciate a room painted in a bright, bold, baby-like color scheme. If you don’t wish to repaint your child’s room in a few short years, choose colors that your child can appreciate now and as an older child.

Neutrals. Neutrals like brown and gray are mellow, relaxing and appropriate from infancy through school age. Best of all, neutrals go with everything, so you won’t have to worry about choosing the right furniture to match the walls.
Soft blue. Baby blue isn’t just for boys! This gentle color is soothing and soft, just the right shade to help your child fall asleep at nap time.
Green. Parents looking for something less gender specific may appreciate the color green on their child’s walls. Like blue, green is soothing and sweet, but earthy as well. This color is perfect for boys or girls.

Go Low VOC

VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs are emitted as gases, and can be found in relatively high concentrations inside the home. VOCs are believed to have short- and long-term health effects, so many people do what they can to reduce concentration of VOCs in their homes. Paint is one of the most common sources of VOCs. Low VOC paint products are the best type of paints to use in nurseries.

Paint Furniture the Right Way

Baby furniture will be chewed on and well worn by the time your baby is grown. When choosing paint for furniture, we recommend using non-toxic, low VOC paints. The hardiest, most sturdy paints will be those paints labeled specifically for use on furniture. These paints have been designed to stand up to hard use, and are less likely to chip when your baby tries to sooth his or her aching gums by chewing on the crib.

When painting furniture, remember a few basic rules:

Clean the piece. Use a rag to clean the furniture and remove dust, dirt and grit that may be on the wood.
Prime the wood. Painting the wood with primer will help the paint stick to the furniture, resulting in a better looking finished product.
Paint the primed furniture. Apply a thin coat of paint and allow the paint to dry. The paint is fully dry when the paint is no longer tacky.
Apply a second coat. Apply a second coat of paint to the wood when the first coat has dried. Apply more layers as necessary, until the furniture has been completely coated.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we can help you pick the right color and type of paint for your child’s nursery. We also sell some of the tools you’ll need to finish your paint project! Stop in today to check out our paint and paint-related products.

How to Paint With a Stencil and Get Professional Results

Tue, 17 Jan 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Stencils can be used to create a pattern on your walls or a beautiful graphic design on a flat canvas. Stenciling sounds easy enough, but it takes a lot of work, the right tools, and some practice. In this post, we’ll talk about the best ways to paint with stencils and get professional results.

Use the Right Tools

Below are some of the most useful tools for stenciling:

Dauber: A dauber is a round sponge with a flat bottom attached to a short dowel. This is what many people use to apply the paint inside a stencil.
Painter’s tape: Painter’s tape will help you keep the stencil in place and can also be used to mask off areas that you don’t want to be touched by paint.
Thick acrylic paint: Matte, eggshell or flat paint is usually the best kind of paint because it’s less runny than glossy paint. It’s important to use the thickest paint possible because thick paint is less likely to bleed beneath the stencil. If you’re stenciling the walls of your home, we recommend using Benjamin Moore’s “ben” paint, because it’s a good quality flat interior paint.

The other tools you need will depend on the surface that you’re painting. You may need rags, paper towels, a painter’s tray (if you’re stenciling a wall) or a palette (if you’re painting a canvas). If you’re stenciling a wall, you’ll also need all the usual tools for a wall painting project, including tarps, paint rollers and materials to repair the walls.

Reduce Bleed

Bleed is one of the biggest problem that people have when stenciling. Bleed is what happens when the paint runs out beneath the stencil and smudges the edges of the image. Some small amount of bleed is inevitable in almost any stenciling project, but most of it can be prevented if you follow these tips.

Keep your stencil locked into place. Use painter’s tape to hold the stencil down while you’re using the stencil.
Use an even, flat surface. Paint can leak out past the edges of the stencil if the surface being painted is rough or uneven. If you’re painting a wall, you can avoid problems by repairing holes and other blemishes before beginning the stenciling project.
Avoid stenciling on shiny surfaces. Matte surfaces are more porous and will absorb the paint more quickly, thus helping prevent bleed.
Avoid overloading the brushes. Loading the dauber or paintbrush with too much paint will allow some paint to gush out the sides of the stencil, resulting in bleed.
Keep the contrast low. High-contrast color combinations, like a white stencil on a black surface, will show bleed easily. Low contrast color combinations, like a light green stencil on dark green paint, will show very little bleed.
Work from the outside in. Paint the edges of each stencil first, then work your way into the middle of the stencil after coating the entire perimeter.

Use Best Practices During Application

Stenciling is a fairly straight forward process. Lay down the stencil, load the brush with paint, then dab the paint into the holes in the stencil. However, the following tips will help ensure good results:

Do not saturate the dauber with a heavy coat of paint.
Apply two or more thin layers of paint rather than applying one thick layer of paint.
Give yourself lots of time to stencil, especially if you’re painting a large surface, like the walls of a room. Stenciling can be very time consuming.
Practice stenciling before beginning a big stenciling project. This will help you develop a technique that works for you.

For more tips, take a look at this YouTube video online:

Contact Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we have the tools you need to get your stenciling project under way! Stop in for paint brushes, tarps, rollers and more.

Planning Your 2017 Home Improvement Project

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 16:00:00 GMT

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we’re starting to see a lot of homeowners preparing for big home remodeling projects in the new year. Home remodeling is a big task which can be overwhelming to some homeowners. We’d like to help. In this post, we’ll address some of the basics of planning your home remodeling project in 2017. These suggestions will help you form a plan to beautify your home and improve your property value.

Make Goals

Before you can make a plan for your home improvement project, you must first establish some goals. If you already know which room of the house you’d like to remodel, make a list of the greatest problems or deficiencies that you’ve identified in that room. Is it too dark? Does it lack storage space? Are you unable to move freely about the room because of the clutter? Is there one piece of furniture that you’re always bumping into? Identifying these problems can help you focus your efforts and determine what needs to be done to make your home remodeling project a success.

After you’ve identified the problems, use this information to make goals. For example, if the room is too dark, make it your goal to find new ways to bring light into the room. Knocking down a wall, repainting and installing new lighting can all help.

Do Research

Once you know what your goals are, start researching the various ways that other homeowners in your area or in homes like yours have chosen to solve these problems. Look at websites like Houzz , Pinterest and other idea boards for inspiration. Make your own Pinterest board to help you keep your thoughts organized.

Investigate Materials

After taking a look at pictures of different designs and pictures of remodels, it will be time to start prioritizing which materials you would like to use in your home renovation. Make a list of the type of materials you’re considering, then go to home fixture supply stores to investigate prices and quality. Often seeing fixtures in person can help you narrow down your wish list. Shopping in advance can give you time to find the best deal, so it’s a good idea to start this part of the process early.

Talk to Contractors

If you plan to hire a professional to remodel your home, start talking to contractors and collecting bids. When talking to contractors, check for licensure, insurance and reputation in the community. Ask to see portfolio pictures and get references. Meet with multiple different contractors to give you a broad range of choices and find the contractor that’s right for you.

Create a Budget

After getting quotes from contractors and investigating materials and their prices, it’s time to create a budget . If you’re getting a loan, make an appointment with your bank to discuss financing. Once you know how much money you’re going to spend, create a detailed plan that divides the money up between materials and labor costs. Don’t forget to add a buffer of approximately 10% for miscellaneous expenses and repair of any old damage that your remodeling efforts might uncover.

Come to Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we’re happy to help homeowners finish their home improvement projects in the New Year. We stock a variety of quality paints and other supplies to get your paint projects completed! We can help you pick out all the supplies you’ll need to get started, just stop in at one of our convenient locations .

New Year, New Improvements: Home Color Trends for 2017

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 16:00:00 GMT

2017 is almost here! If you’re planning to paint or upgrade your home’s interior color in the coming year, now is the time to start thinking about the palette. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we love tracking trending paint colors and color schemes. In this post, we’ve compiled some of the best paint trends of the New Year. Whether you’re thinking about painting a single room or the whole house, we can help you pick out your palette for the New Year.

Bright, Bold and Unexpected Splashes of Color

In this color scheme, start with a neutral color scheme. Use shades of cream, beige, brown and gray to your heart’s content, making the room sophisticated and elegant. Next, choose one or two bright, bold accent colors to create an unexpected and surprising focal point in the room. For example, consider painting your fireplace mantel in a bold and unusual shade of yellow or warm yellow-orange. This color scheme is both fun and playful, perfect for family rooms, kitchens and some dining areas.

Warm Grays

Gray has been in fashion for several years now, and that doesn’t seem to be changing any time in the near future. It’s the perfect neutral in many ways because it runs between cool and warm, and thus can be matched to nearly any other color in the room.

In 2017 the most popular shades of gray will be on the warm end of the spectrum. Colors like Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter and Edgecomb Gray will make their appearance in rooms like the living room and dining room especially. These sophisticated, gorgeous shades look best when combined with colors like khaki, soft shades of gray-brown and cream.

Dramatic but Monochromatic

Monochromatic color schemes are becoming more popular in homes and businesses everywhere. These color schemes are made up of a single color in many different shades. Take a look at these images on Houzz , where you can see the monochromatic color scheme in action in a variety of rooms.

If you’re thinking about using monochromatic color in your home, we recommend choosing different shades of the same color, rather than choosing all one shade. Painting the walls with different shades can help keep the appearance of the room varied and interesting.

Eclectic Color

2017 will be the year of eclectic color combinations! Combining tropical hues like aquamarine, bold red and warm, orange-yellow can make rooms like the kitchen or playroom more enjoyable. Picking a dominant color to paint the walls and dispersing the rest of the color throughout the room through furniture and accessories will help ensure that the room is bright and cheerful without being overwhelming.

Dark and Light Combos

Dramatic combinations of dark and light colors can be used to create an artful visual effect in almost any room, from the bedroom to the living room. To achieve this effect, try painting the walls of your home a darker color like Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy , then add white furniture pieces to add visual interest to the room. In small rooms, we recommend the reverse: paint the walls a lighter color and use darker pieces of furniture as the accents. This prevents the room from feeling too cramped or claustrophobic.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture is your source for beautiful interior and exterior paint selections in Pittsburgh. When you’re ready to get started painting your home in the New Year, we hope you’ll stop in at our store to check out our beautiful selection of paints and our quality paint materials.

New Year’s Eve Craft Projects

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Are you planning a New Year’s get together with friends and relatives? If so, now is the time to start your party decorations and party planning. Making New Year’s crafts at home can help you personalize your holiday decor and while engaging with your creative side. Even if you’re not planning a big party, many of these crafts are simply good ways to keep kids entertained while you celebrate New Year’s eve at home.

New Year Cards

If you’re planning to have a lot of people over to your house, these cards will make the perfect invitations. If you’re not planning a big event, you can still make cards and send them out to friends and loved ones to wish them a happy 2017. There’s not one way to make cards. Blank white folded cards are available for sale in craft stores; they simply need to be decorated. Having a lot of supplies on hand to make your cards beautiful will make this project more fun and rewarding. Helpful supplies to decorate cards include:

Stamps in an assortment of shapes (snowflakes, snow men and so on)
Light blue, silver and white acrylic paint
Ribbon in assorted colors like blue, black, white, silver and gray
Archival quality decorative papers
Paper snowflakes

Once you’ve gathered your materials, get started! We recommend making several test cards before deciding on a method or design that works for you. Use archival quality glue so the recipients can make your cards into keepsakes, if desired.

Paper Snowflake Garland

You probably already know how to make paper snowflakes, but if you don’t, here’s a useful tutorial online . Once you’ve made 10 or 12 snowflakes, decorate them with glitter or paint them with silver metallic spray paint. Attach the snowflakes together into a long string using white or light blue yarn, and hang the garland up on your walls to decorate your home. You can also hang this garland in front of your windows to remind yourself of beautiful falling snow.

Icicle Garland

Paper icicle garlands are a good activity for kids. Simply draw a series of up and down jagged icicles onto a long piece of white felt, then cut out the icicles to hang on your mantel or at the top of your windows. To go the extra step, spray the tips of the garland with adhesive and then sprinkle them with glitter. To see an example of the finished product, take a look at the video below:

Silver Fruit Platter Centerpiece

Make a gorgeous fruit centerpiece for your New Year party, or just for fun. To do this, spray artificial fruit with a metallic silver paint and give the fruit sufficient time to dry (about 24 hours). Arrange the fruit on a silver platter with white roses (real or artificial).

2017 Goals Chalkboard

Do you know what your goals and resolutions are for 2017? Then we recommend making a 2017 goals chalkboard to hang in a prominent position in your home’s entryway or kitchen. Use permanent chalk markers to write your goals neatly on the chalk board. Draw a check box at the front of every item on the list. As you complete your goals of the new year, make a check in each box. This is a motivational way to show your progress throughout the year and keep yourself on track to complete your goals.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell paint, paint brushes and other useful items that you might need to complete projects in 2017. Stop in today to take a look at our selection and get started with your projects for the new year!

Last Minute Christmas DIY’s

Tue, 20 Dec 2016 16:00:00 GMT

The holidays are here! Soon it will be time to decorate your home. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we love this time of year, and we especially enjoy hearing about the DIY projects our customers are completing around the house. Below are some of our favorite homemade crafts and decorations.

Key Ornaments

Old keys are sentimental tokens that make great decorations for Christmas trees. To make your keys more decorative, we recommend painting them with metallic or colorful spray paint. When they’re ready, hang them on hooks to dry.

When the spray paint has been allowed to cure for about 24 hours, spray the tip of each key with adhesive and then dip them in fine glitter. Attach the keys to the Christmas tree with decorative ribbon. To make your tokens more meaningful, we recommend attaching labels that indicate which residence or doors the keys used to open.

Gold Leaf Ornaments

Gold leaf is shiny and beautiful, perfect for decorating Christmas ornaments ! For this project, you’ll need to buy plain glass ornaments. Fill the ornaments with paint and then dump out the excess, or paint the outside of the ornament. Give the ornament time to dry. When the paint is done drying, spray adhesive over half or a portion of the ornament and then attach gold leaf to the adhesive, leaving the paint visible over the rest of the ornament.

Clothespin Wreath

Bend a wire from a hanger or a stiff craft wire into a circle to form the base of your wreath. Buy a pack of clothespins and paint them with green spray paint. Attach the clothes pins to the wire with a red bead in between each pin, arranging all clothespins so the clipping parts of the clothespins are facing outward. At the top of the wreath, attach a red ribbon to hang the wreath. When the wreath is hanging up, use the clothespins to hold Christmas cards and photos. You can see an example of this project here .

Photo Cubes Ornaments

Cut a 4×4 piece of wood into cubes, or buy cube-shaped wooden blocks at a craft store. If you’re cutting your own piece of wood into a cube, sand down the edges of the cubes to remove splinters. Cut meaningful photos into pieces small enough to fit on four sides of the cube, then use archival-quality glue to adhere the photos to four sides of the cube, leaving the top and bottom of the cube empty.

When the glue has dried, use paint to decorate the top and bottom of the cube, and paint around the edges of the photos to bring the design together. When the paint has dried, cover the cubes in Modge Podge to protect the cubes and make them shiny. When the project is completely finished, screw a small eye loop into the top of the cube, and string a ribbon through the eye loop to attach it to your tree.

There are many variations of this project. For example, you can use cardboard boxes instead of wooden cubes, and can paint the cubes before attaching the photos.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture carries tools you need to complete DIY projects around the house. We carry everything from paint to paint brushes, wood stain, painting tools and more. Call today or stop in to check out our inventory!

Ways to Add Cozy, Winter Style To Your Home

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Winter is a time when many people start to feel cramped and trapped in their homes. Making your indoor space a more inviting, cozy place to spend time can help you make the most of your winter. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we encourage our customers to brighten their homes with cheerful, cozy accessories that fight off the mid-winter blues.

Bring in Bold, Bright Color

Painting your home’s interior in bright, cheerful colors can create a more warm, inviting environment in your home, which can make you feel better about spending time indoors. If you’re hoping to avoid a big paint project this winter, try painting an accent wall instead of painting an entire room. Some ideas for warm, cheerful colors that you can paint on your walls include:

Etruscan: Make the walls of your home glow with this deep amber reminiscent of caramel, cinnamon sticks and warm nights spent in front of the fire. We recommend pairing this golden brown color with shades of gray blue and cream.
Dark Burgundy: Do you like to stay warm with a glass of wine on cold winter nights? Then Benjamin Moore’s Dark Burgundy is the color for you. This dark violet red color is reminiscent of winter dinner parties and solitary nights curled up with a book. If you’re looking for colors to pair with Dark Burgundy, try shades of cool beige and dark, gun-metal gray.
Dinner Party: This bold, bright color will warm your home and your spirit. Elegant and sophisticated, Dinner Party is a color that can easily be paired with shades of khaki and beige. We recommend painting Dinner Party in a dining room or kitchen, and in areas of the home where you spend time with guests and loved ones.

Focus on the Fireplace

Drawing attention to the fireplace in your home will reinforce the warmth and coziness that emanates from your hearth when a fire is burning. To keep the focus of your room on your fireplace, try painting an accent wall around the fireplace, then create an attention-grabbing display over the mantel. Using winter décor on the mantel will help you remember how cold it is outside and how fortunate you are to be inside.

Add Touches of Warmth

It’s not enough for a room to look warm: it needs to feel warm. Having the right accessories in your home for keeping you warm is a good way to make a room seem cozier and more inviting.

We suggest buying throw blankets, plush rugs and extra pillows for your living room, family room and bedrooms. Buying accessories made from natural materials like sheepskin and suede will reinforce the feeling of warmth and make your nights at home more enjoyable.

Brighten the Space with Mirrors

As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, you’ll naturally be looking for ways to make your home’s interior lighter and brighter. To combat this problem, use mirrors to bounce light around the room. Mirrors also help detract from feelings of claustrophobia because they obscure the actual dimensions of the room, making your home feel somewhat larger.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we provide the supplies homeowners need for painting and furnishing their property. When it’s time to add warmth and beauty to your home in Pittsburgh, stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture . We’re your source for paint supplies in the city!

Winter Wonderland Touch Ups

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Winter is nearly here. With the weather outside turning colder, now is the perfect time to take on the indoor paint projects that may have been accumulating in your home over the last year. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we recommend tackling your touch up projects before the start of the holidays. Touching up the paint in your home before guests arrive can help you make your house look its best for your visitors.

Gather the Right Materials

The type of materials you’ll need to do touch ups will depend on the state of your walls. However, in general the materials below are helpful to have on hand:

Tarps
Brushes
Paint roller
Spackling
Paint scraper
Sandpaper
Paint

The paint itself is the most critical tool for doing touch ups. The best way to make your touch ups match the room is to use the original leftover paint. However, paint doesn’t last forever and if the paint is old enough, it may have gone bad. To find out if the leftover paint is still useable, open the can and inspect the paint. Paint that has a strange odor, visible mold or chunks of solids floating around in the liquid is not suitable for use on your walls. If the paint is no longer useable, stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture for materials.

Prep the Wall and the Room

Before you can do touch ups, you’ll first need to prep the surface. This is a multi-step process that may vary from wall to wall.

Lay down tarps and move furniture. Laying down tarps can prevent accidents from ruining your floors and furniture. If you can, move furniture out of the way to protect it during your paint touch up process.
Clean the wall. Start by cleaning the wall with a dry rag to clean away dust and dirt. For parts of the wall that cannot be cleaned in this way, dip the rag in warm soapy water.
Make small repairs to the area of the wall that needs to be painted. Fill any holes in the wall with spackling, then scrape down the spackling until it is even with the surface of the wall. Wait for the spackling to dry. If the spackling is still uneven after drying, use light-grit sandpaper to sand down the spackling.

Do Touch Ups As Needed

Once the wall has been cleaned, dried and repaired, the next step in the process is to perform touch ups as needed. Thin the paint by 10 or 15 percent to slow the wicking process. This prevents the paint from being absorbed into the wall too quickly and helps ensure that the new coat of paint will match the old coat of paint.

To apply the paint to the wall, use the same paint tool that you used to apply the original coat. In other words, if you used a brush to apply the paint before, use a brush now. If you used a roller to apply the original paint, use a roller again. This will help ensure that the two layers of paint will match.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture for Supplies

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we supply everything you need to do touch ups in your home. To buy supplies for doing touch ups in your home, stop in at our store today . We’ll be happy to help you get started on your paint project!

Preparing Your Deck for Winter

Tue, 29 Nov 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Winter is coming and your deck is facing a long road ahead. Winterizing the structure can help you preserve the wood and ensure that your deck will last for many years to come. During the winterizing process, your main goal should be to protect the deck from the effects of ice, snow and rain, which can quickly rot the wood. Properly preparing your deck for winter can extend its service life and save you money on deck repair and replacement.

Remove Planters and Wide-Base Furniture

Planters will trap moisture beneath their base, which can cause mold, mildew and wood rot during the course of the winter. Put the planters on your deck up on a deck table, or put them in the garage where they won’t do damage.

Prep the Area

Cleaning products, chemical stripper, stain, paint and solvents can all be bad for your landscaping. To avoid problems, water your nearby landscaping then drape the plants with tarps. This will prevent the plants from absorbing harmful chemicals and will limit their exposure.

Clean the Deck

Sweep the surface of the deck thoroughly, then use deck cleaner formulated for decks like yours. Some deck cleaners come with bleach, others do not. Using a bleach-based deck cleaner can remove stains and brighten a deck that has begun to gray, but using these products too often can encourage the wood to yellow, so be careful and use bleach prudently. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions when cleaning your deck with any product.

Test the Deck for Water Soundness

Your deck should be water repellant. Stain and paint can help protect your deck from ice and snow, but over time the stain or paint on your deck will fade, allowing water to penetrate the surface of the wood. To check for this problem, inspect your deck for the following characteristics:

Peeling, bubbling or faded paint.
Areas of dark, stained or gray wood.
Areas where the stain is worn away and the bare wood is exposed beneath.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell when the stain is fading. To find out, spray your deck with water from a hose. The water should bead up on the surface of the wood. If it doesn’t, then this means that the wood is absorbing the wood and the sealant on the deck should be replaced.

Reseal Your Deck If Necessary

If you decide that the stripper and paint or stain on your deck isn’t doing a good job, now is the time to reseal.

Stripping the wood is an important first step. Removing traces of the old sealant will make it possible for the wood to absorb the new product. When using chemical stripper, follow all manufacturer’s instructions.

Next, apply two coats of the paint or stain of your choice. Give yourself several days of good weather to get this project completely finished, as your deck will need dry weather for the stain or paint to cure.

For more information about sealing your deck, check out our post with detailed tips for getting the best results.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we sell everything you need in order to strip, stain and seal your deck this winter. In addition, we’re happy to answer questions that you might have about stain or paint product usage and deck maintenance. To get started sealing your deck, stop in at one of our convenient locations today!

Thanksgiving Craft Projects

Tue, 22 Nov 2016 16:00:00 GMT

One of the best ways to get your family into the spirit of Thanksgiving is to make craft projects together. Below are some of the best craft projects to work on with your children before the holiday. All the crafts mentioned below can be done with children ages 6 to 12, but older children can also enjoy working on these projects. Younger children are also able to participate in these craft activities if they are provided enough support from adults.

Pinch Pot Turkey

Materials:

Oven-bake clay
Shiny acrylic paint
Paint brushes
Palette
Jar of water (for rinsing brushes)

A pinch pot is one of the most basic type of three dimensional crafts. To make a pinch pot, roll a piece of clay into a ball. Insert your thumb into the ball to make a deep impression in the clay, but do not allow your thumb to pierce through the clay and make a hole in the ball. With your thumb in the ball, grip the clay with your fingers and pinch the clay. Rotate the ball on your thumb, then grip the ball and pinch it with your thumb and fingers. Continue rotating the ball and pinching the sides until the ball starts to form a very basic pot. You can see the process here:

Next, use the extra clay to form a turkey head and a turkey tail. Attach the head to the front of the pot and the tail to the back of the pot so. Bake the pot following the instructions provided with the clay. Once the pot has baked, paint the pot with shiny acrylic paint. Turkey pinch pots make good candle or candy holders at the Thanksgiving table.

Turkey Hand Print

Materials:

Construction paper
Tempera paint
Paint brush
Palette
Jar of water

This classic Thanksgiving art project makes beautiful art that you can hang on the walls of your dining room at Thanksgiving! Paint your hand so that the palm and thumb is brown and the fingers are all different colors. Press your hand into the construction paper so that you leave a multicolored hand print on the page. The palm and thumb represent the body and head of the turkey, and the fingers represent the tail. Next, use the paintbrush to paint an eye, beak and waddle on the turkey. Give the paint time to dry before hanging the pictures.

Glitter Leaves

Materials:

Leaves
Hole puncher
Ribbon
Spray adhesive
Glitter

Collect fall leaves outside. The leaves you choose should not be brittle and dry, but bendable and supple. Next, use the hole puncher to punch a hole in each leaf near the base. Spray each leaf with spray adhesive, then dip each leaf in glitter so that the glitter sticks to the surface of the leaf. String a piece of ribbon through the hole in each leaf, then tie each piece of ribbon into a loop. Use these decorative leaves as ornaments around your Thanksgiving table.

Contact Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we love to see our customers getting creative at the holidays! We sell a variety of products that can help you prepare your Thanksgiving craft projects. To get started on your art activities, stop in at one of our stores today.

Pre-Holiday Painting Is Here

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Halloween is over and the countdown to the holidays has begun. If you’re planning on having a big holiday get together this year, now is the time to make your house look its best. One of the best ways to prepare your home for the arrival of guests is to refresh or touch up the paint inside your home. Not all areas of your house may need to be painted, but now is the time to assess your situation and take action where needed.

Assess Your Need

Take a good look at most public parts of your house, including the entryway, living room, dining room and kitchen. Clean the walls first. Use a dry towel to remove the dust, cobwebs and surface grime. Next, clean any remaining marks with warm soapy water and a clean sponge. Allow the walls to dry. This will enable you to investigate the real condition of the paint.

Examine the paint in full, broad daylight. Look for scrapes, scratches and marks that remain. Pay careful attention to the trim around the base of your walls and the corners of the walls where people frequently walk. Determine which parts of the house need to be touched up and which parts need to be repainted altogether.

Make Touch Ups Wherever Possible

Touching up paint is easier than redoing an entire room. Knowing how to apply the paint and which paint to use will help you make touch-ups that are indistinguishable from the original paint on the walls.

Use the same paint whenever possible. Use the original can of paint, if possible. If the can is one or more years old, the paint may no longer be good. Open the can without shaking it and investigate the paint for surface mold or unusual smells. If the paint seems alright, try stirring and shaking it. Look for mysterious lumps, clumps and streaks in the paint. If you can find no evidence that the paint has gone bad, then it is likely fine.
Water down or thin the paint. Thinning the paint slows the wicking process and increases the likelihood that the new paint and old paint will match. Thin the paint by about 10 or 15%, and mix it well before getting started.
Apply paint with the same tools you used the first time. If you used a paintbrush to apply the paint originally, do it now. If you used a roller, use a roller again. Matching the textures will help you apply the new paint seamlessly.

Repaint When Necessary

If touching up isn’t going to be enough, consider repainting instead. Repainting a room or even just a hallway can make your home seem new, clean and fresh for visitors.

Consider adding an accent wall. Sometimes repainting an entire room is unnecessary. If only one wall needs to be changed, consider painting an accent wall to tie together your interior design.
Check the conditions for repainting. Temperatures outside are dropping! If you haven’t yet turned on your home’s furnace, read the side of the paint can to ensure that your home’s temperature and humidity fall within acceptable parameters for the type of paint you selected.
Give your paint adequate time to cure. Paint needs at least two weeks to cure properly, and until that happens, it can be fragile and easy to damage. Give yourself at least two weeks between the day you paint the walls and the day that you put up any holiday decorations that could potentially damage your walls.

Stop By Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture , we sell everything you’ll need to get your home painted this holiday season. To get started with your home improvement project before the arrival of your holiday guests, stop in today for paint and painting tools like paint brushes, rollers and more!

Texture, Color, Patterns, and More – Choosing the Right Accent Wall

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Special finishes are fun, but they can also be overwhelming when applied to a whole room. Accent walls present the perfect opportunity to add a touch of creativity to an interior space without going over the top. Knowing which wall to use as an accent wall, which color to select, when to use a special effect and other details can help you decorate your room in a way that is attractive.

Choosing the Right Color

A decade ago, accent walls were bright and bold. Colors like deep red, bright green and sunny yellow were common colors that people chose when selecting a paint for their accent wall. In recent years, accent walls have been toned down significantly. When picking a color, look for neutral and muted colors that will blend in better with the surrounding room and help the space feel like an integrated whole.

Using Special Effects

Accent walls don’t have to be limited to special colors. Special effects, like textures and patterns, are decorative and attractive in small quantities. If you’re trying to think outside the box, here are a few possible special effects to use on your accent wall.

Wooden boards: Nail a pattern of wooden boards to your accent wall to make it look like a wooden floor or wooden platform. This works well in rustic room with wooden and handmade furniture. To see what this looks like in practice, take a look at this page .
Stone tile: Stone tiles add texture and natural color to any room. Stone tiles are somewhat formal and look best in formal spaces like living rooms and dining rooms.
Textured drywall mud: Smear drywall mud on your home’s sheet rock, then manipulate the mud by hand to create a texture of your choice. You can use this method to texture your walls with swirls, stripes or other random patterns. This is also a good way to create a stucco finish on your home’s walls.
Stenciled patterns: Stencils make it possible to create unique and colorful patterns on your wall.
Faux finish. Faux finishes like sponge paint and rag paint and smoosh paint technique can be used to incorporate more than one color on your accent wall.

Which Wall is the Accent Wall?

Many people struggle to choose the best accent wall for their room. As a general rule, the best choice is any wall that features a natural focal point. For example, you may choose the wall behind your fireplace as the accent wall for your living room. In a bedroom, the focal point may be your bed’s headboard. Therefore, the accent wall would be the wall behind your bed. If no obvious focal point exists, choose the shortest wall farthest from the room’s entrance. This will help the space feel open and spacious.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help homeowners choose the right painting materials for their home remodeling projects. We sell the best quality paints and stains. For advice on painting your accent wall or to buy the right products to get started, contact us today or stop in at one of our stores.

How To Choose a Cohesive Color Palette for Your Home

Tue, 01 Nov 2016 21:24:14 GMT

One of the best ways to unify your home's interior design is to choose a cohesive color palette for the interior. Choosing a color theme will give you direction when choosing new furniture and decor. In addition, using matching colors in the home will help ensure that your house looks its best at all times. For some people, choosing a color scheme can be a challenge. At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help our customers choose matching color schemes that match their personalities and line up with the goals they have for their home.

Consider the type of environment you want to create in your home . Different colors inspire different moods in people. Warm colors (reds, oranges and yellows) tend to create a feeling of excitement, energy and passion. Cool colors (purples, greens and blues) tend to be soothing and relaxing. The type of color you choose for your room will greatly influence your attitude and mood when inside the home.
Choose the dominant color first . The dominant color is the main color found in the home. The dominant color will be paired up with one or two accent colors and several neutrals to create a fluid, cohesive design. Choosing a dominant color for your entire home may be an overwhelming task. If you're feeling a little bit lost and don't know where to begin, narrow your task by choosing a color for the largest, most public room of your home. This may be your kitchen or living room. Choosing a color for one large room is often easier than choosing a color for your entire home, and whatever you choose for that large room can be the basis for the dominant color you choose for your entire home.
Select accent colors next . Once you've picked a dominant color, then you can select an accent color (or colors). Accents are usually colors that have a relationship to the dominant color on the color wheel. For example, you may choose an accent color that is the compliment of the dominant color, meaning that it is found on the opposite side of the color wheel. Complimentary color pairs include green and red, blue and orange, and purple and yellow. Accent colors are intended to set off the dominant color by creating contrast. Usually accent colors are found in small pieces around the home, like in pillows and curtains.
Fill in the spaces with neutrals . Once you've picked a dominant color and one or two accent colors, you'll need to choose some neutral shades to fill the space. Neutrals are important because they help break up the dominant color. Neutrals include colors like brown, beige, white, cream, gray and black. You'll want to have at least two or three neutral shades that you can combine with your dominant and accent colors to make the space less intense and more digestible.

When choosing paints and shades for your home's color palette, give yourself options by choosing colors that span a range of hues and values. Including dark colors and light colors in your palette will give you flexibility to meet the needs of each room. If you're looking for an example of a successful whole-home color palette, check out this beautiful example .

Stop In at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help our customers pick the right colors for their needs. We also sell high quality paint supplies and unfinished furniture for everyone! If you're currently trying to choose a color or a color scheme that works for you, we'll be happy to help. To find out more, contact us today .

Spooky and Creative Halloween Paint Projects

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Halloween will be here soon! Now is the time to break out craft projects and decorate your home with homemade decor. These seven paint projects will keep you and your kids busy on rainy days and chilly nights, as you wait for Halloween to arrive.

Black Pumpkin Diorama

Purchase an artificial carving pumpkin from a local craft supply store. Cut a large hole in the front of the pumpkin, then paint the outside and inside of the pumpkin black using black spray paint. Inside the pumpkin create a Halloween scene using construction paper, artificial plants, stones, figurines, dolls, and other little objects.

The exact scene you choose you make will depend on the materials you have at home. Dollhouse furniture and dolls are good for this type of project. You can create an image of a witch working over a cauldron, a wolf howling at the moon, or a ghost in a graveyard. For a good example of what a pumpkin diorama looks like , check out this website .

Spider Tablecloth

Take a solid white, solid orange or solid black tablecloth, then use fabric paint to stencil spiders running across the surface of the table. You can make as many or as few spiders as you want. To add an extra level of intrigue and visual interest, paint a spider web in each corner.

Pumpkin Bottles

Collect some old milk or juice bottles. Clean them out well, then coat the inside with orange paint and let the paint dry. On the outside of each bottle, paint pumpkin faces using black or yellow paint. Finally, paint the tops of the bottles green.

You can vary this project by making the bottles into ghosts (using white and black paint), witches (using green and black paint), or Frankensteins (using green and black paint).

Spider, Witch or Pumpkin Napkins

For this project, you’ll use fabric paint to stencil images of spiders onto cloth napkins. This is the perfect companion project to the “spider tablecloth” craft described above. As a variation of this, you can also paint an image of a ghost or witch onto the napkins.

Baby Foot Ghosts

If you have a baby or a toddler, this project is cute and easy to pull off. Paint the bottom of your baby’s foot with white paint, then make a white footprint on a piece of black construction paper. Turn the foot upside down and you have a ghost! Finally, paint the word “boo” on the construction paper for effect.

Spider Hands

This is a variation of the ghost feet project. Paint your child’s hand (all except the thumb) with black paint, then instruct your child to make a handprint on a piece of white or orange construction paper. The palm of the hand represents the spider’s body, and the four fingers are four of the spider’s legs.

Paint your child’s other hand using the same process, then have your child place another handprint on the paper. Make the palms of the two handprints overlap, while the fingers of two the handprints point in opposite directions to form eight distinct legs. Paint eyes on the spider's body and you're done!

Halloween Furniture

Paint an old step stool or rocking chair with black paint, then use white or orange paint to stencil images of ghosts, pumpkins, and spiders across the surface of the furniture. Place this piece of furniture on your front stoop with other Halloween props on Halloween night.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture is your source for paint and paintbrushes this October. Stop in anytime to shop from our selection of furniture and house paint. We look forward to helping you!

Fall Paint Trends for 2016

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Fall is here, and at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we're excited to announce the fall paint trends of 2016! In today's post, we'll cover the new favorite colors of the season and a new favorite method for achieving vintage flair. Whether you're thinking about refinishing a piece of furniture or you're trying to decide what color to paint your home's interior, we're here to help you make tough painting decisions for the fall season.

Off-White is the New Black

Off-white is trending in a big way this fall season. From kitchens to living rooms, off-white paint is warming the heart and soul of homeowners in Pittsburgh and around the country. At Ace Paint, we like the way this color contrasts nicely with dark wood finishes as well as shades of gray, green and blue. Off-white also works well when paired with other neutral colors like brown or beige.

Not sure which shade to buy? We recommend Benjamin Moore's China White , because it is distinct and creamy, especially when held up to other whites. We like that this paint does not have the pink, gray or blue overtones of many other off-white paints.

Adding Vintage Flair

Are you thinking about redoing some furniture this fall? We recommend painting your furniture with milk paint. This forgiving, easy-to-use medium can be applied to nearly any piece of furniture without sanding the surface. We love the soft, distinctly home-made quality of this product. Milk paint makes all furniture look like it's been sitting undiscovered in a barn for the last 50 years.

For furniture refinishers who enjoy antiquing their pieces, milk paint can be easily sanded away to reveal different colored layers beneath. Once the paint has dried, a layer of tinted wax applied over the top will make your milk paint appear to be weathered and colored with age. Milk paint has been rising in popularity for years and is our favorite furniture refinishing product of fall 2016.

Cinnamon, Spice and Paint Colors So Nice

It wouldn't be autumn if we didn't write a post about our favorite rustic, autumnal paint colors of the season. Our favorite Benjamin Moore autumn paint colors include:

Orange Sky : There's nothing shy about this vibrant shade of yellow-orange. Orange Sky has all the character and vibrancy of a turning autumn leaf hanging from a tree. We recommend using Orange Sky in rooms of the home where a little color can go a long way. Try painting this shade in your breakfast nook, dining room or in your child's nursery. We like it paired with shades of teal, turquoise or white.
Hedgehog Brown : This nutty, gray-brown color adds character and dignity to rooms like the living room, family room or master bedroom. We recommend using Hedgehog Brown in large rooms with a great deal of natural light, to avoid making the space dark.
Caliente : We love how this color reminds us of berries found in the wild. It has an untamed quality that seems both defiant and daring. Caliente is the perfect color for a front door, a living room or another large, public room in the house. This deep, bold red looks best when combined with shades of brown, gray or off-white.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Want more paint advice for the fall of 2016? Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture . We're here to help you decide which paint to use on your home painting projects. We can also provide you with the paint tools you need to get started.

Transformations Techniques: Dry-Brushing and Glazing

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Dry brushing is a common technique that furniture refinishers use to create a distressed look on vintage furniture pieces. For an enthusiastic DIYer who enjoys experimenting with paint and glaze, dry brush technique can be easy and rewarding, producing results that look genuinely antique.

In this technique, glaze is applied to painted furniture with a dry brush. Lines and scratches produced by the brush bristles are captured in the drying glaze. When finished, dry brush furniture looks rustic, rough and care-worn, like a beloved item that has been in use for many years.

Gather Materials

Before you can get started on your furniture painting project, you'll need to gather the proper materials. You'll also need a piece of furniture to paint. Wooden furniture is best because the natural lines and grains in the wood provides additional texture and richness to the piece. In addition to wooden furniture, you'll also need:

Rags
Bucket
Soap
Sandpaper
Primer (optional)
Paint
Glaze
Paint brushes (various sizes)
Tarps

Process

Place the furniture on a tarp in a well-ventilated space away from direct sunlight.
Use a clean dry rag to remove any dust, dirt or spider webs from the piece.
Dampen a rag with warm, soapy water, then wipe down the furniture and rinse off the soap with a second damp rag.
Use a piece of sandpaper to rough up the surface of the wood; this will help the paint adhere to the wood. This is especially important if you don't plan to use primer on the furniture.
Wipe down the furniture again with a damp rag to wash away any wood shavings on the piece.
Dry the furniture with a dry rag, and proceed when the piece is fully clean and dry.
Paint the furniture with the primer, if you have primer to use.
Wait until the primer is fully dry and no longer tacky before proceeding.
Paint the furniture with a coat of paint. Once the furniture has been fully coated in paint, wait until the paint has dried and is no longer tacky, then proceed to the next step.
Apply a second coat of paint to the furniture. Wait until the paint has dried and is no longer tacky before proceeding to the next step.
Dip the tips of a dry paint brush into your glaze, so that only the ends of the paintbrush are wetted.
Apply the glaze to the furniture. Allow the bristles to cut into the glaze, creating a striated texture.
Cover the piece of furniture with glaze. The paint should show through the glaze, especially around the corners of the piece. If necessary, use a rag to wipe the glaze off the sharp edges of the furniture, allowing the paint to fully show through.

When the glaze is fully applied to the furniture, you may wish to use sandpaper to remove patches of glaze and paint to reveal the wood underneath. This will help emphasize the distressed, antique appearance of the furniture.

Stop in at Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture is your source for paint, tarps, paint brushes and more in the Pittsburgh area. We also sell naked furniture, perfect for enthusiastic DIYers! To get started on your projects, stop in at one of our stores for supplies and advice.

9 Ways to Use Chalkboard Paint

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Chalkboard paint is a versatile, fun medium that you can use in a million ways to make surfaces in your home more attractive and functional. In this post, we'll talk about some of the various uses of chalkboard paint around the house.

Labels on Wine Glasses

Have you ever set down your wine glass and then confused it with someone else's? Chalkboard paint labels can fix that problem. Simply fill a small paint can with black chalkboard paint, then dip the base of your wine glass into the paint. Next, set the wine glass onto a piece of parchment paper. Leave the glass in place for about 20 minutes, then move the glass to prevent little drips of paint from sticking to the glass. The base of the wine glass will be a classy black matte color that you can write names on during parties!

Make a Chalkboard Room

Paint the walls of your child's room or play room with chalkboard paint. Chalkboard paint comes in all different colors, not just black, so you can paint the walls in one color, or in a multitude of colors. Either way, when the project is finished, your child will have the ability to draw creative chalk pictures all over the walls.

Labels for Plants

Paint thick popsicle sticks with black chalkboard paint and allow the chalkboard paint to dry. Use these sticks to label your house plants. This project doesn't work outdoors, where the chalk would be washed away by rain, so don't forget to keep the sticks inside.

Kitchen Menu Board

Kitchen menu boards are cute and functional at the same time! Paint a two foot wide and three foot high chalkboard on your kitchen wall in the area around the table and write, "Today's Specials" at the top. Write a new menu every morning. Your kids will never have to ask you what's for dinner ever again!

Chalk Table

It's all well and good to have a chalkboard room, but even more creative is a chalkboard table. Paint an old table with chalkboard paint and put it in an area where your kids like to play. Not only will they be able to write on their table top, but they can even draw an erasable checkerboard or game board on the table.

Message Board for Foyer

Want to tell your kids or spouse that you ran to the store and you'll be home soon? Painting a message board in your home's foyer allows you to pass functional messages along to other members of your household. Simply paint a rectangle in a visible part of your foyer, and leave a container of chalk on a table nearby.

Storage Container Labels

Paint your baskets or storage containers with chalkboard paint to create a useful surface to write erasable labels.

Backdrop Board

Paint a "backdrop board" either on a wall or on a board, then pose your children in front of it for pictures that mark special occasions. Write stats like "First day of Kindergarten," or "2nd Birthday" on your backdrop board to show what special thing was happening on that day.

Calendar

Do you tire of buying a new calendar every year? Use chalkboard paint to paint a permanent calendar on the walls of your home, then use a silver or white permanent marker to draw the boxes where you want them to be.

Contact Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help people complete their craft projects. We sell the best quality paints and paint accessories. To get started with your upcoming chalkboard paint project , stop in our store today!

Preparing Your Deck For Fall

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Fall is upon us and winter will be here before you know it. Now is the time to seal your deck against the rain, snow and sleet that you can expect later in the year. Protecting your deck will help your deck last longer and look its best in the coming spring.

Inspect

Start by inspecting your deck. Look for signs of rot, water damage, mold and discolorations in the wood. You'll be able to tell if the wood is rotten by sticking a pointed object, like a screwdriver or an awl, into the wood. If the screwdriver penetrates the wood, the wood is rotten and needs to be replaced.

Finally, spray down your deck with a strong jet of water. If your deck is properly sealed, the water will sit on top of the wood. If the water is absorbed into the wood, this is a sign that your deck needs to be resealed.

Clean

Use a scrub brush dipped in water and oxygen bleach to scrub off any mold or mildew on the surface of the wood. If your deck has dirt or mud on the surface of the boards, use a long-handled scrub brush dipped in warm water and detergent.

Repair the Deck

Remove boards that were soft enough for the screwdriver or awl to penetrate the wood. If you don't have professional experience replacing deck boards, call a contractor for help with this step. This is especially important if the wood that needs to be replaced is the same wood that supports the structure.

If you're comfortable fixing the deck yourself, use a pry bar to pry old damaged boards from your deck and replace them with pressure-treated lumber. Fasten the wood to the deck with the same type of fasteners that were used to build your deck.

There are several great products that can help repair your damage deck. Abatron epoxies can be used to repair rotted portions of wood. Wood Epox can be used to build up real structures and Liquid Wood can be poured or injected into rotted beams to solidify them.

Waterproof

Once your deck has been cleaned and repaired, sealing the wood is the last step. Wait several days after cleaning the wood to waterproof the surface, as this will give the wood chance to dry out. Seal the wood on a day that is dry.

If your deck has a buildup of old paint or clear sealer, start by using a professional-grade sealer or paint stripper product. This will help ensure a smooth finish on your wood deck.

Once the sealer or paint has been stripped, it's time to seal your deck. This can be done with paint, clear sealer or stain. Use a long-handled paint roller to apply your product to the large, flat areas of the deck, and use a paintbrush to apply your product to the railing, corners and other narrow parts of the deck. We suggest Sikkens Log Pre-Treatment, an inexpensive Oil finish that can applied to unsealed decks to help protect them over winter.

Allow the sealing product to dry for the manufacturer's specified amount of time, then apply a second coat of sealer or paint to the deck. Once this is done, your deck will be ready to face the harsh Pittsburgh weather to come.

Stop in At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture

At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we help people purchase the supplies they need for projects like deck staining and painting ! Stop in at our store today to check our line of quality paint products and sealers.