Home Improvement FAQ: Helpful Answers from the Pros in Winston-Salem

Do you have a home to-do list? Does it include items that you want to get done but you’re not sure how to? Does it include projects that you think need to be addressed but aren’t quite sure if they’re definite needed now? We’ve compiled a list of answers to some of the most common questions we get asked as local home improvement experts. You can use this list to understand what should be worked on now, what can wait another year, and what requires a professional.

We have split our home improvement FAQ list into two categories: interior projects and exterior projects. We hope you find this helpful.

Interior Home Improvement FAQs

As we’ll get to later, exterior home improvement projects can often monopolize the spring and summer months, but what about when fall and winter come around? Or even on rainy weekends? Use the time you can’t be outside to tackle indoor home improvement projects like updating your kitchen, repainting your interior, and deciding whether you’re a fan of wallpaper.

How Do I Know If It’s Time to Refinish My Kitchen Cabinets?

Your kitchen should be a priority. It’s a space you spend a large amount of time in, no matter your level of culinary expertise. So you might as well make it look nice. If your kitchen cabinets look outdated; have food,
grease, or fingerprint stains; or are chipping and starting to show significant wear, it’s probably time for a change. Luckily, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to replace your cabinetry (unless you want to). You can refinish them instead, and your kitchen will feel brand new as a result.

Refinishing your cabinets involves removing the doors, sanding down the cabinets, stripping off the old finish, and applying new paint and/or stain. It’s an extremely worthwhile but extremely time-consuming endeavor. If you’re unsure about tackling the refinishing project on your own, contact a professional. They’ll make your kitchen look brand new in no time.

How Do I Know If It’s Time to Repaint the Interior of My Home?

The Interior of your home is where life exists. It’s where you eat, sleep, celebrate holidays, play games, have parties, and escape to be yourself. The interior of your home should be a wonderful, unique, cozy space that reflects your personality – it shouldn’t be a place that shows years of wear.

You may think that the places in your home that need to be repainted are likely the family room or living room and the bedrooms. This isn’t always the case. Although you spend a lot of time in those spaces, furniture may hide or protect the walls from everyday wear.
Instead, consider your high and low traffic areas. High traffic areas such as the kitchen, bathroom, stairs, hallways, and entryways need paint more often, likely every 3-5 years. Low traffic areas such as the living room, dining room, bedrooms, and office may be able to get away with new paint every 7-10 years. It all depends on how and where you live within your space.

Does Wallpaper Go Bad?

In theory, wallpaper can go bad. But the likelihood of it happening is very low. At least, the likelihood of it happening before your tastes change and you want a new look are very low. Wallpaper is known to last much longer than paint, sometimes up to 15 years or more.

How Do I Know If It’s Time to Replace the Wallpaper in My Home?

If you want to know whether it’s time to replace your wallpaper, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is my wallpaper peeling?
• Is my wallpaper splitting at the seems?
• Is my wallpaper showing stains or sun damage?
• Does my wallpaper look dated?
• Do I hate looking at my wallpaper because what on Earth was I thinking when I selected that print?

If there’s a yes in there it’s probably time to replace or remove your wallpaper. If you want to remove old wallpaper and install new, contact a professional. It’s way better than picking at the wall all weekend, wondering what monster installed it this way. And putting up new wallpaper seamlessly? Forget it! Let the experts handle it.

Exterior Home Improvement FAQs

Here in Winston-Salem, exterior home improvement projects can pretty much only be done during the spring, summer, and the beginning of fall. Use this time to tackle projects like staining your deck, powerwashing your house, or repainting your home.

Do I Need to Re-stain My Deck?

It’s a common misconception that staining your deck will protect it forever. The majority of stains last less than five years, and can sometimes less than three if you’ve faced some extreme weather. Regular maintenance such as touch up and new coats of stain each year can help to prolong the life of your stain, but you will still likely need to remove the current stain and apply a fresh new one every 3-5 years. This will help protect the wood and make your deck last longer.

When is the Best Time to Re-stain My Deck?

Staining or re-staining your deck should be done in the spring or the fall. Direct sunlight and extreme summer temperatures can result in premature stain failure, potentially causing the stain to wear prematurely.

You should also be aware that staining requires a dry surface. If you plan to stain your deck in the spring, you may run into a problem of too much rain and prolonged moisture.

That’s why when staining a deck, the recipe for success is cool temperatures and dry surfaces.

How Often Should I Powerwash My House?

You should powerwash your house once a year, assuming that you do not have trees or bushes that create excess dirt or mold on the house throughout the year. If you like to burn fires or live in an area where air
quality is a concern, you may want to consider powerwashing your home more than once a year to keep it looking clean and new.

When is the Best Time to Powerwash My House?

Powerwashing a surface does not have the same limitations as painting and staining a surface. You can even powerwash surfaces like brick, vinyl siding, and stucco. We recommend you do it in the spring or summer. The natural light will help you identify the areas that need the most work and the sun will help quickly dry the surface.
Of course, f you are unsure about powerwashing, fear you may damage your home, or simply don’t want to deal with the hassle on your own — consult an expert for help.

Do I Need to Repaint the Exterior of My Home?

Do you see excessive wear on the exterior of your home? Does the current color show dirt more easily than other homes in your neighborhood? Is your exterior beginning to fade or chip? If so, it’s time to repaint the exterior of your home.

In general, it’s best to repaint your home every 5-10 years, depending on the material. You can always contact a professional to talk about the current state of the exterior of your home and how often it should be repainted.

When is the Best Time to Repaint the Exterior of My Home?

Painting the exterior of your home is less about the time of year and more about the temperature. The majority of paints adhere best when they are applied between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Contacting a Professional

You can contact a home improvement expert to discuss all your ideas, questions, and concerns – with no obligation. CertaPro Painters^® of Winston-Salem offers free remote and in-person estimates to all customers. Exterior projects can be quoted by experts who evaluate the home from the street. This does not require any personal interaction. Interior projects can be quoted via pictures or a Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime call. We do not require any personal interaction or contact and are working to enforce social distancing for all customers and employees. And if you don’t like what you hear for whatever reason, don’t hire us — it’s that simple. For you’re effort, you will have gotten a fresh of cost and the effort involved.

Contact us today to discuss your project and schedule your free remote estimate.