Blog
What are VOCs?
The team at Alba Painting LLC recognizes that people want a higher air quality for their home’s interior. We specialize in interior painting and create beautiful spaces that are safe to breathe using low or non-VOC paint.
You may have heard of VOC’s before but are not sure what it means. We are providing this article today to teach you about VOCs and how to prevent them.
What are VOCs?
VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds. These compounds vaporize easily at room temperature and turn into gas once evaporated. VOCs are commonly found in gas, perfume, wood, cleaning products, and paint. These compounds can have harmful effects on your health depending on how much is inhaled and how intense your exposure is.
Are all VOCs dangerous?
Many different sources emit VOCs; however, not all of them are harmful. Some sources are natural such as plants and animals, whereas the harmful sources are new cars, paints, cleaning products, computers, and more. If consumed in excessive amounts, these compounds can have serious health effects such as nausea, dizziness, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. If you follow the list below, you should be able to avoid these compounds.
How to prevent VOCs.
- Identify the source of the smell. If you have a good smell, check out some of the items in your home that give out a smell and identify them. An air quality testing professional can check your home if you are uncomfortable doing this.
- Choose VOC-free products. When you choose air fresheners, candles, perfumes, and cleaning products, go natural and organic to avoid products with VOCs.
- Go natural. Choose an organic material for your shower curtain and furniture when you are shopping. Going natural can reduce VOCs and allow for a cleaner breathing environment.
- Proper ventilation of your living spaces. It is essential to keep proper ventilation in your home. Keeping a few windows open or running the fan will allow for more airflow and rid your home of any VOCs.
- Consider an air purifier. If you want the cleanest air possible, an air purifier is the best way to go. This can recycle your air and keep it clean for everyone to enjoy.
- Clean more frequently. Instead of dusting and vacuuming every once in a while, we recommend doing it every two weeks.
- Use low or non-VOC paints. One effortless way to reduce the number of VOCs in your home is to use low or non-VOC paint.
Contact Alba Painting LLC to have your home painted with low or non-VOC paint!
If you are interested in using a low or non-VOC paint option, contact Alba Painting LLC. We can provide your home with the colors you want and keep the VOC levels low while doing so.
Professional Painting Tips for Michigan Homeowners
Most homeowners do not realize that tricky tasks such as drywall repair, painting, and wallpaper removal require a trained professional. When you are pursuing a new project for your home, you must choose a licensed and skilled professional painter. This is the best option for you, but if you aren’t able to find an experienced painter, Alba is providing these tips to help your next project.
Don’t Settle for Low-Quality Materials
Saving money on a cheaper paint product is a bad decidion, cheap paints may require multiple extra coats and may not look as good or last as long as the higher quality paint options. When it comes to painting, always go big and choose the best paint for your home, they last longer and will provide a much better look for the interior or exterior of your home.
Be Creative!
Mixing things up can add some serious style to your home. There are many different paint textures, designs, and colors that you can use, and using those different techniques can make your home very unique. Alba Painting LLC recommends that before you try these different designs and textures, you do the research and learn how to properly use them. If these techniques are learned properly, your home can stand out and be beautiful.
Set Aside Enough Time to Complete your Project.
Do not underestimate how long your painting project will take. If you’re doing a drastic color change, it may require multiple coats of paint. The average room usually takes around 8 hours to paint, larger living rooms can take 10-12 hours, and small bathrooms or mudrooms can take around 4-6 hours.
Hire a Painting Professional
Although painting projects are an extremely fun way to express creativity, they can be long-lasting and difficult to complete. The best advice we as professionals can give you is to forget the hassle and contact a professional for an easy and professional paint job.
5 Paint Colors to Improve Office Productivity
The color of your office can have a real impact on the productivity of your staff. Studies have shown that colors not only affect the mood of your workers, but they also impact the productivity of your staff for better or for worse. Take a deeper look into how these 5 colors will affect your employee’s productivity in the office.
Blue: The color of productivity
Blue is a color that is naturally stabilizing and calming. Not only does this color boost productivity, and helps employees to maintain a stronger focus while working on projects in the office. Blue may be the best choice for a 9-5 office job that needs high productivity during the day.
Green: The color for long hours
If you work in an office where you will be working long and late shifts, then green may be the best option for you. This color is easy on the eyes and is naturally calming. It also helps people to be efficient and not waste any time while on the job.
Yellow: The color to stimulate creativity
The color yellow stimulates emotion and creativity. This color will bring joy to your work office, will increase productivity, and increase creativity. If you work in an office space that requires hours of creative problem solving or creative artwork such as an artist, graphic designer, or home designer, yellow may be the best color for you.
Red: The color of passion
If your work involves lots of physical activity, red will be the perfect color for your business space. The color red has been proven to increase blood flow and heart rate. It also improves productivity and makes people more passionate about whatever activity they are doing.
Off White: The neutral color
Off-white colors don’t have any direct effect on emotion or productivity, but they are a great way to reflect natural light in the office and give your office a more natural look.
How do I Paint my Office?
If you are looking for a professional paint solution for your office or building space, contact Alba Painting LLC! We have years of painting experience and can transform your space into your highly productive dream vision!
Questions to Ask your Painter Before your Project
Now that you have decided to hire a painter for your home, there are a few common house painting questions you should ask before the painting begins.
What Paint Brand do you Use and Why?
Alba Painting LLC only uses the highest quality products from Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, BEHR, and Valspar. We prefer these brands because of their superior quality. If you would like to use other paint brands, let us know and we will accommodate your selection.
Do you Offer Environmentally Friendly Paint Options?
Yes, most paints contain high VOC levels, which are Volatile Organic Compounds that are gasses released from solids and liquids and can cause adverse health effects. We do offer low or non-VOC paint options, contact us to discuss which you prefer for your home.
Will the Project be Cheaper if I Purchase my Materials
No, your project will not be cheaper. We can get our paints at a discounted price, and save you money by doing this.
How Many Coats of Paint are Going to be Applied?
The typical project includes two coats of paint, however, there are instances where only one coat of paint is needed and this would be discussed with the customer beforehand.
Do you Provide a Free Estimate?
Yes, we do! Simply click our Free Quote button on top of our website, and we will reach out to you with a free estimate!
How to Patch Up a Hole in the Wall
Repairing drywall in your home is an easy task and can be completed by almost any homeowner. Whether you’re a frequent renter or a longtime homeowner, drywall repair can be done quickly and easily and can be rather fun once you get the hang of it.
What you will need
- Drywall
- Joint compound (To hold the piece of cut drywall in place)
- Drill + bit
- Drywall screws
- Putty knife
- Pencil
- Scrap wood
- Sanding Block
Small Hole Repairs
If you have a smaller hole in your wall, such as a nail or stud hole, all you will need is some spackle or joint compound, a sanding block, and a putty knife. Simply apply the compound over the hole, smooth it out with the putty knife, and sand it down with the sanding block. Once you are done you will be able to paint over the patch, and your damage will be fixed!
Larger Hole Repairs
If you have a hole that is larger than 2 inches, you are going to need a cutout of drywall the same size as your hole to fix the damage. First, you will need to cut out a piece of drywall that will cover the entire hole and is 1 inch larger than the hole. Then trace the cutout piece around the hole with a pencil. Once traced, cut through the drywall with a utility knife, and cut from the four corners towards the center of the hole, be careful to avoid wires and pipes when cutting. Once your hole is cut out, push inwards on the cuts to remove the drywall, but be careful not to cause more damage.
Next, screw in a plank of wood inside the wall to hold the drywall in place. Once the new piece of drywall is screwed into place, use a putty knife to spread the joint compound around the repair, covering all cracks, holes, and screws. Then smooth out the compound with a putty knife and finally scrape away any excess putty and let it dry for the night.
The next day, use a sanding block to smooth out the uneven pieces of the compound. Once sanded, re-apply more joint compound to the repair and repeat the process of smoothing it out, letting it dry, and sanding it again. Once the wall is smooth and sanded, you are ready to repaint!
If you have a hole in your wall that you are unable to fix, contact Alba Painting LLC and we will be there in an instant ready to repair your home and make it beautiful again!