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Top 5 Common Painting Mistakes and How Professionals Avoid Them

by with No Comment FAQs and Painting Basics

When it comes to transforming a home, painting is one of the most effective and affordable upgrades. However, a poorly executed paint job can diminish the beauty of a space, reduce the lifespan of the finish, and even cost more in the long run. At Arana Craftsman Painters, we pride ourselves on delivering flawless results by avoiding the most common mistakes homeowners and inexperienced painters often make. Below, we detail the top five painting mistakes and how seasoned professionals like us skillfully prevent them.

1. Skipping Surface Preparation

One of the most critical mistakes is rushing into painting without properly preparing the surface. Walls and exterior surfaces often accumulate dust, dirt, grease, and old flaking paint. Painting directly over these imperfections leads to peeling, uneven coverage, and premature failure.

What Professionals Do Differently:

  • Thorough Cleaning: We begin by washing walls with the appropriate cleaners, removing grease, and ensuring surfaces are spotless.
  • Repair and Patching: Cracks, nail holes, and dents are filled with high-quality patching compounds. We sand surfaces smooth for a uniform finish.
  • Priming: On porous surfaces, water stains, or repaired areas, primer is essential. It ensures proper adhesion and prevents the topcoat from soaking in unevenly.

By never skipping preparation, we create a flawless foundation that allows paint to adhere correctly and look its best for years.

2. Choosing the Wrong Paint or Finish

Another common error is selecting paint that isn’t suited for the specific environment. For instance, using a flat finish in a bathroom invites moisture damage and mildew, while applying high-gloss paint to imperfect walls highlights every flaw.

What Professionals Do Differently:

  • Room-Specific Recommendations: We match paint finishes to their function. Kitchens and bathrooms benefit from moisture-resistant semi-gloss or satin finishes, while living rooms often shine with an elegant eggshell or matte finish.
  • Quality over Cost: Professionals avoid bargain paints that require multiple coats and wear quickly. We invest in premium paints that provide durability, richer color, and long-lasting protection.
  • Expert Color Consultation: With decades of experience, we help homeowners choose colors that not only look stunning but also harmonize with lighting, décor, and architectural style.

By choosing the right paint, we ensure the finish performs beautifully in every room or on every exterior surface.

3. Ignoring Weather and Environmental Conditions

Timing is everything in painting. Applying paint in the wrong conditions—whether it’s too hot, too cold, too humid, or too windy—leads to bubbling, streaking, and uneven drying. Many homeowners overlook this, resulting in paint jobs that fail long before they should.

What Professionals Do Differently:

  • Monitoring Conditions: Before every project, we assess temperature, humidity, and wind. Professional-grade paint requires optimal conditions to cure properly.
  • Seasonal Expertise: In Northern California, we schedule exterior painting projects during stable weather windows, avoiding the extremes of summer heat or winter rain.
  • Controlled Environment: Indoors, we ensure proper ventilation and stable temperatures, reducing issues with drying times and fumes.

By respecting the environment, professionals ensure the paint cures as designed, extending its longevity and beauty.

4. Poor Application Techniques

Even with the best materials, a lack of proper technique ruins the finish. Uneven strokes, visible roller marks, drips, and patchy coverage are the hallmarks of an amateur paint job.

What Professionals Do Differently:

  • Using the Right Tools: We invest in high-quality brushes, rollers, and sprayers specifically chosen for the type of paint and surface.
  • Consistent Methods: Professional painters know how to apply paint in consistent, overlapping strokes to avoid streaks and lap marks.
  • Cutting-In with Precision: The edges where walls meet ceilings or trim require skillful “cutting in.” Our steady hand ensures sharp, clean lines without tape bleed or messy edges.
  • Layering with Care: Rather than trying to cover in one heavy coat, we apply multiple thin coats. This avoids drips, ensures even coverage, and allows colors to develop their true richness.

By mastering application, professionals deliver a smooth, seamless finish that elevates the entire space.

5. Neglecting Cleanup and Aftercare

Once the paint dries, many DIY painters consider the job complete. However, failing to properly clean tools, remove protective tape, and maintain freshly painted surfaces significantly reduces the quality of the outcome.

What Professionals Do Differently:

  • Immediate Cleanup: Brushes, rollers, and sprayers are thoroughly cleaned after each use, extending their lifespan and preventing cross-contamination in future projects.
  • Detail-Oriented Finishing Touches: We carefully remove tape at the right time, ensuring crisp lines without pulling paint. Any minor imperfections are touched up on the spot.
  • Post-Paint Care Guidance: We educate homeowners on how to care for new paint—when it’s safe to clean, which products to use, and how to address small scuffs without damaging the finish.

Our commitment to aftercare ensures that the beauty of the paint job endures long after we’ve left the home.

Why Choosing Professionals Matters

A professional paint job is more than just a change of color—it’s an investment in your property’s aesthetic appeal, protection, and value. At Arana Craftsman Painters, our expertise prevents costly mistakes, enhances durability, and delivers results that transform homes.

When you choose us, you’re not just hiring painters—you’re partnering with artisans who treat every project with precision, craftsmanship, and pride.

Conclusion

Avoiding common painting mistakes requires more than just patience; it demands knowledge, skill, and experience. From meticulous preparation to expert application and aftercare, professionals at Arana Craftsman Painters ensure every project is executed flawlessly. If you want your next painting project to achieve stunning, lasting results, trust the experts who know how to avoid the pitfalls and deliver excellence every time.

Ready to transform your home with flawless results? Contact Arana Craftsman Painters today for professional painting services that combine artistry, precision, and durability.

Mountain Gate Ave

Restoring and Maintaining Home Exteriors: Stucco, Shingles, Siding, and Brick

by with No Comment Blog

Got Home? We’ve Got an Exterior Paint Process For It

The Bay Area sings in a chorus of varied genres of architecture. From Eichlers and Craftsman Bungalows to ornate Victorians, robust Colonials, and magical Storybook houses, each genre is unique. What makes a style remarkable is in part how it features a specific set of materials. Arana views any home we are invited to work with as a treasure. We combine artistry with craftsman utility to not only beautify but also to protect the home for the long term.

While many houses in the Bay Area are around 70-to-100 years old or more, that timeline is nothing compared to the thousands of years that castles built in Europe have stood. Coming in somewhere between that kind of longevity and what is available to us if we are thoughtful and caring with the tools and materials available to us today, we present this article describing how we handle the types of exteriors that make up the majority of homes of The Peoples of the Bay Area: Stucco, Shingle, Siding, and Brick.

STUCCO: This home exterior material is a personal favorite of mine because it is infinitely easy to maintain — which makes it more environmentally friendly as well, in our opinion. We see in the industry a rise in the use of “sustainable” products, but if these are not also long-lasting, and must be replaced 2-to-3 times more often, then to us, that product may not in fact good for the environment. Stucco (as long as it is applied to a home NOT built on a hill near an earthquake fault) can go 10-to-20 years without needing new paint. As long as there are no cracks left unsealed, you don’t have to do much to it. Open cracks can let water in and that allows rot to develop underneath. The downside of stucco is that a whole wall of your home might be rotting away inside the stucco and you might not know about it.

Our process for maintaining, restoring, and beautifying stucco: We scrape and sand any peeling paint. For any cracks, we open them up, check for water damage underneath, and re-patch them. We spot prime and only if necessary, fully prime the whole house. If your house has a pre-colored stucco that is being painted for the first time, we can expect that a lot of primer will be needed, as unpainted stucco gets “thirsty,” drying out as it ages.

Let’s talk about elastomeric (“terpolymer” paint) on stucco: While we understand that it has some desirable qualities, as it is useful for waterproofing or bridging small cracks, it is only effective under the right conditions. If your stucco is in bad shape, and/or if you already have years of paint build-up, elastomeric is not the right choice. It cannot replace necessary repairs and upkeep. And please do not rely on elastomeric to solve all of your waterproofing problems! Elastomeric is best used on new stucco. If used on previously painted stucco, it is important not to over-apply it; results may vary depending on the texture of the stucco. Our advice is to research very carefully before you choose this product.

SHINGLES: Cedar shingles are not the most common material, but you will see them on homes across the Bay Area. Cedar is an amazing and versatile wood product, but it can become susceptible to breakdown in a shingle format. Varying approaches may be taken on how to treat them.

New shingles: Some homeowners choose to let the shingles stay raw and cure in the sun, causing them to turn gray. While this is a viable approach, we recommend at least that you have a clear sealer with a UV protectant applied to will help to protect the shingles from sun damage over the long term. This coating should be reapplied about every 5 years.

Cedar shingles that have been coated with a semi-transparent stain product: Over time, stained shingles develop tannin spots and will go grey or even totally black. To maintain a specific color and appearance we recommend using a wood brightener product that can be sprayed on and then gently scrubbed into the shingles with a stiff-bristle nylon or utility brush. Scrubbing enables the product to penetrate and remove the tannin stains as well as other types of mildew and grime.

The shingles should then be rinsed with a pressure washer (professionals-only, please). Once the shingles are nice and clean, we apply our favorite stain product: Messmers. Whether clear or one of their stock colors, we highly recommend Messmers as it results in a beautiful and long-lasting finish. NOTE: It is best to hold off on repainting the painted-wood elements around the shingles until after this process is completed, as any accidental contact from the wood-brightener product can mar a newly painted surface.

Cedar shingles that have been coated with a semi-solid or solid stain product: These types of stain products can partially or fully obscure the grain pattern of the wood. These products are used to achieve a color rather than enabling a proper marriage between color and wood grain. Any stain will fade over time, but with these types of products, you may also see peeling, flaking, or scratches — that become unsightly more than anything. Again, cedar is a hardy wood that will not rot, but in a shingle format, it does tend to break down slowly over time. A good general pressure wash of semi- or solid-stained shingles and a reapplication of the stain product in a one- or two-coat process should suffice, depending on the original product used and the condition of the wood.

Painted Shingles: Yes, this is a thing and we consider it almost a last resort, or if you simply must have a fully painted shingle home. If you don’t already have painted shingles, don’t do it. The amount of maintenance painting shingles can create is unpredictable, with each shingle potentially becoming a peeling-paint mess. To prepare and repaint this type of home, we would use the same process for painted shingles as for siding (see below). Another option is to replace your cedar shingles with HardieShingle® siding which is a fiber-cement product that is gaining in popularity.

SIDING: There are different varieties of siding your home can be built with. The original redwood of the SF Bay Area, cedar, pine or Douglas fir, or vinyl, or HardiePlank® Lap Siding which is a fiber-cement product that we are seeing on newly-constructed homes. HardiePlank is a pre-colored product that can later be painted when you are ready for a change.

Our process for painted siding, as with any painted surface: Scrape and sand any loose or peeling material. On wood surfaces, rot may need to be repaired or replaced. Repairs on damage to wood siding can only be done on areas that are no bigger than 4” x 4”. For these, we scrape out the rotted wood, apply a liquid that kills the dry rot organism, and then apply a two-part resin product that fills in the gap. We then apply a full coat of primer to those repairs and to the whole exterior of the home as needed. Next, we go over the entire surface area to inspect and caulk open gaps, in order to create a paintable surface.

BRICK: Brick homes are rarer in earthquake-prone California, but they are here, and we do work on them. Oftentimes bricks can absorb dirt and accumulate mold and mildew which can make them look drab. We recommend a careful pressure wash and scrub to brighten the bricks. Like any concrete or stone product, brick can erode over time and lose its shape. We recommend a clear sealer to prevent this. One that we use is Drylock. If you are going to go DIY with this product, please be sure to get it in a flat finish because shiny is no bueno on bricks!

Exterior house painting in oakland

Don’t Go Against These 10 Rules When Repainting Your House

by with No Comment Blog

Don’t you just love it when after a long day of work, just as you pull up the corner, you see your house gleaming in the sun for all to see? It’s the bright spot of the neighborhood and actually one reason why the area you live in is highly sought after. Over the years though, you’ve been busy at work and raising a family. The elements have been right there with you getting busy as well.

As an effect of the elements doing what they do best, your house has lost some its sheen and developed issues here and there, whether with the roofing, siding or water leakages. It’s time to get your house back to its former glory, but where to start?

With an exquisite paint job, of course. A properly done paint job is sure to rejuvenate the house, as well save you some serious amounts of cash. Hiring a professional painter will cost anywhere between $1,000 to $5,000. If you want an exquisite job, it is generally recommended to get an expert.

However, you can save on that cash and do the painting yourself. However, this will require serious effort from you and your collaborators, and the job can take anywhere from one to two weeks. And this could actually work to your advantage; a paint job usually lasts several years before a new coat is required.

With that in mind, what rules should you follow when repainting your house?

  1. Be real.

    It may be tempting to pick up the tools and do the job yourself and save yourself some serious dough. Have you considered this though, do you have the skills, the time and the patience to deliver the quality job you are looking for?

    Painting a house by yourself, or even in the company of friends or family, is a very tedious job that requires copious amounts of time. If you neither have the skills nor the time, consider hiring a professional.
  2. Quality matters… a lot!

    You literally get what you pay for. That paint you were thinking about was a lot for very little money but ask yourself this, how long will it last until you need to repaint the house? A quality product will push you several years before you even think about painting again.

    These quality paints and primers will usually cost anywhere from $35 to $70, but the quality and years of service you get will be unparalleled in comparison to some of the cheaper paints.
  3. Be sure to check the type of paints you want to use.

    Although it was the norm several decades ago due to their durability, lead paints have been found to be a health hazard to both children and adults. As the paint gets older, the flakes and dust from the paints could cause various degrees of lead poisoning.

    If the house you currently reside in has paint residue from before 1978, it is recommended that you contact lead paint removal experts before embarking on a fresh painting session.
  4. Temperate weather is the best.

    Well, the elements have a say in how well your paint will age, how long it will last before wear and tear make you get a new coat. They also have a say in what time of year you should paint if you want to get good results. Yes, really. Here’s how…

    The paint you are using is essentially a combination of chemical elements. Every element is affected in one way or another by temperature. When the temperatures are too high, or you’re painting in direct sunlight, the paint will dry too quickly. Painting when it’s too cold will cause the paint to not adhere to surfaces properly.

    The best times to repaint the house are when the temperatures are between 50 to 90 degrees. And this should also be done when there’s no precipitation forecasted. Painting over a damp or dewy surface will cause the coat to develop bubbles.
  5. Lay the groundwork.

    Before going out to paint, ensure the surface you want to paint has been prepared for the new coat. This will mean removing the old coat of paint. You can start by using a scraper to remove old, flaky paint. The next step will be to wash the surface with soapy water and scrub with a brush. Wherever possible, use a pressure washer to blast the surfaces clean.

    If you’re facing tougher paint, you can use power sander to get a smooth surface. The idea is not to remove all the paint, just to get a smooth surface which the new coat can adhere to.
  6. Protect what’s not to be painted.

    Before getting down to business, if you have furniture, plants or other fixtures around the surface you want to paint, you will either need to move them or cover them. As you go around the surface you are painting, there will always be sprays and splatters that land on surfaces you never intended to paint.
  7. Tools make work easier.

    The right tools anyway. Consider the surface you are painting on and the effort and quality you want. That’s the first step to determining which tools you will use. You may need to use a roller, or a high-quality brush, or an airless sprayer.
  8. No shortcuts please.

    If you want your house to look as amazing as it once was, or as you imagine it in your head, there is no room for shortcuts. This means applying all the necessary coats of paint to get the finish that you want. If you’re painting over a bare metal or wooden surface, you will need to use a high-quality primer to prepare the surface for what’s to come.
  9. Do your homework.

    Even though it may look like a mundane activity, painting is nothing like that. It actually requires various specialized techniques that a proper painting novice will have no idea they exist. Before embarking on the task, do your homework on painting techniques and how to mix paints to get the effect you want.
  10. Do some more homework.

    That’s if you do decide to hire a professional. The gig economy has grown in leaps and bounds with the proliferation of the internet. Any Tom, Dick and Harry who fancies themselves a good painter will make themselves available, and you may just land on the most incompetent of them.

    When choosing an Oakland painting company, ask for detailed bids and most importantly, the contacts of at least two satisfied customers. Call them up and if possible, arrange a visit to the premises that were painted and inspect the work for yourself.

For A Free Oakland House Painting Estimate Call 510-567-9559