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Repairing Wood Defects Will Improve the Look of Your Home Vastly

Even with a fabulous paint job on the interior and exterior of your house, your residence still might not look its best because of the condition of your home’s wood. If portions of your inside or outside wood features contain defects, your entire property will start to look shabby and lose value. Repairing wood defects will improve the look of your home vastly!

Repairing Wood Defects Will Improve the Look of Your Home Vastly

Exterior Wood Trim

The trim on the exterior of your home will often get cracks, wood rot, or the existing paint stripped off due to harsh weather conditions. When this happens, it lowers the curb appeal of your home, because the defects will be quite visible. If your entire house doesn’t need repainting, you can merely get the damaged pieces of wood replaced, repaired, or repainted to restore the look of your home.

Wood Siding

If you have wood siding on your house, even just having one or two bad slats can take away from the otherwise beautiful aesthetic of your exterior. Don’t wait until the damage spreads to take action. Once the wood is repaired and repainted on those particular slats, the outside of your house will once again look gorgeous. Your neighbors will think you’ve had brand new siding installed.

Interior Baseboards

On the inside of your house, baseboards can start to look worn and dirty from age, furniture banging against them, or other types of wear. They can also get long cracks from water damage or additional stresses to the wood. Bad baseboards will make any room look less stylish. Repairing those baseboards so that they look like new will immediately improve the look of your rooms.

Wood defects are something that you shouldn’t ignore if you want your house to look its best and retain its value. For information about how to get your wood repaired, please contact us today. You’ll be amazed at how much better your home looks with smooth, beautiful wood throughout your property.

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Six Electrical Repairs & Replacement Tasks You Should Not Overlook

The old safety warning that most accidents happen in the home is accurate. While we may feel the safest in our homes, it’s essential to double check the infrastructure of where we live to make sure everything is in good working order. Six Electrical Repairs & Replacement Tasks You Should Not Overlook

Here’s a checklist to ensure your house is up-to-date and safe.

Six Electrical Repairs & Replacement Tasks You Should Not Overlook

Get some GFCI Wall Outlets 

If you blow dry your hair in the bathroom, or if your toaster oven is on your kitchen counter, it is vital that your wall outlets be equipped with a ground-fault circuit interrupter. If your appliance comes in contact with water, or if the device detects abnormal electrical flow, the wall outlet will turn off and thus protect you from a potential ground-fault. For standard wall outlets, we recommend the receptacle type because they are not expensive and can easily be installed.

Listen to Your Circuit Breakers

The most effective way to keep yourself safe in regards to electrical safety is to listen to your circuit breaker when there’s a problem. For example, if your breaker trips immediately after resetting it, then that is an indication that something is severely wrong and you should call an electrician immediately to check it out. Repeatedly pressing the breaker is not a good idea – that will just more likely cause an electrical fire.

Buy a Portable Fire Extinguisher for your House

Install a portable fire extinguisher in your kitchen or basement to protect you and your family in case of fire. However, check the class type of your extinguisher. If you’re cooking a meal with olive oil, for example, and a fire starts on your stove, you will need a Class K fire extinguisher to put out that fire. Water alone won’t be sufficient. If you have a fire extinguisher already, double check its class type and make sure it is equipped to put out the right kinds of fires.

Baby Proof Your Cabinets and Closets

Children are naturally curious, but you want to keep their curiosity in check. Update your kitchen and bathroom cabinets with child security locks. There are different kinds available, but the most useful varieties will be tamper-resistant for children but comfortable enough for adults to open without a key.

Stock up with an Emergency Supply Kit

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, you should keep “a battery-powered radio with extra batteries, canned food and a manual can opener, flashlights and battery-powered lamps for power failures” in your house in case of an emergency. Keep your kit in a safe place and let everyone in your home know where its located.

Update Your Smoke Detectors

Of course, you should check the batteries in your smoke detectors, but we recommend you also update your detector to alert you in case of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in your home. This could be caused by a gas leak, and since it has no scent, it is called the silent killer. You can easily buy combination detectors that both alert you in case of smoke caused by fire and carbon monoxide.

We hope you will keep you and your family safe with these tips. If you need help updating your home for safety this Summer contact us.

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Create a Focal Point in Every Room Using Paint

If you’re looking for an economical way to update the look of your home and create a focal point in various rooms, using interior wall paint is the perfect solution. By using spectacular colors, whether in your living room, bedroom, bathroom, or any other room in your home, you can create looks that you and your family will love.

Create a Focal Point in Every Room Using Paint

Living Room Paint

To create a focal point in your main living area, paint a full accent wall behind your sofa. Choose a bold color for a dramatic look, such as red or purple. For a serene look, opt for a pastel yellow or very light green. If you prefer neutrals, then select a darker shade of your current wall color. For example, if your walls are beige, then use brown for your accent wall. If your walls are gray, use a darker gray for the accent wall. For white walls, choose a soft cream color as your accent paint.

Bedroom Paint

In a bedroom, a fabulous way to create a focal point is to paint the wall behind your bed. You can use color on the entire wall or just the area that spans the width of your bed from floor to ceiling. If you have a door in the bedroom that leads out to a patio or balcony, you can use that wall as a focal point instead by painting it with a coordinating hue that matches the rest of your bedroom decor.

Bathroom Paint

Even in a small space like a bathroom, you can use paint to create a focal point. If you have a freestanding tub, paint the wall that your bathtub sets against with an attractive color to draw attention to that area. Alternatively, you can add color to the wall behind your vanity and mirror. Only use color on the space that spans the bathroom vanity and then paint all the way up to the ceiling. This type of paint job creates a gorgeous look whether you have a single sink or double sinks. To catch the eye, you can even use paint with a little bit of sparkle in it.

Interior paint can be used to update the look of any room in your home. For more information about interior paint colors and the different ways to use them, please contact us today.

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Specialty Exterior Paint Jobs that Will Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal

If you want to improve the outside look of your house, but you don’t want to invest in a complete paint job, you can choose to refresh specific areas to give your property better curb appeal. Three of the best places to update the exterior paint are on the front door, the garage door, and the window shutters if you have them.

Specialty Exterior Paint Jobs that Will Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Front Door

The front door is what most people focus on when approaching a house. When your front door stands out, it gives your home a more welcoming and trendy appearance. Instead of staying with a plain wooden door or a neutral-colored door, opt for a bold shade to create a distinctive look. Red is a popular choice and looks great with traditional architecture. Blue is a fabulous option for a house with a contemporary style. Yellow works well for a residence with a transitional design.

Garage Door

Because the garage door takes up a large area of space at the front of your property, you’ll want it to look its best. Choose a secondary color from your house as the color for that door. For example, if your house has red-colored brick on the front with little flecks of beige in it, opt for beige for your garage door. For a home with a solid color, if you want the garage door to blend in, then try choosing the same hue but a shade lighter or darker. If you want the garage door to stand out, then select a contrasting neutral color, such as white with a blue house or black with a house that’s painted green, for example.

Window Shutters

If your house has exterior shutters, painting these a bright color will bring interest to your home. You can match the color to the front door or match it to the garage or use the same color as your trim to coordinate the look. If you’re interested in a bold appearance, use the same color as your front door for the window shutters on either side of the door, then use a different color for the remaining shutters. For a two-story home, you can even use one color for the lower-floor shutters and another color for the upper-floor shutters.

For more information about how to spruce up the exterior of your home with paint, please contact us today. We do interior and exterior painting and can make your home look fresh and new again.

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Our Best Carpentry Services

We at Excellent American Painting LLC have teams who are willing to do our best carpentry work while we are remodeling or painting your home. Decks with signs of rot or numerous cracked wood can become a severe structural safety hazard down the road. We will be more than glad to take care of that problem for you now while we are working on your home. You will have the satisfaction of knowing your deck was fixed by top-notched craftsmen.

Our Best Carpentry Services

We can also help you with installing new trim on the exterior of your home. We provide full renovation services so you can have the kitchen you’ve always wanted, or a beautifully finished office space. Do you want your home to look more modern or a breath of life? We will be more than willing to install brand new wooden floors. Get rid of those old laminated flooring or that ragged old rug and make your life simpler with wood flooring.

Our teams are amazing artisans, providing your home with finished works of art. We are thrilled to use the best products to ensure your home lasts even longer. Our teams at Excellent American Painting will make sure it is done right the first time and within your budget, so you don’t have to go looking for another company. We pride on our perfection. And for your protection, we are also fully bonded and insured. We have been serving homeowners and businesses throughout the Collin and Denton counties for many years, providing the best custom work in the area and we will continue to do so.

Give your home remodeling project the attention it deserves by hiring our team of experts. Remember, we are your number one remodeling specialists in the Frisco Texas area. We are available seven days a week, so us a call at 214-938-1088.

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Keep Your Kitchen Design in Working Order with a Work Triangle

Home renovation programs show you all the different ways to can make your kitchen shine. A new, sleek backsplash can add a pop of color. New granite or quartz countertops add value and make your kitchen instantly more luxurious. Adding a kitchen island can give you more counter space and open up the kitchen for more conversation. But all of these glamorous design changes are founded in tried and true design principles. So if you’re giving your kitchen more than a surface-level face lift and rearranging everything, don’t lose your kitchen work triangle.

Keep Your Kitchen Design in Working Order with a Work Triangle

What’s the kitchen work triangle?

Most of the tasks you complete in your kitchen involve three things: the refrigerator, the sink, and the stove top. Many of the tasks also involve walking from one to another during the course of preparing meals or cleaning out the refrigerator. If you want to have an efficient kitchen, make sure your design includes a clear walkway between the three points. This forms the kitchen work triangle.

The devil is in the details when it comes to the kitchen work triangle. The major points can’t be too close to each other; the different work zones will start to take over each other’s counter space. If two people are working in the kitchen at the same time, then tight quarters could easily lead to frustration. Ideally, each triangle leg should be four to nine feet in length. If you’re incorporating an island to your kitchen design, make sure it stays out of the triangle.

There are also additional suggestions for the amount of counter surface area given to each work area. Sometimes the work triangle can grow into a rectangle to incorporate a microwave or a dishwasher. Depending on how you use your kitchen, you might divide your kitchen into different zones for food preparation, baking, cooking, and cleaning rather than a triangle based on efficient movement.

Whether you’re redesigning your kitchen’s whole layout or you’re upgrading the surfaces, go to Excellent American Painting & Handyman Service to get it done right.

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List It or Love It Again?

In a departure from the instant gratification sell-and-move-up climate that has dominated the housing market for the last few years, many of today’s savvy homeowners are reevaluating whether investing a few dollars in a remodel might just transform their existing house into the home of their dreams.

List It or Love It Again?

Minor damage can make a major impact on your daily life, and many homeowners are surprised to find how inexpensive it can be to replace a cracked porcelain sink or to install new high-efficiency light fixtures. From replacing sun-baked siding to new shutters to fresh interior paint, in many cases, a minor face lift is all that is needed to give your home a new lease on life.

Sometimes you need to expand your options.

Whether you have outgrown the space available in your home or simply gotten tired of making do with oddly shaped rooms and awkward storage spaces, winter is a great time to consider an interior remodel.

Always hated that tiny half-bath off your bedroom? Knock out a wall and that large storage closet you never knew what to do with becomes the perfect space for a soaking tub in your new master bath.

Love that your kids are musically inclined, but dread the hours of practice time each night? We can turn the basement into a soundproof music studio.

Love to entertain, but hate having people jostling for elbow room in the living room? Add that backyard deck that you’ve always wanted and double your entertaining space!

Is your home worth the investment?

Before you scrawl your John Hancock across the bottom of that real estate listing form, take a moment to look around objectively. If you do sell your home, would you be looking for another house in the same area? Is the location convenient? Do you have neighbors you enjoy? What about the quality of the schools and parks?

If thinking about these attributes brings a smile to your face, maybe all your current home needs is a little TLC from the experts at Excellent American Painting & Handyman Service to make you fall in love with it all over again. Contact us today to see how we can help!

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10 Ways To Improve The Safety Of Your Home

Everyone has a checklist of things that need to be done around the home for routine maintenance. There is a seemingly unending list of things to clean or replace in order to keep things safe and running smoothly. It can be hard to remember every detail, even though forgetting can be a hazard. In order to keep the home safe, it is important to not overlook or put off these ten hidden dangers found in the Home Safety Checklist at RealSimple.com.

10 Ways To Improve The Safety Of Your Home

1.  Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

While the most obvious, it is also easily forgotten, partly because it is ignored unless it is beeping.  Install plenty, and don’t wait for the low battery beep. Check the batteries and clean the vents monthly.

2.  Outlets and Wires

Be careful to not overload outlets, and check all cords for frays or if they have been compromised. Feel outlets and plugs.  Warmth can be a sign of a problem and an electrician should be notified. Use extension cords only when necessary and within the proper wattage.

3.  GFCI’s

What is that? The technical term is ground fault circuit interrupters, but most people probably know them as the outlets with little buttons in the middle that always have to be reset. They are meant to shut off when the current moves through an unintentional path. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) these outlets have reduced electrocutions by 83%. They are required in certain areas of the home and should be checked frequently to insure they function properly.

4.  Heating

Whether it’s the water heater, or an electric or gas heater, proper maintenance is vital.  Keep flammable materials away from water heaters. Make sure all outside vents for the heater are unobstructed to avoid carbon monoxide buildup.

5.  Chimneys and Wood Stoves

A chimney should be inspected by a professional each year to insure proper functioning. Inspect wood-burning stoves twice a month. Make sure the door latches.  Only use seasoned wood to avoid a buildup of soot.

6.  Fire Extinguishers

Keep one in the kitchen and garage and one on each floor of the house. Replace if damaged or expired.

7.  Vents and Filters

Dryer vents going to the outside become a fire hazard when filled with lint. Check often to make sure they are clear. Heater and air conditioner vents need to be cleaned or changed monthly.

8.  Breaker Box

This is often overlooked, but checking for damage and making sure it is up to code is one way to prevent fires in the home.

9.  Attic

Loose wires, water or structural damage, and pests can hide in places like the attic and basement. Look in hidden areas often for signs of problems before they become costly and dangerous.

10.  Pipes

It’s easy to dismiss plumbing problems as something that comes with an older house (or any house), but there are signs of bigger issues that need to be checked out. Poor water pressure, discolored water, water spots on ceilings, and gurgling are just a few hints of a bigger problem.

Safety is important, and sometimes it takes a professional to make sure things are fixed properly and up to code. Please contact us with any questions about how we can help make your home safe!

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Interior Painting – Coloring The World You Live In.

There are few things we take for granted more than the paint and finish of the walls of our homes. Yet there aren’t many things that we live with so closely, that set the mood, and color the day-to-day dramas and the smallest moments of modern life.

Interior Painting - Coloring The World You Live In.

Perhaps your family has outgrown an old-fashioned style, or maybe you’ve been living too long with the color choices of your home’s previous owners. Whatever the case may be, when the time finally comes to breathe new life into the walls of your home you’ll probably find yourself with more than a few questions about how to get satisfying results with such an important part of your world.

Maybe you’ve considered trying to save a little money and doing it yourself. Most of us have undertaken a do-it-yourself painting job of some kind at some point. But the preparation, sampling, painting and clean-up are only part of the equation. Long after the careful prepping and tedious labor are completed, the real life of your painting project begins; the years of life your family will spend enjoying the results.

You can take the first step towards a worry-free painting process by requesting a quote online, or having a talk with Excellent American Painting‘s color consulting service. When you’ve got your color choices narrowed down, you can count on pricing that doesn’t change, unless you decide to change the size of the project. You can also count on friendly painters who respect your home and take pride in leaving you with beautiful results that you’ll be proud to share with your family and friends. Our business is built on quality work and attention to detail. Your satisfaction is the most important part of any job we do. You can count on great communication at every step of the way, and we’re not done until we follow up and make sure you absolutely love the results. Your life is lived inside your home, let us help you color it beautifully.

Talk to us at Excellent American Painting Services, we’d love to hear about what we can do for you and your home.

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4 Good Reasons to Call a Licensed Electrician

It’s good to have general electrical knowledge whether you are a homeowner or a business owner. Troubleshooting situations regarding your electrical system can save you time and money. Know when you need to call on a licensed electrical technician. Remember your electrical system can be repaired, upgraded and replaced at any time.

4 Good Reasons to Call a Licensed Electrician

Short Circuit – what is that? When the black hot wire carrying an electrical current comes in contact with the grounded white wire generating heat and sparks and tripping the breaker in your electrical panel. The usual quick fix is to reset the circuit breaker. However, if there is a wiring problem the breaker will not reset and you will need to call on a licensed electrician.

GFCI Outlets – what is their purpose? First of all, what does that stand for? It means ground-fault circuit interrupter. A room in your house that is more susceptible to water or moisture, such as a kitchen or bathroom, will have these types of outlets installed. The two buttons on the face of the outlet say Test and Reset. If water or moisture gets near this outlet, it will trip the flow of electricity to prevent shock. You can reactivate the flow of electricity by hitting the Reset button. If you cannot reset the circuit, you will need to call a licensed electrician.

Electrical Panel or Breaker Panel – How do I know if it needs replacing? If the lights in your home are constantly dimming or flickering, especially when other appliances are being run, there is a good chance that you will need to replace the breaker panel. When you run appliances such as microwaves, hairdryers, or air conditioners and lights are flickering, it is important to have a licensed electrician troubleshoot the problem to check for proper wiring and possibly a electrical panel replacement.

Outlets Not Working – How do I troubleshoot this problem? To save money many builders do not install a ceiling light in the bedrooms so the switch on the wall will only connect to one specific outlet in the room. Get a lamp or test each outlet in the room with the switch turned on. You should be able to determine which outlet is connected to the wall switch. If this test does not work, check the circuit breaker. If you cannot find the solution, call a licensed electrician.

Hiring a licensed electrical technician contact us to evaluate your electrical problems is the safest way to make sure that your home and family remain safe. For all of your electrical needs, wiring expertise and first-class service, call Excellent American Painting and Handyman Service at 214-938-1088.