Century Drywall, Painting, Insulation and Popcorn Ceiling Removal Services

Yes. We carry liability insurance and workman’s comp insurance required by the State.

Several factors determine the price of your drywall project, including the size of the area, ceiling height, job location and accessibility, whether you need patches or tie-ins to existing drywall/plaster, existence of archways, specialty windows, niches, etc.

Drywall is a material used to cover wall and ceiling framing. It is gypsum, a very common material which is sandwiched between two layers of paper. Drywall is also called sheet rock, wallboard and gypsum board.  (Drywall is the generic term, and Sheet Rock is a brand name of drywall – just like Kleenex is a brand of tissue).  It is faster to install than plaster and more economical. It is generally not quite as nice and true as plaster, but the economy of the material makes it the top choice in most applications.

If the old paint is peeling, take a good size piece of the peeling paint and hold the edges of it between your thumb and index finger. Exert pressure on both sides of the chip. If it is very flexible and bends easily, it is probably latex. If it is hard, brittle and breaks instead of bending, it is most likely oil-based paint. Another way to test the paint is to wet a rag with denatured alcohol and rub the surface of the paint. If the paint softens or rubs off, it is most likely latex. An alcohol test usually will not affect an oil-base paint.

Until recently, you had to wait one to two months for the stucco to cure properly. However, new-generation masonry primers speed up the process considerably. For instance, Loxon Exterior Masonry Primer from Sherwin-Williams can be applied as soon as the stucco is hard, dry and at a pH level of less than 13. After the primer dries, you can follow with latex house paint immediately.

No. Paints can be formulated to inhibit mildew growth, but under some conditions, mildew eventually will reappear on any type of paint.

Frosting is a phenomenon caused when latex paint is applied in or is subjected to conditions that are too cold and/or too damp during the initial curing process. The lower temperatures and/or dampness do not allow the paint to coalesce, or form a proper film, which then exposes ingredients in the paint film to the elements. The ingredients that cause frosting are water-soluble sodium and calcium compounds. These are added to the paint to improve surface wetting, flow and leveling, and tint acceptance. When the paint film does not coalesce properly, these materials can rise to the surface, where they are exposed to moisture, usually combined with cool temperatures. When the moisture evaporates, a white “frosty” deposit is left on the surface. Frosting can usually be removed by flooding the surface with warm water. High-pressure washing is not necessary; just a lot of water to dissolve the material and flush it off the surface. To prevent frosting, always follow the manufacturers’ application recommendations, but especially during the spring and fall when temperatures can drop drastically within the first 24-48 hours of applying paint.

The culprit here is moisture. Usually, only the top and ends of the boards used on a deck are painted. This leaves the sides and bottom uncoated and able to absorb moisture from rainfall and the soil under the deck. The moisture, drawn to the surface by the heat of the sun, destroys the adhesive bond between the wood and the paint, causing it to blister and peel. The best way to protect a new deck is to apply a deck sealer/toner or semi-transparent stain.

Of the three main paint ingredients – pigments, solvents and binders – the pigment provides hiding power and gives paint its color and shading. The solvents carry the paint to the surface, then evaporate, leaving behind a film of paint; the binders are bonding agents that hold the paint together.

After allowing the galvanized surface to weather for six months or chemically cleaning it to remove any oil or remnants of the galvanizing process, you can apply two coats of an acrylic latex paint directly to the metal or a special galvanized metal primer topcoated with an alkyd or latex product. Do not apply an alkyd directly to a galvanized metal surface because the oils will react with the zinc used in the galvanizing process, causing the alkyd to peel.

The resin is responsible for the sheen level (latex & alkyd).

Traditional latex technology requires the use of co-solvents to get the latex particles to melt together (coalesce). These small amounts of solvents, and some additives, make up the VOC content in normal latex paints. New technology has been developed that allows latex paint films to form without co-solvents. These new products perform similar to traditional latex paints, but have minimal VOC levels and less odor.

Homes make an ideal growing place for mold. Molds thrive in temperatures between 60° and 100° F, where moisture and an abundant food supply are present. Learn more about preventing mold and the common myths of mold and mildew.

We do! We have had numerous clients in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. We have teams available for almost all Minneapolis suburbs.

A primer is beneficial because it helps provide a uniform surface that promotes good adhesion of the topcoat. A primer can also serve a special purpose by sealing a porous surface, blocking out stains, preventing rust formation on iron and steel, and preventing tannin bleed on wood. Most finish paints are designed to provide a decorative or protective finish for a substrate. In most situations, they do not provide the features of a primer, so it is always important to follow the manufacturer’s recommended coating system.

First determine the source of moisture that brought the stain to the surface and correct it. Next, remove the stain with a 50/50 solution of water and denatured alcohol. Allow the surface to dry completely, then apply an alkyd primer and topcoat to prevent stains from recurring.

I occasionally paint buildings where non-galvanized iron nails were used in siding and have rusted, causing a bleeding on the old paint surface. Will an acrylic latex cover these stains and prevent further bleed-through, or must something be done to these nailheads before applying the acrylic latex topcoat?

No, as long as the siding has had a chance to weather a year before painting. You do need to clean the surfaces first with an Extra Strength Cleaner Degreaser. You want to be sure the surfaces are free of chalk and residue.

Ultra-violet radiation from the sun causes wood to naturally darken. For wood surfaces that have never been coated, or which have been finished with clear varnishes or lightly pigmented stains, this darkening can be unattractive.

It depends on the coating, you will need to open the container and observe the coating. After gradually bringing frozen paint up to room temperature (70 degrees F), open the can and stir it. If the paint looks like a fresh, never-been-frozen can of the same product, it should be safe to use. When inspecting a thawed can of paint, be especially wary of lumps, thickening or solid pieces that can’t be broken. If any are present, the paint should not be used. In general, it’s best to prevent such problems by protecting paint – especially water-based latex paints – from freezing temperatures.

It depends on what kind of finish you want. A clear heavy-duty, high-performance polyurethane will provide a durable, dust-free clear finish if the concrete has a uniform appearance. If the concrete’s finish is not uniform, or if you want a colored finish on the floor, a two-part polyamide epoxy works best. Do not use latex or oil-based floor paint in a garage because they can lift when they come in contact with car or truck tires. For best results, allow the coating to cure at least 10 days before driving a vehicle on it.

Yes they do. You hit on some key items that improve the quality of finish. The resins along with the binders give you the quality of finish. Also, the way the product is produced can impact the quality. Paint goes through a piece of machinery called a ball mill. This grinds everything together. The size of the balls used and length of time it goes through the mill impacts the fineness of the pigment grind, which impacts the quality of the product.

Difficulty in covering a previously painted surface relates not so much to the color of the earlier paint, but to how dark it is. The recoat hiding problem is compounded when a very light color (most noticeably yellow) is applied over a dark one. Multiple coats of paint are often necessary in these cases. Using a primer as a first coat may help, depending on the hiding of the primer and of the topcoat. Using a poor hiding primer may be no better than using two topcoats. Also, using a gray shade of primer will help more than tinting the primer color close to the existing shade.