Blog | Complete Custom Paint

Complete Custom Painting LLC

November 21, 2015

Complete Custom Painting offers interior and exterior residential and commercial painting in the Twin Cities and Seven Country Metro Area.

Founded in 2005 by Nick Dettinger, Complete Custom Painting has maintained a focus on quality workmanship. As a result of our quality workmanship, Complete Custom Painting has consistently grown our repeat customer base and added new customers each year.

After more than 10 years in business our companies primary goal is to do a quality job for each customer. Complete Custom Painting has experience working for some of the most particular homeowners and remodelers in the Twin Cities Metro Area and also has experience in new construction painting, commercial painting and light industrial painting for some of the largest property management companies in the Twin Cities Metro Area. Complete Custom Painting maintains relationships with its customers by doing quality work and providing excellent service. Each job is reviewed by the owner of the company and each estimate gives a detailed description of the prep work and products we plan to use on your job. All jobs are scheduled through a company employee and we give a complimentary 24 hour call the day before we arrive to paint your project. Complete Custom Painting has several employees that specialize in staining and smaller painting jobs and we source several sub-contractors for larger jobs. All of the painters for Complete Custom Painting get etiquette training, a back-ground check and have a minimum of three years of painting experience. Each job requires detailed, thoughtful service and a quality finish.

We specialize in:

Exterior Painting and Staining for Homeowners and Residential Property Managers.
Interior Painting, Staining and Texture Repair for Homeowners.
Interior Staining and Enameling for Contractors.
Commercial Painting for Property Managers.

For a Free Estimate call Nick Dettinger at 651-336-0561

Light check AFTER the primer coat

January 28, 2019

Prior to painting walls or flat ceilings you should check for any large damage and repair it. However, there is always damage that appears (be it because of other tradesmen banging up the walls or because the light changes the surface after the prime coat goes on). The process we use is to do major repairs (large broken tape joints, larger holes, eye level damage) the put the 1st coat on. After the first coat we pole sand the entire surface and light check it for smaller damage. Basically every surface gets a double check. Heres a ceiling in Woodbury where we scraped down the popcorn texture and repaired some major damage (a total of 6 broken tape joints). Then we skim coated the entire ceiling and primed with a flat ceiling primer. After the prime process we light checked the entire surface for smaller prep. After the smaller prep was repaired we put two coats of flat ceiling paint. Turned out great.

Here is Jason after the primer doing the additional light check and ceiling repair.

Call Complete Custom Painting for a Free Estimate: 651-336-0561

Yogo Studio above a Horse Barn…… A homeowner with 2 enthusiasms put both in the same place… 0

January 15, 2019

Complete Custom Painting performed an interior staining and enameling project in Stillwater, MN for a homeowner who was building a unique barn. The barn included 2×6 fur walls, a pine ceiling, maple trim, oak doors and oak cabinetry.

The finishes were diverse and included the following:

Oak doors and custom vanity included 2 coats of stain followed by 3 coats of sealer and vanirsh (oil)

Maple trim got 1 coat of pro-block primer followed by 2 top coats of Sheriwn Williams Emerald Enamel

Fur Boards got 1 coat of bleaching oil followed by 1 clear coat of a water-based sealer and 1 top coat of a tinted water-based sealer

Pine Boards got 1 coat of bleaching oil followed by 2 coats of a water-based sealer (clear)

Walls were primed and painted with Sherwin Williams Cashmere.

This job took a few months given the complexities of the carpentry work but it was worth it. The most elaborate barn I’ve ever seen!

Call Complete Custom Painting 651-336-0561

Make Maple or Pine look like Cherry 0

January 6, 2019

If you are having new wood work stained (windows, doors, cabinets, trim etc etc) you should consider doing a lot of stain matching before starting.

In the case of windows (which is a common item homeowners have replaced in their homes) consider most wood windows are made of pine/fur. Their are window companies that install oak/maple windows also but the primary window wood is pine/fur.

The portions of the windows that are pine/fur are normally the sash and the jamb. The sash on the window is the part that moves (goes up and down in the case of a double hung window/side to side in the case of a glider window/or in and out in the case of a casement window……). The sash could also be described as the part that is direct contact with the glass.

The jamb on the window is the part that sits in the framing pocket. Normally the jamb is between 2 and 6 inches wide and conects to the casing.

The casing is normally the part of the window that shares the same species of woood as the rest of the house.

Sooooo- A typical house will have Oak baseboard, doors, door frames cabinetry etc etc but the jamb and sash on the same houses windows will most likely be pine/fur. 2 differnt woods.

As such- a good painter/stainer should be able to make the pine/fur match the other species of wood in the house. Pine normally has slightly yellow raw wood state (Oak normally pink, clear or grey. Maple normally grey or clear. Cherry normally light pink changing to dark red over time. Poplar clear or green.)

To make sure you get a quality match, before you stain, get multiple matches done on multiple pieces of the wood that will be installed. Compare the maple to the pine (or whichever species you are matching the new windows to)

Here is a job where we matched some custom bathroom windows to the cherry casing in the house. The windows had a maple hardwood/pine hardwood and maple veneer and needed to match the casing in the rest of the house.

Call Complete Custom Painting

651-336-0561

Changing from popcorn to knock down (or smooth) texture 0

December 18, 2018

When homeowners update their homes, they often consider going from a popcorn texture to a smooth or knocked down texture. A simple step to determine how much work is involved is to test how the existing texture will come down (easily or hard). To test the ceiling surface you need to protect all surfaces in danger of spillage. Wet the ceiling, let the water dwell on the surface and then scrape down the existing texture. At that point you will be able to tell how easily the existing texture will come down. In some cases, the popcorn texture will come down easily and in some cases it will be very difficult. In cases where it comes down easily, the homeowner may have the option to go to a flat/smooth ceiling for the same price as a knock down. In cases where it does not come down easily (generally this happens if the popcorn has been painted several times or was primed with oil or shellac) the ceiling will likely need a lot of skim coating.

The reason its important to test the existing texture is to ensure the company that intends to do the work (as well as the homeowners who are paying for the work) know what to expect with regard to the project: days to complete the project, what to expect as far as staging, cleaning requirements, texture options and also the correct price for the job.

Complete Custom Painting did the pictured popcorn texture removal job in 2018 in Mahtomedi, MN The homeowner went from a popcorn texture to smooth ceiling. Since we were also painting the walls, we taped to protect the windows and floor and simply cleaned the walls prior to painting (which we would have done anyway). The prep work was clean as we set out painters plastic angled to drop all wet texture on top of another piece of plastic. The homeowners wood floor was clean of all dust and we texture.

It turned out great and was completed in 3 visits. Day 1: Wet and Scrape down the popcorn texture. Day 2 prime the ceiling and skim tape joints where needed at end of the day. Day 3 Sand mud, spot prime mud, fully paint the ceiling (2 coats), clean up.

Complete Custom Painting 651-336-0561

Should I Hire a Painter or Do It Myself? The Pros and Cons of Both 0

October 23, 2017

Painting the interior or exterior of a home is one of the fastest ways to transform its look and feel. Paint colors affect people’s overall perception of a home, so it’s important to do the job right, whether on your own or with help from professionals. There is a big difference between a home with an attractive fresh coat of paint and one with a sloppy paint job.

Now you’re faced with a choice. How do you add visual appeal to a home with paint — do you take a weekend to do it yourself or do you rely on contractors? There are many factors that are sure to affect your decision, including costs, time commitment, and safety. When you’re asking yourself, “Should I hire a painter or do it myself?” take time to weigh your painting priorities.

3 Essential Questions to Ask an Exterior House Painter 0

September 21, 2017

A new coat of paint can revitalize the look of a home’s exterior — that is, when the painters put the time and effort into their work to do it right. Unfortunately, there are many subpar home painting contractors out there who overpromise and underdeliver on quality. Identifying these businesses can be tricky, but there are some important questions to ask exterior house painters when you’re comparing your options that will help.

The Dangers of Lead Paint: How to Protect Your Family 0

August 29, 2017

Wall with dangerous, cracking lead-based paint

Lead was once a common ingredient in house paint in the vast majority of homes before the dangers were fully known. It was mainly used due to the pigment it provided and the increase in durability it afforded.

Although it was officially banned in U.S. paint in 1978, millions of homes and establishments still have remnants of lead-based paint both inside and out. With exposure still possible, what are the dangers of lead paint in your home?

Twin Cities Based Painting Company completes large interior painting/staining job in North Oaks MN

December 13, 2016

Complete Custom Painting is a Twin Cities based painting company that does interior and exterior painting and staining. On this job we mixed two types of stains, one for the pine and one for the oak and we painted all the ceilings and walls. Excellent service and care of the homeowners property was needed as the floors were just finished. The products that were used were water-based stain, Zero VOC Wall and ceiling paint and water based polyurethane. Complete Custom Painting offers interior and exterior residential and commercial painting in the Twin Cities, Metro Area. This job was in North Oaks.

Contact Complete Custom Painting 651-336-0561 for a free estimate.

Twin Cities Based Painting Company completes window enameling in Edina, MN

December 9, 2016

Complete Custom Painting is a Twin Cities based Painting Company that does interior and exterior painting and staining.

On this job 2 painters were tasked with matching an existing deep based Cherry stain and matching an enameled fireplace mantle to several new windows. The process involved enameling with Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo and staining with General Finishes Staining Products. All products were water-based because we are conscience of homeowners health needs. In addition, we did a through walk through in order to make sure the customer was extremely happy with the end result. Quality is the most imporatant aspect of our job, and service is extremley important to make sure all of the customers needs are met.

Call Complete Custom Painting (Located in White Bear Lake, MN) a Twin Cities based Interior and Exterior Painting Company for any Painting Needs.

Call 651-336-0561 for a free estimate

Exterior House painting in Woodbury, MN

October 17, 2016

Complete Custom Painting closed out the exterior painting season in 2016 with several projects. 1 in the Liberty Neighborhood in Stillwater, 1 in the Dancing Water Neighborhood in Woodbury and 1 in Eagan. The projects consisted of wood prep/staining (Eagan), Sealing Hardie Plant and top coating with 2 coats as well as sealing brick (Woodbury) and matching with one coat in Stillwater.

All surfaces required a different approach. The color of the surfaces affected the decision on the quality of product, if a primer should be used, how many coats should be used etc etc. At complete custom painting it is our goal to be consultive and give you the very best paint job for your given objective. In one of the projects the homeowner had a deep base color and planned to live in the house “forever.” for another project, the homeowner only wanted to “spruce up for a few years” because they were considering siding replacement for certain areas. When considering exterior house painting, consider your goals for longevity, talk to a designer (its free) and use a quality exterior house painting company like Complete Custom Painting.

Call for a free estimate on all of your interior or exterior painting projects: 651-336-0561