Manhattan Custom Wallpaper Hanging

Instant coffee has a storied history that stretches around the globe, and instant coffee today has a prominent place in the New York City headquarters of Ground Up Coffee & Tea. The company, which ships around the world, was founded by a 3rd generation instant coffee drinker and is dedicated to developing and delivering differentiated coffee and tea. Consumers have always appreciated the convenience afforded by instant coffee. The recent shift toward high grade coffees made with cutting edge processing technology adds premium flavor to the simplicity and portability of instant coffee.  The result is an unmatched experience at the cup and corresponding surge in demand. http://www.gucoffeetea.net.

And while they innovate in the instant coffee and tea arena, they engage a creative approach to making their work space an instant hit with employees and visitors. When Ground Up moved to a new office, they had a custom-styled wallpaper mural designed.  We were the lucky ones who got to install it and keep from getting mixed up on whether we were indoors or outside. The green fields of coffee-growing shrubs, hills beyond and backdrop of mountains are complemented with a captivating motley sky.  

We delicately carved out duct work and air vents while taping and plastering the doorway for a seamless look, except for the hinges and handle. It’s intricate work that our team of craftsmen finds challenging and rewarding. Once we picked up our drop cloths, tables, scaffolding and supplies, we really did not want to depart this glorious mountain scene for the urban concrete and skyscraper scene – like from one jungle to another.

Before. Pointing to the future

Upper West Side Apartment Painter

The Rochester Institute of Technology, 332 miles northwest of the Big Apple, offers a master of science degree in Color Science. According to its website, it’s “a unique master’s degree that decodes how humans perceive and interact with color, providing limitless real-world applications. At the only university in the nation offering this program of study, you will be exposed to the rich, dynamic field of color science through theory and practical application.” Now there’s a graduate program that seriously looks fascinating and fun.

We just love when clients go bold with color. This family had their new home painted before moving in, and we used nine colors throughout the spaces. Every newly painted wall in every room radiated energy and emotion as we brushed and rolled the new colors. Some of us might even have been humming a lively tune as we worked.

Imagine a wee one, fairly new to our world, waking up enveloped in this bold, cheerful shade of pink. Benjamin Moore has named it Sunlit Coral, for having a whisper of orange mingled into a courageous and striking fuchsia color. This was one very vibrant, energetic, happy project, for what we suspect is one very vibrant, energetic, happy family, with an abundant measure of bold and beautiful throughout their new home.

Brownstone Molding Painter

There is something to be said for natural wood – the warmth, history, grain, original, the genuine article. As wonderful as that all sounds, old trim with a dark stain can dull a space, especially molding which has multiple coats of old gel stain on it. The new owner of this brownstone was understandably conflicted between restoring the wide, solid molding to its former glory and brightening the space with new paint.

The good news is that freshly painted trim in this classic style – broad, thick, substantial molding with rosette corners – retains the architectural character while freshening the room. High quality, solid wood casings like these are just as beautiful dressed in white because the grooves, corner rosettes and panels below the windows retain their sculptured style.

Gel stain is a wonderful, oil-based, varnish product. It is thicker than traditional wood stain and rests on the wood rather than being absorbed into it. It does, however, present a challenge to the most professional of painters when it no longer fits the overall décor scheme. Sanding is step two – protecting floors and anything else in the room or adjacent spaces is always step one. It takes considerable sanding to work through the gel stain and/or scuff it enough to accept the appropriate primer which serves as a bonding agent between the newly prepped trim and its bright new paint coats. We completed this job on a tight deadline for the new owner’s move-in date, and the radiant result quite perfectly exudes a stately style.

Not what you want to see

Water-based vs. Oil-based Paint

Watching paint dry or watching grass grow is fairly harmless albeit incredibly boring. A more dramatic – or alarming - way to pass the time is watching paint peel in large pieces should you discover that you have painted over oil-based paint with water-based paint. It’s not so far-fetched to buy a gallon of paint and put on a coat or two with the hopes of selling your home faster for the fresh look, until the fresh look takes on the bubble gum look - blistering, stretching out and peeling off. Ooops.

While it may seem that picking a color of paint is the primary task, actually choosing the right paint precedes that. Knowing what kind of paint is already on a wall, trim, table or whatever it is you are planning to paint narrows your choice quickly. Durability plays into paint choice, as walls do not need a durability factor as high and reliable as trim, which gets touched much more often. Oil-based paints are frequently selected for trim because they have a hard, non-porous coating when dry. Walls are usually painted with water-based paints. You can paint oil-based paint over water-based paints, but not the other way around. At least not without sanding and scuffing and/or applying a proper bonding agent first.

Our experience with paints, bonding agents, oil-based products, primers, water-based paints, sealers and more is available to you for the asking. While we can certainly fix bubble gummy errors like in these photos, we strongly suggest you call in our experts before taking matters into your own hands. The Paintworks professional painters get the job done right every time, with the right paint, equipment, brushes and rollers. There are particular kinds of brushes and rollers to use with different paint products, along with various methods of cleaning them. When you want the job done quickly and correctly the first time, well, call on us. You can watch the paint dry, and we assure you that the fresh look will be just that, a fresh look of smooth paint in the color(s) of your choice.

Fixing trim/doors after wrong paint was used on top of oil based paint

Stonington Gray on Trim

 Gray is often heralded for a classy, neutral interior statement, and what better place to come home to an elegant lifestyle than Park Avenue. Named for its lush park-like greenery, the center of the wide boulevard initially held a railway track for the New York & Harlem Railroad. Once that was gone, different sections were planted, and eventually the entire length of Fourth Avenue was renamed Park Avenue.

In the early 1980s, a group of concerned residents banded together to preserve iron fences and garden areas which had deteriorated. Dubbed Patrons of Park Avenue (POPA -  http://www.patronsofparkavenue.org ), the new organization worked alongside the city parks department (which owns the mall land strips) and a landscape architect to restore the trees and plantings. POPA is still very active supporting the maintenance and plants in these lush outdoor malls which enhance life on Park Avenue.

Meanwhile, this luxury home needed a new interior vision to do away with some very weird designs and mottled paint. In keeping with the calm intent for the room, the client selected Benjamin Moore’s Calm paint for the walls. This soothing shade of white sports a soft hint of lavender-gray. The trim color of Stonington Gray added just a little punch to frame the space at the top and bottom where generous molding meets the ceiling and the floor. This is now a gracious place for sweet dreams.