Catchlight Painting Blog
We’re Blushing ….
These words, shared via our project evaluation, come from a delightful professional interior design client who shall go unnamed but will most definitely be recognized and thanked! "I think it's a very lucky man (in this day and age) whose work is known and respected...
Obsessing over the Details in Somerville, MA
We were fortunate enough this year to be introduced to a lovely client in Somerville. Mark Weiner, architectural rep for Sherwin-Williams in New England, referred us to a retired architect/interior designer couple who live in a beautiful home in Somerville. After a...
My Kingdom for a Shanked Nail
We see a lot of carpentry flaws in our line of work and captured in the photograph below is a common one. This house was built in the 1950s but was resided in the 80s with new cedar clapboards. Unfortunately the installers used a smooth nail to fasten the clamps. ...
Go with the Flow
As an environmentally conscious company, we go to great lengths to avoid use of solvent-based finishes in favor of water-based low and zero VOC (volatile organic solvents) paints. Occasionally however a client will insist on a more traditional oil-based finish. Below...
It’s All about Perspective
My son Jesse and I spent 5 days in London last week - his first visit, and I enjoyed seeing the familiar city through his eyes. Double decker buses that seem precariously unstable as they turn corners, London bobbies in their tidy blue suits and peaked helmets, and...
Safety First, Last, and Always, Part Two
Performing at your best can only happen if you have the right tools. In the photo below, taken in Boston’s Back Bay this past late summer, I stopped to chat with the employees of a large commercial painting company that does a lot of work around Boston. The men were...
Exterior Paint Preparation in Belmont, MA
In these photos below we have removed all flaking paint from a Belmont, MA home. The exterior walls looked sound from a distance but up close, each shingle showed a latticework of cracked paint - in painting parlance this is called 'alligatoring'. It reflects the...
Safety: How Can I Help You?
In the following article our employee Mike points out the challenges to working safely when on a jobsite - threats are myriad and everywhere. We are reasonably astute about safety training but there is always room for improvement and feedback like Mike's is both...
Bubbles Under Paint: Solvent Blisters
One of the earliest lessons I learned in painting was not to rush to apply the 2nd coat. Oil-primed exterior walls on a Brookline Victorian were taking forever to dry; the paint can label suggested 48 hours before recoating - I waited a full week then applied a...
Hardwood Deck Restoration in Cambridge, MA
Rod Serling in the Twilight Zone would use the phrase "submitted for your approval.." and then go on to describe the latest nightmare scenario. I have my own example to submit, captured in the photograph below. A hardwood deck in Cambridge, built flush to the existing...
