We have been customers of Don Valley Auto Centre in Toronto, ON, for close to 4 years now. Since moving back our purchase of a Chevy pick-up has been a god send. It’s a work horse and has served us well. Being painting contractors we need something you can throw both paint and the occasional drywall into the back and not have to worry about ruining leather seats or scratching a custom paint job. As with any work vehicle the mileage it collects leads to frequent trips to the mechanic. Enter George and Kim from Don Valley Auto Centre.

This past summer George asked if we would be interested in taking a trip to Cannington, ON, to take a look at his farm house. One weekend we took the jaunt up there to see what was going on. Shutters, shutters and yet more shutters. Not only were the shutters on the house needing work but another set as well. Ok, no problem, we would work on them back in Toronto in groups of 10 and take them back up with us. Onto the house itself. Straightforward work with some minor height issues at the back of the property easily resolved by a lift for safety.

We gave him a quote, which he accepted and we began to transport the shutters back and forth in between other work we were completing in Toronto. The shutters were a sight to see in all honesty. Layers and layers of paint, all oil as well. Cleaning them was the first and perhaps not the nicest tasks but alas you gotta do what you gotta do. Once dried in the sun we could start to scrape and scrape and then scrape some more. Once all loose, peeling paint had been removed we sanded the entirety of the surface to better prepare it for a conversion primer. Sherwin Williams Adhesive primer was used as we have had plenty of experience using it and found it to be a great product. Once the shutters had all sides primed we could paint with a semi-gloss latex exterior paint in Classic Burgundy (Benjamin Moore colour). We originally used Sherwin Williams A100 colour matched to the Classic Burgundy chip. Three coats later and with drying issues we had to find out what the problem was. Was it the colour? Were we not allowing enough time to pass to recoat?. Turns out that Sherwin Williams needs to refine its reds somewhat according to our rep. Making a switch to Benjamin Moore’s Classics Collection was a smart move. Two coats and a nice hard durable finish. Sometimes when choosing paint you have to make a conscious decision to not favor any one particular company and go with the best for that task.

Once we had completed all of our clients projects in Toronto we began to make the trek up north each morning to work on the house. All the window frames have seen better days and will be replaced soon enough so minimal prep work was requested by George as anything extra would be wasted. So prettying up the windows was a nice change, slap on some paint and be done with it! It felt weird and slightly evil to not prime and not go mad with the primer but what the boss wants the boss gets.

The soffit and fascia were to be cleaned free of big hairy spiders, dead bugs and other nefarious things before scraping, sanding and priming. Once prepped we used Benjamin Moores Classics Collection again in historic colours chosen by Kim and George. As you can see from the photos it looks pretty smart now and with the shutters back in their respective places it will look downright swell.

Next up will be to return in the spring of 2012 to finish up the back of the house with a lift due to height issues. It’s a long way up back there and neither of us are comfortable hanging off a ladder! I am sure we will see George before the winter is out with the pick up but his land will have to thaw before we are seen up in them there parts again.

We were contacted by a client with whom we had already completed work for earlier this year. He was impressed with how fast we painted a rental he owns and our competitive price and he had another project for us. A straight forward repaint with some minor repairs to the wall (nail holes, dings and scrapes) and an accent wall in bright orange.

As you can see from the photos the accent wall is predominant and takes center stage upon entering the apartment. It was previously a rental apartment with the intention of being turned into an office. The colour used on the rest of the walls was a pure white to match the trim and the ceiling. A project of this size including the upstairs bedroom and bathroom and an open concept kitchen typically takes two days to complete. The longest wait is for the repairs to dry and to spot prime accordingly.

They were pleased with the end result especially their colour choice for the accent wall.

Contact Toronto’s finest eco painters, Element Painters Inc., for your competitive estimate at 416-462-3197

Kids these days! The recipient was a lovely girl who enjoys Tim Burton and vampires, and who’s parents are cool enough to let her paint her bedroom her way. The walls and ceilings were painted in a matte black with the flames being hand-drawn onto the walls using a stabilo pencil. The purple was then painted on using smaller sign-writing brushes.

Here is the awning repaint for Ferrigamo Designs on Cumberland St. in Yorkville. This bespoke tailor shop was formerly known as Stavros Tailors. The current proprietor, our long-time client John Ferrigamo, had us come in and repaint the awning a different blue to match the new gold lettering. Johnny had hired us to paint the original Stavors Tailors awning a few years back. Then we refinished the exterior wood trim and mahogany front door for him the following year, check out the post about Stavros Tailors below.

To paint the awning with the least amount of pain for the general public, we performed the work on the weekend. The two-day job over the weekend was also a plus because it kept the amount of time Johnny’s business was without a sign to a minimum.

We first washed the awning with a brush and some hot, soapy water to loosen up the dirt and street pollution. After letting it fully dry, we placed drops along the sidewalk and under the awning to protect from any paint. With one person up the ladder and one on the street the awning was coated from top to bottom using rollers and foam brushes where it needed to be cut in, leaving 24 hours between coats to dry. We used Sherwin-Williams Resilience Semi-Gloss  in a vinyl-safe colour. The suns rays can actually cause the vinyl to warp if the coating is the wrong tint. That is why vinyl-safe colours are required when painting on vinyl siding or awnings.

We made sure to have it finished 48 hours before the vinyl lettering was installed so the paint had enough time to cure. Now the storefront is complete and it looks great! The blues and reds in the wood really do all the cool armour and beautiful fabrics in the windows justice.

Need to freshen up your existing awning? Give Toronto’s finest eco painters, Element Painters Inc, a call today at 416-462-3197

We were contracted to do this project from a client referral.  The scope of the project included the gable, front porch and the soffit and fascia. Previous coatings were evidently failing on all surfaces. We summiezed after testing was performed that in certain areas latex had been applied on top of oil paint. That’s a sure sign that trouble will ensue. The paint cracked, peeled and flaked. Not what you want from a paint job. The best course of action to remedy this unsightly gaffe is to apply a conversion primer and proceed as normal with a high quality latex coating. Before we jump the gun though a thorough cleaning is needed before scraping and sanding all surfaces.

Once the prep work was completed we began to paint. The fastest part of an exterior project and the most satisfying, seeing the colours bring everything back to life. The colour scheme was to match the existing windows and the gutters/eavestrough. For this project we used Sherwin Williams Resilience  exclusively for the paint. It looks stunning now as you can see for yourself from the photos above.

Another sucessful project brought to you by Toronto’s finest eco painters, Element Painters Inc. Call us today at 416-462-3197 to schedule your estimate.

We were contracted by the lovely owner of The Children’s Music Room, Susan Purdy, to paint her new building. Susan is a highly acclaimed music educator and this is her latest endeavor. The building was previously an old industrial unit in Leaside and the exterior brickwork was starting to look worn out. New doors had been installed and a mural was to be painted on one side.

First, we cleaned all loose surface dirt, then primed the brickwork and unique clay roof border with Sherwin-Williams low VOC  latex Loxon Masonry Primer. We then painted on two coats of Sherwin-Williams low VOC latex A-100 exterior paint in a lovely sunny yellow and deep orange for the clay border. Because the brickwork had a small profile (not too much of a gap between the brick surface and the mortar) we were able to use brushes and rollers to apply the coatings instead of spray equipment. The new doors came unfinished so they were first primed with a low VOC acrylic metal primer followed by two coats low VOC latex Sherwin-Williams Resilience in pea green.

The mural was lots of fun to do. Once the yellow had cured, we started by creating a layout on the wall. Once we had the sizes and the spacing accurately scaled from the original design, we used a projector to blow up the lettering. Because brickwork is a bumpy surface at the best of times, the letters were traced onto cardboard and cut out. They were then stuck onto the wall and we traced around the perimeter of the cutouts, which allowed us to make straight lines. The lettering was then hand-painted using old-fashioned long-quill sign-writer’s brushes. We were all so engrossed in our work that at the end of the first day we took a step back and laughed: the caption at the bottom read: ‘–ants toddle— children’ with the rest of the letters completing  ‘infants toddlers children’  left blank! Of course, the rest of the letters were filled in the following morning.

The colour scheme and the bold letter font really look great on the side of the building, what a great way to advertise your business!

So there you have it, another beautiful transformation from old industrial building to stylish new workspace. It was quite a makeover! Call Element Painters to find out how you can transform your business at 416-462-3197

We have finished a repaint of a store front on Carlton St in Toronto. The previous tenant had used the space as a yoga studio with various shades of pink used on the window frames and embellishments.

Our task was to repaint with two shades of black to modernize it in preparation for a shop selling Canadian goods. The decorations on the trim received one coat of gold One Shot with a clear coat applied on top for longevity.

We were requested to submit designs for the logo for the window and the top panel. Two designs were mocked up but alas Regina settled for another design. If you are interested in our design check out the post below (or below that!).

Another successful job and completed in time for the shops opening on July 8th. We wish them continued success in their second location.

The colours used by the previous owners were nice and the flow went from room to room without being jarring but some rooms needed to be brighter and less dramatic to suit Jade’s and Myroslava’s furniture and artwork.

They picked out more pleasing colours, like a soft shade of grey for the living room and a warm white for the bedroom. They always ask for zero VOC and so we used Sherwin Williams Pro Green Latex in eggshell for the whole job.

Sherwin Williams Harmony (also zero VOC) was used in the den in two shades of blue bought over from their previous home.

All in all it turned out great and most importantly they were happy to add their own touch to the place. We wish them all the best in their new home.

Both Cindy and Michelle knew the direction they wanted to go with colours in the living room and the bedroom. A warm cocoa with a touch of plum in the living room and a lipstick red in the bedroom.

They specified zero voc and that’s exactly what we delivered. The living room received one coat of latex primer followed by two coats of Sherwin Williams Harmony and for the bedroom we use Sherwin Williams Duration. Duration is a great paint that is self priming and covers in two coats. Cindy did all the painting in their previous homes and she was surprised that such a deep red only required two coats. The benefits of using a paint like this is that it requires no priming enabling us to provide a great service at an even greater price!

A pleasant project and a lovely couple to work for. We wish them the best in their new home.

We have just finished up our time at The Old Spaghetti Factory and everything went smoothly I am happy to say.

The panels we were working on around the perimeter of the carousel were purchased from a fairground over twenty years ago and stationed here since then. Originally painted by Kris Morrison from Urban Illustrations, they were in need of repairs to stabilize them and fill in holes that appeared over time due to wear and tear. Pieces of flourishes and borders were missing leaving some unsightly gaps but with the help of our regular handyman Dave those were filled out and ready to receive paint.

The first step was to get several buckets of good ol TSP and clean those panels like they have never been cleaned before. Rinse off with clean water and wait for them to dry. Following further inspection looking for any spots that need to be sanded smooth we applied a good quality latex primer.

Using sign paint like we did for the streetcar we started painting out the background in a dark beige. I will note that the colours were going to be closely matched to what was originally on there. Once the background colour was applied we could begin to have some fun with the ornaments and the horses heads.

One week of nights and plenty of coffee to be had the panels now look stellar. We received compliments every night we worked on it which doesn’t go unnoticed! A successful project and delight to work on.