by Nigel Costolloe | Oct 10, 2018 | Back Bay, Brookline, Historic Restoration, Historic Restoration, History, Newton
Because we are a professional painting company, our customers assume we are familiar with, or expert in, color (color theory, color selection). This is far from true, but given our daily application of color to homes, inside and out, we do acquire a reasonable comfort...
by Nigel Costolloe | Jul 17, 2018 | Brookline, Historic Restoration
About eight years ago we had submitted a painting proposal to the National Park Service for the restoration of the Frederick Law Olmsted Historic Site in Brookline, MA. We were not awarded the project, much to my disappointment. Fast forward to 2018 and we are working...
by Nigel Costolloe | Apr 27, 2014 | Brookline, Environmentally Friendly Paints, EPA-RPP, History, Interior Painting, Lead-Safe Certified, Residential Interior Painting, Safety
The EPA rolled out new regulations in 2010 designed to protect the occupants of homes where lead paint is being disturbed. Referred to as the RRP rule, or Renovate, Repair and Painting rule, these regulations affect any work performed in a house built before 1978...
by Nigel Costolloe | Jul 10, 2012 | Brookline, Exterior Painting, Historic Restoration
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...
by Brian | May 20, 2011 | Brookline, Exterior Painting, Water Damage, Winter, Wood Restoration
We have the privilege of tending to some of Boston’s grand old homes and we have learned that ongoing maintenance is the best approach to keep these buildings in top shape. The photograph below is taken from a gorgeous Federal house in Brookline, one that was...
by Nigel Costolloe | Apr 22, 2011 | Blog, Brookline, Wood Restoration
I’m not sure why our craft is called painting when the vast majority of our time is spent preparing surfaces for paint. Invited to repaint the back deck of a gorgeously detailed home in Brookline, we find a paint failure common to newer construction. The wood in the...