Are you tired of looking at your dated brass hardware every time you open a door or cupboard? Is the weather too muggy for any exterior painting projects this week? There’s an easy and budget-friendly interior painting fix for this, and it can actually take your home’s painting and decorating to a whole new level. In fact, all it requires are a few supplies. Here are three easy steps on how to paint brass hardware in your South Florida home.

Wash With Steel Wool

After removing your brass hardware from all of your doors, cabinets, and drawers, wash each piece thoroughly with good old-fashioned soap and water. It’s best to use steel wool during this process because it helps lightly scratch the surface, ensuring the paint will adhere well.

Spray With Liquid De-Glosser

While many house painting jobs don’t require a liquid de-glosser, this is an important step in painting brass hardware. This helps removes all oils and sand particles off of the hardware, creating an ideal painting surface.

Apply Self-Etching Primer

Self-etching primer works well on brass hardware. It primes and etches bare metal in one easy step, promoting maximum adhesion. You don’t need to use this product heavily; one light coat is perfect for this type of interior painting project.

Transform With Paint

Now comes the fun part: painting. Use spray paint that’s specifically designed for metal. You can pick any color; a flat black may liven up the hardware on your white cabinets, while a cheery red or yellow will add a surprising flair to your kitchen. This painting and decorating decision can help boost any drab or dated room.

Painting hardware is a quick and easy update to your Highland Beach, FL home and brings surprisingly dramatic results. If you have any house painting needs, be sure to contact my experienced painters based in Boynton Beach, FL. Benchmark Painting & Carpentry is committed to helping you with all your interior and exterior painting needs. Call us at (561) 375-6249 or request a free estimate on our website.

As the summer heats up, you may be searching for affordable ways to add freshness to your Palm Beach Gardens home, especially as the summer heats up and you’ll be enjoying the indoor coolness of the air conditioning a bit more. Sometimes, the best, most stunning changes aren’t done with bold color and extravagant home painting or month-long residential painting endeavors. All you may need is a little white paint and a few hours.

Touch Up Baseboards

If you have kids or pets, your baseboards have gone through a lot of wear and tear. They may be showing their age in scuffmarks, grime, and stains. The best way to freshen up your home’s appearance is to touch up your baseboards in a semi-gloss white paint. With a two-inch angled brush and a full can of paint, your house will look crisp in no time.

Paint Your Fireplace

Your fireplace is a key component in the room it’s in. With its stately mantle and large size, fireplaces can often dampen a room’s appearance if dingy. You can fix that with some quick home painting. Just slap a few coats of white paint on your mantle, and you’ll be amazed at the difference a clean, white fireplace brings.

Add White Curtains

While this tip doesn’t involve residential painting, it will help improve the aesthetic of your home. Flowing, white, floor-length curtains add dimension and light to any room. Pull down your dark, light-obstructive drapes and lighten up your room with crisp white curtains.

Paint Window Surrounds

Throughout the spring and summer, if you decide to leave your windows open during the cooler parts of the day, you may start noticing the direness of your window surrounds. They can get dirty in a hurry, and can also be painted in a hurry. Painting window surrounds is a home painting project that will not take all day, but will produce fantastic results. 

My painters and carpenters based in Boynton Beach, FL are here to help you with your entire list of home painting needs, whether you’re in Palm Beach Gardens or Oakland Park. If you need small painting projects or large residential painting ventures completed, we are here to serve you and make your home feel more inviting for those hot summer days. Call my painters and expert staff at (561) 375-6249 or contact us online.

With the first day of summer in the not-so-distant future, and Delray Beach and Ocean Ridge, FL already heated up to a toasty temperature, it’s important that your patio furniture is ready to go. If you’re not enjoying the balmy mornings outside on your porch because of shabby wooden patio furniture, listen up! Here are a few home painting tips for your patio furniture from my expert painters at Benchmark Painting & Carpentry.

Deep Clean Patio Furniture

If you’ve had your wooden patio furniture for a while, it’s probably stained, with possible mildew or other unwanted substances on it. Before you paint your furniture, mix 1 gallon of hot water with powdered oxygen bleach, and scrub the furniture, taking extra time around the unsightly areas.

Sand Furniture Thoroughly

Many home painting projects require the use of some extra elbow grease in the form of sanding. This is often a tedious project for painters and carpenters, but worth it in the end. Put your muscles to work and sand your patio furniture lightly, as it will remove rust, bird droppings, and rough areas.

Prime and Prepare

After sanding, be sure to thoroughly wipe off your patio furniture, ensuring that all debris are removed. Apply a wood primer with a paintbrush. This will not only help your paint adhere more easily to the furniture, it will also protect the paint from the harsh outdoor elements.

Paint Patio Furniture

After the primer has dried, you can grab a paintbrush and get to work on your house painting project. Apply several coats of paint to your patio furniture, letting it dry in between; that shouldn’t take too long in the hot Delray Beach, FL sun.

Once your outdoor house painting project is finished and dry, it’s time to relax. Treat yourself to lots of lazy mornings on your freshly-painted patio furniture. If you have questions regarding home painting projects, or would like to speak with one of my experts at Benchmark Painting & Carpentry, my painters and carpenters are here to help. Give us a call at (561) 375-6249 or contact us online.

If you’re thinking about doing some house painting in your Deerfield Beach, FL home, it’s important to know what type of finish to use. Since there are so many to choose from, it can be a little overwhelming, especially when you’re standing at the paint counter, needing to make a decision.  My painting company in Boynton Beach, FL has experience with every type of finish, and knows with works best for each painting job.

Flat or Matte

This paint finish has a matte surface, and works extremely well on interior walls that have many imperfections, as it’s great at covering up those pesky bumps or cracks. Flat or matte finish is also the finish exclusively used for ceilings. Be sure to forgo this finish in the kitchen or bathrooms, as it can be somewhat difficult to clean.

Eggshell

Eggshell finish is a highly popular choice for walls, especially in living rooms and bedrooms, as it has a fairly washable finish and the perfect amount of sheen. In fact, if you imagine the sheen an eggshell gives off, it perfectly resembles what an eggshell finish looks like. It’s a beautiful, low-luster effect.

Satin

My home painters know that satin finish paint can be scrubbed over and over, making it an ideal paint for kitchen and bathroom cabinets, kid’s rooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. It’s also a great choice for all of your woodwork needs, such as doors and trim.

Semi-gloss

Semi-gloss finish has a subtle shine, making it one of the most common finishes for doors, trim, and molding. Some homeowners enjoy using this paint for kitchen and bathroom walls because of its tolerance for humidity and stains, but it can be a bit too glitzy for others.

Gloss

While this type of finish is rarely used on walls, it is definitely the most durable. Gloss is also extremely easy to clean, and has a smooth, non-porous finish that is seemingly resistant to dirt and grime.  Use this on trim, doors, and windows, and be sure to refrain from covering your walls with this glossy finish.

At Benchmark Painting & Carpentry, my painters and carpenters know the importance of quality home painting in West Palm Beach, FL. If you’re overwhelmed by painting decisions, or need some help on choosing paint finishes, be sure to give us a call at (561) 375-6249 or contact us online. We’re here to help!

If you’re putting your South Florida home on the market this spring, you’ve probably heard of home staging, which is an effective, low-cost way to showcase your home by de-cluttering, showcasing your home’s strengths, and artfully arranging furniture. Did you know that painting is also a successful part of home staging? A fresh coat of paint can transform a space. Try these painting tips for success on the real estate market.

Neutralize Your Color Palette

Although you may love the bright orange walls in your dining room, potential home buyers may be turned off by the effusive color. My home painters in West Palm Beach, FL know that home painting should be neutral because it has the broadest appeal. You don’t need to stick with plain beige or white walls; soft gray, pale green, and creamy yellow are all perfectly neutral colors that will brighten up your home.

Pay Attention to Finish

It’s important to use eggshell or satin finish for your walls. These finishes are easy to clean, and aren’t too flat or dull on walls. Be sure to stay away from high gloss paint for large spaces, as it will appear too shiny for most people’s tastes, and can seem dated.

Heighten Your Curb Appeal

When prospective buyers pull up to your home, what will they see? Hopefully they won’t see your peeling mailbox, shabby front porch, or chipped front door! First impressions are extremely important, especially in real estate, and exterior painting for your Pompano Beach, FL home is a necessary part of curb appeal. So, get out your paintbrush and get to work!

Liven Up Your Backyard

Even if your front yard and interior painting are perfect, your backyard may be a deal breaker if it’s been neglected. Do a thorough walk-through past your fence, deck, shed, and other backyard items that may need to be re-painted or re-stained. You want to create an environment that feels fresh, new, and up-to-date.

Paint Perfectly

If you’re doing the painting yourself, do yourself a favor and make sure you’re painting perfectly. Take the time to use drop cloths, and fully tape baseboards and ceilings, as paint smudges won’t do your home any favors. Buy high quality paint and rollers. If you want your home to sell quickly, you need to put in the effort.

If adding one more thing to your growing to-do list is daunting, my painters and carpenters in Boynton Beach, FL are ready to help you with all your home painting needs. Give us a call at (561) 375-6249, or contact us online.

You may have finished your entire list of interior painting projects throughout the winter, and feel the need to begin revamping the exterior of your home, especially if you’re a coastal home resident in South Florida. The weather is warm and perfect for painting. My painters in Boynton Beach, FL are experts at painting beachfront homes, which can often be negatively affected by saltwater and intense sunlight.

Buy Great Paint

My West Palm Beach, FL house painters know that paint is a home’s protection from the elements outside, and it pays to buy the best quality paint that you can, such as a top-of-the-line latex paint. Stay away from cheaper paint, as it will not provide the coverage your home needs.
 

Prep the Exterior

When you’re working on your exterior home painting in West Palm Beach, it’s important to prep the surface of your home, as mildew builds up easily in more humid locations. Grime and salt also build up on coastal homes, and a power washer is a great tool for this job. Once the surface is washed, you can sand and scrape any peeling paint off of your home.
 

Begin in the Shade

If you begin painting in direct sunlight, the paint will dry too quickly and may blister prematurely. Be sure to start your painting in the shade, or choose to paint on an overcast day. Additionally, put your home painting project on hold if you notice a storm is coming through, as the salty winds will not do your painting job any favors.
 

Exterior residential painting in North Miami, FL and surrounding areas can often be a long, strenuous job, and my experienced and skilled painters are ready to help with all of your needs. If you have additional questions on coastal painting, or would like an estimate, please call us at 561-375-6249or connect with us online.

Even if your South Florida home has perfect painting and decorating throughout, a rickety deck is bound to be a glaring eyesore in the overall aesthetic of your home. Rest assured that my painters and carpenters in Boynton Beach, FL are here to help with all of your painting and carpentry projects, and it’s not just limited to our home painting services; we also offer expert deck repair and refinishing. Here are a few of the most common deck problems that homeowners face.

Broken Boards
Everyone has seen a deck that has broken decking, and it doesn’t look pretty. This most often occurs when sections of the deck have been installed incorrectly, or have soaked up a lot of moisture, compromising its strength. When the deck is used, the boards will flex and eventually give in to the weight.

Spots and Stains
Decks are a fun way to entertain, but sometimes accidents happen, and food or drink will spill onto the wood. While some stains can be removed with a soap and water mixture, there may be cases when your deck needs to be re-stained or re-painted. My Boynton Beach painting company can make your deck look as good as new, if the pesky stains just won’t leave.

Wobbly Walking
If your deck begins wobbling when you walk across it, it may need a diagonal brace, which runs from corner to corner. You will need to use at least two nails per joist, and this should help take away the shaky feeling of a deck. However, if you think your deck needs more than a diagonal brace, it’s best to obtain professional guidance from my skilled carpenters at Benchmark Painting & Carpentry, as you wouldn't want any guests to be injured while walking across your shaky deck.

My painting company serves West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, North Miami, and all of South Florida to act as a resource for your carpentry projects as well as your painting and decorating needs. We even offer unique services such as wallpaper removing and color consultation, providing a complete home makeover for your home.

Please call us at (561) 375-6249 or contact us online for an estimate. At Benchmark, we’d love to help you turn your deck from and eyesore into an entertaining masterpiece, just in time for summer grilling!

House Painting Category

Benchmark Painting was just awarded for the second year in a row the 2013 Best Pick Reports for the Montgomery County area in the Painting Category. Best Pick Reports is rewarded only to 2-3 painting companies in a metropolitian area. To be part of their program, Best Pick Reports will interview over 100 of our customers to ask them about our service and quality. They pick our customers at random. If we get a high scoring record, we make the list. 

Our Commitment To You

We are grateful to our customers for trusting Benchmark Painting & Carpentry for all your painting and carpentry needs. We strive to give you the best service possible and do a quality job as well. If there is ever a way for us to improve our service to you, please don't hesitate to contact us. We want to continue to be, at your service.

While interior window trim doesn't often make it to the top of the painting to-do list, it's an extremely important job, as the stains and chips that surround many windows can often make your home appear dingy. With a new coat of paint on your interior window surrounds, the painting and decorating in your West Palm Beach, FL home will have a chance to shine. Here are a few of my favorite tips on painting your window trim.

Check the Weather
When painting window trim, you will need to leave your windows open while the paint dries, and your plans could be foiled if you paint on a rainy day. Make sure the forecast does not predict any South Florida showers to dampen your home painting project, and begin early in the day if the night is expected to be unusually cool.

Protect the Glass
My Boynton Beach, FL painters and staff know that painting can be a messy project. Be sure to protect the window glass by placing painter’s tape along the edge of the trim, ensuring that the paint stays on the trim and not on your windows.

Gather Appropriate Tools
One of the key components to a polished paint job is using the correct equipment. For window surrounds, you will need an angled paintbrush that is able to get into the corners easily, without creating smudges along the trim. It’s also helpful to have a clean cloth within reach in case your paint drips onto the windowsill during the painting process.

Prepare the Area Thoroughly
Window surrounds can be more damaged than most people think, with lots of grime over the years, and many nicks and stains to deal with. With any interior painting project we do in Boynton Beach, FL and the surrounding areas, we recommend you begin with a clean painting surface. Be sure to wipe up any dirt and take time to clean and sand the area thoroughly.

At Benchmark Painting & Carpentry, my painters and carpenters are here to help all South Florida residents with terrific home painting and commercial needs. Call us today at (561) 375-6249 or contact us online for a free estimate. From wallpaper removing in your mother’s Broward, FL home to painting trim in your daughter’s North Miami office, we have you covered!

The first day of spring is just around the corner, which means it’s time for homeowners to begin freshening up their yards and homes, officially kicking off the springtime season. At Benchmark Painting & Carpentry, my staff is ready to assist you throughout the spring cleaning season. While you may have the vacuuming and dusting under control, here are a few ways your home will look as good as new with our services.

Pressure Washing
Painting and decorating your West Palm Beach home can seem futile if the outside of your home is covered with grime, making your house look dingy. That’s where pressure washing comes in handy, as my trained staff can blast the dirt off of all your outdoor surfaces, including siding, decks, fences, and driveways. You’ll be ready for outdoor entertaining in no time!

Wallpaper Removing
If you want to freshen up the interior of your home and by removing that dated wallpaper, don’t wait any longer! With our wallpaper removing service, your South Florida home will be spiffed up in no time, as our home painting service can take over just as soon as the wallpaper is removed.

Deck and Fence Painting/Staining
We also provide an opportunity for you to spiff up your deck or fence, through painting or staining. My residential painters in South Florida are ready to paint your fence a bright white, or stain your deck to perfectly complement your new patio furniture.

Exterior Painting
Even the most beautiful homes begin to look dingy if the exterior painting starts to fade or peel. My Boynton Beach, FL painters and staff serve all of South Florida, specializing in exterior painting, which will produce a beautiful home with plenty of curb appeal. After painting your house, they can head over to your office, as we offer commercial painting in South Florida as well.

So, what are you waiting for? Call Benchmark Painting & Carpentry today or contact us online. We can’t wait to freshen up your home for the springtime season.

Transforming a house into a home is hard work. Too often, homeowners feel overwhelmed at the prospect of turning their living space into a dream space, and it gets pushed to the wayside. If you want your house to feel like home, the painting and decorating is key. My painters and staff in Boynton Beach, FL have shared a few expert tips since we offer color and design consultations for homeowners across South Florida.

Notice the Lighting
As you probably know, the lighting in your home can change the hue of your paint colors throughout the day. Tape a few paint chips on the walls so you can visualize the room’s color during different parts of the day. You may be surprised to find you love a color during the early morning hours, but can’t stand the way it looks in the evening, or vice versa.

Get a Little Moody
The mood of a room can change according to the color of its walls. If you want a space to feel playful, veer away from the somber dark grays and blues, and head toward more vibrant shades.

Test the Territory
The importance of testing paint colors on the walls is crucial, whether you’re doing a little home painting job in your West Palm Beach kitchen, or a huge commercial painting undertaking in your Broward office building. Ask for a sample can of paint and get out your paintbrush; you may be surprised at the results!

Size Up the Space
The size of a room is important to consider when choosing paint colors or even paint techniques, such as tone-on-tone stripes. Your tiny rooms may feel overwhelmed by horizontal stripes or bold colors, which is why you need to be mindful of the dimensions you're working with.
 
Finish it Off
Lastly, if you’re a little unsure about abruptly changing paint colors, you could shake things up just a bit by painting your walls in a different finish. Eggshell, matte, gloss, and satin are a few examples of the varieties available.

If reading these tips gave you the painting bug, but you don’t have the time to do it yourself, my expert painters and carpenters in South Florida are here to serve everyone with home painting needs. My staff is also available for any home improvement projects, such as wallpaper removing, from West Palm Beach to North Miami, and we’d love to provide you with a color and design consultation. We can help you turn your house into your dream home. Call us at (561) 375-6249 or contact us online.

With no rain predicted on the weather forecast, homeowners in South Florida need to put away their interior painting projects and get outside in the sunshine. This is a great time of year for South Floridians to touch up outdoor fences, as the weather is mild and there isn’t a raindrop in sight.

At Benchmark Painting and Carpentry, my skilled painters and carpenters in Boynton Beach are ready to help with all your home painting needs, including the outdoor projects. If you’re looking for a few tips on staining or painting your outdoor fences, we’ve compiled some of our most helpful advice.

Watch the Weather
It’s imperative that you check the weather before venturing outside to paint or stain your fence. If rain is in the forecast, you’ll want to hold off on the project until there’s a few consecutive days of sunshine or cloudy weather. Additionally, if it’s below 52 degrees, you’ll need to put away your stain until it warms up a bit.

Old Fences Need Washing
If you’re planning on painting or staining an older fence, you will want to pressure wash it first. Since the fences are outside in the elements, there is probably lots of soil or other debris built up on the wood, and you need to remove that to ensure a satisfactory finished product.

Protect Your Landscaping
When staining or painting, my experienced house painters in Boynton Beach are careful to protect the landscaping of our clients. Be sure to put paper bags, cardboard, or a tarp under the fence, so that your bushes, flowers, and grass aren't exposed to dangerous chemicals.

Test the Paint or Stain
While some paint colors or stain may look great in the can, painters and carpenters in West Palm Beach, Broward, and all over know that the color can look different once you apply it to the surface. Test the paint or stain in an inconspicuous spot on the fence to ensure the shade is perfect for the entire fence.

If you’d rather leave the painting or staining up to my professionals at Benchmark Painting and Carpentry, we’d love to hear from you. Additionally, if you have another need, my painting company in Boynton Beach can satisfy your home improvement needs, from wallpaper removing to wainscoting. Give us a call today at (561) 375-6249, before rain makes its way into the forecast or find more information online.

Have you always wanted your guests’ jaws to drop when they walk into your South Florida home? If so, you may want to consider an interior painting trick that will impress any Boynton Beach or North Miami residents: ceiling painting.

At Benchmark Painting and Carpentry, my professional painters and team pride themselves in offering a unique painting service that can transform your ceilings into something spectacular. Whether you want to brighten your dingy ceiling to a pristine and clean white or add a bright yellow pop of color, a painted ceiling can add the ‘wow’ factor you’ve been waiting for. Here are a few great steps if you’re beginning ceiling home painting projects in South Florida.

Prep the Room
Remove all furniture, put down a drop cloth to protect the floor, and use blue painter’s tape in the areas where the walls and ceiling meet. You won't regret this prep work, as painting your ceiling can be a messy job.

Use Primer
Adding a fresh coat of primer to the ceiling will help to provide a stain barrier, and will also ensure that you won’t be painting for hours; one or two coats will suffice with a primer.

Paint the Edge
While standing on a ladder, use a paintbrush to paint a line along the edge of the ceiling, between two to three inches in thickness.

Paint the Ceiling
When the line is still wet, paint the ceiling with a roller, being sure to coat the ceiling evenly. This may get a bit messy, since you will be painting above your head. Once the paint has dried, you will be able to see if you need to add one more coat of edging and painting.

At Benchmark Painting Co., my staff is ready to assist you with all your painting and carpentry needs, and we'd love to help you transform your ceilings, or any other area of your home. We are a carpentry and painting company that is professionally equipped to do anything from wallpaper removing in your West Palm Beach, FL kitchen to interior painting in your Broward, FL bedroom. Give us a call today at 561-375-6249, or contact us online; our South Florida painters and craftsmen can help make your current home into your dream home!

Do you feel bored when you walk into your West Palm Beach home? Are you tired of seeing the same old wallpaper or paint colors or dingy cabinets? If so, here are three great ways Benchmark Painting and Carpentry can update your South Florida home without breaking the bank.

Wallpaper Removing
Wallpaper removing can be a drag, as it is time-consuming, messy, and sometimes frustrating. I am happy to report that our professionals at Benchmark Painting and Carpentry are skilled to provide excellent wallpaper removing for your South Florida home, whether you are in West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, or any other area. You can enjoy the sunny weather outside while your home receives a major update on the inside by saying goodbye to your dated wallpaper and hello to a fresh coat of paint.

Wall Painting
A new interior painting job in your home can help your home feel like new. Our house painters in South Florida are committed to providing quality, professional, beautiful work, and fulfilling all your home painting needs in West Palm Beach or Boynton Beach. Imagine the makeover your kitchen, dining room, or bedroom could receive, just by changing you’re the paint color on your walls.

Cabinet Painting
One of the most exciting ways to update your kitchen or bathroom is through painting your cabinets. A room can be completely transformed just by painting the cabinets, whether you want to add a pop of color or seamlessly blend the cabinets into the walls.

At Benchmark Painting and Carpentry, I am dedicated to keeping you and your family happy in your home. My expert painters and carpenters in South Florida are excited to help you update your home, and are committed to excellent workmanship and high integrity in all of our work - that’s why Benchmark is a premiere painting company in the West Palm Beach area.  Call us today at 561-375-6249 or contact us online for the chance to update your South Florida home.

Go outside and take a deep breath of that salty West Palm Beach air. It feels great, doesn’t it? However, when you go back inside your home, does the air still feel clean and safe? According to the EPA, indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air, and is considered one of the top five hazards to our health.

Interior paints and finishes contribute greatly to indoor pollution, which is why we, at Benchmark Painting and Carpentry, are one of the most reliable painting companies in South Florida to fulfill your eco-friendly paint needs. We offer excellent low VOC and zero VOC paints.

VOCs are volatile organic compounds that vaporize into the air, producing ozone and causing air pollution. As paint begins to dry, VOCs are released into the air in alarmingly high levels, potentially endangering your health. As you may guess, there are many benefits of using eco-friendly paints.

Health
Our house painters in West Palm Beach are dedicated to ensuring your own home is not hazardous to you or your family. We are proud to affirm that our low VOC and zero VOC paints are durable and safe for your health.

Quality
We stand behind the quality of our paints. Today, even the biggest paint brands provide low VOC or zero VOC paints, and our painters in South Florida will work to ensure eco-friendly results without compromising the finished product.

Raw Ingredients
Many low VOC and zero VOC paints are made from natural, raw ingredients such as water, milk casein, natural latex, plant oils, and other familiar substances. You can rest assured that all the ingredients are familiar and safe.

We’re committed to keeping you and your family or business safe with our eco-friendly services. Benchmark Painting and Carpentry is here to fulfill all your South Florida home painting needs. We provide many services, from expert painters and carpenters to wallpaper removing in your West Palm Beach home. Call us today at (561) 375-6249 or contact us online.

Stripes are here to stay, and they’re making their appearance all over the place – even in the small town of Kensington, MD.  Residents in Rockville or Silver Spring may also notice the upsurge in stripes. They’re making their mark on clothing, rug, home décor, and even walls! We love the way tone-on-tone horizontal stripes look inside of homes, as they provide a classic and elegant touch.

By adding stripes to your walls, you can have the neatest residential paint job in Maryland!

Choose Contrasting Color
Since you want a subtle tone-on-tone feel, and not a vibrantly striped wall, be sure to pick a contrasting color that is only one or two shades lighter or darker than the wall’s base paint.

Mark and Tape
You need to decide on the height of your stripes. After you’ve determined that, measure them from floor to ceiling, marking with pencil where the stripes will be. You don’t need to mark out the whole stripe across the wall – just do two or three places, and connect the marks with painter’s tape.

*It’s important to remember to apply the tape outside the marks of the areas you’ll be painting, but inside the marks you will be leaving as a base.

Paint and Peel
Paint the contrasting color onto your wall with a paint roller, using an angled brush in the corners and near the ceiling. Add a second coat, and remove the tape immediately, while the paint is still wet. Once the paint dries, it may stick to the tape, so you want to peel the tape right away.

Benchmark Painting and Carpentry is here to help you with all of your interior and exterior painting needs. If you want to pass your painting projects on to our professional home painters in Maryland, or have any questions, we’d love to help you. Contact us online or call us at (301) 949-1100.

If you’re in the mood to transform your Kensington, MD home, you will want to consider faux finishing for your walls by using the ragging method. This creates an illusion of texture on your walls through applying one or more accent colors over a base coat of paint, giving the room a soft, elegant ambience. Ragging is easy enough for you to do yourself, so round up some home painters and get started on this project.

Apply Base Coat
Apply the base coat of paint to your walls as you would for a normal house painting project. The color will show through the accent colors, so it is important to choose a color that you love. If your base coat is already on the walls, just be sure your walls are clean and dry.

Prepare the Glaze
Mix together the accent color with glaze, using one gallon of glaze with one quart paint. Once the glaze and paint are mixed well, pour into a paint tray to begin the texturing process.

Texturize Your Walls
Use a clean, damp, lint-free rag and gather it into a loose ball. Dip the rag into your glaze and paint mixture, and wipe off any excess on a piece of cardboard or newspaper. Start at one corner of your wall and dab the paint-covered rag on your wall. Be creative; if you apply the paint in different patterns or directions, it only serves to add uniqueness and interest to your walls. Once you've finished adding the faux finish to all your walls, step back and admire your handiwork.

There are, of course, several other ways to add faux finishing to your walls, but ragging is by far the easiest if you enjoy non-professional house painting projects for your Kensington, MD home. If you’re interested in other faux finishes, we’d love to send our highly-qualified home painters to add texture to your walls. Please contact us online or call us at (301) 949-1100 to explore other faux finishing options. Benchmark Painting and Carpentry is here to service all your commercial and residential painting needs.

If you work from home, you know it takes a combination of motivation, discipline, and focus to stay on task. While there are many painting companies in Maryland, Benchmark Painting and Carpentry is aware that different colors are apt to subtly increase or decrease your work productivity. The paint color for your Kensington, MD home office is as important as the quality of the paint job. We’ve compiled a few pieces of advice for picking the best paint color for your home office.

Blue
If your job requires intense concentration and clarity, you should choose a blue paint color. The color blue assists with productivity and helps keep your mind focused on the task in front of you. It can be especially helpful when you are working on a detail-oriented project.

Green
Green is also a soothing color, helping to provide a serene environment to your busy days. If your job is highly stressful, an office that is painted with shades of green will help keep you calm.

Red
In some types of work, it is important to feel excited and energized. In those cases, you may want to choose a shade of red. Red stimulates blood pressure, speeds heart rate, and increases the energy in a room. It is an intense color, so be sure to use it sparingly, such as on an accent wall.

Brown
The color brown promotes feelings of credibility, reassurance, and security. While carrying out a work-related task, it is important that you feel comfortable, and brown can provide the perfect atmosphere for that.

Orange
Orange evokes enthusiasm and vibrancy, similar in effect to the color red. Since it is generally a bright and striking color, you may want to consider using it in small ways to accent your office. Orange pillows, post-it notes, and wall décor can all add a pop of color to your days in a non-overwhelming way.

Ultimately, you need to be sure your Kensington, MD home office promotes strong work habits and a productive environment. Please call Benchmark Painting and Carpentry at 301-949-1100, or contact us online if you would like help from our professional indoor painters. We are proud to provide quality interior and exterior painting and carpentry services.

Houzz is a fresh site that is essentially a Pinterest for Painters, Remodelers and other service industries. It is the leading online platform for residential remodeling and design with over 11 million monthly users. Companies can post photos of their work, as well as create ideabooks with existing pictures on Houzz as ideas of work the company can perform for clients. With Houzz, homeowners can identify not only the top-rated professionals, but also those whose work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking questions about their work and evaluating their responses to questions from others in the Houzz community.

We are pleased to announce that we were selected as a winner of Houzz's 2013 "Best of Remodeling" award. Visit our Benchmark Painting & Carpentry Houzz page to see our project photos and ratings.

Anyone would agree that wallpaper removal is a tedious project. However, it’s another project entirely when removing painted wallpaper. If you’re a lucky homeowner who is attempting this project, we at Benchmark Painting and Carpentry would like to walk you through this somewhat daunting project.

1. Purchase the tools you’ll need
For successful wallpaper removal, you need to be equipped with the correct tools. A wallpaper scoring tool, jug of wallpaper stripper (spray or gel), scraping tool, wide putty knife, and plastic tarp (for covering the floor) are your essentials.

2. Prepare your walls
Score your walls with a scoring tool, which is a small device with serrated blades that will help you gently cut into your wall’s surface with circular motions. The small cuts will allow the wallpaper stripper to soak through in a more effective way.  Apply wallpaper stripper, a water-based product that will provide an easier removal. Give it plenty of time to soak in (at least 15 minutes), since it needs to penetrate through both paint and the paper.

3. Pull and re-apply
Use your wallpaper removal tool to lift a corner of the wallpaper and begin pulling as much wallpaper off as possible. Re-apply the wallpaper stripper to your walls again if needed. This will help soften what’s left of the paint and wallpaper.

4. Scrape, scrape, scrape
Now comes the blood, sweat, and tears step: scraping. Grab your putty knife and remove all the wallpaper still stubbornly clinging to your walls. This may take some time, but remember a clean, paperless wall awaits you.

5. Finish up
When you are finished, wash your paperless walls with mild detergent and warm water to ensure all wallpaper stripper is off. This will provide a clean surface for sanding, patching and eventually a coat of primer. 

We'd love to help you with this project, as Benchmark Painting and Carpentry offers excellent wallpaper removal services. Please give us a call at 561-375-6249 or contact us online. We can also consult with you to find the perfect color for your walls, after they're paper-free. Our professional home painters are here to help with any of your residential interior painting and decorating needs.

Welcome to 2013, where chalkboard paint is taking up residence inside many Kensington, MD homes…and all over the United States. Gone are the days in which chalkboards were resigned to dusty old classrooms with tricky arithmetic problems. Home painters now have the ability to turn plain walls into functional and eye-catching masterpieces, and at Benchmark Painting and Carpentry, we’ve compiled a few of our favorite chalkboard paint ideas for your home.

Chalk Up Your Headboard
While your bed’s headboard is great at keeping pillows in place, it can also serve as a delightful message board every morning and evening. Paint your home's headboards with chalkboard paint and write messages to your spouse, yourself, or your kids. It’s the perfect way to add a little encouragement to everyone’s day.

Create a Dining Room Menu Board
If you want to add a bit of whimsy to your dining room, consider covering a wall with chalkboard paint. Dining rooms have the tendency to feel formal, and sometimes they need a bit of paint to liven things up. This is a great place to write the week’s menu, grocery list, or funny dinner conversations.

Make a Studio for Your Kids
Have your kids scribbled ever on your walls with crayons? Or, even worse, Sharpie markers? It’s probably not the type of home painting and decorating you were hoping for. Chalkboard walls may be the key to providing an artistic outlet for their mischievous artistry; paint a wall in their room with chalkboard paint, and buy colored chalk for them to enjoy. They’ll love the ability to use their walls as a canvas…and you’ll love your Sharpie-less décor.

Schedule Yourself on the Wall
Busy families translate to often busy schedules, and it's helpful to visualize what you’re doing each month. On a large wall (preferably in the living room), create a family calendar that you update monthly. This will help you keep track of soccer practices, dance lessons, and everything in-between. If you want to get really organized, color-coordinate each family member’s scheduling commitments.Chalk

As always, Benchmark Painting is here to help with all of your interior and exterior painting needs. If 2013 is already gearing up to be busy and you would like us to create chalkboard inspiration in your home, please give us a call at (301) 949-1100 or contact us online. All you’ll need to do is provide the chalk!

This past October we completed this mural for the bedroom of a client's son. She picked the theme and color scheme, but asked us to be creative with the rest. We designed a template for the mural and after getting approval for the design, this was the result.

We enjoyed this special project and were happy that she and her son were pleased with the final product. 

If you have any odd painting jobs, give us a call for a free estimate at (561) 375-6249. We love tackling all different types of painting projects! 

Benchmark Painting provides painting services to West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach and the surrounding regions of South Florida.

It’s almost time to say hello to 2013! Whether you are staying inside your Arlington, VA home or celebrating out on the town, we are ready to help you ring in the new year with five DIY home repair ideas.

Clean up dirty grout
Grout has the ability to make floors look grungy, even if the tiles are clean enough to eat off of!  To quickly clean grout, wash the area with a wet washcloth, combine baking soda and water to make a simple paste, apply the paste to the grout, wait a few minutes, and scrub, scrub, scrub with a toothbrush. For deeper stains, it may be easier to call our professionals for this residential interior update. We can remove and and replace your grout to give you a sparkling clean kitchen or bathroom floor.

Remove dated wallpaper
It’s time for your 80’s wallpaper to come down as we ring in the new year. Stripping wallpaper takes time and is a messy project, but we guarantee it will provide a terrific update for your Arlington, VA home. Find your putty knife and drop cloths and let the wallpaper removing begin!

Freshen up with paint
It’s amazing to see what interior painting can do in your home. If you have any areas that seem dark and you’re dreading the long winter nights, you can easily brighten up your home with light-colored paint. Not only will it make the room feel bigger, it will also transform the aesthetic of the room for a very low cost.

Replace an old faucet
Maybe you’re tired of looking at the same bathroom faucet every single morning as you brush your teeth. Although it may take a few hours, every homeowner can learn to replace their existing fixtures for a subtle transformation. So, turn off your water supply and get started!

Get rid of the popcorn ceiling
If we’re ringing in 2013, it’s time to get rid of the dated popcorn ceiling. It’s a messy job and requires a fair amount of time, scraping, and sanding, but the smooth and modern results are worth the work. You’ll be amazed at the contemporary feel of your home once the popcorn ceiling is a thing of the past.

Those are just a few ways you can start off the new year with a handy home repair. If you would feel more comfortable leaving the work up to us, or you’re too exhausted from counting down at midnight, Benchmark Painting & Carpentry is happy to provide expertise in any of these areas. Whether you’re in Arlington, VA or Boca Raton, FL, please contact us online or call us at (877) 236-2462.

‘Tis the season for all eyes to be on your fireplace mantle, as stockings are hung and ready to be stuffed with gifts. If you’ve wanted to add a burst of color or fresh life to your mantle and it’s never been painted before, it’s time to get out your painting gear. Painting a fireplace mantle is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Prepare the mantle for painting
Put aside the Christmas stockings, garland, or anything that is currently residing on your fireplace mantle and clean the mantle thoroughly, ensuring that any grime is removed. Homeowners in Boca Raton, FL may not have much soot built up, but dirt can easily find its way into crevices.

2. Tape and sand
Once the mantle is clean, tape the surrounding areas. If there are any spots that need to be smoothed out, now is the time to pull out the 100-grit sandpaper and lightly sand the rough areas in the direction of the grain.

3. Prime and paint
With a paintbrush, apply a coat of primer to the mantle in smooth, even strokes, beginning at the top and working your way down. Once the primer is dry, paint the mantle with a high quality semi-gloss paint from the top to the bottom. Let it fully dry and check to see if it needs a second (or third!) coat of paint to cover the mantle evenly.

After the 1-2-3 steps, you can add the finishing touches to your mantle, hang the stockings and garland back up, and set out some milk and cookies for Santa. It’s time to stop your home painting and decorating, and start celebrating the holiday season!

If you would like to leave the home painting up to the professionals at Benchmark Painting & Carpentry, please don’t hesitate to contact us online or call (561) 375-6249 for help with your interior painting needs. We provide professional painting and carpentry services for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, as well as the Palm Beach, Broward and North Miami areas of Florida.

Along with the holiday season comes lots of entertaining. As you begin preparing your Boynton Beach, Florida home for out-of-town guests, you may notice that the paint on your walls needs a touchup. Perhaps the unsightly dings and scratches you’ve been able to ignore all year are now at the top of your priority list, but you’re not sure how to cross this project off.  At Benchmark Painting, we are committed to helping make the holidays a stress-free and enjoyable season. We’ve compiled a few tips on touchup painting before holiday parties - just for you.

1. Use your original paint
If you have the original paint and it’s still in good condition, we recommend using it for your interior painting touchup needs. That way, you can be sure that the color you’re using will blend well into the existing paint and it is the correct finish. It is possible that you don’t have any leftover paint, and you will need to scrape a small sample off your wall to obtain a professional color match.

2. Clean and prepare the wall
Dirt and other residue builds up on your walls, even if you can’t see it. Water, mild detergent, and a sponge will do the trick; be sure to let the area dry completely before beginning the painting process. After a gentle cleaning, you will need to fill in any small holes, dents, or cracks in the wall.

3. Prime the area
One of the most important steps in touching up your walls is to prime the area. If you don’t use a primer, the new paint is likely to stand out on your wall, defeating your goal of making your walls look picture-perfect. Be sure to use a high-quality primer and let it completely dry.

4. Apply the paint
Use the same paint applicator that was most recently used on your walls, along with very small amounts of paint. That will ensure the newly painted area will look the same as every other area on your wall and you will have better control over the finished product. If you used a paintbrush, follow a “feathering” motion by moving your brush outward, past the area that needs touchup painting. If you painted with a roller, small rollers are great to use for touchup work, as it provides better control and range of motion.

5. Call us - we'd love to help!
It is important to note that any paint with an eggshell or high-gloss finish will be more troublesome for you to touch up as inexperienced home painters, because it is difficult to obtain the correct sheen to blend into the existing paint. In addition, if the area you want to restore is larger than a few inches, it will be a much more challenging. In these situations, it is best to contact the professionals at Benchmark Painting & Carpentry for your residential painting needs. We’ll make sure your home is in tip-top shape for all of your holiday entertaining. All you’ll need to do is have another sip of eggnog and call us today for a free estimate at (561) 375-6249 or contact us online.

• Carpentry
• Drywall
• Woodworking
• Exterior Painting
• Interior Painting

It is our pleasure to provide attentive service to the Boynton Beach and Kensington areas. If you are interested in learning more about our company: visit our website, contact us online, or call us at (877) 236-2462.

While the current weather for our residents in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is still relatively mild, the cooler temperatures are just around the corner.  You may notice that as the thermometer outside drops, your home is a bit chillier than normal. At Benchmark Painting & Carpentry, we are a carpentry and painting company that believes it’s important to weatherproof your home for the cold winter months ahead. It is an energy-efficient way to keep your heating costs down while you stay comfortably warm inside.

There are many different ways to weatherproof your home, but we’ve picked a few of our favorites.

1. Use a water heater blanket

It’s exactly the way it sounds – a blanket for your hot water heater. Many people don’t realize that up to 25 percent of your home energy bill can be attributed to your water heater. As the temperatures decline, your hot water heater will need to work extra hard to heat your home, but if it is insulated with an inexpensive water heater blanket, your wallet will thank you.

2.Caulk leaky windows and doors

A great method to finding those tiny leaks in your windows and doors involves a simple candle and match. Light the candle and hold the flame near a window or door. If there is a draft, the flame will begin flickering. While it may seem useless to fill such a tiny hole, all leaks in your windows and outside doors can add up to a big problem with temperature control. You can fill in the leaks with caulk, which is a sealant, and comes in a variety of strengths.

3. Use draft stoppers on outside doors

Any doors in your home leading to the outdoors may let unwanted drafts into your cozy living area. You can combat the pesky cold air by placing a draft stopper (a tube-shaped object stuffed with insulating material) at the bottom of your closed doors. Since your floors will be less exposed to cold air, it is quite possible that your feet will notice a difference in the temperature of your floors. 

4. Apply window shrink wrap

Drafty windows can increase your home heating bill by up to 30 percent, which is a staggering number to comprehend and a heavy hit to your wallet.  Enter: window shrink wrap. This home winterizing material is used to further insulate your windows, keeping the heat inside throughout the winter. If your windows are old, it may be necessary to replace your windows, which our professional carpenters could start and finish before the first snowfall covers the ground. 

5. Replace old attic insulation

Attic insulation is a key component in keeping heating bills down during the cold season. If your attic is insulated properly, the heat in your home will not rise up and escape into thin air. It is possible that even if you have attic insulation, there may not be enough to capably insulate your home, or it may be too old to perform well. So, climb on up to the attic and replace the insulation before the cold weather strikes.

If you would like your home to be fully weatherproof and more energy-efficient, but are busily preparing for the holiday season, our experienced carpenters would love to step in and take on the job.  We are here to help you in all of your professional carpentry needs as well as any commercial and home painting needs. Please contact us online or give us a call at (301) 949-1100.

We recently met with homeowners in Boca Raton whose desire to update their home was hindered by outdated, heavily textured walls. They called Benchmark Painting and Carpentry and we got to work. Our first step was to scrape off the material that had initially been used to create the textured look, taking care not to gouge the underlying wall.

After the removal process, we then began the process of making the formerly heavily textured walls smooth again. For this, we skim-coated the walls with a mixture of primer and joint compound. Applied with a heavy duty electric sprayer, this heavy primer mixture is used with great effect to create a smooth, even finish.

With their newly smoothed walls looking great, the homeowners were still plagued with one more outdated decorating issue: old tile with thick grout lines. We removed the outdated tile and installed 24" x 24" modern rectified porcelain tiles with tight grout joints. The finishing touch was new 5 1/4" wood baseboards, giving our homeowners the updated look they desired.

Homeowners throughout the Boynton Beach area–from Jupiter to Boca Raton–know they can rely on Benchmark Painting and Carpentry for all their residential painting and carpentry needs. For information on how we can help you transform your home, contact Benchmark online or at 877-236-2462.

Benchmark Painting is beginning to provide a special brand of services during the Holiday season. 

Martin, the president of Benchmark Painting, was interviewed on WPTV about his new business, Christmas Decor.

To watch the interview, view this WPTV article.

Benchmark Painting now provides Christmas Decoration services including:

• Complete Design
• Proactive Service
• Custom Installation
• Takedown & Storage

Call us at (561) 375-6249 for a free consultation.

When trying to combine and balance decorating elements of a room’s décor, the multitude of decisions required to create an attractive space can be exhausting. The coordination of colors and styles may call for the assistance of a design specialist, but many home painters from Kensington, MD to Boynton Beach, FL have the savvy and daring to take it on themselves.

Before diving into a residential interior painting project, though, novice designers would do well to heed this simple word of caution from seasoned decorators: Choose the rug first.

When putting together a color scheme for a room, selecting wall color is often the first step in a home decorator’s design plan. After all, walls are the largest and most noticeable color contribution to a room’s décor. A homeowner in Boca Raton, FL for instance, may choose spring green, while a homeowner in West Palm Beach, FL is set on sky blue, but both will find that in first choosing the rug, they’ll be able to select a wall paint with the exact shade, tone and saturation level needed to accentuate a color in the rug they have chosen.

On the other hand, let’s say a home painting job in Arlington, VA inspires a homeowner to complement, rather than match, wall color with rug color. Choosing the rug first is still important in this residential painting job, as it will allow determination of which color will best harmonize with the selected rug.

Balance is key, and Benchmark Painting and Carpentry can play a key role in your room’s transformation. For information on how we can ensure that the paint you eventually choose will be expertly applied, contact us online or at 877-236-2462.

When homeowners in a Boca Raton neighborhood began looking to update the look of their dated brick home, yet still keep the look of brick they enjoyed, they weren’t sure where to turn. Navigating house painting companies, and the house painting services they provide, can be tricky. 

Fortunately, here at Benchmark, we have years of experience with a variety of exterior painting methods, and the homeowners put their trust in our professional house painters.

The six-day project began with a team of Benchmark painters spraying the brick with a high-pressure wash of an environmentally friendly mildewcide detergent.

After allowing the wash to dry overnight, the painters worked with the homeowners, applying paint which was custom prepared with a water mix to create a stain-type look. They experimented with the application until the color and appearance of the brick was exactly to the homeowners’ liking.

Once the desired style was established, our quality painters demonstrated their artistry. They left the grout untouched so as not to lose the characteristic look of a brick home, then painted the brick with a wide brush to ensure quality and uniformity, stopping regularly to check their work for continuity.

After the brick was painted, they put on the finishing touches by painting the fascia and trim a coordinating color. The homeowners were thrilled to have an updated home while maintaining the look of brick.

Whitewashing is just one of a multitude of services we offer our clients throughout the Boynton Beach area. From Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, homeowners know they can rely on Benchmark Painting for all their residential painting needs. For information about how we can help you transform your home, contact Benchmark online or at 877-236-2462.

Homeowners from Kensington, MD to Boynton Beach, FL looking for home decorating ideas often use painting as a low-cost, yet dramatic avenue for change. Homeowners in Rockville and Silver Spring may turn to the typical strategy of altering colors for walls, trim and molding, but a variety of other surfaces also have potential for painting transformation. When looking for new ways to update your home and paint is an option, think outside the box when considering painting the house. 

For example, countertop painting has recently come into vogue. Homeowners in Boca Raton and Fort Worth with an artistic bent can use methods of faux painting to mimic granite countertops. Commercial countertop painting kits are also available for the do-it-yourselfer in Gaithersburg.

Another surface seldom considered for revival is the bathtub. A common reaction to this suggestion is skepticism, but, just as with countertop painting, kits for bathtub restoration are also available at home supply stores. Monetary savings are substantial when compared to the expense of purchasing a new fixture.

Fireplaces are also a seldom-considered area for painting renewal. Brick fireplaces can look outdated and out-of-sync with a room’s décor. Due to critical safety issues, of course, it’s extremely important to carefully research proper paints and methods for use in areas which are exposed to high heat.

When considering these low-cost painting alternatives, interior painting takes on a whole new meaning. For more information about other aspects of residential painting, contact Benchmark Painting contractors online or (877) 236-2462.

You’ve worked hard to create a beautifully decorated home even Martha Stewart would commend. Your guests admire the close attention you’ve paid to wall color and all aspects of interior decorating, but don’t forget the importance of first impressions. As guests arrive, what do they view as they walk to the door?

Whether in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area or West Palm Beach in southern Florida, the exterior of a southern-facing home takes a beating from relentless sun exposure, causing peeling, cracked paint. Northern-facing facades have potential to develop mold and mildew.

It’s difficult to overlook these obvious signs of wear on large surfaces of a home’s exterior, but small details such as porch spindles, steps and entrance landings also need inspection and attention. Care and upkeep of these painted areas can significantly affect a guest’s view of your home.

Residential painters with Benchmark Painting and Carpentry in Kensington, MD and Boynton Beach, FL can help you secure those favorable first impressions. Benchmark’s experienced home painters attend to all your interior painting and exterior painting needs. For more information about Benchmark’s residential painting services, contact us online or at (877) 236-2462.

Sipping coffee on your breezy porch on a summer morning in Boynton Beach can be so pleasant—unless your porch has cracking, unsightly paint. But painting the exterior of your house or porch can be a major undertaking, particularly if there is peeling, blistering, or wrinkling paint surrounding your home.

Paint contractors will tell you that simply painting over the older layer will likely result in larger problems than when you started. Here at Benchmark Painting and Carpentry, we ensure that the entire project is efficient, and our residential painting experts know how to deal with any exterior issue. If there is mildew or chalking (dust settled on your paint), our painting contractors have the fungicide and power washers to rid your home of pests. If there are running sags or irregular surfaces, our home painters know the tricks of the trade to get a smooth, fine finish every time.

The scraping and sanding necessary to prime your exterior for a fresh coat of paint can be tedious, but our Benchmark painting teams are quick on the job. Also, if there are shrubs, trees, or other landscaping near the exterior of your home, we take care to cover and shield them from any paint. We do all we can to ensure that can be back on your porch, enjoying the breeze in no time.

So whether your home is pristine white in need of an update in Wellington or Coral Springs, FL or deep olive green with a few needed updates in Columbia or North Bethesda, Benchmark Painting and Carpentry is just around the corner, ready to help. Contact us today at 877-236-2462 to schedule a free estimate.

Have you ever moved into a new home, only to find that the previous owner left behind way too many nail heads, wall anchors, or cracks and holes in walls, trim and molding? If so, you know the difficulty of repairing those imperfections, and the necessity to do so, in order to make your house feel like home.

At Benchmark Painting and Carpentry, we are more than just house painters in Washington D.C. and Palm Beach: we also provide drywall and plaster repair services. Other painting companies might require you to patch your own walls before starting a project--which could delay the process days or even weeks.

We can take care of those pesky problems in your walls with patience and attention to detail, so your painting project can get underway as soon as possible.  If your home has drywall or plaster, our experts have the materials and know-how to complete the project quickly, with little disturbance to your home or schedule. 

Just imagine: no more smearing drywall mud, waiting hours for it to dry, and covering your body with dust just to fix a small hole.  Let the paint contractors at Benchmark Painting and Carpentry take care of it all.  And though patching, sanding, and cleaning former holes can typically make a dusty mess, our expert home painters ensure that your home is left just as clean as we found it or better.

So don’t keep staring at those holes, cracks, and exposed nail heads. Whether you’re in Arlington, VA or Boca Raton, FL, let our residential painting experts take care of those repairs. Call us at (877) 236-2462.

The housing market in Northern Virginia is starting to turn around, so perhaps you’re thinking of putting your house on the market in Arlington, or simply spruce up for the summer in Alexandria. A simple solution to freshen up any home is to do a little residential painting: particularly in the toughest nooks and crannies.

Let’s face it. Over the years, the part of your home that takes the biggest beating is trim: the constant bumper for moving furniture, a shelf for dust and grime. Over time, that pristine white crown molding you originally installed can look dingy, chipped, or flaky. But, if you’ve spent any time house painting, you know that the difficult, monotonous task of repainting small surfaces is time consuming and challenging! Look at these flaws in your home and paint projects could seem overwhelming.

And to complicate matters, more and more designers are branching out from the traditional white trim. Now, chocolate brown, or even a vibrant blue are options for your home’s crown molding. Whatever color you choose, it’s important that it enhances, not detracts from the wall color in place.

In applying trim paint, one trick we use at Benchmark Painting & Carpentry is using a sharply angled square-edge brush to edge in the tightest spots. If you choose to go-it alone, before cracking a paint can, make sure to sand and clean properly, and prime each area so the paint adheres evenly. If you’re patient, the results will make a remarkable difference to brighten any space.

If you see that the steps to painting trim and molding are too time consuming, call your local home painters at Benchmark Painting & Carpentry. We’re not just residential painters; we’re experts at attending to details, ensuring no trim paint ends up on your walls, and no wall paint ends up on your trim!

Whether you’d go with traditional white, a more minimalistic dark espresso for your trim, contact Benchmark Painting today. We’re happy to help select just the right color for your trim, and we provide free estimates at 877-BENCHMARK (877-236-2462).

Recently Benchmark Painting was hired to refresh the appearance of a homeowner's deck and outdoor furniture. We used teak oil to do the job since it is specifically made to add shine and lustre to exterior woodwork, such as deck furniture. 

Teak Oil is specifically formulated for dense woods such as teak, rosewood or mahogany. It is great for outdoor wood furniture since it penetrates deeply into wood pores to create a rich finish. 

As you can see, refinishing outdoor woodwork with teak oil can add depth and refinement to any patio. A fresh coat of teak oil turns gray and weather worn items into warm and inviting furniture.

Call us today if your deck needs sprucing up! 

It is our pleasure to serve both the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, as well as the Palm Beach, Broward and North Miami areas of Florida.

• Maryland, DC & Northern Virginia: (301) 949-1100
• Southern Florida: (561) 375-6249

The Benchmark sponsored 1971 Pinto entered the Summit Super Series 7.5 index race on April 28 held at the Palm Beach International Raceway. In the end, though the competition was fierce, Benchmark’s car took the whole competition, hitting the finish line first and securing the win for Team Benchmark.

The Benchmark Pinto, which runs on eco-friendly E85 ethanol fuel, took the lead in the final round as driver Richard Bowers had a .019 to .073 reaction time advantage right off the starting line. Though the race remained tight, the bright yellow Benchmark Pinto ran a 7.51 second pass on the 7.50 index, winning in the end. This victory marked the second consecutive 7.50 index class win for Team Benchmark, and it was also our first of 2012.

The beautiful Palm Beach International Raceway boasts several tracks where they host a variety of high-end national events. Owned and operated by a team of professional racers and car collectors, the venue was constructed just west of Jupiter, Florida, in 1964. The facility features a 2.043-mile road course, a quarter-mile drag strip and a .8-mile go-kart track.

The Benchmark Pinto will be entering the same race again this weekend. Good luck to Richard and the Benchmark team! You can catch a glimpse of the car in action in the video below:

Unless you live in a brand new home, it may be time to look at your kitchen and see if your cabinets could use a facelift. Homes built in the ‘90s tend to have dark wood cabinets that don’t quite mesh with the sunnier styles of today. If your cabinets are casting a shadow on your kitchen home and paint is getting a bit dingy, consider going for a fresh coat of paint. It’s a quick and affordable way to make a big change.

Painting cabinets is an entirely different undertaking than setting out to paint a wall, trim and molding, or piece of furniture in your home. For the cleanest, smoothest, most desirable finish, it’s best to use an oil-based paint and apply it with a sprayer, which can be quite daunting for anyone who isn’t a professional painter. If this is your first time embarking on a painting and decorating project like this, it’s usually best to enlist the help of a professional painting company.

Even if you decide not to apply the paint yourself, you still have some important decisions to make when selecting a paint color for your kitchen. A couple of things that you will definitely want to consider are the style of your kitchen and the time period in which your home was built.

Do you have a traditional home in Rockville or Silver Spring, MD? A modern or contemporary home in McLean, VA? Or maybe a vintage or retro home in West Palm Beach, FL? This matters because, in a more traditional kitchen, you may opt for a cream or white, while a super retro home might be able to handle the fire engine red or even vintage green accent on the cabinets.

When was your home built? If you have an older home with some character, take the time to browse through photos of other homes built in that decade and consider going with a color that brings out that unique character. For example, if you have an older home with beautiful white crown molding, you may want to paint your cabinets white to help draw attention to that feature.

Another factor to consider is the size of your kitchen. If you have a large open space with a good deal of cabinetry, you may be able to opt for a darker paint color that would feel too cave-like in a smaller space.

If you’ve already selected your paint color and are ready for the next step or if you’re still in the process and would like a second opinion, contact Benchmark Painting today. Our paint contractors are always happy to help in the paint selection process, and we can provide a free estimate at 877-BENCHMARK (877-236-2462).

Painting a wall seems simple enough, but did you know that you can actually make or break your paint job before the brush ever touches your wall? Preparing a wall properly before painting can prevent a good bit of painter’s remorse on the back end. So how exactly do you ensure that your wall is prepped and ready for that first coat? Take a look at some of our simple yet effective tips:

1.  Remove everything from the wall

This is not a time to take shortcuts. This means taking down photos, unscrewing and removing light switch and outlet covers (turn off the electricity first) and taking out every nail that you’re not positive you will be using in your freshly painted room.

2. Sand, scrape and smooth

Use a putty knife to scrape off any chipping paint on your wall. Then, fill in every vacant nail hole with spackling paste, making it as even as possible with your putty knife. The spackling won’t be flush with the wall at first, but allow it to fully dry and then use sandpaper to blend it perfectly with the wall. For larger holes, you may need to cut out a square in the drywall, replace it with a new piece of drywall and cover it. For this type of project, we recommend that you call professional painters and get assistance.

3. Clean and dust

The last thing you want forever memorialized in your paint job is the dust or cobweb that just so happened to be on your wall when you painted it. For a smoother, cleaner paint job, take a cloth or a duster and go over your entire wall before painting. Don’t forget to dust the corners of your room to remove cobwebs. If you’re painting a kitchen, you might want to add a little dish soap or laundry detergent to your water to cut through any grime or residue on the walls.

4. Tape it up

Once your wall is fully smoothed out and cleaned, you can choose to use paint tape if you’re not using a professional house painting company and are doing the job yourself. Be sure the tape is securely adhered to the wall, and don’t overlook the corners of your room, where you’ll want an especially crisp finish. With all of this completed, your wall is ready to prime or paint, and you can rest easy knowing you’re not going to regret painting over a messy wall.

Whether you have need for house painters in North Bethesda, MD or Lake Worth, FL, call the professional paint contractors at Benchmark, who can send someone to your house for all interior and exterior paint jobs. If repainting a room, painting the house exterior, or any number of painting opportunities, we’re glad to offer ideas and our residential painting experts have the experience and skill to do the job right. Contact us for a free estimate today!

Each year EBSCO Research releases a publication featuring the top-rated home service providers in a number of specified areas, and this year Benchmark Painting & Carpentry was added to the illustrious list.

Each company included in the selective Best Pick publication has earned an A rating based on more than 100 reviews from customers, has signed the Best Pick Company Pledge and holds all proper insurance and professional licenses.

Benchmark was selected for their unparalleled customer service and quality workmanship, which left customers from Washington, D.C. to West Palm Beach, FL leaving rave reviews on their site.

“Benchmark Painting was amazing,” wrote one satisfied customer. “They painted the inside of my house three different colors. They also added a chair rail around the entire house, around the bottom, and I have been so happy with the result. I can’t recommend them highly enough.”

Another customer had this to say after working with Benchmark's paint contractors: “They did painting for us, and they did an excellent job. If we need any more work, we would definitely call them. We’ve used them twice, and they’re just really super. The quality and efficiency of their work were excellent on both accounts.”

Martin DeVincenti, president of the widely acclaimed company that offers interior and exterior commercial and residental painting, decorative painting, power washing, faux finishes, handyman work and carpentry among other things, says this award is right in line with the overall goals Benchmark has been driving home since day one.

“Since 1995, Benchmark Painting has set the standard for quality painting, carpentry and decorative finishes,” he explains. “We remain focused on creating lasting relationships with our clients and strive to be each customer’s painter for life.”

With this commitment to quality assurance and customer satisfaction, it’s no wonder Benchmark was listed among the top companies in its industry. The next time you’re thinking of tackling a painting or carpentry job in the Kensington, MD or Boynton Beach, Fl areas, don’t hesitate to give them a call and experience firsthand the traits that have taken Benchmark to the top.

1. Don’t take the shortcut.

We’ve all thought about it, and it may be tempting to update a room's look in your home and paint over that wallpaper, but it is almost never a good idea. Your paper will retain moisture and continue to peel, bringing your paint up with it. Tackle the root problem and get rid of that paper before applying a fresh coat of paint.

2. Forgo the steamer.

While steamers were once a popular way to remove wallpaper, they have gone out of mode for their cumbersome nature and because they would often burn people. Plus, they weren’t that time effective in the first place.

3. Find a solution.

You can actually purchase a concentrated wallpaper remover solution that you simply mix with water and spray on the paper. You can either buy these retail for less than $5 or find simple recipes online to create your own.

4. Scrape it away.

Spray your solution on the paper, and then try first removing it by hand and then with a putty knife, being careful to scrape it off without digging into the drywall with the corners of the knife. You may discover a few layers of wallpaper, but by spraying and scraping, you should be able to have your walls crisp again in no time.

You may feel like you spent half of the ‘90s scraping wallpaper, or this may be your first time. With a little patience, elbow grease and a giant trash can, you can conquer a room of any size. Be sure to start on a small patch just a few feet by a few feet to test the solution and make sure you have a system that works before attacking a whole room.

If you get that wallpaper scraped and don’t feel like spending another second in the room, whether you're located in the Washington D.C. area or West Palm Beach, FL, you can give us a call so we can send a professional paint contractor to come give you a fresh coat of paint. You will love the result!

After painting the house interior, it’s imperative to know when you can safely go into the rooms – especially if it’s your bedroom! Odors released by wet paint are give off gases (evaporating) as the paint dries; this is how paint goes from a liquid form to dry form.

There are different kinds of paints used in indoor residential painting: water-based paints (usually a latex), oil-based paints (enamel), and low- and non-VOC (volatile organic compounds).

Water-based paints are most commonly used in homes. If you've painted in the winter in northeran areas like Columbia, MD or McLean, VA, be sure to use fans and/or a dehumidifier to help ventilate the room. In northern summers, doors and windows can be left open to help ventilate the room. House painters in the south - Lake Worth or Wellington, FL for instance, windows and doors can be opened in any season. Generally, waiting 3-4 hours after painting has finished for the night, it is safe to sleep in the room, but ask your paint contractors for their specific recommendations.

Oil-based paints, or enamels, tend to have stronger odors and can cause headaches, nausea, or sinus discomfort. You may want to wait up to 24 hours before sleeping in a room painted with oil-based paints. Again, ask your professional painter for specifics in your home.

At Benchmark Painting, we also offer paint products with a low environmental impact called low- and non-VOC paints. These paints have fewer contaminants and no odors like other paints may have and are very safe to use in a nursery or child’s room without a wait time to sleep in there. Additionally, many of these products are made locally and use recycled materials, which also reduces our impact on the environment.

Call Benchmark Painting today for a free estimate on your painting needs in the Kensington, MD area at 877-BENCHMARK (877-236-2462); or the Boynton Beach area at (561) 375-6249.

The 30th Annual NHRA Citrus Nationals were held over the weekend of Novemeber 25-27 at the Palm Beach International Raceway. The Palm Beach International Raceway offered an awesome weekend of motorsports. The 200-acre park boasts a state of the art motor racing facility, located in beautiful Palm Beach Gardens. The 2.25-mile, ten-turn road course and ¼ mile drag strip attracts both professional and amateur racers year-round. Over a half million people are entertained every year by PBIR's racing events and car & truck shows.

In this most recent race, we sponsored our local drag racer: Richard Bowers, who drives a yellow Pinto in the PBIR races. Watchthe video below to see our Pinto.

For more information about the races, visit the PBIR site. 

By adding a few interior carpentry features, you can greatly increase your home's value. Not only do we have quality, experienced paint contractors in Arlington, VA and Coral Springs, FL, Benchmark Painting & Carpentry also employs expert carpenters who can add charm, class and individuality to any room by upgrading or installing the trim and molding in your home. The cost is surprisingly low, and the increase in the value of your home will usually more than cover the price!

Benchmark can bring crisp, Old-World definition to your walls with multi-part crown. Or change a bland hallway or dining room wall into a showpiece with wainscoting.

Consider adding one of these interior decorations to your home:

• Wainscoting
• Chair Rail
• Crown Moulding
• Base Moulding
• Panel Moulding
• Shadow Boxes

With all of the available combinations and styles, there are hundreds of options! Call Benchmark Painting and Carpentry at 1-800-672-3540 to get a free project proposal and estimate.

Shadow Striping is a subtle and sophisticated residential painting technique that is rapidly gaining popularity in fashionable homes.

This stylish trend uses two different sheens of the same color, painted in alternating vertical stripes around the walls of a room. Formal and fascinating, shadow stripes are an excellent choice in living rooms, dining rooms, powder rooms and classy bedrooms.

Benchmark's experienced house painters in Alexandria, VA and Boca Raton, FL have years of experience painting shadow stripes in many different styles of homes. If you would like to add this vogue technique to your home, contact us online or call 1-800-672-3540.

With stores in back-to-school mode and the evenings darkening, it is time to start preparing your home's exterior for the heavy winds and harsh rain, snow and ice that will come with winter and spring in the Washington DC metropolitan area and the surrounding cities like Gaithersburg, MD and Alexandria, VA. If the paint on your siding or trim is showing signs of failure--cracking, peeling, blistering--it will only get worse through the winter, exposing your home to serious moisture damage.

Besides ensuring that your paint is sufficiently protecting your home, it is important to inspect other potential trouble-areas where moisture could enter, creating mold and rot, or heat could escape in winter, increasing your heating costs. Benchmark recommends examining your glazing, caulking and weatherstripping on all windows and doors.

If you need help performing vital exterior home-maintenance, call Benchmark Painting & Carpentry's residental house painters in Columbia, MD or Arlington, VA areas at 1-800-672-3540 or contact us online to schedule a visit from our professional, courteous paint contractors. We will ensure that your home is protected against the elements and that you are not wasting money on your heating bill.

Benchmark credits winning to their customers for their loyalty and support and to our staff for their passion for customer service and pursuit of excellence in their craft.

According to Angie's List, Super Service Award winners meet strict eligibility requirements, including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

From all of us at Benchmark Painting, we extend our thanks and gratitude for helping us earn this award.

We greatly appreciate each of our customers and each referral to family, friends and neighbors. As our way of saying thank you, we would like to give you a FREE $25 gift card to one of the following stores: Starbucks, Exxon, Giant, Publix, or Target. You will immediately receive your free gift card for every referral you send us that turns into a customer for Benchmark Painting & Carpentry. There is no limit to the number of referral gifts you can receive and you can even refer yourself!

Its easy to share your referral with us! Just fill out our referral form or call us at 800.672.3540.

If you have been affected by the the earthquake or hurricanes this fall, Benchmark would like to help. While the earthquake did not cause major damage, many homes are left with cracks in the drywall or plaster. Our paint contractors can seal these cracks and perform the necessary residential painting jobs so that the damage disappears!

Our recent deluges have caused water damage in many homes. Benchmark can help repair areas of your home that were soaked, so that they will not grow mold or show water marks.  In addition, we can inspect and repair the caulking around your windows and doors, and other possible water-entry points to prevent future moisture damage. Contact Benchmark Painting and Carpentry online or at (877) 236-2462 in the Kensington, MD area, or at (561) 375-6249 in the Boynton Beach, FL area.

Does your home exterior show signs of mildew or mold? Our humid climate in the Lake Worth and Wellington, FL areas are a perfect nursery for the fungi families, and all colors of mildew and mold find a home on our siding and other exterior surfaces. Benchmark's expert technicians can wash away the problem with a fungicidal wash (where necessary) and a skillful power washing. Our experienced house painters in the West Palm Beach area know how to blast away the mold without etching or damaging your driveway, home and paint.

Call us today at 1-800-672-3540 or contact us online to receive a free estimate for a full exterior power washing of your house, deck/patio and driveway.  We can also seal your wood and concrete to protect and preserve their beauty and integrity.

Joining fundamental flat and eggshell are a growing array of paint sheens for walls, trim and molding.

• Emulsion paints deliver a chalky, matte finish found in centuries-old English estates.

• Clay paints mimic European plaster. Walls take on a subtle fabric-like texture when covered with a unique paint that applies with a thick consistency.

• A high gloss and matte mix creates a tone-on-tone pattern effect and is used to highlight the dimensionality of color.

Pumped-up Paints

High-tech innovations are creating super paints with less color rub-off and more durability in a variety of residential painting jobs.

• Detector paints change colors (like mood rings) so you can easily see if spots are missed.

• Anti-microbial paints inhibit the growth of mold and mildew by using a layer of protection.

• Super-saturated hues are made with a higher percentage of dense pigments. The result is better coverage with less paint.

Everything Eco

Hands-down, environmentally-friendly paint is all the rage. Green is good for obvious reasons. Low or non-gassing paints protect the planet's deteriorating ozone layer and make homes healthier-- especially for children and anyone with allergies.

• Cost: Homeowners may need to pay a bit more to go green.

• Coverage: Some say that eco paint coverage may be slightly less consistent in coverage and durability than its conventional counterparts (although the gap is quickly closing).

• Pre-test: It's best to try a sample on walls before purchasing large quantities.

For more information on your painting job in Maryland, from North Bethesda to Rockville, or in Florida, from Coral Springs to Boca Raton, contact Benchmark Painting today at 800-672-3540 or info@benchmarkpainting.com.

Health

If your home and paint are dated prior to 1978, your walls, trim and molding may have been painted with lead-based paint, which can have serious health effects if scraped or sanded in preparation for repainting.

Professional paint contractors will take steps to protect you and are required to provide EPA-produced pamphlets to customers interested in residential painting before they even begin a job that involves disturbing lead-based paint. Professional painting contractors from North Bethesda, MD to Lake Worth, FL, will understand and follow the recommendations in this pamphlet.

Safety

Painting is hazardous work: painters often work on ladders and deal with solvents and dust. Hiring a professional paint contractor means you don’t have to worry about facing these dangers.

Preparation and Application

Getting surfaces properly prepared makes all the difference. Professional paint contractors know the value of preparation and will do it right.

How to apply the right paint is something professionals really know. Today, the choices are more complicated than just oil or latex, and professional contractors know what works, how to use it and have the right tools for any job.

Cleanup and Disposal 

Hiring a professional contractor means you don’t have to worry about dealing with paint residues and leftovers commercial and residential painting jobs. Professionals also know how to handle wastes that need to be disposed of properly.

Licenses and Insurance

Not all states and municipalities require licensing, however business registration with a state and municipality is generally a minimum requirement.

Quality contracting firms will be happy to provide a copy of their certificate of insurance. They should also have bonding information (if the job is large enough to require such) and documentation of safety training and compliance programs.

Written Contracts are a MUST

Reputable contractors will use a written contract, which protects both you and the contractor. All contracts should clearly explain the scope of the work to be performed and will most likely cover items such as surfaces to be painted, methods and extent of surface preparation, time schedules and payment procedures.

Verify References  

Obtain a list of references from the prospective contractor and follow up on this list with phone calls. Remember, the contractor will not give you a bad reference, therefore, ask references if they know of any other work this contractor has performed and:

• Be sure to ask whether the contractor and employees treated their clients professionally and with respect.

• Contact homeowners whose projects are at least a few years old. This will help you gauge the performance of the construction and materials used by the house painters in consideration.

• Discuss any guarantee or warranty programs the contractor offers.

In Closing 

Good contractors are very proud of their craftsmanship and eager for your business. Once you've hired your contractor, give them room to execute the project and meet or exceed your expectations. Remember, as with anything else in life, you get what you pay for, so if you want high quality and reliable service, be willing to pay the price to attain it.

Adapted from a publication by the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America.

• A fully-equipped Benchmark Painting van with all tools and equipment
• One or two uniformed, professional paint contractors for eight hours
• Interior or exterior residential painting project completion
• Saturday appointments

One painter at the regular fee was $450 and you pay only $395.* Two painters at the regular fee was $785 and you pay only $695.*

This makes a great gift!

Enjoy this service to:

• Paint a guest bedroom or kitchen
• Paint or stain your entry door
• Touch up your baseboards and trim
• Paint sun exposed exterior trim
• Patch and touch up stucco cracks
• Perform minor wood repair or carpentry
• Painting the house or power-washing your exterior
• Replace high light bulbs
• Re-caulk a tub or shower
• Hang pictures
• Clean windows
• And many more tasks

Homeowners in the North Bethesda, Silver Springs and Rockville areas should contact us today at 301-949-1100 to schedule a "painter for a day."

* Materials are not included. Not valid with other offers. Certain restrictions apply. Offer expires on 6/30/11.

We'd also like mention that we recently sponsored a local drag racecar in a race. Our car went 5 rounds and had a semi-finals finish at Super Summit Series Race at the Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Florida.

We never knew racing would be so much fun and this proves the adage that our moms' profess: you don't know if you'll like something until you try.

And, speaking of moms, we hope all the moms out there had a great Mother's Day!

• Agrestic — This contemporized country style calls for comforting combinations, like bruschetta browns, tender greens or warm golden yellows, and an unexpected accent of a vibrant pink.
• Savories — Accent your home with exuberant, youthful and whimsical hues. This palette includes blends of chocolate and daiquiri green, with dollops of bright hues to embellish the mix.
• Ethnic Chic — Style reaches a new level of sophistication when you pair deep purple with misty yellow and stone grays or juxtapose burnt orange against vibrant blue and dark brown.

For more information on adding color to your kitchen, contact Benchmark Painting and Carpentry for your residential painting project today.

We're honored to be recognized in a recent newsletter article by Richard Bowers, who drives the 1971 yellow Pinto racecar that we sponsored in 2010 and are sponsoring again in 2011.

In the article below, Richard writes, "Benchmark Painting made it possible for us to attend Nitro Jam."

Our thanks are shared back with Richard for making his races so exciting and fun to watch. Here's to a great 2011 racing season! 

Please send a copy of your resume to martin@benchmarkpainting.com. No phone calls, please.

• Baseboard Mouldings: This moulding is installed at the bottom of a wall against the flooring to cover the gap between the two surfaces. 
• Casing: This moulding is used to fill the gap between a window and wall or door and wall.
• Crown Moulding:  This moulding is used to fill the gap between a wall and the ceiling. Crown mouldings can measure from 1 1/2" to 20" depending on the size of the room, the height of the ceiling, and the grandness of a space.
• Chair Railing Moulding: This moulding is a band, which is horizontal to the floor at approximately 30" from the floor. It protects the wall from the chairs.

​For more information about using decorative mouldings in your Washington, DC or Arlington, VA home, contact Benchmark Painting & Carpentry today at 1-877-236-2462.

Shouldn't the contractors you invite into your home be up-to-date and informed industry leaders – over and above the expected requirement of being licensed, bonded and insured?

Benchmark Painting is a member of the National Association for the Remodeling Industry (NARI) Metro DC because this group represents a segment of the remodeling industry that work together to raise the standards for the projects they create, their business practices and the remodeling industry as a whole.

Before being accepted into NARI Metro DC, contractor members must be working in the remodeling industry for at least one year and pass a thorough screening and ethics review process. NARI also maintains a member-run review board to ensure consistency. Hiring a NARI Metro DC membership assures you that you have an experienced firm committed to high quality and high ethics.

Additionally, NARI is committed to educating trade professionals through a variety of formats including classroom, web and hands-on training, publications and various programs.

For the last decade, NARI’s certification programs have provided the remodeling industry with a formalized standard for expertise, knowledge and ethical conduct among professional remodelers. Prized by members who have achieved designations, NARI certifications also provide you assurance by recognizing remodelers who have undergone detailed review and testing in areas of business management, ethical conduct and technical skills.

For more information about NARI and what it means to you as a consumer in the Washington, DC area - from Rockville, MD to McLean, VA - contact us online or call us today at (301) 949-1100.

Benchmark credits winning to their customers for their loyalty and support and to our staff for their passion for customer service and pursuit of excellence in their craft.

According to Angie's List, Super Service Award winners meet strict eligibility requirements, including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

From all of us at Benchmark Painting, we extend our thanks and gratitude for helping us earn this award.

In 2011, color experts sense that consumers painting the house are seeking balance after a bumpy economic ride and striving to express themselves not by showing off how much they have, but who they really are.

An array of purple tones have been spotted in the home and on the fashion runway. A mysterious shade, purple is associated with both nobility and spirituality. The opposites of hot red and cool blue combine to create this intriguing color.

Forecasters also note a range of pale, yet powerful colors that are setting trends in 2011. Think noticeable neutrals, smoky-blue grays, and other safe colors that won't quickly go out of fashion, yet are bold enough to make a statement.

For more info on how to add color to your spaces from Gaithersburg, MD to Lake Worth, FL, contact Benchmark Painting today.

On Saturday the 29th, our driver won round one of the races and pushed hard to great finishes in sucessive races. This is the first year we've entered the series and hope to be back in 2012.

Go behind the scenes at the Palm Beach Nitro Jam™ on YouTube:

• Watch the trailer
• Listen to the drivers talk about the Nitro Jam
• See racing footage and hear drivers's comments about being in the race

Every fall, the Citrus Nationals draws thousands of racing fans from South Florida and in November, 2010, the event marked its 29th running. The majority of races finished on Sunday, November 28th before heavy rains postponed the conclusion. The remaining events will be completed on December 18th.

Benchmark became a sponsor when a local racecar driver spoke with Benchmark’s owner, Martin DeVincenti, about the event. Mr. DeVincenti offered to sponsor the car, a bright yellow hotrod, and back the driver. And, it was with eagerness that Benchmark also supported the racing community and this thrilling sport. Mr. DeVincenti states that he plans to sponsor the same car and driver in next year’s Citrus Nationals. 

Supporting community events remains an important goal for Benchmark Painting. The owner and staff share time and resources with several organizations including Rebuilding Together Montgomery County, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Potomac Hunt Races.

Benchmark Painting & Carpentry, Inc. is a national home improvement company serving commercial and residential painting, carpentry and renovation needs. Their clients from Boynton Beach to Wellington enjoy a contracting experience where they receive prompt, efficient, reliable, thorough and courteous service and finely executed projects add significantly to the feeling and enjoyment of their homes.