The building houses the Artfully Elegant gallery (by the way I really encourage you to check it out).  Upon moving in, the owner of the gallery decided to cover over the 3-color scheme with a single off-white color.  Trust him: he is an artist.

Where the woodwork and surrounding brick façade used to blend together, the trim now pops, framing the aged brick façade and giving it a whole new look.

Also, see two other pics where color restraint speaks for itself.  Click on any of the pics to enlarge them

Lastly, it’s never to early to start thinking about exterior painting (for next year).  Call us for an estimate to lock yourself into the schedule (and current prices).

COMPLETED PROJECTS:

Allentown Historic Project

The 6th St. Project in Historic Allentown:

We started off with a bang.  What a neat building.  This project was a full exterior repaint with lots of wood prep.  It was a multiple color paint scheme that really popped out from the brick facade.

The colors selected were a more “grey” version of the previous colors.  And  don’t think grey is a bad thing.  It took the brightness out of the colors and  made them a bit more earthy, which worked well with the facade and slate roofing.

We lucked out with the weather on this one.  The early Spring months are usually unkind but we had some beautiful consecutive days that allowed the project to go smoothly.

The Church St. Maintenance Project:

Maintenance Project in Historic Bethlehem

When looking over this beautiful home during the estimate it was quite apparent to us that much of it was just fine.  The paint was holding up well and the colors hadn’t faded much.

However, it needed a good washing and some of the areas more susceptible to the weather needed some attention (window sills and trim, front door, some failures on high soffit areas, etc.).

So we proposed a maintenance project where only the crucial areas were worked on were able to match the colors up with color scanning.

The Victoria Square Aluminum Project:

Aluminum Siding Project

This is the quintessential aluminum siding project.  A great home in a great development needed a fresh look.  Working with the home owner we changed the look by lightening the eves, freshening up the siding and adding a new accent color.

Some people don’t know that aluminum can be painted.  But we have always had great success with these projects and they are much, much more economical then siding replacement.  The newest latex products bond incredibly well to these surfaces.

PROJECT BEING COMPLETED:

The Union Blvd. Historic Project:

Historic project on Union Blvd

They do not make them like this one anymore.   We were thrilled to get the chance to give this house a new appearance.  The previous trim color was a yellow and the shutters were a light blue.  They were nice but had a pastel undertone which didn’t do anything for the facade.  The new white color frames out the beautiful stone and the black shutters add to the classical feel.

This is a full wood trim repaint project.  I’ll send pictures of this when it is completed.

PROJECT TO BE COMPLETED SOON:

The Central Moravian Church Project:

To say we are excited about this one would be an understatement.  We will certainly keep you posted on this one (or you can drive by and honk… but not if we are on really high ladders).

Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem

Thanks for learning about some of the exterior work we have going on this first half of the exterior painting season.  Let me know if you have any questions.

- Andy

]]> http://www.stirlingpainting.com/blog/2010/06/22/stirling-painting-2010-exterior-season-part-1/feed/ 0 http://www.stirlingpainting.com/blog/2009/06/10/%e2%80%9chistory-books-and-aluminum-siding/ http://www.stirlingpainting.com/blog/2009/06/10/%e2%80%9chistory-books-and-aluminum-siding/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:17:22 +0000 andy http://www.stirlingpainting.com/blog/?p=83

Hello. Again.  Hello.

It has been awhile, hasn’t it?

I thought I should contact you all to catch up on things. 

First the important stuff:

·      Movies:  “Rachel Getting Married” is very depressing.  It is not a romantic comedy. It is neither romantic nor comedic.  It is good.  But depressing.  And I generally like depressing movies (and do not like romantic comedies).  I would watch it if you are getting tired of being happy and need a change of pace.

·      Music:  I have recently heard for the first time – and I am embarrassed to admit I didn’t get to it sooner – Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks”.  And now I cannot stop listening to it.   In the car.  At home.  Constantly.  If I had an IPod, and I am probably the last person left without one, I would listen to it while walking down the street and in line at the grocery store (because that isn’t rude or anything). 

·      Books:  I am on a history kick (“John Adams”, “1776”, “Truman”, “Team of Rivals” and next… “Mornings on Horseback”, the story of Theodore Roosevelt’s youth).  Yes. I am that boring.   And I am plowing through these books with speed, so if you have suggestions for summer reading… please email to me.  I will email out the list of suggestions to everyone.

Now the “business” stuff:

The exterior season has opened and the schedule is more crowded then usual.  If you are thinking about having some exterior work done this year get in contact with me for a free estimate. 

We have some exciting exterior projects on the horizon.  Some historical projects on and around Main St. in Bethlehem… Some big projects for a local university… As well as the homes of many of our faithful clients.

And remember!  Yes, aluminum can be painted!  It looks great and is ridiculously cheaper than replacing siding. 

And one more thing!  Stain your decks every 2 to 3 years.  It will save you money in the long run. 

Ok.  One more thing to go with the one more thing… referrals have been heating up.  We are sending out more money than ever to people spreading our name.  Feel left out?  Or need some extra cash?  Start shouting Stirling from the rooftops!

This is Andy Grason with Stirling Painting and Revovations and I am happy to unveil the official Stirling Painting Blog.

Anyway, I am going to use this new technological medium to keep in contact with you on a more consistent basis. I will use the weekly posting to keep you all informed about important company info like:

• Special deals (10% June through August)
• Team members’ news (Lisa got an evil kitten)
  Calendar updates (exterior schedule is really filling up)

But also about things that have sparked my interest such as:

• Favorite restaurants (Paolo’s Italian Restaurant in Northampton)
• Can’t miss movies (go see "There Will Be Blood" if you want to be depressed and sad for at least a week),
• books (anything by Dave Eggers – except "They Shall Know Our Velocity") and music (listen to Bon Iver)

Or anything else I feel like writing about.

Talk to you all soon,

Andy

]]> http://www.stirlingpainting.com/blog/2008/08/11/welcome-to-stirling-painting-and-design/feed/ 1 http://www.stirlingpainting.com/blog/2008/08/11/exteriors-exteriors-exteriors/ http://www.stirlingpainting.com/blog/2008/08/11/exteriors-exteriors-exteriors/#comments Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:51:54 +0000 admin http://www.stirlingrenovations.com/blog/?p=6

Too many times this year I’ve been out to estimates to look at wood that should have been painted or stained years ago. There is lots of flaking paint and rotting wood out there.

And it can usually be prevented. Don’t forget that wood needs to be maintained. While the thought of staining your deck every 2 or 3 years, or getting your some of your wood trim painted every 6 to 8 may not be your favorite way to spend hard-earned money, it actually saves you money in the end.

Even newer homes, with largely wood-free facades, need paint or stain work once in a while (door trim, window trim, garage door trim, decorative dental molding, decks, fences, etc.).

I bet 25% of the people reading this newsletter (I mean e-mail newsletter) have a front door trim piece that is showing some signs of rot. I’d bet the ranch (what does that mean anyway?) that next year at this time it will be a heck of a lot worse.

I can’t tell you how many of those we have replaced!

I guarantee it is cheaper to maintain these wood areas than replace them. Look at it as an investment.

If you are interested in talking to us about how to ensure your place is properly maintained, give us a call. We can come up with a plan so you don’t have to worry about it year after year.

And for larger homes with lots and lots of exterior painting let us come up with a long-term strategy that will help you avoid the dreaded “We Put This Off Way To Long And Are Now Scared To Death Of What It Is Going To Cost Us” estimate. After all, it is better to spend less, less often than more all at once.

I hope that last sentence made sense. Go ahead, read it again.

Anyway, there is still time for exterior work this summer and fall but don’t wait (my number is below).

Stay cool,

Andy Grason

Stirling Painting and Renovations

info@stirlingpainting.com