painting products – America's Color Consultants

March 19, 2024March 20, 2024

Meet Lynn Ishikawa our America’s Color Consultants -Ashburn, VA franchise owner

Lynn Ishikawa serves Loudoun county, Virginia including Leesburg, Ashburn and beyond. Contact her at 703-594-7868 (call or text), email: lynn@ashburncolorconsultants.com

Q: Tell us a little about your background:

A: I’ve worked in the Hospital and Healthcare IT industry for 20+ years but always had a penchant for helping friends & family pick colors for their homes and offices. So when the pandemic hit, I decided to venture into the world of paint color to see if I could possibly find a second career within the design industry. I’ve actually found my calling by helping clients discuss, explore, analyze and select the perfect paint colors for their homes!

Q: So you went from a stable and comfortable job and started a whole new career?

A: Yes, I took a leap of faith to launch this new (& very different!) business and to figure out what it takes to own my own franchise and be self-employed.

Q: What is the one thing you believe firmly in when it comes to color?

A: One should not make color decisions in isolation! I will always inquire about other elements in a project including flooring, cabinets, countertops, backsplashes, furniture, fabric, art, décor & lighting and then guide clients in a direction they’re comfortable with.

Q: What’s your most favorite part of the process?

A: There are so many… I enjoy facilitating the dialogue between a couple who may happen to disagree on what color to choose and educating clients on color pigments, pros & cons of different paint sheens, drying vs. curing etc. I love it when a client chooses their favorite color in a dramatic shade to use in their office or powder room. And I especially like it when they contact me afterwards to let me know the job is (finally) done and they send in pictures of the finished project.

Q: What kind of feedback have your clients given you?

A: I have the best clients! They’re so thankful and tell me how much they appreciate me helping them to feel confident in their decisions and that their new room colors inspire them to live & work authentically!

Q: Any advice for someone who isn’t sure about what colors to use?

A: Everyone deserves to be happy and enjoy the space they live and/or work in by using color! Build trust in yourself and the process! You can create the space you love by stepping through any fear of color you may have.

Q: Can you share a recent project with us?

A: Yes! This home in Sterling needed some TLC after having been rented out for 2 decades. The homeowners needed my help to transform the exterior colors to make it their own while at the same time still fit in with the surrounding neighborhood. They knew that they wanted a ‘green-brown-neutral’ overall color scheme to be in harmony with the mature trees on their property, and just needed help refining their choices and then deciding where to utilize each color. After a few iterations and plan options, this is what they ultimately decided on and are very happy with the results!

Paint colors used:

SW 7748 Green Earth: All siding, garage doors and foundation on the back and sides

SW 7738 Cargo Pants: Brick front

SW 7563 Restful White: All window trim & soffits

SW 7048 Urbane Bronze: All shutters, trim around garage doors, front & storm door

SW 3024 River Birch: Deck

Products used by Painting Contractor:

Sherwin-Williams Super Deck Solid Stain in SW 3024 River Birch
Trim/doors/shutters: Sherwin-Williams Duration in Gloss
Siding: Sherwin-Williams Emerald Rain Refresh in Satin
Brick: Sherwin-Williams Duration in Flat

August 18, 2020August 18, 2020

Brick – To Paint or Not To Paint

The beauty of brick is that it is a maintance free building product. It is expensive and the life span of a brick house can be 100’s of years with little or no maintance. Then why paint it? Sometimes we are forced to paint a brick home. An addtion is added and matching brick cannot be found or it is too expensive to use additional brick for the addition. Sometimes after adding an addtion there is very little brick still exposed resulting in very little sense to keep the natural brick.

Lately we have seen a trend to paint brick. Like all trends this one will pass. In 10 years when the paint is peeling and the brick needs to be repainted, you will ask yourself – why did I paint this brick? Before deciding to paint brick ask yourself a few questions. Why am I painting the brick? Does it need to be painted? Is my property historical and will it effect the historical value of the house in the future? Am I OK with repainting it in 10 -20 years. If I am reselling will it be an improvement or not?

Once painted, you can only undo the paint by sand blasting. The cost will exceed the original paint job. An alternative to painting brick – dye it. https://www.dyebrick.com/product/colour-panels. This technique does not give you 1,000’s of color choices, but it does retain the maintance free quality fo brick.

April 30, 2020April 30, 2020

The Cost of Plastering a Room

Hint: It’s not cheap! As members of the home improvement industry, we at America’s Color Consultants (ACC) are very lucky to meet and exchange ideas/information with people across the region, country, and even other parts of the world!

Below you will find a link to an extensive overview/analysis of the steps and costs of redoing plaster walls provided by a new colleague, Jen Miller of Jen Reviews. While dry wall is now the most common type of wall surface found in ACC’s work areas, those with older homes (and/or high budgets) should find this well-researched piece of interest. We would venture to say that lath and plaster work (found in most 40’s/50’s built North Arlington homes) is now considered a specialty field and prices for these vanishing plasterers’ expertise will reflect that.

Thank you, Jen! Jen Reviews are packed with lots of good information and excellent research on a wide variety of food, fitness and home products. Jen’s team of reviewers are all experts in their sometimes-niche fields. Check it out. The referenced article was originally published by their sister site, Happy DIY Home.

April 9, 2019

Spring In DC

Cherry blossoms are blooming, all through DC, and with them the cherry blossom festival is in full swing. Stalls are sprung up full of fun food and Japanese souvenirs, shows combining traditional arts and modern music, and events ranging from ‘Art Blooms at Mosaic District’ to the ‘Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival’. All while the icon pink petals rain down upon the fairgoers.

The cherry blossoms first arrived in DC on March 27^th, 1912, as a donation from the mayor of Tokyo to celebrate the friendship between America and Japan, and after over a century, the tradition is still going strong- although even Mayor Ozaki couldn’t imagine the result of his thoughtful gift.

While the National Cherry Blossom Festival is the largest and oldest of cherry blossom celebrations, it isn’t the only one in America. The International Cherry Blossom Festival is located in Macon, Georgia, and involves an airshow and an international food fair. The North Carolina Cherry Blossom Festival is in San Francisco and features both a film festival and a ‘Mikoshi Purification Ceremony’. Major locations from NYC to Philadelphia boast their own cherry blossom festivals.

Of course, the way to have the cheer of the cherry blossom festival at all times is with paint and décor: Benjamin Moore boasts a soft, sedate shade called ‘Pale Cherry Blossom’ BM 2101-60 (sample shown) as well as a more vibrant ‘Pink Blossom’ BM 2081-40. Other paints, while not named specifically for cherry blossoms, match the beautiful petals- Sherwin William’s ‘Dragon Fruit’ has the exotic flair of the cherry blossoms and ‘Eros Pink’ if you’re looking for that zest of romance. And most brands have that delicate white color that matches the gentle blossoms.

March 28, 2019

Product Review

Multi Purpose Tool

What is this tool? It is one of the painting industry’s most versatile tools. Even if you do not paint regularly, this tool is a great addition to your tool box. It has a total of 14 different uses:

Hammer

Flat Head Screw Driver
Phillips Head Screw Driver
Large Hex Nut Wrench
Small Hex Nut Wrench
Convex Scraper
Concave Scaper
Nail Puller
Crack Opener
Chisel
Spackler
Paint Can Opener
Roller Cleaner
Bottle Opener

Most of these tools are very common; a few may not be. #9 for example, is used when painting a corner edge. You run the tool down the corner edge and it creates an invisible groove that your paint brush then follow, allowing you to paint a straight line without tape. For #13 the roller cleaner, use this edge to scrape excess paint off your roller before washing.

www.americascolorconsultants.com

September 24, 2018

Brass – Did It Ever Really Go Away?

You may have noticed that there is a lot more brass showing up in home goods stores and design magazines. For many, many years, stainless steel and brushed nickel were the metals of choice for home rehabbers and builders. Sleek, cool and modern, silver was everywhere – appliances HAD to be stainless and faucets and fixtures and hardware went along for the ride.

Brass has had its hey-day several times over the decades and it’s once again being highlighted in a big way by interior designers and home décor magazines that both set and follow trends. The addition of brass is being cited as a “trend” for 2018 by House Beautiful, Home & Garden, Elle Décor, Pinterest, Mansion Global and USA Today, to name a few. This time around it’s not brightbrass, but brushed, satin tones, unlacquered brass that you’re seeing.

Why brass now? There are several reasons: (1) brass is timeless; (2) a little goes a long way; (3) the different tones of brass complement all colors beautifully, from the deepest indigoes in favor at present, to the lightest blushes and grays; and (4) brass works well with other metals. Don’t hesitate to use it along with your stainless appliances and brushed nickel or chrome faucets.

You don’t have to swap out everything to enjoy this trend: brass can be the jewel that brightens and refreshes an entire space. A brass lantern or cabinet pulls or mirror may be all you need. Brass remains popular (go ahead, admit you like it!) because brass is golden and gold represents a certain level of luxe. The value of a richly patina’d, real brass fixture endures. With its rich history, brass is the comfort food of home décor.

www.AmericasColorConsultants.com

April 18, 2018April 18, 2018

Product Review

Why is this ceiling paint pink?

This is a great product! How many times have you painted a ceiling just to forget where you have already painted? Painting white on top of white can be a challenge, however this paint eliminates that challenge. It is not as brilliant a white as other ceiling paint, but who will notice.

When the paint is wet, it is pink. The color helps you know where you have already painted.

When the ceiling paint dries it is white.

April 27, 2017

Product Review

Ceiling Paint by Glidden

Ceiling paint is designed for your ceilings – Why? It is made as a bright white designed for maximum light reflection. When the light bounces off the ceiling, the brightness of the ceiling white brings more light into your living space. It is also not has high a quailty paint because it does not get exposed to were and tear resulting in a lower cost per gallon.

The challenge with painting your ceiling is being able to see where you have already painted. Glidden solves this challenge. When the paint is wet it is pink, when it dries it is white. How simple.

www.americascolorconsultants.com

March 29, 2017

Stencil Instead of Wallpaper

If you have been a subscriber to our newsletter for along time you might remember my product review on this wallpaper.

I tested it for it’s easy application and hopeful removal. This is an update to that review. Yes, the wallpaper went up very easily, however it was just as hard to remove as old fashion wallpapers. Over the years (about 8 years) my wallpaper became stained and worn. I loved the black on white pattern but it needed to be updated.

Removing the new and improved wallpaper took hours of spraying with vinegar and scraping. Perhaps a more toxic remover would have worked faster, but after all, the claim is that it was easily removable. My guess on why it was so difficult to remove, is when products are created and test in the moment they do not take into consideration what happens to the product over time. In the case of the wallpaper the adhesive bonded with the surface of the wall. The different seasons (heat & cold) most likely enhanced the bond to the wall. When a product is created and tested such as this wallpaper it is applied to the wall then removed a short while later to demonstrate the ease of removal. The shorten time frame does not give the adhesive time to fully bond. The result of the demonstration is a product that is easily removed.

After removing the paper, instead of wallpapering again, I have decided to stencil, then topcoat with a glaze for extra durability. This stenciled design and topcoat should last 20+ years and with the top coat glaze be totaly washable. From my experience you really need to love a wallpaper to commit to using it. When the time comes for a change there will always be the added expense of the removal. Stenciling just requires a coat of paint to cover and change. This stenciling project took about three days despite being a small bathroom. The complexity of the stencil made it difficult to stencil the edges and corners, requiring me to hand paint those areas. If you choose to stencil, a tone on tone design is the least expensive route. The more colors and complexity the more expensive. The cost of stenciling might be more on the front end, but you will not have to pay for the removal.

Interested in having something stencil, contact us at www.americascolorconsultants.com

February 21, 2017

Color Trends

Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year 2017 As winter ends and spring approaches, the urge to freshen up our home begins – consider purple.

Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year for 2017 is BM 2117-30 Shadow. I like purple for walls, this purple is very dark, neutral and cozy. Because it is richer purple you would definitely need to be a purple lover to use this color. In this picture purple is used as an accent wall creating a high contrast between the deep purple, the weathered textured wood wall, the white floor and white ceiling.

Need help choosing the perfect purple, contact Americas Color Consultants