So how do you know you can get a beautiful paint job while protecting your belongings from paint drips on the floor or paint dust from a sprayer on surrounding surfaces? Find a skilled painter that can minimize risk and mess. To get you started in the right direction, we have a few key tips for you to keep in mind.

How do you protect your home during an interior painting project?

1. Ask for references

Would you allow someone to babysit your child without references? Do you eat at a restaurant before you read the reviews? If not, you can take the same type of care when choosing people that will be working in your home. A reputable painter should be able to provide you with references from past clients who can speak to their level of professionalism and attention to detail. 

2. Request a written proposal

A written proposal should outline the work to be done, as well as any precautions the painter will take to protect your belongings. Be sure to review the proposal carefully and ask any questions you may have before hiring the painter before you sign.

3. Discuss the use of drop cloths and plastic sheeting

An excellent painter will use plastic sheeting, drop cloths, and painter’s tape to protect your floors and furniture from paint splatter. Ask the painter how they use these materials and how they will ensure that they stay in place throughout the job.

4. Ask yourself what value you put on your peace of mind

Everyone wants a bargain, but  a more expensive painter may offer a higher level of professionalism and attention to detail. It may be worth it to pay a little more to ensure that your precious belongings are protected and the job is done well. Some of your things can never be replaced if they are damaged.

At AG Williams, we take pride in our ability to provide a beautiful paint job while protecting your property. Contact us today, and we will walk you through our process step by step.  We want you to have a worry-free experience.

Here’s why wintertime interior painting is such a good idea

1. Painting is easier to schedule in the winter because painting companies are less busy. Their schedules are also more flexible because they don’t have to wait for daylight or good weather. They can paint indoors anytime. 
2. It’s also possible you will get a better deal on the work because some companies lower their prices in the colder months. Spreading out your home improvement jobs over the year makes it easier on your budget than trying to accomplish everything in the summer. 
3. As the days grow shorter and darker, it may help to have the walls painted a light, calming color. Even if you just repaint the walls the same color, they will be clean and fresh for all the comfy times you spend keeping warm indoors. Real Simple magazine recommends high-impact home improvement jobs, like painting, as well as setting an easy-to-achieve goal and completing it to make winter a little more bearable. What could be easier than scheduling a painter?  In a few hours, you have a whole new look in your space!
4. The less humidity, the faster the drying times which is why painting in the cooler, drier air of winter is more efficient.  The faster the paint dries, the quicker you can get your art back on the wall and your furniture back in place so you can go back to getting cozy.
5. If you have plans to sell your home in the spring, painting in the winter will ensure that you are ready to put your home on the market the week of March 31-April 6 when realtors say you can list your home for more money and catch the eager buyers. Planning ahead makes all the difference when it’s time to sell your home.

Interior painting in NY and CT: we’re ready to help!

Whether you are ready for a big color change or just want to refresh what you already love, wintertime is the best time to schedule a painting company.  If you have questions or want an estimate, contact us.  We would love to hear from you!

Maybe you care a great deal about putting together a “trendy” design for your baby’s room – maybe you don’t. Either way, the colors you decide to incorporate could affect the mood of your little one (see our previous blog on color psychology)! Serene, calming colors are definitely the way to go – especially if you value your own serenity. We’ve grabbed a handful of beautiful, calming colors from Sherwin-Williams to give you some examples! Ready to get inspired?

Quaint Peche

Soft Sage

Marshmallow

Lotus Flower

Serious Gray

Alpaca

Misty

Evergreen Fog

This color palette is not only beautiful, but also transitional – they’re easily colors a child could grow into and not grow out of! 

Don’t we wish their clothes could be the same way…

See any you like? If you’re interested in having your nursery (or any room!) painted, give us a call today!

Everything in the home needs maintenance, but some areas need it more often than others. As a painting contractor, we often hear the questions that people have about their baseboards: “How often should I paint baseboards?” “How can I clean my baseboards?” “What kind of paint should I use on my baseboards?” “Do I need to caulk my baseboards?” “How do you paint baseboards?” Since nearly everyone’s home has baseboards but hardly anyone ever talks about them, we thought it would be helpful to offer a few tips.

How Often Should You Paint Baseboards?

Because we normally paint baseboards with a strong eggshell or semi-gloss paint, they can stand some washing and abuse. Nevertheless, baseboards tend to get kicked and bumped frequently and will often need repainting before the walls and crown molding. Baseboards in high-traffic areas would benefit from annual repainting to maintain a crisp appearance, while other areas, like guest rooms and offices, can look good even 5 years later.

How Do You Clean Baseboards?

Baseboards tend to collect dust on the upper surface, gradually building up a thin layer of grime in the corner where it meets the wall. Regular dusting will help, but a soft sponge with warm water and a bit of soap will keep them looking much fresher. You can also use this technique to remove scuffs and smudges. Make sure you dry the surface with a towel before the water dries on.

What Kind of Paint Should I Use on My Baseboards?

Since baseboards are very often scuffed, scraped, bumped and kicked and need to be washed from time to time, it is best to use a high-quality paint with a strong finish. Semi-gloss is a common choice for baseboards and other detailed features, such as cabinets, moldings and trim.

Do I Need to Caulk My Baseboards?

In order to achieve the cleanest lines and sharpest look, it is a good idea to caulk your baseboards. This bridges the gap between baseboard and wall, which otherwise is a magnet for dust and grime. It also covers most irregularities that might exist where the wall or baseboard is not straight, leaving a gap. Use a paintable caulk or find a color that matches your paint exactly.

A.G. Williams employs expertly-trained painters who are skilled and experienced in painting and caulking baseboards. Besides caulking or painting baseboards, we can also install or upgrade your baseboards, or replace damaged pieces. In addition, we offer paint maintenance services, which would keep all of your baseboards looking constantly in beautiful condition.

Have any more questions? Contact us for a free consultation!

Friends, you can find our original COVID-19 message and commitment below, but we are very excited to add a positive update (as of June 1, 2020). We are currently providing painting and floor coating services in Connecticut and New York! Please contact us right away to discuss and plan your project – we have an incredible team of painters that are very ready to get back to work, and a schedule that’s filling fast. With that in mind, we appreciate your patience as we ramp up our services to full capacity.

Also, rest assured that we are following every health and safety guideline along the way. We don’t take your trust lightly!

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

We may be temporarily closed, but we’ll be up and rolling again soon!

Since we opened our doors in 1906, A. G. Williams Painting Company has weathered numerous storms and come through the other side stronger than ever. We have our dedicated team to thank, and also incredible, faithful clients and fans like you.

If you are on our schedule, please bear with us. We’ll be ready to complete your work as soon as it is safe to do so, and are relying on projects like yours to help get our team back together. Thank you in advance!

As we navigate these uncharted waters together, we wish you all health, safety, and wellbeing.

Thank you,

George Williams & Arthur Williams

At A.G. Williams, we’re not afraid of questions; we have nothing to hide! We want to make sure you are completely comfortable with the trustworthiness and craftsmanship of our house painters. That’s why we’ll offer our own answers to these questions here:

#1 – Do You Hire Subcontractors for House Painting?

This question is important because it is directly related to the accountability of the painters in your home. If a company uses only their own in-house painters, they have direct control over hiring and training, and they have a continuing relationship with the painters. When a painting company hires subcontractors, their background and training are not known, and if something goes wrong, the subcontractors could be hard to hold responsible.

Here at A.G. Williams, we never hire subcontractors for house painting. You can rest assured that only well-trained and thoroughly-screened painters will be entering your home, and they are directly accountable to us.

#2 – What Is Your Hiring Process Like?

Anyone can claim to be a painter, but that doesn’t mean everyone should be trusted with your home. A good hiring process should include a background check and a painting test. With those steps in place, you can be confident in the trustworthiness of the individual, and in his or her painting skills.

Believing this as we do, A.G. Williams incorporates background checks and a painting skill test in our process for hiring new painters.

One aspect of our personnel helps A.G. Williams stand out among local painting companies. Most of our painters have worked for us for 10 years or more! This consistency shows you that our workforce is steady and experienced, and that they like their work.

#3 – What Kind of Training Do You Provide for your Painters?

Lifelong learning is an important trait for any well-rounded individual, and no one ever gets to the point where they truly know it all. A reputable house painting contractor should provide a program of regular training, not just for new employees, but for all field personnel. After all, the best of us can forget, and there are always new products and developments to learn about.

When A.G. Williams hires a new house painter, we give him or her thorough training in all aspects of the work. Additionally, the new painter is given a role as a helper until he or she has demonstrated the necessary skill to work in our clients’ homes. Beyond this, we provide ongoing training in workplace safety, application techniques, and product information for all our painters, ensuring they are the best they can possibly be.

#4 – Who Is the Contact Person During and After the Project?

Organized and consistent management is vital for a smooth painting process. You need to know who will be scheduling and supervising the work in your home, and who you can talk to if you have questions or concerns. Ideally, there should be a foreman or lead painter for each project.

For our house painting projects, we have a crew leader assigned to each home, plus a field supervisor who oversees the quality and effectiveness of all the painting crews.

More Questions? Feel Free to Ask!

If you live in New York or Connecticut, A.G. Williams would love to provide you with superior house painting services. We serve Westchester and Fairfield counties, offering interior painting, exterior painting, wallpaper removal and installation, kitchen cabinet painting, faux finishing, and color/interior design services. Do you have any questions we didn’t answer above? Give us a call or contact us online; we’d love to hear from you!

Only a small percentage of your estimate turns  into profit for the owners.  The majority of what you pay goes into creating an excellent paint job, and a positive painting experience.  If a painting company gives you a cheap estimate, they have to be cutting their costs somewhere, which will inevitably lead to an unsatisfactory result.

So, how are these low numbers made possible?

Inferior Materials

The price difference between budget paints and premium adds up quickly, leading some house painters to try to make more profit by using cheaper paints.  Quality is directly related to the price, however, and cheaper products just don’t hold up or perform to the same standard.

Quality paints provide truer colors, with more consistent coverage and a more attractive finish.  They also hold up better against wear and tear in an interior setting, and against the elements in an exterior setting.  This means that quality paint look better and last longer, giving you far more value for your money and protection for your investment.

Insufficient Preparation

For any painting company, one of their biggest costs is man-hours for surface preparation.  If the painters skip over or do a poor job at repairing and preparing the walls, they can save a lot of cash.

Every quality painter knows that excellent surface preparation is the key to an excellent paint job.  For interior painting, this involves filling holes, smoothing rough spots, and creating a fresh, even surface.  Skipping this stage means that the finished product will show every flaw and dent.  You will have a new color, but the walls will still look old.

With exterior painting, surface preparation is primarily concerned with making sure the substrates are structurally sound, and that the new coat of paint can adhere to them firmly.  To save time, a budget painter might paint right over rotting wood or failing paint, which will inevitably lead to the new paint failing very quickly.  This can also lead to leaks and further wood rot.

Another step that some companies might skip is priming.  Primer is not always necessary, but in many cases it is.  Primer is necessary if any wood, plaster, or drywall has been repaired.  It is also helpful for covering the previous color if you are putting a new color on the walls.  Finally, stain-blocking primers can help seal stains and odors so that they do not continue to affect the home interior.  Skipping the primer can have disastrous effects.

Poor Management

Another way a painter can reduce payroll, and thus provide cheap estimates, is by reducing office staff.  The problem with this is that it makes their communication less effective, and their management more haphazard.

In order to provide an excellent painting experience, a quality house painter needs an effective office staff.  That way, someone is ready to answer when you call or email.  Your paperwork will be filed correctly, so that no important information will be lost or forgotten.  A good office staff promotes organized scheduling, so that you can believe the painters when they tell you when the project will start and finish.

No Licensing or Insurance

It takes time and money to maintain proper licensing and insurance for a painting company.  Anyone with a vehicle and a paintbrush can claim to be a house painter, but you need to know that you are working with a legitimate professional.  If a company is not licensed, or does not carry proper insurance, you are putting your family and your home at risk by hiring them.

Something else to look for is professional association.  For example, is the company a member of the PDCA, or some other organization that promotes industry standards and honest dealings?

Unskilled Painters

Training a painter in all the necessary skills requires an investment of time and money.  A reputable residential painter maintains a consistent painting staff, who receive a thorough education and on-the-job training.  Even once their initial training is done, they continue to receive education about products and processes, as well as refreshers on job safety.

A cheap house painting estimate may indicate that the contractor does not invest in the skills and knowledge of their employees.  Clearly, this leads to shoddy work and a poor overall experience.  It could even lead to unsafe work practices taking place in your home.

Unhappy Painters

Why should you care if the people painting your house are happy?  Well, there’s simple human kindness to begin with!  But beyond that, you are also likely to get better results from a painter who is happy with his or her job.

When employees feel that their company values them and is taking good care of them, they are much more willing to dedicate themselves to doing their work with excellence.  They are more likely to show up on time, work diligently, and do a good job with the details even when no one is looking.

In contrast, employees that are poorly paid and undervalued are more likely to be slovenly in their work, cutting corners and putting in the least amount of effort they can get away with.  Additionally, a company with unhappy employees is likely to see frequent turnover.  As painters leave and new ones are hired, you are more likely to get untrained, rookie painters in your home.

Fair Estimates for an Excellent Painting Experience

At A.G. Williams Painting, we don’t claim to be the cheapest house painting company.  However, when you get an estimate from us you can be 100% confident of what you are getting:

• Quality paints and materials
• Thorough surface preparation
• Organized, effective office management
• Proper licensing and insurance
• Regular training of all employees
• Dependable, vetted, long-term, happy painters
• Honesty, excellence, and great value

We have been providing excellent residential painting services since 1906, and thousands of satisfied customers can testify to our dedication to serving our clients well.  Based in Pelham, New York, we serve Westchester and Fairfield counties.

Remember, value does not mean the lowest price; it means getting excellent results at a fair price.  We trust that is what you will find when you work with A.G. Williams Painting Company.

At A.G. Williams Painting, we understand that for many people, their faith is deeply important and personal. Therefore we consider it an honor to be chosen to paint a church, synagogue, mosque, Kingdom Hall or other house of worship. You will find our commercial painting crews to be respectful, tidy, proficient, and attentive to details.

Commercial Painting Services for Churches

Steeple Painting & High Ceiling Painting: Church designers have long believed that the physical structure should draw our eyes, and thus our hearts, upwards. Whatever this does for believers, it certainly makes church painting more of a challenge! However, we’re not complaining! We have all of the lifting equipment and scaffolding necessary to paint hard-to-reach places, whether that be the church steeple or a (literal) cathedral ceiling.

Plaster & Drywall Repair: Historic buildings often suffer damage with the passing of years. Whether it is from the antics of youth groups, or water damage from a leaking roof, or the normal shifting and settling that occurs over time, interior walls will inevitably need repairs. At A.G. Williams, we offer drywall and plaster repair to get your walls looking fresh and whole again.

Interior & Exterior Painting: Using quality paints and proper painting techniques, we can have the inside and outside of your church building looking welcoming and attractive again.

Carpentry & Wood Refinishing: If you have any exterior wood that is splitting or suffering from dry rot, our staff can repair or replace the affected areas. We also provide services for interior woodwork, whether it needs refinishing, staining, or painting.

Interior Design & Color Consultation: After a generation or two has passed, it may be time to give fresh thought to your interior design. We can help you being new color and creativity that harmonize the history of your building with its present and future.

Parking Lot Painting: Even the lines in your parking area and the disabled-accessible parking indicators have an impact on how visitors perceive your congregation.

Pleased to Paint for Any Religious Group

Our nation has a rich tradition of varying religions living side-by-side, and at A.G. Williams, we are delighted to continue that heritage. Whether you represent a mosque, a Kingdom Hall, a synagogue, a Catholic church, a temple or a Protestant church, we offer nothing but respectful interactions and top-quality painting services.

Excellence in Painting for Over 100 Years

A.G. Williams has been providing professional painting services in New York and Connecticut since 1906. Primarily serving Westchester and Fairfield Counties, we have built and maintained our reputation by hiring and training trustworthy craftsmen. We strive for excellence in everything we do, from our office staff to our painting crews.

If your church or house of worship is going to need painting or repair services in the near future, we would love to begin the conversation. You can contact us online or give us a call. We look forward to hearing from you!

How We Paint Apartments

As a commercial painting company, we are dedicated to careful, quality work on every project. However, on a project like this one, we take our normal care and crank it up to 11! As you can see in the pictures, we carefully masked the decorative wood, the windows and the stone when we painted the stucco siding and fire escapes.

In order to paint this six-story apartment building, we needed some serious equipment! Lifting our painters that high in a safe manner is our highest priority, of course. We always follow correct safety precautions and use proper equipment in order to protect our staff, your property and your clients.

On an exterior painting project like this one, only top-quality paints will do. It would be a waste of resources to use inferior paint, since the colors and coatings would deteriorate more quickly. When you make the investment to paint a commercial structure of this size and caliber, you want the results to last as long as possible.

Painting the fire escape of an apartment building may not seem glamorous or challenging, but it does take knowledge and skill to do it well. Any failing paint needs to be carefully removed, rusted surfaces need to be treated and primed, other surfaces must be thoroughly protected, and the paint must be applied using proper techniques. Sure, it’s only a fire escape, but in this case, it’s nearly a work of art!

Apartment and Condo Painting in Bronxville, NY

A.G. Williams is a commercial painting contractor, serving Westchester and Fairfield counties. We paint all kinds of multi-family housing, including apartments, condos, and retirement homes. Additionally, we provide painting services for hotels, restaurants, retail stores, hospitals, offices and much more. We serve Bronxville, New Rochelle, Harrison, Port Chester, Greenwich, Stamford, and the surrounding cities.

With over 100 years of painting service in New York and Connecticut, we have built our reputation on uncompromising customer service. If your HOA, condo community or apartment complex needs painting, there are plenty of reasons to trust us with the job…

Why Hire A.G. Williams for Condo or Apartment Painting?

Capacity – We have enough painters and project leaders to work on large-scale commercial painting projects efficiently. Our workforce also gives us the flexibility to respond quickly on smaller painting maintenance jobs at a condo or apartment.

Experience – On every painting job, we bring many years of experience and expertise. As an organization, we have been painting since 1906, and many of our crew leaders have been with us for 20+ years. We know how to manage complex painting jobs, and we do so with safety, with quality, and with good communication.

Reliability – Painting a multi-unit housing complex requires organization and staging, and you need a painter who can stick with a schedule to make sure the project flows well. With A.G. Williams, you won’t need to micromanage the project; we take responsibility to make sure the painting is completed as agreed, on-budget and on-schedule.

Painting Services for Condos and Apartments

We offer a wide range of commercial painting services for condominiums and apartment complexes, whether you need a complete repaint or minor periodic mantenance.

• Interior Painting
• Exterior Painting
• Painting Metal Rails and Fire Escapes
• Deck and Fence Painting
• Wallpaper Installation & Removal
• Pressure Washing
• Trim Painting
• Painting Stucco, Wood, Masonry & Vinyl Siding
• Carpentry Repair
• Drywall & Stucco Repair
• Parking Structure Painting
• Gutter Cleaning
• And More!

A.G. Williams offers commercial and residential painting services in Westchester and Fairfield Counties. In addition to painting condominiums and apartments, we also paint hotels, restaurants, schools, offices, medical facilities, factories, warehouses and other commercial/industrial clients.