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

Color: Benjamin Moore Stone Cutter

Manhattan Wall Patching and Drywall Repair 

In 1909, an inventive guy named Isaac Shero patented a hair straightener composed of two flat irons heated and pressed together, likely with formerly curly hair between them. The electric flat iron was patented in 1882. Flat irons, many forged by blacksmiths, have been heated on stoves and pressed fabric and clothes smooth for centuries. The Flatiron Building, bounded by 5th Ave., Broadway and East 22nd St., has flat iron characteristics for its triangle design. It was completed in 1902, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

The neighborhood anchored by this iconic structure is the Flatiron District, known for trendy everything and the original Shake Shack. Our client here wanted to add paint color before moving in, and asked us to repair a wall where a TV set had been. We cleaned and measured that space, cut drywall to fit, taped it into place and plastered and painted. This wall and all the walls we painted look nice and new for a wonderful welcome to their new nest in the Flatiron District.

FINISHED

IN PROGRESS

BEFORE

NYC painters

More than two centuries ago, Rose Hill was a farm on the banks of the East River with 260 apple trees and 9,000 young fruit trees. The owners had a thriving nursery across 92 acres when it was listed for sale in 1790. Today, the neighborhood boasts world-class dining, museums, architecture, entertainment and homes. REALTOR® extraordinaire Heather Cooper (https://heathersellsnyc.com/) called us to paint a residence before listing it for sale. She found the walls and ceilings a bit dingy and sporting some kids’ early attempts at artistic expression.

Fresh paint is the most easy, inexpensive way to brighten a home going on the market, and our professional tradesmen excel in precision painting. Reluctantly, they completely repaired and painted the walls with no more hint of a budding Van Gogh or Wyeth as a previous young resident. Wickham Gray is a reliable neutral, along with timeless Chantilly Lace white on ceilings, trim and doors. Both provide the perfect color complement with hardwood floors and perhaps a new canvas for another youngster with an artistic bent.

After - bright and beautiful painted in White Dove

Before - dull and dark

15 Broad Street Interior Painting Company

Wall Street was named in 1711 for a long-gone wall built by Dutch settlers to keep out the pirates and the Brits. Though it is only six blocks long, the surrounding streets house some of the largest, most reputable financial entities in the world. Broad Street runs between Wall St. and Exchange Place. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was constituted in 1817. Fast forward 204 years, and the new owners of a beautiful condo across the street from NYSE wanted to brighten their interior walls. We love the vitality and pizzazz found in this part of Manhattan and eagerly loaded up our floor protection materials, paint, tape, brushes, scrapers, rollers, ladders and all we would need for the project.

You might read that “kids say the darndest things,” but hey, adults “do the darndest things.” In this delightful condo, someone had wallpapered the ceilings. We set about removing that, which is easier said than done, working kind of upside down, peeling, scraping, sanding and smoothing prior to priming and painting. The walls have been transformed from dark and dull to bright and beautiful with the popular White Dove paint selection. And the new owners are happy in their pleasant, newly painted home.

More White Dove in main space

Ceiling Wallpaper removal in progress

Dumbo Painting Company

The newly painted, elegant bathroom

The once-eyesore wallpapered bathroom

You never know what floats someone’s boat, and this wild, geometric, wallpaper scheme was no longer welcome in this hall or bathroom. Work in the building had been in a long pause for covid, and our client was past ready for a fresh start on all fronts. We were only too happy ourselves to rid the spaces of wallpaper that makes your eyes waver. Then there’s always cleaning off glue and paper residue and smoothing the walls for something chic and uptown with Farrow & Ball fine paint products.

 The hall is now Pavilion Gray, a classic middle shade reminiscent of an elegant 18th century Swedish neutral color. The bathroom walls and ceiling deliver a real wow factor for the deep, dark, midnight blue of Hague Blue. According to Farrow-ball.com, it is named for colored woodwork popular with the Dutch people. Both paint colors evoke strength and power with undertones of stability and balance, so they are excellent choices for the luxury lifestyle at 70 Washington Street in DUMBO.

The newly elegant hall

The eyesore wallpapered hall