Paint colors like “Burble Simp,” courtesy of artificial intelligence

Posted on May 24, 2017May 24, 2017 by alanna@freedom-painters.com

Paint companies come up with some pretty great colors -- and they work hard to find alluring names for their colors. Or at least interesting names... In late 2016 we worked with Farrow & Ball's "Dead Salmon," for instance. But recent experiments with artificial intelligence resulted in a bevy of ideas for new colors and non-sequitur names that you probably will NOT be finding in your local paint store anytime soon. Such as: Part 1 of the experiment didn't go so well, but when the n...

Cabinet Painting that Lasts

Posted on May 29, 2015February 13, 2017 by alanna@freedom-painters.com

The average American kitchen today has about 30 linear feet of cabinets, and they’re usually made of wood. Those cabinets need durable, glossy (read: easy to clean) hard enamel paint. Painting cabinets can completely transform a dingy old kitchen into a bright, inviting space. The same goes for another room that gets a lot of abuse: The mudroom. We recommend the same process and paint for mudroom cabinets or lockers as we do for kitchen cabinetry. It used to be that the smelly, long-dr...

Tradeshow Tidbits

Posted on May 22, 2015February 13, 2017 by alanna@freedom-painters.com

Recently we stopped by the regional Riccardi Brothers paint tradeshow: a big room full of stuff that, okay, maybe only a painter could really love. But it’s important to us to go to these shows to stay on top of what products our suppliers are rolling out. If there’s a tool out there that can help us do a better job for our clients, we're on board! This time around, our favorite find was some new options in the world of painters’ tape. We use tons of that stuff to hold down protective plas...

Why Lighter Exterior Colors Last Longer

Posted on May 19, 2015February 13, 2017 by alanna@freedom-painters.com

I relish the chance for a nice weekend spin around the Main Line in mid-May, the shrubs and flowers in full bloom, up against those stone houses with their dramatic darkly-painted doors and shutters. But this vivid, stylish look comes with a price. Those dark trim colors require a lot of maintenance and frequent repainting. For exterior trim or walls, lighter colors simply last longer. The science is fairly straightforward: Ultraviolet light causes color pigment to fade. Darker colors abso...

Color Matching Fun. I mean The Color Matching Fun.

Posted on April 15, 2015February 13, 2017 by alanna@freedom-painters.com

We've talked before about why we love using Benjamin Moore paint. Frequently a client asks us to match a color from another paint company. No Problem, we always say. Our favorite paint store (Hello to our buddies at Ricciardi Brothers in Ardmore!) can get us a perfect match of practically any color from any brand, in those Ben Moore paints we are confident will look and last best in the customer's home. Last week, though, a customer asked us to match a Restoration Hardware color that wasn't i...