Media rooms and  man caves are often in basements or sometimes part of a garage renovation. It will be important to begin the renovation or makeover process by checking for moisture or mold and resolving these issues before painting.  Ask us to evaluate the condition of your walls during your estimate.

Man caves are typically more private spaces away from the entry and formal living areas. Be bold with your color choices. What are your favorite teams? Would you like Trailblazers red & black, Oregon green & yellow or Oregon State orange & black? The sports lover will have no trouble choosing a winning color combination for their room. Of course not everybody may agree that Seahawk navy blue, white & neon green are the best colors for their media room. You may choose neutral but rugged colors like forest green or brown (both of which are associated with the environment and nature)  or a dark red shade (which evokes intensity and power). Whatever the color choice, Apogee Painting will work with you to carefully coordinate your colors.

The Apogee Painting team will then properly prepare the walls before beginning the priming and painting process.  Once the wall color of choice has been applied, consider creating a focal point.  A flat screen television mounted on the wall could be bordered by an accent color, or sports memorabilia could be encased in a cabinet painted in a striking complementary color or carefully stained in a dark wood stain.

Once the painting is complete, overstuffed chairs, pillows, game tables, sports jerseys and photos can provide the finishing touches, guaranteeing that the owner of this “man cave” will feel quite at home while cheering on the team! Add black-out drapes to get the best color from your TV.

For more man cave ideas, check out these galleries, ideas and the Man Cave show, then look at Apogee Painting’s interior painting services and our gallery to see examples of our interior work.

(Thanks to MyBadPad blog for the photo).

Black can be a striking color choice, especially on large windows or in rooms with tall ceilings. Carefully coordinate the color choice for walls as dark wall colors with black trim could make the room seem dark or small. Consider tan or taupe wall paint or a paint color with a light tinge of olive. Tall windows with black moulding paint and black wooden slat blinds will be quite stunning. If there are columns and chair railing, they too can be highlighted with the black paint.

If trimming a whole room in black seems risky, try painting the handrails in your stairwell. After a proper professional sanding, cleaning and priming of the outdated white oak handrails, they could be finished with a beautiful satin black paint.

The kitchen too is a room where a small section of black paint can have an enormous affect. Black crown molding around white cabinets or an island painted black gives a sharp, clean feeling to the room. It is surprising how the eye is drawn to the black highlights in any room.

Talk to Sundeleaf Painting, Portland’s experts on interior painting, about framing your kitchen, handrails, family room or doors with black trim.

Here are several examples of using black trim paint:

First, photos from the House Beautiful blog, an interview with designer Windsor Smith

Next, black moulding and built-ins, from the Design Sponge blog:

And black interior doors from the Design Around Denver blog:

1. Make sure the paint company you are considering is licensed. Simply ask the painter if he or she can show you a copy of their current license. If they can’t, delete them from your list.  In Portland, licensed contractors also need a City of Portland Business License, and if the work is done in a suburb of Portland a Metro Contractor’s Business License is required.
2. Check the contractor’s license history on the CCB’s website. You can find out if their license has ever been suspended in the past, if they have had any disciplinary actions.
3. Make sure the paint company carries the proper insurance. This includes liability, bond and workers’ comp insurance. This information can also be verified on the CCB’s website.
   
4. Look into their references. While most contractors will gladly show you a page or two of happy clients, they will be reticent to discuss any negative feedback they received. You can find out a lot about a company by how they respond to criticism and a problem. Ask a company for negative as well as positive customer feedback.
5. Take a look at their work. Not all painting companies are created equal. Some painters specialize in painting large commercial buildings and bridges while others may paint only very fine homes. Ask if they are willing to share a list of several addresses where they’ve done work. You can then drive by to get a better idea of the clientele they serve and the quality of their workmanship. Also, remember to ask specific questions about their warranty, their handling of wood repairs, stucco damage, and other preparation details. These details are significant because they will give you an understanding of how they prepare a surface for paint.
6. Check how long they have been in the painting business. Remember, being in business for 30 years does not necessarily mean they are the best. The experience of a painting company is just as important. Ask them how long their painters have been painting, how long the owners have been in the industry, and why they are in business.
7. Ask about their employees. This is an important step for finding or eliminating house painters. How does a company hire their staff? What kind of training do they offer? Are they drug tested? Do they receive background checks? Anytime you have people working on your home, you want to be able to trust them and feel safe.
8. Discover how they conduct their business. Ask them about the painting process and what it looks like. Your goal is to determine if they are organized and if they have a good plan of how they would paint your home. Do they give you a scheduled start date? Will they have a project manager assigned to your home? Will they conduct a final walk through when the job is completed and give you a written guarantee of their work? If a paint company looks organized for your first meeting, chances are, they will continue to provide excellent customer service. Many painters have a hard time answering their phones, setting and keeping appointments and completing a project in the allotted time.
9. Finally, go with the person and company you trust the most. Ultimately, you will need to feel comfortable with the estimator and his promises! If you’ve done your homework and you like a particular company, no doubt you will make the right choice.