Careful Painting

Arborcoat rocks Lonsdale exterior staining project

Mark Lange — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:58:07 +0000

Our client wanted to update his country home after his recent marriage. The house had been painted gray with charcol trim.

before

Our client’s new wife is from the East Coast, and wanted a more contempory look. Plus, the house needed staining, and the old alkyd stain supported quite a bit of mildew growth.

She selected a couple of greens for the siding with a white accent on the trim. We put some samples on the house, and after a while she chose Benjamin Moore “Salamander 2050-10″ for the bulk of the siding, with the upper sections and bays going “Kennebunkport Green HC-123.”

Careful Painting elected to use the new Benjamin Moore Arborcoat to convey sharper colors and also to eliminate the midew problem. Arborcoat is an evironmentally friendly waterborne stain which outperforms other acrylic and alkyd (oil) stains.

The white accent really helps the greens to pop!

Design Doctors and Careful Painting spice up Burnsville rambler

Mark Lange — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:43:45 +0000

Careful Painting just finished a complete redecorating job in Burnsville at the Eric and Pam Dahlager household. A friend who works with Eric at Waste Management recommended us to the Dahlagers, and we painted the entire main floor for them, in addition to staining a new patio door to match the existing cabinetry in the kitchen.

Pam and Eric have a fairly simple lifestyle, but the decor was dated, and as Pam said, it was time for an update. Motivated by a recent trip to Italy, the Dahlagers called in the Design Doctors to help redecorate six rooms and the hallway of their 30 year old suburban home.

The Italian scheme is warm and inviting. Design Doctor Victoria selected colors from the Devine paint line to complement the existing walnut-stained woodwork. She also helped Pam select everything from flooring to furniture. Pam raves about the ease of working with Victoria and about the Design Doctors’ service – Victoria even checked Pam’s online selections to make sure they would harmonize with the overall design scheme and provided her expertise on a shopping trip to HOM Furntiure.

The Dahlagers sold their old furniture to a young neighbor who was getting married, and the entirely new furnishings do make a dramatic difference in the look of their home. More importantly, they are comfortable, functional, and fit into the Dahlagers busy lifestyle. We love the flooring and carpeting Victoria and Pam picked together, and so do the Dahlagers. Pam is an independent consultant for PartyLite candles, and her own products are the icing on the new design – the warm glow and scent of the candles coming from attractive sconces and candle holders multiplies the warm, cozy effect of this design scheme.

This was our first experience working with Devine paint, and we were interested to see if this line held up to its reputation of being a high-quality product. We were very pleased by the results. Devine says that its product goes on like yogurt and looks like chiffon. Those aren’t necessarily the words I would have picked to describe the paint, but there’s no doubt that it is creamy, easy to work with, and dries to a great velvety finish. Victoria chose the colors Filbert for the living room, Muslin for the hallway and guest bedrooms, Reef for the master bedroom and bathroom, and Cafe for the kitchen, with an accent of Cabernet on the soffit above the kitchen counter. The colors harmonized well and drew the eye from room to room. As much as we like Devine paint, we did use our favorite paint, Benjamin Moore Aura, for the Cabernet red accent above the kitchen counter. We’ve found that for dark colors like Cabernet, Aura is unmatchable in its ability to cover, ease of touchup, and effortless scrubability. In fact, both Devine and Aura provide easy cleanup, which may be important in the near future as Eric and Pam are contemplating adopting a golden retriever puppy after the unexpected death of one of their hunting dogs over Christmas.

There are a few details left to address (Pam is not quite done installing the sconces that will show off both her entryway and her PartyLite candles) but the overall design is done, and was complete ahead of schedule, which allowed the Dahlagers to do some entertaining in their new home over the holidays. The warm colors are incredibly effective; they work together to create an Italian-inspired refuge from Minnesota winters and compliment the dark woodwork perfectly. The Careful Painting crew enjoyed this work, and we’re glad to have had a part in such a great re-decorating project.

East Side Restoration

Mark Lange — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 04:54:29 +0000

Earlier in August we stained and painted the Ross and Jan Shoger residence overlooking the Carleton Arboretum at 201 Oak Street. It was designed by Bob Warren and Sewall Mathre of SMSQ Architects. Bob Warren Studied at Taliesin. Note the cantalivered deck. There are quite a few Frank Lloyd Wright elements, such as the “hidden” front door. It is worth a walk to see the house.

Before painting we washed the house with a special non-toxic formula to remove some mildew. We also scraped off loose paint at the windows and removed loose window putty. Two different primers were used according to the condition of the substrate.

Jan, Ross, and I met several times to discuss color.

As an artist Jan is very particular about color. She wanted to warm up the feel of the rough vertical Cedar, which had always been a charcoal color. I was concerned about being able to cover the charcoal without applying a heavy film: It was important to me to use a penetrating oil stain rather than going to the easier, popular solid color latex stains. Jan and Ross were also open to the possibility that some of the old color might still peek through the new stain. We settled on Cabot Semi-Solid Stain in “Oak Brown.”

The new brown is nicely accented by the warm red and gold panels on the walk-out side facing the Arboretum. The light blue trim gives the home a friendly Northfield/Scandinavian feel.

Stoneybrook Wallcovering Installation in Northfield

Mark Lange — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 16:38:19 +0000

Jolene and I are excited about a new wallcovering material which we installed in the new Occupational Clinic at 710 South Division Street in Northfield. Stoneybrook paper comes in many colors and is simple for an experienced paperhanger to install. I have been hanging wallpaper since about 1989.

Jolene was able to find a color to go with the new carpet. While it does cost a little more than other wallpapers, this “torn” paper effect has real depth, will cover problem walls, and is very easy to repair. No more seams to deal with, either.

Because it is hand made to order, Stoneybrook paper must be ordered about a month in advance of installation. Careful Painting sells and installs Stoneybrook papers in the Northfield, Rochester and Mankato areas.

Work begins on Huckle house

Mark Lange — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 18:39:51 +0000

As we near the end of summer, Mark and his Careful Painting crew are busy scraping Renee Huckle’s Northfield home, preparing it for a new, lighter paint. The home will feature more contrast, with dark brown soffits and a deep red front door, changes that will complement the neighboring Liberty Park homes.

Sprucing up the Reed Wittemore House

Mark Lange — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 12:29:06 +0000

This summer the Careful Painting crew scraped and painted a garage for John Tymoczko and Alison Unger at Fourth and Elm Streets. We also touched-up over at Wayne Carver’s house at 203 Maple.

Reed Whittemore lived in the house at Fourth and Elm during some of the years he taught English at Carleton College in Northfield. He edited the Carleton Miscellany in the attic above the garage that we repainted for John and Alison. According to Alison and Professor Carver there was a ladder up to the garret which Professor Whittemore would pull up when he didn’t want to be disturbed in his writing and editing.

Here is a poem that Reed Whittemore wrote about the house at 319 Elm Street in Northfield, Minnesota, relevant as ever….

The Farmhouse

Our house is an old farmhouse, whose properties

The town has gradually purchased, leaving it

Only a city lot and a few trees

Of all that wood and busheldom, and breeze

It once served. It is high and square,

And its lines, such as they were, have been muddled by several

Conflicting remodlers, whose care

In widening, lenghtening, and adding on, letting in air

Has left it with four kinds of windows, three porches

And a door that leads to a closet that is not there.

The city houses around us have borrowed from verse

And the Old Dominion; their cosmopolitan

Muddle is elegant next to ours.

We think of moving, and say we’ll add no more dollars

To those already spent making a box

Of what was, is, and will be, forever, a box,

When there’s land, empty and unboxed, down a few blocks

Waiting.

We say this as we pull down, pull up, push out,

And generally preserveserve with our renovating–

That is–making new again–knowing

That houses like our house are not made new again

Any more that a man is. All that growing

Up and away from the land, that bowing

To impersonal social forces that transform

Wheat fields into rows of two-bedroom ramblers

Must be acknowledged; but the warm

Part of our country boy will not conform.

It remains, behind new windows, doors and porches,

Hugging its childhood, staying down on the farm.

Andrew Bresnahan priming dormer windows facing South onto Fourth Street.

Summer — A Time for Renewal

Mark Lange — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 16:16:14 +0000

The Northfield home of Susan Dunhaupt and Dick Brown is looking refreshingly lighter these days as the Careful Painting crew nears completion on the exterior project. The couple had decided to give the home a facelift some time ago, and began the transformation by painting the porch, but then called upon Mark and his crew to finish the job.
I met with Susan to match up the color they had chosen with a durable exterior paint, and then helped select a red to accent the roof and a cream for the trim. The new light yellow complements the home’s red roof nicely, and is a refreshing change from the former green, as seen below from the backyard.

A Taste of Norway Ends the Day

Mark Lange — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 13:52:17 +0000

The Careful Painting crew recently completed work on the Jurries’ home, where they ended by adding decorative detail to the kitchen soffits. Jolene used the technique of rosemaling once again, in a pattern designed to fit with the homeowners’ decor.

In fact, the Jurries own an antique bellows, decorated with rosemaling, that they display in their home. Several furniture pieces also feature similar painted decoration.

Outside, the new paint color looks as though it were made for the house, the warmer hue complementing the Jurries’ colorful landscape nicely.

Our first home movie

Rosemaling Front Page News

Mark Lange — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 17:32:12 +0000

Apparently I wasn’t the only one impressed by Jolene’s artistry in the work she did on the Larson-Anderson home. Northfield News featured her photo on the front cover of their June 22 edition, above. Since joining Careful Painting in February, Jolene has shown excellent skill in craftsmanship, especially with detail work such as the Rosemaling project.

Having earned her degree in the arts — specializing in painting — from the University of Minnesota in 2003, Jolene has quite a bit of experience with the art form. She also does commissioned portraits and caricatures for clients. Originally from New Prague, Jolene now resides in Le Center with husband Jason and daughter Lana.

Tudor Cottage a Painter’s Paradise

Mark Lange — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 15:36:36 +0000

The Northfield home of Susan and Don Jurries will soon have a new look, thanks to Careful Painting. Mark and his crew of four have been busy scraping and masking the exterior and interior, getting the home ready for paint. The outside will feature Benjamin Moore’s Bradstreet Beige, while the owners have chosen Danville Tan for the living room, both of which complement the home’s limestone accents and dark wood trim.

The Jurries purchased the home eleven years ago from Don’s mom and sister. It was originally built for St. Olaf music professor Abrahamson in 1939.