Our recent Willowbrook exterior painting project was a literal change in scenery – Blue Door Painting refreshed the entire exterior of this beautiful home, helping it to stand out against the crowd and remain bold in the coming winter months.

Though it may seem counterintuitive, autumn is a great time to touch up or completely redo your home’s exterior. Summertime is great for outdoor projects, but fall has fewer insects, less pollen and a more temperate climate to work with. Not only that, but getting a facelift before the snow comes can help your exterior survive some of the harsh side effects of a Chicago winter.

For this home, the owner was keen to create a unique look. The deep, warm Country Redwood Arborcoat Stain by Benjamin Moore was a bold choice that matched the wood and stone accents already present on the house.

To help the red pop even more, we lined the windows with Ashland Slate trim, also a Benjamin Moore Arborcoat Stain. This shade lives in a family of dark grays, but the purple undertones give it more depth than a flatter, more straightforward choice.

In just five days, we took a nice home that blended in with its neighbors and transformed it into a gorgeous statement piece in the subdivision.

If you’re ready to upgrade your home’s look, contact us today for a free quote. Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirations and read our 5 STAR reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List or Houzz.

We’re all about exteriors this season at Blue Door Painting! Our May Job of the Month features a transformative project in Old Irving Park, complete with an overhaul of the exterior color and a facelift for the front deck.

The structure of the house was beautiful, but the paint was faded, chipping and peeling away in prominent spots on the facade. The front, sides and rear of the home were looking worse for wear after a few too many tough Chicago winters, and we needed to smooth things out before starting the color update.

To properly prepare the home for this dramatic exterior rejuvenation, we thoroughly cleaned and pressure washed all the exterior surfaces of the home to ensure a long lasting, evenly applied finish. The Blue Door Painting crew then filled any holes and cracks with high quality elastomeric caulk and applied one coat of primer followed by two coats of Hale Navy HC-154 exterior paint by Benjamin Moore. The original bland, unobtrusive gray was consistent with many houses in the area, but the homeowner wanted more than just a spruce – they wanted to stand out from the crowd with a bold color choice.

To complete the look, we stained the mismatched natural wood grain of the front deck to a darker, complementary color. We also matched the top of the deck design to the home to give a more consistent appearance to the entry.

This Old Irving Park update has been one of our favorite projects this season, and we’re pleased to share a few kind words from the homeowner herself on the end result of our work:

“Tom and Ed were wonderful to work with, planning the project and scheduling the work. We had a whole house exterior paint job including deck stain. We changed the color of the house completely and they did a great job prepping and painting. I will use them again for sure and I highly recommend them. Oh, and their prices were very competitive and fair.” – Beth O. on Google Reviews.

Blue Door Painting is a fully insured and vastly experienced exterior painter. Contact Blue Door Painting today to get a free estimate for any painting project – we are fast, professional and affordable!

Hale Navy HC-154 Benjamin Moore Blue Door Painting Chicago

We hope you enjoyed this installment of our monthly Job of the Month Series. Stay tuned for more Chicagoland painting projects by Blue Door Painting!

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirations and read our 5 STAR reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List or Houzz.

We are excited to announce a new series of posts on the Blue Door Painting blog curating our favorite “Job of the Month”.  This monthly series will highlight unique customer painting projects that showcase technically challenging painting work, major home transformations, striking color palettes or out of the ordinary customer design aesthetics that we think are a great inspiration.  Look out for Blue Door Painting’s “PRO TIPS” as well where we can share painting best practices and our professional expertise.

Each post will outline the job location, specific paint colors used and our customer’s motivation and goals for the painting project.  We love reviews, so whenever possible we will let you hear from our customers directly too!

We look forward to sharing the diversity and quality of our work with you each month and hope you will find this new Blue Door Paintingblog series inspiring!

ADDITIONAL BLUE DOOR PAINTING NEWS

GET READY FOR SPRING! If you have been considering transforming your home with fresh colors, NOW is the time – take advantage of our special PRE-SPRING PROMOTION!

Book your interior or exterior painting project with us by March 31st and take an extra 10% off! Job must be booked by March 31st and completed by April 30th, 2018.

Don’t wait – schedule your FREE PAINTING ESTIMATE today!

Looking for some color inspiration? Check out our blog posts or call for a free color consultation with our Interior Designer and color guru, Jasmin Reese.

If you are interested in checking out our previous painting projects, please visit our painting portfolio.

Follow us on Instagram for daily inspriations and more pictures of our projects.  and read our 5 STAR reviews on Yelp, Angie’s ListorHouzz.

For city dwellers lucky enough to have a porch, adding a swing is the perfect touch for a livable, enjoyable outdoor space. Aside from enjoying beautiful nights on the swing, you also allow yourself an opportunity to use the piece as another facet of your decor. Take a look at your porch, your home’s exterior and your vision for your outdoor space and consider these paint ideas to help bring all those elements together.

White

This traditional, classic look goes well with most exterior color schemes and offers a wide range of decorative options. White painted wood evokes a cottage or farmhouse theme that you can easily extend to the rest of the porch’s atmosphere.

Black

If your home already has some darker elements, this is a beautiful option. Adding bright, contrasting furniture and decor around the swing will help make the other colors pop.

Multi-Color

You can incorporate any two colors into your porch’s decor with a cute two-tone pattern like the black and white example above. You can even mix it up – paint every other wood plank a different color, paint just the seat and arm rests white the rest a vibrant hue, go with different colored seats, etc.

Bold Hues

A swing is a perfect accent (or focal) piece for your porch. Get creative with bright and bold statements like primary colors and pastels.

Not sure what color to choose? Call us for a free color consultation.

Looking for professionals to do the painting for you? Call Blue Door Painting today.

It took Chicago weather awhile to catch on, but it’s finally time to start thinking about spring home improvements. Whether you just need to touch up some paint or tactfully approach your home’s entire exterior, take some of these items into consideration when you plan your list of improvements.

Examine roof shingles

Though we had a tame winter this year, the low temps and standing snow may still have wreaked havoc on your roof. Look for missing or broken shingles as well as any debris buildup between shingles.

Clean the gutters

Leaves, nests and other debris might be blocking your gutters, preventing proper drainage and setting you up for a headache later on. Hop up there and clean them the traditional way or hire a service to get the job done while you focus on the rest of this list.

Check your equipment

If you store any large equipment, make sure everything is in working order. Lawn mowers, edgers and anything else with a motor may need to be dusted off and run for a few minutes. Check cords and electrical outlets before using – you never know what might have become a chew toy for a pre-hibernation rodent.

Tend to the basement

Finished or unfinished, do a full-scale check of your lower level. Cracks, lightbulbs, foundation issues…check on the status of the entire area and make an effort to air out and clean the space. If you have any leaks or water damage, consider interior wall repair and touch-ups before the issue progresses.

Clean your windows

Get rid of built up dirt and mildew on the interior AND exterior of your windows. Skip the power wash on the windows you can reach in favor of a hand wash. Tip: Avoid very sunny days – the cleaner may dry and streak before you’re done scrubbing.

Take care of decks and patios

Sweep, power wash or even replace part of your deck or patio if necessary. Allowing debris to sit can ruin the surface as well as take away some of the aesthetic value of your outdoor living area. If you need a new look, consider painting or refinishing your deck or patio.

Tend to grills

We’re rapidly approaching BBQ season, so don’t be caught without a functional grill. Check your outdoor grill – do you need fuel? Has it rusted anywhere? Have any furry friends created nests? Uncover and inspect the entire thing, cleaning and disinfecting as you go.

Call us today for a free quote on your Chicago exterior house painting project and let our professionals help you spruce up your home!

Don’t put it off another year – this season, freshen up your home or office with a new look. Blue Door Painting is the local, professional option for every paint need, residential or commercial. With over 35 years of experience in the field, we’ve painted it all – homes, offices, retail stores, restaurants, industrial and warehouse projects, schools, multi-unit residential projects and more.

Not only do we have the experience to back our work, we’re proud to offer clear and upfront painting estimates, neat and fast paint service and free touch up and follow up service.

If you need it, we do it – take a look:

Interior Painting Services – Residential

Residential painting is our specialty – our relationship starts with a free estimate and visit to your home to assess your needs and goals.

We’re masters in the following areas:

• Complete interior house painting – new construction and existing homes
• High rise condo painting
• Den or basement painting
• Children’s room painting
• Wall repair
• Wallpaper removal
• Wood trim refinishing
• Light carpentry

Exterior Painting Services – Residential

Safety on the job is our number one priority – our fully trained personnel are experienced on and around ladders, scaffolding and rooftops.  No job is too tough and no detail is too small – we love challenging projects!

We have extensive experience with the following types of residential exterior home painting projects:

• Complete exterior home painting – new construction and existing homes
• Exterior wood and siding painting
• Wooden porch and deck refinishing, painting and staining
• Metal porch refinishing and painting
• Iron fence refinishing and painting
• Pressure washing

Commercial Painting

We are fully insured and safety on the job is our number one priority. Whether you are just refreshing your walls or are planning a larger renovation project, our team has the experience and training to manage your project independently or work with your general contractor to complete the job on time and within your specified budget.

Pre Move-In Painting

We will meet you and your real estate agent at the new property prior to closing to provide a free home painting project estimate. Upon acceptance of our proposal, we will then schedule the house painting work around your closing and move-in dates. As part of our standard residential painting service, we perform any necessary wall repairs such as filling holes and cracks and repairing any water stains or damage that may be present.

Home Renovation

We work hand in hand with Chicago’s premier building contractors to put the finishing touches on your home renovation, bringing your home to life with color. If we are not the last trade to work on the job site, when the project is over, we conduct a thorough inspection of the work area and perform any touch-ups or wall repairs that may be needed.

Color Consultation

We work with local color consultant and interior designer, Jasmin Reese of Jasmin Reese Interiors to offer free color consultations for your home or business.

Jasmin will meet you at your location to review your project and get a feeling for your personal style and goals with the space. She will take into account the overall design of your home or business and color scheme already in place and provide you with color options and other creative ideas to integrate color into your space.

Check out our portfolio for inspiration or contact us now to get started with a free estimate or color consultation!

Blue Door Painting Blog | Exterior Painting Color Makeover

An exterior house painting project to refreshing the paint and color of your home’s exterior is one of the most cost effective investments you can make to improve the value and curb appeal of your home.

Exterior Home Painting Tips

Some factors to consider when choosing an exterior color palette are your home’s architectural style and historical color schemes, the surrounding landscape, the coloring of neighboring homes, architectural elements that are unlikely to change or be painted (roof, brick, stone, wood, metal, walkways etc.) and whether you are attracted to cool or warm tones overall.

How to Choose your Exterior House Paint Color

Most exterior house paint color schemes incorporate at least three main colors: the “Field Colors” are the large areas such as the main exterior walls of your home, the “Trim Colors” are the corner boards, window trim, and fascias and “Accent Colors” make up the smaller elements such as doors, shutters and other architectural features of the home.

The Field Color makes up most of what you will see on the house and should inform the Trim and Accent Colors. Keeping the Trim Color lighter than the Field Color is a general rule of thumb and gutters, downspouts and other such items are usually painted the same color as the trim to downplay their presence. The Accent Color is your opportunity to use bolder and more eye-catching colors on the most important features of your home and balance the muted tones of the Field and Trim Colors.

Windows can be painted with both accent and trim colors for an exciting color composition and creative addition to your home’s curb appeal.

Most paint manufacturers offer pre-selected exterior paint color palettes outlining Field, Trim and Accent Colors as well as “historically accurate” paint palettes to match the architectural style of your home.

For more complex home designs like the Victorian painted ladies that often use five to six colors in combination, it is wise to consult with a color specialist or architect to maximize the beauty and appeal of your home’s architectural elements.

See our Pinterest Page on Exterior House Painting for some exterior painting jobs that we find inspiring.

Contact the exterior home painting experts at Blue Door Painting today for a free exterior house painting quote and exterior color consultation with our color expert, Jasmin Reese.