Recently added articles from Painting & Wallcovering Contractor:

Remodeling Guide Available

May 01, 2008; Anonymous ... The American Society of Interior Designers Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council have released the nation's first green residential remodeling guidelines, to make the $200 billion-a-year industry more environmentally ...

Canada to Cut Paint VOCs

May 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Environmental News Canada plans to slash limits on Volatile Organic Compounds (VCCs) in more than 150 categories of architectural coatings, adhesives and automotive paints and cleaners as part of a sweeping program to reduce ...

Open-Shop Pioneer Dies

May 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Around the Industry Open shops lost a friend and unions lost a foe April 11, when legendary contractor J. Leon Altemose died in Philadelphia at age 68. Altemose Construction Co., an open shop hi a union town, took the national spotlight in 1972, when Altemose refused to sign an ...

Trade School Gets $45 Million

May 01, 2008; Anonymous ... The nation's only free, post-secondary vocational-technical school has received two gifts totaling $45 million-a huge windfall for the 120year-old school with 250 students. Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, just outside Philadelphia, is an all-male, independent school that ...

PPE Rule Takes Full Effect

May 01, 2008; Anonymous ... Regulatory Update By now, employers should be in full compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's new "Employer Payment for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)" rule. The ...

EPA Targets Spray Emissions

May 01, 2008; Anonymous ... The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing national emission standards for controlling Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) during abrasive blasting, spray painting and other operations in nine ...

EPA OKs Lead Program

May 01, 2008; Anonymous ... As expected, EPA has finalized rules for painters and other contractors who renovate or repair housing, child-care facilities or schools built before 1978. The "Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program" rule, released ...

Nailing a Bid that Pays

May 01, 2008; Mills-Senn, Pamela ... Sharpen your estimates, and the profits will follow. First, the bad news: Contractors have an extraordinarily high failure rate, second only to restaurateurs in bankruptcies. Now, the good news: Many of these failures stem from chronically bad estimates, and that problem can be ...

Overcoming Underpricing

May 01, 2008; Chasen, Irv ... When setting prices, beware of what's missing. Does your bottom line reflect how hard you are working? Many contractors feel that they are working harder than ever, without gaining any ground financially. When this is the case, underpricing is often the culprit. Contractors ...

Wireless Takes the Field

May 01, 2008; Wolfe, Anne ... Mobile technology finds a home on the job site. Who says you can't take it with you? Today's wireless technology allows you to break the chains of your office and become more productive in the field, ratcheting up efficiency in ways never before possible. Need to document a ...

GOING WITH THE Grain

May 01, 2008; Dallabrida, Eileen Smith ... Faux bois makes a real impact. In a forest of decorative finishes, wood graining has never fallen out of fashion. * Veterans say it's also a skill that painters can grow old with, demanding fewer trips up and down the ladder. And while wood-graining techniques are challenging to perfect, ...

HEAR NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

May 01, 2008; Ikenberry, Robert ... Ear protection is critical. Listen up, while you still can. Power tools. Work trucks. Even your beloved iPod. The sounds that pound your ears on the job daily come in many intensities and frequencies, but all have one thing in common: They can permanently damage your ...

THE EYES HAVE IT

May 01, 2008; Ikenberry, Robert ... Vision protection gets a whole new look. From a sudden caustic splash to toxic vapors to blinding sunshine, contractors face more daily threats to their vision than, well, than meet the eye. An accident can injure the eyes in a heartbeat, while chronic or repeated hazards can ...

When Bad Things Happen to Good Paperhangers

May 01, 2008; Parodi, Jim ... Forget common mistakes. Learn to ward off the weird. Sometimes, things go wrong ... and sometimes they go really wrong. A painter acquaintance tells how he was once asked to move his truck in a customer's driveway ... only to hit the customer with the truck when he moved it. (Then again, ...

CONCRETE COATINGS

May 01, 2008; Challener, Cynthia ... Spring is here, and exterior projects are in full swing. While paint jobs may be old hat, coating concrete and masonry is a whole different ballgame. * Concrete and masonry exteriors hold opportunities fora wide range of contractors. Whether your focus is residential, commercial or industrial, ...

STUCCO: PEAKS AND VALLEYS

May 01, 2008; Helsel, Jayson L ... Stucco is a cement-based masonry finish whose unique rough look offers both beauty and special challenges. As with other concrete and masonry surfaces, stucco is often coated to protect it from weathering or to produce a desired finish color. As with all such coatings, the proper surface ...

14 Finishes, 14 Days

May 01, 2008; Lyford, Kaci ... Like all decorative painters, I have some favorite jobs. This was one of them. What I've always loved about my job is the ability to change a space dramatically. Sure, you can knock down walls or rebuild them, but that will never transform them the way color does. So when Capital ...

'No Excuses'

May 01, 2008; Lordan, Mary Chollet ... Capital Improvements delivers artful efficiency. Russell Polk isn't a traffic cop, but the project manager for Dallas-based Capital Improvements feels like one at times. Like when scores of delivery trucks and 50 subcontractors from 14 trades are swarming around one home, racing ...

The Case of the Scabby Old School

May 01, 2008; Huntley, Rick ... The old Chicago elementary school was showing its age. Once again, it was time to repaint the building, now more than 60 years old. The school district hired a medium-sized painting contractor to do the interior walls. The contract required the contractor to remove all loose coating from ...

Brushes WITH Greatness

May 01, 2008; Fox, Beth ... Choosing point brushes is like putting together a football team: Each player's abilities must be matched to his position. A 300-pound linebacker wouldn't be expected to do the quarterback's job, and vice-versa. The brushes on your team need to fit their jobs, too. Too small, too large, ...