All posts by Craig Morgan

Looking for sales?

40% off? How much does that cost?

Perhaps you’ve seen our national chain store competitor’s “40% off Sale”. Perhaps you’ve fallen for it. I hate it when that happens because they jack up their prices so much. They have an exterior product that they list at $56.99 a gallon. They give 40% off and sell it for $34.19 a gallon. When you run a gallon short and go back in you’re going to pay $56.99 for that gallon.

We sell a comparable product for $37.39 a gallon everyday and for those of you who want a special I’ve created a 15% off coupon. If you do the math that makes it $31.78 a gallon, $2.41 less than you ‘d pay at that national competitor’s store during their 40% off sale and when you need another gallon we’re going to sell you that gallon for $19.60 less than they will.

Shop Local, We care about our customers.

 

D.I.Y. Paint Projects

Painting the spare bedroom

Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised. We’ve been selling the California Paints for almost a year now but, other than brush out samples at the store I hadn’t had a chance to actually use it. That opportunity came last weekend with the repaint of my son’s room.

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DSC00305We had painted it Navy Blue on the  ceilings and upper walls with a lighter blue below. The stripe is the original white left from the removal of his bunk bed. We chose a cream color for the room from California Paints and mixed in the California Paints Unite.

DSC00310I did the cut in.  With light colors we usually use the same color on the walls and ceiling. We like the look and it makes the cut in easier. I use a 4″ Whizz Mini Roller for cut in, so much faster than a brush. (please ignore the glare off of my noggin).

DSC00319DSC00321Carol followed behind, first rolling the ceiling and then the walls. She really likes the Whizz Fab 9″ roller covers. They hold more paint so she can go farther between dipping.  I’ll admit it, I brought home enough paint to do two coats. We even discussed a primer coat even though the Unite is considered a primer and paint. From the first roller of paint we realized that the primer would have been a wasted step and when we were done we found that a second coat would also be a wasted step. One coat and the room’s done. I’ve never had that happen before. Cream over Navy Blue, one coat. Okay, we had a few touch ups and a small area where we could have dipped the roller one more time and put more paint on the wall but those were covered in 10 minutes the next day.  So, how much is good paint worth?The Unite paint we used runs around $90 for two gallons (we took home 3 and have a gallon and a half left over), if we had bought lesser paint we would have used 3 gallons and spent around $90 and we would have been in there the next day putting on a second coat. Cream over Navy Blue, one coat.  What a pleasant surprise.

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Craig

 

 

 

Paint Doctor: Mold and Mildew

Paint Doctor: Mold and Mildew

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PPG Pittsbugh Paints presents The Paint Doctor:

Dear Paint Doctor: I know that mildew and mold are

words that trigger fear and frustration in homeowners.

Please educate me on this condition so that I can be a

better guide to paint choices and surface preparations

 

What are the sources and problems due to mildew and mold?


Mildew and mold exist in our environment. Think of molds as

natural compost stations and recyclers. As a general rule of thumb,

the same types of molds grow everywhere in the United States and

Canada. Mildew and mold growth is seasonal, due to the natural

fluctuations of temperature and humidity.

Mildew and molds grow inside and outside of any building

surface, including glass, tile, fabric and wood. Growing mold

causes serious damage to these substrates. In addition, mold growth

is unattractive and can discolor, mar and decompose substrates.

Interior spaces that tend to grow mold are associated with humid,

damp or moist areas that lack adequate ventilation. In interior

areas, the molds and the deterioration of substrates are accompanied

by odors, which can affect indoor air quality. Once an area is

attacked and compromised, the surface is more susceptible to rapid

future attacks.

In exterior areas, dampness increases growth opportunities.

Examples of mold target areas are shady spots and locations close

to the ground, such as decks. More sunlight allows the drying of

substrates, which interrupts and inhibits mildew and mold growth.

 

How do mildew and mold spread?


In the home and workplace, molds grow on dust, wallpaper,

painted surfaces, drywall, fabric and upholstery, and in insulation.

When contaminated areas are disturbed, the movement of dust

carries the mold into other areas as airborne

particles. When the moisture and

temperature conditions are optimum, the

mold spores will grow in the new areas.

Outdoors, molds are naturally distributed

by breezes and wild creatures. Molds also

are associated with tree and shrub populated

areas.

 

How can mold growth issues be

reduced?


The best strategy to reduce mold

growth is to prevent it from growing

in the first place. For a homeowner,

the most effective control of mold and

mildew comes from the elimination of high-moisture conditions.

This means that humid areas in homes should be ventilated so that

interior water vapor disappears. In addition, adequate filtering of air

reduces dust, which leads to less opportunity for mold distribution.

The selection of a paint or stain that has a mildewcide discourages

the growth of mold on painted surfaces; however, this does

not prevent mold spores from entering the house from the outside

air or prevent its growth on unpainted surfaces.

PPG makes interior and exterior paints, stains and primers that

contain additives to prevent the growth of mold and mildew. PPG

products containing microbiocidal agents for mold and mildew

provide additional support in dealing with mold contamination

problems in the home and workplace. Ask your technical service

representative for advice on which products are best for your application

need.

 



 






What does locally owned mean?

Locally Owned

I was asked the other day what it meant “locally owned”.  The reason they asked is that we carry a national brand paint in Pittsburgh Paints, and buy our sundries through either an out of town distributor or direct from the manufacturers.  What benefit does Salem get?

It made me think.  It’s true that the majority of the checks we cut each month go out of town.  What benefit are we to Salem?

I came up with a couple of differences between Salem Paint and the company owned stores.

Employees.  Everyone at Salem Paint is from the Salem area.  Two from Salem and I’m from Lebanon.  Company owned stores tend to promote from within which means that if there’s a position available they will pull someone out of one store and put them in another.  They may come from Portland, Yakima, Las Vegas or anywhere that they find them.  It also means that the employees at the company stores are always on the verge of moving to a new “better” store creating frequent turn over at the store level.  I worked at company stores for years and was moved three times to new towns and stores.  I had assistant managers moved up and out and never knew if the guy that I depended on was going to be there next month or not.

The employees at Salem Paint have made this their career choice.  We average around 20 years at the same store.  When you come into Salem Paint there’s a good chance you can work with the same person you worked with on your last project and you can expect them to be there for your next.

The other reason is where the rest of the money goes after buying inventory.  In this current economic environment profit is a strange word but we still try to make one.  At a company store, when the nightly deposit is made, the money is pulled out and sent to corporate’s main bank in Portland or Cleveland or Atlanta or wherever .  It is then used to support the corporate empire and what’s left in the bank is used in those communities.  When Salem Paint makes it’s nightly deposit the money stays in Salem to be used in this community.  I read once that a dollar spent at an out of town based store will circulate in the originating community .5 times while a dollar spent in a locally owned store will circulate in the community 3.5 times, so shopping at a locally owned store benefits other local businesses and local development.

I think that covers the two main reasons though I’m sure there are other benefits to the community.

Craig

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Winter Blues

Winter Blues

Paint’s an amazing thing.  It can change the whole atmosphere of a home for less money than about anything else.  On these cold and dreary winter days it’s easy to sit in a home that has been painted a nice shade of off white and feel cold and depressed.

Add color.

Nothing short of a wood stove can do more to warm a house than some color.  Darker off whites and beiges with a dramatic accent wall.  That’s all it takes and the whole feeling when you walk into the room feels different.

My wife recently painted our family room.  It had been painted in a off white shade that I came up with by mixing mistints together in a garbage can.  It was nice, but stark, and did nothing to add any personality to the room.  She put Devine Honey on the walls, which is a rich soft yellow, painted the ceiling Devine Teak (darker on the ceiling?  I grimaced, but it worked) and an accent wall of Devine Spice, which is a dark rich brown color.  Now the room is easy on the eyes and just feels inviting.

If you have a room that feels cold even when the heat is on, try color.  It’s an easy and inexpensive transformation and will help to ease the winter blues.

Craig

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Looking for sales?

Looking for Sales?

Please don’t be taken in by corporate sales schemes. I try to keep prices at Salem Paint fair and competitive so when I recently heard a national chain advertising 25% off of their regular price on all of their paints I decided to see if I could compete. What I found was that 25% off of their regular price was almost $5.00 more than you would pay for a comparable product at Salem Paint Company. Let me repeat that, $5.00 more per gallon!!!
So I think I’ve figured out how to compete with the big boys. I need to raise my prices 35% and
give a 25% discount. Or, I can just keep my prices where they are, give my customers a good price on a great product and be able to sleep at night.

Craig

 

 

Painting exteriors? Watch the weather

Summer’s Here

With summer weather there are some special precautions to take.  It is a common belief that paint that dries faster is better.  This is not the case.  Paint that dries too fast does not adhere as well,  The best painting temperature is below 85°.  When the temperature gets above 85° the paint dries too fast and does not have time to stick to the substrate.

So, a few simple rules:

  • Paint Early.  Start painting as soon as the surface is dry.
  • Stop painting as soon as the temperature starts flirting with 85°.  I’ve heard it said that if it’s too warm for you it’s too warm for the paint.  You should embrace this rule and use it as an excuse to get a cool drink, sit down and binge watch some Netflix.  If the person who wants the job done complains refer them to this blog and say there’s nothing you can do about the weather.
  • Start on the south side of the house and let the sun chase you around the house.  South side to west side to north side to the east side.  This way the only time you are painting a sunny side is in the morning before the surface has had a chance to get too warm.  The surface temperature of a wall in direct sun on an 80° day can reach 120°.  I once went out to a job where a guy was painting a south wall in the middle of a 90° day and watched the paint start peeling before he had finished painting the wall.  I never could convince the guy that it wasn’t a paint failure.

A few other things to remember.  You should wash your house before you start painting and you should give it some time to dry.  This is extremely important if you have bare wood.  I like to recommend a week before priming the bare wood but if the temperatures are warm and humidity is down you can cut that to three days if your priming with Seal Grip Latex Primer.  If you are priming with an alkyd primer you should err on the conservative side and give it some extra time.

Remember, your successful paint job is our best advertisement.  When you’re done with your house we don’t want to see you again for exterior paint for a decade or more.  We do want to see your friends and neighbors after you tell them about Salem Paint Company and the quality products and advise that you received here.

Craig