Here’s a look into how Hey Paint Guy (facebook.com/heypaintguy) and his team at Vivax Pro Painting (www.vivaxpropainting.com) do power washing. He’s successfully done this for years in the Denver Metro area. 


The purpose of the pressure wash is to rinse away the chalky residue, remove dust, mildew and some loose paint; may be preformed up to a month prior to painting. If the washer happens to misses or could not reach something on the house , during the prep time painters will wipe down the house removing all cobwebs, nests, etc. Typically the washers rinse window areas lightly trying not to damage windows and shutters. This also prevents water from entering the house. If there is exposed wood that the pressure wash may damage, it is important to prime the wood prior to the wash.

Pets need to be secured and left in the back yard during the day, all windows shut, and remove everything off any decks, porches, etc. All patio furniture should be moved away from the house for wash and paint until the job is complete. 


Start Date Prep Time
Scrape loose and failing paint to create a smooth surface for painting.
· Prime bare wood to seal and provide and adhesive surface for painting, using top of the line 100% acrylic primer.
· Caulk seams, specified cracks, around doors/windows, using 40 year 100% acrylic caulking. This prevents further water damage and creates the best possible appearance.
· Vivax rolls or sprays siding based on customer preference. Apply an even finish coat, using top of the line materials.
· Vivax brushes and rolls all trim with care. 

Pro Painting crews perform daily job site cleanup and will complete regular inspections with client and supervisor to maintain open lines of communication.
Once the job is complete the Production Manager will coordinate a final walk through with the customer to ensure everything is up to your satisfaction.

If you are doing the job yourself you can usually rent a pressure washer from your local hardware or painting store for around $50-75/day. A few hours should give you plenty of time.
Start at the top of the house around the gutters with the pin point spray tip (DO NOT GET CLOSER THAN 8 FEET WITH THIS NOZZLE) and work your way down continuously moving the nozzle of the power washer. When you get to the lower half of the house use a fan tip spray. You’ll want to start 3-4 feet from the house and this will give you a good idea of how far or close you need to be in order to get all the debris off your house. However if you get too close to the house you could ruin the siding. This process should enable all the dirt and grim to wash off wash off while keeping the siding in good condition.

You can pressure wash most siding, including: vinyl, metal, and some types of masonry. Do not pressure wash your house if it may have been painted using lead paint prior to 1978 (contact your public health department or the EPA at 800-424-LEAD). You will want to hand wash it!
If it rains on or before the pressure wash date before painting starts, what procedures should you take? Do not worry! The rain can actually be beneficial to the wash. If dust, dirt or mud is blown onto the house, you can just give the house a quick rinse with the hose. Houses dry in about 1 day. Decks and fences need about 2 days to dry!

Recently our technology treat has been the iPad. Wow, what a difference this mini computer can make for a business. For those who aren’t familiar with mini computer, Apple says it’s, “The best way to experience the web, email, photos, and video. Hands down.”

Whether that’s the case or not, it’s definitely going to be one of the best ways for us to better our customer service. How, you ask? Every facet of our house painting company will benefit.

From the initial lead gathering process:
Our marketers hit the field running, scoping out new neighborhoods in need of painting. They gather homeowner information so that our office can call each potential lead. With the iPad, our marketers can directly schedule estimates right there with the customer!

For our Project Planners:
When they head to a house to do an estimate they can now bring their trusty iPads. If they book a job on the spot the Project Planner no longer needs to relay that message to our Project Coordinators who are back in the office. They can use our data entry software right on the spot to book the job, possibly add color options and other important info. Sometimes our Project Planners canvas neighborhoods in their territories and will do estimates on the spot when meeting with a lead. This is another perfect scenario for the iPad.

For the Marketing Department: We have a trade show coming up in September. The marketing team will be there to talk to people about the company and gather leads. Guess what we’re bringing with us? Yeah, that’t right! Drop the info into Filemaker (our custom developed database) and the Project Planner’s calendar and BOOM, you’ve booked an estimate. No phone calls, no hassle…

Sometimes businesses are afraid of change. You can’t be in this ever-growing technologically advanced time. We embrace the technology and that means we have some really cool toys to play/work with!

Some helpful pointers and things you should know about color approval:

- Just because your neighbor was approved for the colors, doesn’t mean you will be. One example of this may be if a house to your left, right, behind or in front of you has the color scheme you want, there’s a chance you won’t get approved.

- Average approval time according to Hey Paint Guy is 30-60 days but in our experience in the Denver Metro Areas it’s usually along the lines of 2 weeks to 30 days. Again, you can alleviate some time by doing the things in this article.

- Pre-approved colors does not always mean you will be approved for those colors. It merely means that those colors are allowed. See pointer above for one example as to why it’s not a guarantee.

- Even if you are going with the same color scheme some HOAs still require approval. To find your color information, you can contact your HOA or the home builder to see if they have them on file.

- Be as thorough as possible with the colors you submit to the HOA. If you forget a color or make a mistake, sometimes the HOA will enforce that you restart the process.

Sometimes it can be a headache dealing with your Home Owners Association. Of course they’re looking out for the best interests of the neighborhood but in some cases that comes at your expense!

Useful Tips:

First thing to do is find out the name of your HOA and the management company that they use. From there you can familiarize yourself with their rules and structure and possibly even get a general feel for how the painting process may go (Will it take 2 weeks or 2 months for approval?).

Take a look at their web site. Approval information as well as download-able forms can typically be found online. That’s usually a good place to be at in anticipation of the house painting companies who will be coming to give you a bid. Jeremiah Owen AKA Hey Paint Guy (facebook.com/heypaintguy) is the President of Vivax Pro Painting (www.vivaxpropainting.com) and he’s worked closely with HOAs for over 7 years. He likes to have his staff work closely with the Home Owners Association as well as the home owner to make sure the process goes smooth.

“We try to keep as much information as possible on all the HOAs in the Denver Metro area,” said Owen. “HOA information is often updated on a weekly basis. And our Project Planners can often answer questions right there at the estimate.”

Color Approval:

While visiting your HOA or management group web site you may find a list of pre-approved colors. That’s helpful because you can then head to the Kwal or Sherwin Williams sites for further assistance. For instance, head to Kwalpaint.com and on the left of your screen you can check out the ColorLife button. Click Homeowner, then Virtual Decorator and you’ll be on your way! (Remember: colors can be distorted on the web and may look different on the house. Hey Paint Guy highly recommends test quarts to confirm! Vivax Pro Painting customers may receive up to 4 free test quarts from Kwal once a contract is signed to paint. This can be the best way to show your HOA the colors on the house. Some associations require an “18 x “18 patch of paint on your house so the approval committee can come by and see for themselves.

Golden Rule for Pressure Washing:
Rinse the house. Get rid of everything that shouldn’t be on a house! For the paint to adhere to the surface and really soak in, the siding/wood needs to be clean. 

Golden Rule for Prepping:
All about sealing the surfaces (Exterior)

Protecting the areas where you don’t want paint (Interior)

Golden Rule for Picking the Right Paint:
You’re actually not going to want to skimp on this. Use one of the top-tier products (any of major brands). Examples would be the Kwal- Ambassador or Liquid Vinyl, or Sherwin Williams-Duration or Super Paint which have higher acrylic content. This creates a harder finish which results in a more water proof seal. It also builds sheen which prevents fading. Components of the products are ground much finer which creates a tighter bond resistant to weathering.

Another good indicator is to pick a regional paint specific to your weather. Kwal started in Colorado for the diverse and interesting client.

Paint Scraper, Putty Knife, Sandpaper/Sanding Block, Stiff Brush, Power Washer, Ladders, Sprayer

Spray vs Brush Method of Application: Jeremiah Owen of Vivax Pro Painting, also known as Hey Paint Guy, says it depends on the type of surface.

“Cedar for instance is porous and has linear grains so you’ll want to brush or spray and back brush. This means you spray to get the paint on the surface and then brush before the paint has an opportunity to dry so you can work it into the grooves,” according to Owen. For stucco, it has sponge-like porosity that would require rolling or spray and back-roll. If you are dealing with any smooth composite siding, masonite or James Hardy the preferred method is spraying. This creates an even consistent coat with a smoother finish that allows the water to bead and roll off. You want this because it helps ensure the longevity of the paint job.”

If you think about it, this makes sense. You wouldn’t brush or roll a car or industrial finish, would you? It looks better and lasts longer. Most pro paint companies use the spraying method when its most appropriate because thats how they can ensure their warranties. In Owen’s case a Guarantee of Quality and a 4 or 7 year “No Fine Print Warranty”.

If you have the itch to get out there and do some house painting on your own, you’d better make sure you know what you’re doing! And it all starts with the prep work. A fair metaphor for painting prep work: A strong prep job for painting is what a strong education is to a successful career.

Like any project, if you prepare properly you set yourself up for success. Paint won’t hide cracks and other defects in the surfaces, so stop right there if you’re trying to cut corners. Here’s a very brief guide to getting started.

Exterior Prep – The hardest, but most important part of painting- The outside can be a little trickier than the inside so follow these instruction

- Grab some scraping tools; you’re going to need them. The reason most paint jobs fail is because the paint can’t adhere to the surface, therefore your house should be free of dirt, grease and flaking or peeling paint.
- Power wash every area that will be painted. But allow for drying time before painting (1-2 days depending upon climate)
- Start on the front, do all the prep and masking. Moving in one direction (right to left or left to right) keep the same motion.
- If you are lucky enough to have a crew (or a few buddies), have someone follow the prep guys with a sprayer.
- Using canvas drop cloths cover the exterior appliances, bushes and other things close to the house. Don’t use plastic tarps since they do not breathe.
- Remove light fixtures, mailbox, shutters, decorations, etc.
- Patch, repair and paint shutters and any other items. You’ll replace these once the painting of the house body is complete

Interior Prep- Protecting your home

-Move and/or cover furniture. Not only so they don’t get paint on them but also to allow plenty of room to work.
- Wash walls with an all purpose household cleaner. This eliminates dirt, dust, etc. from allowing the paint to adhere to the wall. You’ll also want to wash from the top down to avoid streaks.
- Patch any holes or abnormalities on the wall. Drywall compound can fill a hole. For cracks you need to get a little more in depth. use fiberglass mesh to prevent the crack from returning, then put a few thin layers of drywall compound over it. You’ll then have to sand it down until the wall is smooth and even. Caulk/Spackle (for interior or exterior) – Use 45 years or greater caulk and fill all seems, gaps, cracks, holes where moisture can penetrate.
- Remove all electrical switch plates, cable outlets and phone jack covers.
- Masking tape can be used to cover electricity outlets and things of that nature.
- Trim needs to be sanded to remove sheen. Remove any flaking paint and smooth with the sand paper.

You’re now ready to go! Start with the ceiling, then the walls and finish with the woodwork…Good luck!

Painting is the quickest and most affordable way to add value to your home. Do you do it yourself, or hire a pro?

1. Money. Have you considered all the necessary costs? Tools in addition to the paint (not discounted) brings the job close to 50% of what you can hire a painter for. Pro’s get a great discount on paint, and the entire job can probably be only 30-40% more than if you did it yourself. Then you must ask what your time’s worth? Taking off work?

2. Safety or in other words, know-how. If you do it properly, the paint job can last as long as a professional. But if you don’t, that’s an expensive mistake. You could need someone to repaint the house the following year.

You’ve explored the art of painting. You’ve exhausted yourself searching the internet for “How-to” videos. And you’ve walked the outside of the house scratching your head in anticipation of painting on your own. You’re next thought: Forget it, I’m bringing in a pro.

No big deal, you’ve decided that the value of your time in addition to the cost of paint and supplies may not be worth it. It’s now time to pick the right painter. That’s easier said than done. Unless you’ve got a Pro Guide like the one Vivax Pro Painting offers. Their face of the company, Hey Paint Guy, is a pro painter himself. It’s taken him years to learn the trade but now he offers his help free of charge.

Here are a few pointers that really just make up the tip of the iceberg when it comes to picking the right painter:

1. Do your homework! Online ratings are a great way to get a feel for a companies reputation (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.). Don’t just look at what the paint company posts from their customers on their own web site!

2. NO FINE PRINT on warranties. This goes without saying in any industry but it certainly applies to house painting.

3. No skimping on paint. If you want the paint job to weather the winter, you’d better make sure the painter is going to use the right paint. Top of the line paint from Kwal (Ambassador or Liquid Vinyl) and Sherwin Williams (Duration or Super Paint) would be good examples.

There are so many other things to consider. Hey Paint Guy has come up with a 28-point checklist. Visit our homepage to get this checklist.