We hope you enjoy our home ideas blog and find the information helpful!
Why Should You Hire The Best Concrete Contractor?
If you want to add any concrete structure to your property, you will need to call a professional concrete contractor who can expertly prepare the best concrete for you. The experience of the contractor in handling commercial concrete or the residential concrete will be extremely crucial. The craftsmanship skill of the contractor will be an essential thing, as well. Only they will be able to guide their technicians to prepare a well-designed concrete structure. Apart from creating a beautiful concrete formation, ensuring the durability will be another challenge.
A concrete contractor will also make sure that the concrete they prepare is clean. To mold clean concrete, many years of experience is required, as a lack of technique can severely impact the smoothness and consistency of the surface. An experienced concrete contractor will only hire technicians who have enough experience in preparing concrete. This guarantees the concrete will look fantastic, and at the same time, stay durable for many years to come, without causing you any worry.
The Difference and Quality Between Concrete and Cement
Cement is a grey colored substance that has a quality to harden when it is mixed with water and then dried. However, when the cement is mixed with sand and water, and then it is dried, then it becomes concrete. So, you can consider concrete to be a much harder material for your structures. This is why for both commercial and residential purposes, concrete is more used as a material for preparing various foundations. In other words, concrete foundations are the most durable, cost effective structures you can invest in.
While preparing concrete, sand and stone chips are mixed with the cement in a proper ratio. The correct ratio provides more strength to this material. One of the main reasons why people go for the best concrete contractors is because they are experts in using the right ratio, which ensures your money will be well spent, and less problems will arise in the future. Quality-wise, you will experience a much better outcome.
How Do Contractors Prepare the Best Concrete Driveways?
Concrete is considered to be one of the most frequently used materials for preparing driveways. Your driveway is the first place that will be seen by most of your guests. Therefore, you want it to look as appealing as possible. Same applies for concrete walkways. Whether it is the size and shape of the concrete or how it’s stamped and stained, you will surely want to keep everything looking perfect. This is why it will be crucial for you to hire the best concrete contractor.
When preparing concrete patios and porches, you need to appoint the best concrete contractor. The contractor should provide you the right advice, which will help you to make the right decisions about the concrete service. For the patios, reputed contractors will use the best material, which will assure the durability of the concrete structure. While preparing the walkway, the best concrete contractors will take care of both the functional side and aesthetics.
How Do Concrete Contractors Prepare Clean Concrete?
You will want to prepare concrete so that it will be aesthetically beautiful. That’s where clean concrete comes in. When you appoint the best concrete contractor for the work, they will ensure that the concrete structure they have prepared remains free from all sorts of stains, patches, and foreign objects that affect its beauty as well as its durability.
Most technicians use hydrochloric acid with the concrete material to keep it free from any sort of stains. Also by using bleach, mild stains on the concrete can be minimized. Another technique to keep concrete clean is with baking soda. However, for tough stains, proper scrubbing will be required. Sometimes there is no substitute for a good scrub. For heavy stains, they will use a pressure washer to ensure the appropriate cleaning of the concrete surface. Consider cleaning your windows at the same time to give your home a fresh, clean look. Our post on window cleaning explains the benefits of hiring a professional.
Apart from keeping the concrete looking good, the contractors will also take care of concrete repair if required. To ensure this, the concrete contractor will need to be diligent, addressing cracks as they appear, and before they harden.
By completing it within the short time frame it takes for concrete to dry, concrete contractors can ensure that the concrete structure remains looking beautiful for years to come.
DIY vs Professional Window Cleaning – What’s the Difference?
Many people underestimate the significance of having clean windows. Your home is a precious place, therefore proper maintenance is critical to its value and comfort. This includes window cleaning. After all, windows are the first thing people tend to notice in a building. Thus, having your windows routinely cleaned can make a huge difference.
However, you won’t find a lot of people excited about cleaning windows, as it takes a good amount of time. For people who choose to take up the task themselves, the main reason behind their decision is that they want to save money.
Benefits of Window Cleaning
Many benefits are associated withwindow cleaning, from enhanced overall appearance of the premise to improved comfort. Cleaning your windows removes grime and dirt that’s caked to the glass that prevents sunlight from radiating inside. The sheer act of window cleaning makes your home or office look more attractive, adds comfort, and makes your place appear more prominent and alluring. Not only this, but it also helps to remove dirt and allergens that can cause health ailments.
Why Go for Professional Window Cleaning
Although you might have to spend more money, hiring professional window cleaners will give you several benefits.
It’ll save your time and effort
Doing it yourself is understandable if you want to save money by cleaning your own windows. But if time is valuable, you may want to invest in a professional window cleaning service. For a lot people time is money, and saving an extra few hours can be well worth the cost. Beyond saving time, cleaning window panes can be a dirty and tedious task. By the time you’re done, you might not be willing to do anything else for the rest of the day. This creates an opportunity cost. Therefore, it may be a good idea to let professional window cleaners take over, while you can do things that are more valuable.
Windows can be hard to reach
For cleaning higher windows, a ladder is required. But if you don’t have a suitable ladder, it’ll be impossible to make the windows spot-free. So, consider hiring professionals for a window cleaning service, because even if you have a ladder, moving it from window to window will take a lot of time and can lead to accidents. Additionally, if your property is multiple stories, beyond the reach of a ladder, specialized scaffolds and other climbing equipment may be required.
Safer than DIY
High windows are not just a pain in the neck but can also make window cleaning dangerous. It takes only an off position ladder or one slip to result in serious injury. So, by letting professionals do the job, you might be spending a little cash, but you’ll also save yourself from a whole lot of risk. We all know how expensive medical bills can be.
Windows will appear attractive
DIY is a good option for cleaning windows, but professionals will always provide more exceptional results. When you hire a full-time paid team, your panes are being cleaned by experienced and trained people. Those people know how to achieve a maximum level of clarity and will leave windows with a spot-free finish.
Moreover, it’s not only about experience and training. Since window cleaning is an effort intensive task, DIY people may try to hurry, leading to inferior results. If you’re looking for more ideas to make your home beautiful, you may be interested in our post on painting stucco.
Extends the life of windows
Irregular cleaning leads to stuff building up on the surface of your windows. Some of this build-up could be corrosive and damage the glass. Additionally, dirt and grit building upon the surface of windows can result in chipping or scratching. All these problems may not be noticeable to an average homeowner, but professionals can quickly notice such issues. It could be the glass, screen, or frame causing problems. Catching these early could save money on repairs and extend your windows lives, resulting in significant savings.
Can I Paint Stucco? Yes. Here’s how.
In the South Western United States, Stucco is a popular style to adorn the exterior of houses with. However, residential stucco can be seen all over the world. Stucco is accomplished when a cement and plaster compound is layered with a variety of plastering tools to create a textured, topographic appearance that looks good, and doesn’t require a lot of upkeep.
This combination of style and ease makes it a preferred combo for many homeowners. When dirty, it just needs to be sprayed off with soapy water. If repairs are necessary, a fresh coat of paint can provide wonders, assuming the stucco itself isn’t chipped or cracked. To make your residential stucco look as good as new, like a contractor did it, follow these easy steps.
Preparing the Area
First, you have to prepare the area for your painting project. Place drop cloths around the area you will be painting. Don’t forget to cover furniture and other decorations, as you don’t want paint to get on anything else. Make sure to secure it. Also, put tape around your trim for a clean line.
Second, clean all the areas you plan to paint of dirt, dust, and other gunk. This generally only requires you to use a stiff broom or brush to thoroughly sweep away all of the stuff. You could also hit it with hot water and soap. If you have deep grooves on exterior stucco, this can be power washed.
Make sure everything is dry before you start. If you’re dealing with interior stucco walls, you can use a dusting attachment for your vacuum. If you encounter mold, or mildew, there are industrial stucco cleaning products out there you can use to remove it. Make sure to follow the instructions from the manufacturer.
Making Small Repairs
If you encounter any cracks or chips in your stucco repair, you can fill them with masonry caulk. For any cracks larger than 1/6th of an inch, you should use a patch. Any loose material can be removed with a putty knife, and then patch it with a patching compound. However, if you have to go this route, it could take a long time before you can start painting, as it takes a while to set. For more home improvement ideas, see our post on hiring a concrete contractor.
The Painting Process
Once everything is cleaned, and small repairs are made, use a synthetic brush and a roller to prime the stucco with acrylic primer. You should use acrylic primers and paints because their compounds stick better to the uneven texture of stucco. This will probably require additional coats for complete coverage. Remember, it’s best to apply multiple thin layers, rather than one thick one. This avoids painting from pooling in areas, and causing unsightly drops. Make sure you read the directions for the particular primer you are using, as drying times when painting stucco vary.
Residential stucco has a larger surface area than a normal wall. Therefore, you’ll need more paint to cover it. A good rule of thumb is to divide the amount of flat wall surface area by 2 to get an appropriate painting job. For instance if a half gallon of paint says that it will provide 200 square feet, with stucco, it will probably only cover 100.
A similar process you used to prime your walls can be used to paint them. Use a synthetic brush to get into the crevices, and a large roller to cover a large amount of surface area at once. Apply as many layers of paint as necessary to achieve the look you are going for. Make sure to follow the paint manufacturers guide for appropriate drying times.
Hiring a Stucco Contractor
Even though it’s a daunting task to paint multiple walls of stucco, if done properly, an acrylic paint job should last 15-20 years on your exterior, and an indefinite amount of time on your interior. However, while it may seem simple, due to there being many nooks and crannies, as well as the damage that acrylic paint can do to anything else it gets on, it may be smart to hire a stucco contractor to do the work. Stucco contractors are seasoned professionals who make sure that none of these steps are missed, and that your stucco painting lasts as long as possible.