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Posts by Joanne Anderson
Park Slope Townhouse Cabinet Painting
 

Benjamin Moore Paint Helps Sell Townhouse

 Pair one pretty kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a generous island and large measure of natural daylight with one homeowner ready to sell, and you have a scenario that requires a splash of color in fresh paint. That was the listing agent’s suggestion, and we rolled in to do the job.

Naming a paint Cotton Balls, as Benjamin Moore has done, takes out the guess work on what color that might be. They describe it a “go-to bright white enlivened with a trace of yellow undertone.” Green is everywhere in the trees, leaves and grass of the pedestrian-friendly Park Slope neighborhood and evokes both energy and generosity. Of course, green means “go” at every traffic signal, and so they instructed us to go with this lovely medium green like Boston ferns after a light rain. It’s a marvelous way to bring the outdoors of summer into the heart of the home.

Most folks in the Park Slope slice of Brooklyn enjoy casual eateries, organic food markets, trendy bars and cafes, along with Prospect Park and abundant outdoor spaces. There’s a small-town vibe here alongside big city amenities. The schools are among the best, and the lifestyle drifts a bit toward the slow lane. There’s a creative presence, a diversified night life and manicured streetscapes. It’s no wonder this townhouse sold faster than expected, and we like to think our superior paint job played a little role. The sellers have dreams to follow, and buyers are excited to embrace all that Brooklyn’s Park Slope has to offer. Everyone is happy!

   

Dull dark outdated cabinets

 
Manhattan Carpentry
 

Midtown East Wainscoting Design and Installation

There are many ways to add character and class to your home, and one is designing wall molding in a shape, style and texture that fits your taste in interior décor. This Manhattan family had a new home and wanted to add some style with decorative molding on the walls before moving in. They also asked us to remove some ugly built-in shelving as well.

Trim, wainscoting and molding come in many widths with designs in the wood. From elegant narrow strips to chunky wide layers, 3-D wall molding transforms any room from dull to dignified, mundane to marvelous. Life in Manhattan has an energetic vibe and an unparalleled diversity in people, food, cultures and opportunities. After a busy day in and around the ever-humming hustle, it’s nice to go home to comfy rooms that wrap you in friendly, intimate spaces.   

The clients were not sure how to approach the project, so we brought them six samples of molding profiles which would add a sophisticated statement to the living room and the den. They selected different ones for each room and settled on the design. Then we set to work measuring and marking the walls for accuracy and level before cutting the trim to fit. Molding installation calls for meticulous craftsmanship using levels, rulers and T-squares to assure everything lines up perfectly square and perfectly parallel. Following that is priming and painting, also to perfection. These interior walls exude a level of grace and dignity that enhances the overall ambience and visual appeal. When the project was complete, each room was now all dressed up, even without furniture, rugs and lamps.  

 
 
 
Long Island City Window Frame Spraying
 

Freshly repaired, cleaned, primed and painted metal window and door frames

L.I.C. Metal Window Painter

 Metal window frames offer an attractive, contemporary look with a touch of industrial style and a nod to the storied history of New York City. They also present a modern, uncomplicated accent to a home’s interior. Factor in durability, strength, heat insulation, fire resistance and minimal routine maintenance, and you have a wonderful, stylish architectural component. About the only eye sore in metal window frames is when they are scratched, aging and the wrong color for your décor.

 This family grew weary of old beige metal around the glass panes which was showing wear and tear from the years. They decided to change to a chic, sleek black and would like us to make it happen in the five days they would be out of town. We arrived after they departed and began covering, masking and protecting everything within a spray range of paint. Work like this with metal begins with a thorough denatured alcohol cleaning and drying.

 We sprayed the primer, which assures the paint will bond to the metal via the primer before spraying the finish coats. The door to the balcony got sprayed as well, and except for these sensationally new black metal window frames (and door), the family never knew we were there. You know the old hiking adage: Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. We take pictures, but never do we leave behind footprints – we leave yet another excellent project finished on time within budget.

Dull brown, tired, scratched window frames in need of cleaning, light repair, prime and new chic black paint.

 
Manhattan Sheetrock Patching
 

Ceiling like brand new after being taken apart for HVAC work.

Tribeca Drywall Repair

An air handler, well, it handles air and is an important component of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system. It looks a bit like a furnace, and its main function is regulating and circulating air throughout a home or building’s duct system. Like much of the unseen HVAC equipment, the air handler is largely unnoticed until it ceases to function properly. While lots of air handlers are in basements or crawl spaces beneath houses, they are often found in multi-story buildings in New York City tucked in between floors and behind walls.

Here in Tribeca, we opened up a large enough part of a ceiling for the HVAC repair company to work. They removed the old unit and installed a new one, leaving the ceiling repair to us. This entailed challenging tasks like working upside down to put up new drywall, while making sure the rest of the ceiling was sufficiently supported during the whole project. Once positioned and fastened securely, we taped and plastered the drywall seams.

And then, when all was dry and smooth, our team once again climbed up the ladders or scaffolding which we had carted to the job site and primed and painted the new drywall. We worked around the embedded ceiling lights and also patched and painted a hallway column which had been opened up to install new HVAC lines. We work closely with lots of contractors, homeowners and property management companies. For us, it’s all in a day’s work, but for others, it can be overwhelming. We don’t hold their hands per se, but we do reassure them that everything will look nice and new when it’s done. And it does. Every time.

Ceiling open for HVAC work.

Column waiting final sanding and painting.

Column open for HVAC work.

 
West Village Skim Coating
 

NYC Skim Coating Contractor 

West Village is dubbed one of New York City’s most beloved neighborhoods for a modern melding of its rich history in architecture and cobblestone streets with contemporary vibes in boutiques, music, restaurants and nightlife. It’s the kind of place you want to step out in style and step back in to a graceful, residential interior. These homeowners were exceptionally clever in changing out the flooring, adding new baseboards and wanting the walls to appear perfectly smooth and painted like new.

Well, that’s one place we shine with our skim coating experts who work with the finest tools available. Skim coating is a precision method of smoothing walls of all imperfections by applying multiple light coats of joint compound or comparable plaster product. Level 5 skimming blades are the best in the business with high precision 0.3mm or other small blade inserts. The proprietary blade edge and unique shape – in the hands of an experienced skim coat tradesman – offer consistent, high quality results.

When the skim coat process is complete, the top coats of paint produce museum quality walls or ones which look like they were put up yesterday. In fact, many of the historical homes in Manhattan are more than 100 years old. This living room space exhibits a sleek, flawless, fresh appearance with the superior wall finish, updated flooring and new baseboards. It is indeed a graceful, residential interior to step into.

  

skimming in process

heavy mismatched textures on walls