News from Jeff King & Co

We proudly welcome Barbara Scavullo as our newest interviewee in Jeff King & Co’s ongoing Architecture & Interior Design Q&A series! Barbara is at the forefront of San Francisco’s interior design industry, reputed for her ability to focus on the needs of every client instead of a “signature style.”

For over 30 years, Barbara Scavullo has guided ScavulloDesign into a premier residential interior architecture and design firm. Scavullo Design has a strong regional presence and is also responsible for major residences all over the greater Bay Area, Northwest, Hawaii, and New York. The daughter of an architect, Barbara graduated from Wellesley College with a B. A. with honors in art history and started her first firm when she was 25. ScavulloDesign now employs 15 interior designers and is located in one of San Francisco’s historic Jackson Square buildings. 

Jeff King & Co: Where do you look for design inspiration?

Barbara Scavullo: Inspiration? It comes from everywhere! I just got back from New York and Central Park was ablaze with those wonderful fall colors. That is likely to influence my next color palette. At the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, I was enchanted with the quirky items at Il Segno de Tempo, a dealer from Milan. How will that show up in a project? Who knows? One of our clients dresses with a chic glamour that is absolutely charming – and that has definitely shaped how we approached her home.

Improvement is the motivation behind all residential remodels. How does your design improve a client’s experience in their home? How do you know you’ve provided a good design?

In San Francisco, much of our housing stock is 50 years old or older. Since those years, the way we live has changed dramatically and is continually changing. Every renovation, or new project, deals with how we currently live: how we cook, how we bathe, how we congregate as a family. Some of these things tend to be universal trends. But then we have to look at the particularities of each individual client or project. The needs of a retired couple that is downsizing may be vastly different than a family with 3 toddlers!

How do we know we have provided good design: our clients tell us so! They talk about how they love living in the house. One of my favorite client quotes: “I don’t want to go play golf. I don’t need to go to restaurants. I never want to leave.” That’s the reaction we aim for!

In an urban environment such as San Francisco, you’re often dealing with preexisting structures. What are the greatest challenges creating a new design in an existing home?

Even within an existing structure, almost anything is possible, depending on the budget. So cost as related to scope is usually the biggest challenge.

We are dealing with another aspect of this in the room we are designing for this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase. Many older homes have lovely architectural elements that, on first glance, seem old-fashioned and heavy. How do you preserve the best of a classic interior and yet make it appropriate for the way we live today?

The dining room of this Pacific Heights mansion is a beautiful, historical room – Gothic revival wood paneling, a very decorative plaster ceiling and a wonderful, whimsical mural. All the elements are beautiful but, added together, they make for a “baronial,” formal room. And that’s not how we live today. 

So our challenge was to “rethink the dining room.” Could we create a lively, casual room, a friendly place for a family or friends to gather on an informal basis? We think we succeeded. I hope you can come see what we have done.

As we live in them today, kitchens are often times the most important room in the house. They can also be the most complex and expensive rooms to remodel. How do you design a kitchen for the 21st century homeowner?

We start a kitchen design the same way we start every design: understanding the needs of the client. Yes, kitchens are expensive but one of the first questions should be, “Do you really need all those state-of-the-art appliances? The Wolf Range? The Sub-Zero Refrigerator? The refrigerated drawers?” When we did our own kitchen three years ago, I needed to make some hard choices to meet my budget. I took into account how we eat and live. I needed top domestic grade appliances, but I didn’t need professional ones.

Bathrooms can be simple and functional for one person or a place of retreat and spa for another. How do you approach residential bathroom design for each type of client? What are a few of your favorite elements to include in a bathroom?

We love tile! There is such a profusion of exciting tile on the market; it is really fun to design a bathroom today. And this is one place where the budget doesn’t have to hamstring creativity. Yes, there are fabulous marble mosaics at $100s/square foot, but there are also terrific, large-scale porcelain tiles and some wonderful, locally produced ceramic tiles that you aren’t going to see in everyone else’s bath.

Outside of kitchens & baths, what is your favorite living space to design? How do you make this space stand out?

What we are trying to do with every design is create a comfortably elegant home that uniquely suits that client. We think this starts with the space of a room, every room. Every room must hold together architecturally: the space has to be balanced and harmonious. Once you achieve that, adding the furniture is like icing on the cake. There is an adage: if the space is right, almost any furniture will work. If the space isn’t right, it is much more difficult to get a great end result, no matter how gorgeous the furniture.

What are the current design trends that you hope to see disappear in the near future?

My most fervent hope is that young people will get their design courage back! The mass-market retailer of “lifestyle” and furniture have done such a good job controlling the sensibilities of, especially, young adults that we find it harder to create the unique environment they deserve and that will best serve them. There are more kitchen options than white cabinets and white marble counters!

Thanks for chatting with us, Barbara!

See her full portfolio of beautiful interiors at ScavulloDesign.

More Interviews with San Francisco Architects & Interior Designers:

Q&A with Architect, Malcolm Davis

Q&A with Interior Designer, Marnie Wright

Q&A with Architect, Jonathan Feldman

The San Francisco remodeling industry is defined by architectural styles, building regulations, and lifestyle preferences that are entirely unique to this city. Our new Q&A series calls on the voices of local architects and designers to find out how their work is catered to homeowners in the Bay Area. Our third installment comes from Jonathan Feldman of Feldman Architecture: a San Francisco-based firm that designs new construction and remodels alike.

Jonathan speaks frequently as an expert on architecture and sustainable design and has appeared on the panel, “Creating a Sustainable Environment in the Preserve” presented at the Santa Lucia Preserve among others. Jonathan has also served on competition juries including the AIA Monterey Bay Design Awards and the Remodeling Magazine Design Awards.

Jeff King & Co: Where do you look for design inspiration?

Jonathan Feldman: I’m addicted to all these design blogs like Contemporist, Remodelista, and Houzz as well as image-sharing social media like Pinterest (my new favorite).

But photos of good design is fundamentally superficial, so I try to get out and see as much as I can first-hand. I just got back from New York. Four days of walking around and looking at great architecture totally inspired me and re-invigorated me.

Improvement is the motivation behind all remodels. How does your design improve a client’s experience in their home? How do you know you’ve provided a good design?

I strongly believe that the spaces we inhabit shape the way we live. Adding more light to a dark house can make the residents happier. The way we layout a floor plan can help bring a family together. Providing smart and abundant places to store all our stuff can help keep us sane. One true test of whether or not we have succeeded in these areas is to go back and see how happy a family is in their house; how much pride they have in what we all have created.

In an urban environment such as San Francisco, you’re often dealing with preexisting structures. What are the greatest challenges creating a new design in an existing home?

Many of these old houses have some awful layouts. Unfortunate piecemeal renovations often leave them pretty confused. The challenge is to figure out how to make the greatest improvement with the least amount of intervention. Which walls can I move or remove to create a nice result?

Many of these narrow SF houses only get light from the front and back, so our challenge is opening them up to let the light into the core. When done well, this can completely transform how they feel.

As we live in them today, kitchens are often times the most important room in the house. They can also be the most complex and expensive rooms to remodel. How do you design a kitchen for the 21st century homeowner?

Most people these days want their kitchen to be the heart of informal family activity. But they also want more counters and storage than in the past. So the challenge is to open them up but still provide all this function (cooking and storage). I often like to have a whole wall of floor-to-ceiling storage so that I can allow the rest of the kitchen to be much more open.

Bathrooms can be simple and functional for one person or a place of retreat and spa for another. How do you approach bathroom design for each type of client? What are a few of your favorite elements to include in a bathroom?

For me, one key to good bathroom design is to keep it simple. Too often I see designers going nuts mixing different tiles and dramatic plumbing fixtures. I try to create bathrooms that are more tranquil and (hopefully) timeless.

Outside of kitchens & baths, what is your favorite living space to design? How do you make this space stand out?

Recently, I’ve had a lot of fun designing home offices and libraries. I love books and creating a nice, comfortable place to work or read can lead to some of the nicest spaces. 

In the San Francisco design community, are there any trends you hope to see disappear in the near future?

Over the last five years or so I’ve been seeing too many modern buildings that try to mix together multiple materials on their exteriors: stucco and wood siding, metal and ipe, etc. I like all of these materials but I think some designers try to differentiate each part of the building, and that usually sacrifices a sense of continuity.

Thanks for the chat, Jonathan! Take a look at our most recent collaboration with Feldman Architecture: the Fair Oaks residence.

Read more interviews from this series:

Q&A with Architect, Malcolm Davis

Q&A with Interior Designer, Marnie Wright

This Thursday, February 9th, 2012 from 6-8pm is the opening reception of our 2012 winter projection show, Cymaglyph Vizwrap! We are proud to present the first solo exhibition by Bay Area artist, Matthew E. Jones, featuring advanced spatial mapping technology and a live performance by his collaborative sound project, Spaceape.

Visual alchemist and software engineer Matthew E. Jones has been drawing “cymaglyphs” for almost 15 years. These cymaglyphs are sketches inspired out of human emotion and Matthew’s own private life. With a scientific approach, Matt has decided to put these drawings under the digital microscope, taking them through several stages of transformation to expose their deeper truth. The resulting media will open to the public eye in a non-traditional display where any and every surface becomes a projection of the cymaglyph.

Matthew will project digitally-transformed cymaglyphs onto objects, walls, and other surfaces, with each image existing on a different plane (see rendering below).

Mapping of the gallery

Cymaglyphs in the projection mapping

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Matthew E. Jones is a lab instructor in Motion Graphic Design at Ex’pression College in the California Bay Area. He has worked alongside Bay Area artists such as kinetic sculptor Ned Kahn, visual storyteller Samuel Yates, and video artist David Szlaza and is co-founder of the San Francisco performance series, Fantastic OptoSonic Projections.

We hope to see you at Y2Y Gallery (in the Jeff King & Co offices) this Thursday, February 9th from 6-8pm! This event is free and open to the public and art lovers of all ages will enjoy the multisensory experience.

RSVP on Facebook

Y2Y Gallery and Jeff King & Company present Cymaglyph Vizwrap: Visual Alchemy of Matthew E. Jones. Following the traditions of our yearly winter light show, Matthew will exhibit a combination of 2D media and digital projections that activate the interior of Y2Y Gallery with moving color and texture.

CYMAGLYPH VIZWRAP
Projection Show by Matthew E. Jones
Opening Reception: February 9th, 2012 from 6-8pm
Nightly projections through March 9th from 5-10pm

ARTIST STATEMENT

Cymaglyphic Vizwrap is a play on cymatics: the study of visible sound and vibration. When looking at the world, imagine for a moment that everything is a snapshot in time where all events in one field of view (including the table, chair, desk, ceiling fan, and coffee cup) are just clouds of atoms that will eventually crumble and fall to pieces. Within this mindset, we harness more power as individual parts of a cloud of time than as physical bodies stuck in a space/time sandwich. The tantric mantra is the same as the 3D printer, codifying what is already there, allowing form to emerge from chaos.

A cymaglyph is a term to describe the impressions left in our modal phenomena of cymatics. These glyphs, or drawings, may invoke a feeling or a thought. With my artwork, I am trying to discover what I have hidden from my own conscious mind. Through my private sketches, I am able to hear the words I draw as feelings. This led me to project the glyphs in literal terms, just as one may project his feelings onto others. I am using advanced computer logic to trace these scanned illustrations, making the resulting image a bit more contrived but still human enough.

Through the use of video projectors and advanced spatial mapping software, these computer-altered drawings take on the role of Plato’s “demiurge,” shifting the focus from the inventor/scientist onto the artist/spiritualist. As the study of cymatics rubs off onto the more traditional views of physics and geometry, we will be awarded a greater boost in confidence that we are indeed the creators of life. We will be clued in that the symbols are more than meets the eye; they do indeed hold great value.

We hope to see you Thursday, February 9th for the opening of Cymaglyph Vizwrap! This event is free and open to the public.

RSVP on Facebook.

Welcome back to our Q&A series with Bay Area architects and interior designers. Today we catch up with Marnie Wright, a San Francisco interior designer, to get her perspective on residential remodels.

Marnie Wright has had substantial experience over the past 30 years with residential, corporate, and institutional clients. Ms. Wright was a partner of Fisher Wright Interior Design from 1985 to 1990, prior to which she was an interior designer at Gensler and Associates. Ms. Wright graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1979 with a B.A. in Environmental Design. Her work has been published in The New York Times Magazine, The World of Interiors, Milwaukee Sentinal San Francisco Magazine, and Mountain Living Magazine.

Jeff King & Co: Where do you look for design inspiration?

Marnie Wright: I love women’s fashion and I’ve always noticed that it influences what happens in design. I look at materials, textures, and colors that are current and I think about how it would translate to interiors. When you dress people, you use designs that are becoming to them and make them look and feel good. In people’s homes or office spaces, you should do the same thing. You should compliment people.  

The first thing I look at every morning is the blog Remodelista: it’s a tool that I use a lot now, it’s such a great resource. In terms of magazines, I love the British Elle Decoration and the Australian version of Vogue Living. They are fun to look at and inspiring.

Q: Improvement is the motivation behind all remodels. How does your design improve a client’s experience in their home? How do you know you’ve provided a good design?

A: Hopefully they’ll tell me that! Usually clients call and tell me how happy they are and how my design improves their space. I love the problem solving aspect of doing remodels. In San Francisco that usually means opening things up and making the home flow and function better.  

 Q: In an urban environment such as San Francisco, you’re often dealing with preexisting structures. What are the greatest challenges creating a new design in an existing home?

A: The biggest challenge is keeping cost down. With any kind of renovation, you’re going to run into unforeseeable issues. Redesign can also be challenging for clients because they have to deal with the two worst things: 1) making decisions and 2) spending lots of money. I guide them through the decision-making to ensure they get the best topical product they can. There are so many options and choices that it can be overwhelming for some people.

In terms of the space itself, it’s fun when there are limitations on the redesign because it gives me some parameters. The problem-solving aspect makes it more challenging.

Q: As we live in them today, kitchens are often times the most important room in the house. They can also be the most complex and expensive rooms to remodel. How do you design a kitchen for the 21st century homeowner?

A: It’s the heart of the home really. It’s where everybody always tends to hang out. In a lot of older houses, the kitchens were more secluded and cut-off. Now because of the way we live, making kitchens part of the living space is important.

It’s also nice to have a separate work area adjacent to, or part of, the kitchen. It’s tricky because you don’t want things to get greasy, but it’s nice to have that adjacency. It’s two places people spend a lot of time at.

The trickiest part with kitchens is always finding the right materials to use. Some people don’t want countertops to ever show marks, scars, or mars. For some, it’s finding the perfect countertop that will never stain. Other people want material that ages and looks like it’s been used. Kitchens need to be durable because they are such a high-use space, the materials are important. How it holds up to grease, how the floor reacts when you drop stuff on it, how hard it is to keep clean. The material end is fun. It also affects how it all looks. Is it warm and cozy or sleek industrial?

Q: Bathrooms can be simple and functional for one person or a place of retreat and spa for another. How do you approach bathroom design for each type of client? What are a few of your favorite elements to include in a bathroom?

A: I love bathrooms! Whenever I can, I put in radiate heat flooring: it’s such a nice feature to have warm feet in the bathroom. People are naked a lot in the bathroom, and you want to be comfortable (which for me is warmth).

The lighting is really important, especially for us women to put on our makeup. One thing some people like is having a small television in the bathroom. When you’re getting dressed it’s nice to watch the news if it’s not too intrusive.

Q: Outside of kitchens & baths, what is your favorite living space to design? How do you make this space stand out?

A: The living room is really important. That’s where you are if you aren’t in the kitchen or bathrooms. It’s expensive buying rugs and nicely upholstered chairs, so I tend to keep those pieces generally neutral. It’s expensive to recover a sofa. I’d rather keep big pieces neutral and keep accents of color; pillows, accessories, paint, and things that you can change around.

You want the living room to be durable and not too precious. I hate going into places where everything is so precious you can’t sit on a chair. These days, with stores like Crate & Barrel and West Elm, you can buy coffee tables and side tables that aren’t expensive and are easy to change around. But a good sofa is something to invest your money in.

Again, lighting is really important so you can have different moods. Table and floor lamps are good so you can have light just where you are; it creates coziness. Lots of books is always great, it feels like a home.

Q: In the San Francisco design community, are there any trends you hope to see disappear in the near future?

A: One thing I don’t like is the slipcover. It always looks sloppy to me. I know it’s an inexpensive solution, but I hate when you have to stuff the corners back in every time you get up from a chair.

Another thing is that sometimes, in design magazines, there’s so much crap in these rooms. It gets to that precious phase of “where do I put my drink down?” There’s no space left here. It’s a delicate balance: you want your stuff around that makes it uniquely your space without being over-cluttered and overdesigned. It’s too precious. Too contrived. Certain designers have a style that is so strong, their places all look the same. That doesn’t reflect the owner. I like that challenge personally.

Thanks for the great interview, Marnie!

See Marnie Wright Design for more inspiration.

Read our first interview in the series: Q&A with architect Malcolm Davis!

Inspiration: Whole House Remodel
We recently moved a family into their “brand new” 19th century home. A wall was knocked out between the typical Victorian parlor and living room, and we used beautiful casework to maintain definition between the spaces.

Living room looking toward Liberty Street

Living room (looking away from Liberty Street)

Dining room (looking toward living room)

Kitchen

View before & after photos in our website portfolio: Liberty Street Remodel

Inspiration: SF Residential Remodel

Jeff King & Co custom built this kitchen for a family that enjoys cooking and entertaining, but also values simplicity and a modern aesthetic. Behind all those shiny white cabinets are a hard piped espresso maker, speed racks, and more.

View of the kitchen from the back deck

New kitchen designed for cooking and entertaining

Custom bread drawer

Cabinet-enclosed, hard-piped espresso maker

See before & after photos in our website portfolio: De Haro Street Remodel

We thought it would be interesting for our readers to better understand what motivates, inspires and challenges architects and designers when they are designing for residential clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a result we developed seven questions and asked two architects and two interior designers to respond.

Our first installment is from Malcolm Davis, principal at Malcolm Davis Architecture. Malcolm is a Bay Area native with an intimate understanding of its regional building styles and climates. Educated at UC Berkeley, his strong appreciation of the craft of building goes hand in hand with thoughtful stewardship of resources. He takes pride in creative problem solving through simple, elegant solutions. Employing a timeless vocabulary and a restrained palette, Malcolm’s projects over the last 20 years have earned multiple awards from the American Institute of Architects and publication in Dwell, Elle Decor, Sunset Magazine, California Home & Design, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jeff King & Co: Where do you look for design inspiration?

Malcolm Davis: I’m inspired by vernacular designs and structures, where solutions are simple and the guts are exposed. I love knowing how things work and looking at the other side of things; “what’s behind the curtain?” From a shaker chest to an old barn or factory, I like to bring that sense of clarity of purpose to my projects. 

Improvement is the motivation behind all remodels. How does your design improve a client’s experience in their home? How do you know you’ve provided a good design?

When a client tells me how much their home supports them in their everyday activities.  A good design should be like a well-tailored suit of clothes: comfortable, handsome and timeless.

In an urban environment such as San Francisco, you’re often dealing with preexisting structures. What are the greatest challenges creating a new design in an existing home?  

Depending on the existing house, the neighborhood, and the client’s preferences, I generally try to work “with” the existing structure if there are salvageable areas of character/function rather than automatically erasing all that came before. With an existing building, I frequently try to imagine it as the best version of itself and then work to tie that with more modern and functional components.

As we live in them today, kitchens are often times the most important room in the house. They can also be the most complex and expensive rooms to remodel. How do you design a kitchen for the 21st century homeowner? 

Allowing the kitchen to have the “appropriate” amount of connection to the rest of the living spaces can be quite subjective to different clients and between a country house and a full time residence. I like to get the client’s expectations and goals clearly in mind as I start the design. Is it really a “chef’s kitchen” or a place to have wine and cheese while waiting for the takeout to arrive, or leaving to go out to eat.

Bathrooms can be simple and functional for one person or a place of retreat and spa for another. How do you approach bathroom design for each type of client? What are a few of your favorite elements to include in a bathroom?

 Whether it’s small and functional or more grand, I always work for as much natural light as possible.  I like to keep the palettes calm and cohesive. And practically speaking, storage.  

Outside of kitchens & baths, what is your favorite living space to design? How do you make this space stand out?

I like to design all kinds of spaces.  I like when I can make something special out of what could be a perfunctory space. I love the “in between” spaces like porches and mudroom/entries and entrance sequences. I think they can establish the feeling of a project and set it apart. 

What are the current design trends that you hope to see disappear in the near future?

Trends in Design. I think trends are fine for colors and hairstyles but I try to stay away from trends in planning a building or a renovation. I want my work to be more about a feeling than a particular time or fashion. 

Thanks for chatting with us, Malcolm!

Find out more about his work at Malcolm Davis Architecture.

Read our next interview in the series: Q&A with Marnie Wright, Interior Designer!

As you read in Part I of our interview with Jared Doumani, he sets a high standard for the quality of work produced by his crew. Jared Doumani is also an expert on paint, helping us offer the safest and most environmentally friendly products to homeowners. In Part II of his interview, we picked Jared’s brain about Low VOC / Zero VOC paint, water-based colorants, and how the paint industry is about to change in a big way.

Jeff King & Co: You’ve mentioned that Persnickety puts great emphasis on preparation. What is your process for previously painted surfaces?

Jared Doumani: If we work on previously painted walls, we start with pole sanding. Not a lot, just enough to take off rough bumps and built-up texture. It doesn’t take a lot of time, probably half an hour to an hour depending on room size, but the small things make a real difference.

How do you know when the building is fully prepared for paint?

We do a lot that other painters don’t do because they think it’s a waste of time. But we know it leads to an end product that you’re not just happy with; you’re delighted with. Someday I’m going to hire a blind prep guy to do sanding. They will know just by touch that it’s ready. Looking at it really doesn’t work. If you touch the surface, you’ll feel everything that’s wrong. That defines the level of prep we want to go to. 

Once the prep work is finished, how do you go the extra mile when applying paint?

The application of paint is done mostly with brushwork. Our guys do beautiful brushwork. It’s almost imperceptible that it’s been done with a brush because the marks are so faint. It feels great and looks great.

“Within the last year everything has changed. Everything is Low VOC or Zero VOC. What’s happening to the paint quality has been incredible… It’s starting to take hold nationwide.” 

Beyond technique, tell us about the products you’re using. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), traditionally used in all paints, have gained attention for their negative health and environmental affects. How is the paint industry reacting to increased demand for Low VOC and Zero VOC paint?

Seven years ago, when I started Persnickety Painters, I did a lot of research into Low VOC paints: who had them, what was available, at what price. Nobody was interested. Then within the last year everything has changed. Everything is Low VOC or Zero VOC. What’s happening to the paint quality has been incredible. The product wasn’t that good before. Now everything available in California is Low VOC. It’s starting to take hold nationwide.

Which brand is your go-to for quality paint?

C2 paint is really one of the best quality paints available today. They’ve done a great job building a very high quality of paint and that refers to quality of resins in the paint, quality of filler, and the white that’s used. They use a very high concentration of titanium dioxide to get white into their white-based paint. They don’t use chalk, which brings down cost but doesn’t make a very good product. C2 also uses a 15-color system versus the standard 12-color system and the pigments are higher quality with a finer grind that gets into the paint. The quality of paint is really fantastic.

What situations call for other paint brands?

On a recent remodel, the client requested Zero VOC paint. So now we’ve started using a brand called Mythic Paint, and we’re really happy with it. If the client wants Zero VOC/Zero Toxin paint, we have an excellent product that can fulfill that.

 “It seems you’re doing yourself a disservice using oil-based paints on anything new; you’re going to have to go to latex eventually.”

What are the advantages of using oil-based paint?

One advantage is better finishes for trim. It lies down beautifully. It’s extremely hard and durable. That’s why there are people out there who still want oil: it’s the ne plus ultra of the paint world. Also, I still believe in oil-based primer for bare wood, especially for exteriors. It is penetrative and locks in to the wood.

What are the disadvantages of oil-based paint?

It’s getting harder to find, and it is not as environmentally friendly as latex paint. As much as I like the oil finish, I recommend latex on any new construction or full remodel. It’s where paint is going. Oil may not always be available; we keep hearing it will go away completely. It seems you’re doing yourself a disservice using oil-based paints on anything new; you’re going to have to go to latex eventually. Another drawback is the smell. If you’re painting in a house where people live, it’s not pleasant.

Are there any differences in the longevity of oil-based paint versus latex?

Oil-based paints continue to coalesce and dry over time. Over 50 or 70 years it can get very brittle. Latex keeps flexibility over its entire lifetime. Oil based paints also oxidize and yellow over time. It’s gradual and slight, but it makes touch up very difficult.

Q: What trends do you see on the horizon in the paint industry?

There’s a big change coming in latex paints. Latex paints came out after oil-based paints and were designed to accept colorants that were being put into oil-based paints. It’s been a compromise. The colorant is almost a contaminant and is always somewhat separate from the latex paint. It blends but it’s not integrated on a molecular level.

Q: How are companies working to resolve this problem?

Benjamin Moore has been the first to come out with a national line using a water-based colorant system. They developed a new set of colorants or tints. Water based colorants have some drawbacks – they actually dry too fast and make the paint hard to work with in certain situations. Now other companies are developing water-based colorants as well. This is a big switch in the industry; I see it as a milestone for paint. Before water-based colorants, you could make a Low VOC or Zero VOC paint, but when you put color in, the colorant contained VOC. Water-based colorant does away with VOC in colorants and creates a paint that has better integrated color on the molecular level.

Q: The new EPA lead standards have made it very difficult to do extensive paint prep work. How do you comply with new standards while keeping homes safe and healthy?

For the most part we’ve been following these practices since we began the company. The law has stepped up our game a little and made us more conscious. It’s now regulated that we use hepa vacs and certain machinery. Now we do most of the sanding with a mechanical sander hooked up to vacuums at all times.

Q: How does this impact your prep work for interiors?  

Especially with interior work, we always put effort into containment to avoid leaving the house dusty. Blocking off areas and sealing off rooms is all part of the lead law now and certainly the EPA’s regulations have taken it a step further. We’re all in favor of them because, the fact is, they protect us as much as anyone else.

Q: And for exteriors?

For the exterior, it made everyone a lot more conscious of the work outside going into the house, which is great. When doing sanding and scraping, we’ve always had a policy of sealing off windows from inside so dust wasn’t migrating indoor into rooms. We’re glad to see it now be law.

“We really like to do renovations, returning battered trim to its once proud state. These houses have a history and that should show, but it should look worn, not beaten.”

Q: Is there any drawback to the new EPA lead standards?  

On the downside, the law adds another layer of cost at a time when clients are very cost conscious. So long as the clients understand that this is a nationally mandated regulation, then everyone should be charging extra for it. Essentially the government has made the work more expensive. We see that a lot of industry professionals are ignoring the law, which makes it difficult for us in the bidding process. But with Jeff King & Company, everyone he has us bid against is following regulations.

Q: Are there different materials that you use for exterior vs. interior?

There are specific products for each, but for the most part, exterior can be used interior but interior can’t be used exterior. With paints, there is a definite difference. Above all, the exterior paint is there to protect: to withstand moisture and sunlight and the elements in general. It’s build to do that. On the interior, paint is built to resist dirt and markings and that is a much simpler job.

Caulking is pretty much the same on the inside and out. We use a very high quality caulk that will remain elastic throughout its life; it works beautifully on the interior and exterior. For fill, we use mostly the same products interior and exterior. They are made for exterior but they work great inside and are very durable.

Q: Tell us about how you cater Persnickety techniques to the exterior of a home.      

When it comes to technique, exterior tends to be a rougher and more physical act in that you’re often times scraping paint off and doing extensive sanding. With exterior, what you’re looking for is to make everything absolutely solid and waterproof. You want to get this thing buttoned up and guarded against the elements. And you want it to be that way for a long time.

It’s a battleground out there. You have to make it work. One thing that we go after on exteriors is to eliminate movement in the siding and trim. Any kind of movement will eventually open up and let moisture in, and that will be the end of that area. It’s important to make sure things are absolutely screwed in and nailed down. Things tend to open up over time, so we give special attention to reducing movement in the joints.

Q: And how does that technique change for an interior paint job? 

The interior is generally more cosmetic than the exterior because you see things much more closely. Our brushwork on trim and cabinetry is fantastic, but on the exterior, that isn’t noticed as much. The interior also takes more physical abuse with more denting and chipping, not to mention the ultimate abuse, bad painting. It is amazing how much time we spend undoing bad work. With so many previous rental units converted to condos and TICs, it is not unusual to see a million dollar condo that was an abused rental until 10 years ago. We really like to do renovations, returning battered trim to its once proud state. These houses have a history and that should show, but it should look worn, not beaten.

Thanks for the insider view on residential painting, Jared!

Learn more about Jared Doumani’s work at the Persnickety Painters website.

Operation Poop Stop

I enjoy helping homeowners put the finishing touches on a remodel, especially when it makes day-to-day living more enjoyable. One recent client had an issue with neighborhood dogs using his trees for a pit stop and needed help pronto! We put together some durable and good looking covers that matched the decor of the facade, which work great and get compliments too. – Matt Lovering, Production Manager at Jeff King & Co

 

 

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