An Easy Home Construction Fix

Whether you are looking to sell your home or simply want to spruce it up for the summer months, A Real Advantage Construction is here to help! One of the easiest ways to give your home an easy makeover is by replacing or repainting your entry door.

First, figure out if you need to repair, replace or simply repaint. If you have a wood door that is binding in the jamb, you may need to sand it down so it will swing freely. Another option is to put a thin cardboard shim behind one of the hinges to help the door hang true.

Are your hinge or door-lock screws stripped? If so, replace them with three-inch screws, which will offer more security by penetrating the thin door jamb to reach the studs (thus providing more resistance to impact).

To make your door more secure, replace the strike (that’s the metal plate that is mounted on the door jamb and into which the lock’s bolt slides) with a $10 box strike. Installing metal reinforcements around the door where it had been drilled to accept the lock and knob may also work.

If you have a wooden door with nicks (which can rot) or a steel door with chips (which can rust), repaint the door. Make sure to sand steel doors before painting. If painting a wooden door, fill in cracks with wood filler and sand the wood.

Painting is also an opportunity to add a décor element to your home. Color-batching software can help you find colors to complement your landscaping, siding or roof, for example. To make your door a focal point, use semi-gloss paint; to hide imperfections, use flat or satin paints.

As affordable residential contractors, we know what we’re talking about so we hope this helps!

Repainting Your Home - Step 1

The sun is coming out and that means let's get to doing some home renovations New York! What's a great place to start, you ask? How about adding a fresh coat of paint to your home? A fresh paint job has the power to totally transform the look of your house and add major curb appeal.

A new paint job should last for a good 15 years, if done correctly. A great paint job also helps to protect your home from the sun, wind and rain. Once it starts to peel and crack, you know it's time to fix things up.

The first thing step and a very important one to do properly is to clean and sand every surface first.

A well-done and thorough scrubbing is absolutely necessary before beginning. It will remove the dirt and old paint residue that will hinder a new coat of paint from adhering as well. It will also get rid of any mildew. Probably the best thing to use here is a pressure washer, however you must be careful when using one as they can damage the wood and potentially shatter glass. Instead, if you are not comfortable with a pressure washer, cannot rent one or hire someone to do it for you, a hose, pump sprayer and scrub brush can work just as well.

Before you get started on spraying down your house, make sure to cover up with fabric drop cloths and move away any plants from your home. You should also lay more drop cloths along the base of the walls to collect any falling paint debris.

Wet all the walls next before you scrub them. Your cleaning solution should consist of 1 gallon of water per 1 cup chlorine bleach and 1 cup of a concentrated, phosphate-free cleaner. Now, work in sections from the bottom to the top to avoid any streaks. Make sure to rinse the walls off well before the cleaning solution dries.

Stay tuned and we'll reveal the next steps towards painting your house.