"Feet First"

When I was younger my family owned a cottage in Lake Muskoka.  I remember being nervous about jumping into the murky water as I was sure the fish would bite my exposed feet.  I reflect on this phobia now as a metaphor for life.  Jumping into something new is one of the great challenges we face throughout our life.  And it never really stops until it's over. We jump in "feet first", hope for the best, and then we leave by the same way....... "Feet First"

A few weeks back One Brush Painting quoted on a 1,700 sq. ft. condominium in Yorkville.  The project included all the finish painting on the trim, baseboards, walls, doors, and crown molding. I went home after meeting with the contractor to put together a quote for the project.  The quote was accepted quickly and the next day we started.

Within a couple of days of doing prep work I realized that the project was much bigger then I had originally expected.  We were under a tight 2 week deadline and were not allowed to do any work off business hours.  I had anticipated the project taking 160 hours to complete and we only had 102! I managed to convince the homeowner to speak with the concierge to allow me to come in on Saturdays to catch up.  While painting the baseboards in preparation for installation the homeowner and I were speaking about what she wanted.  She mentioned that this was the last place she was hoping to live in and that she was looking to leave the condo "feet first".  

I thought that this project might bury me.  I spent countless nights rolling around in my head how to finish the job while not having electricity, time, and tripping over other tradespeople that were frantically scrambling to have the project completed on time.  The only solution was to hire another painter to make up the hours.  

In the end we finished the project in the final hour as I was literally painting the last door while the carpenter was still putting the trim on it!  Exhausted, I went home to review the project.  We had jumped in head first, gotten our feet wet, and though there were fish nipping at our heels the entire time, nothing bad had happened.  And we were still alive.

Life is a constant challenge where taking big risks are all part of the game.  It isn't always possible to play it safe by simply dipping your toes in.  Sometimes you have to just stare straight into the murky water, with all the biting fish swarming, and jump in head first.  After all, you can't go out "feet first" if you dive straight in!

Designer Anyone?

Recently One Brush did some interior work on a home in South Rosedale.  The job involved applying a high gloss trim to the baseboards, painting the kitchen cupboards, and rolling the high traffic doors on the main floor.  This was a beautiful home owned by an international designer that has done interior designs for some of the stars including Mick Jagger!  The house was immaculately kept and the work required precision to avoid damaging the detailed hardwood floors.  The contractor that hired out our company has been in the business for over 10 years working on high end homes in the Rosedale area.  The name of the company is Moosehead Homes and if you are ever interested in high quality home renovations then I highly recommend their services.  

We are going outside this week to complete the exterior including sanding and staining a deck, touching up a damaged fence, and painting with epoxy the garage floor.  The owner is happy with the work and looking forward to the photo shoot taking place in her backyard once the work is complete.  One Brush is very proud to be working to fancy up this beautiful property.  Will let you know how it goes.  In the meantime here are some pics of the interior work......

To My Former Glory

A recent project completed by One Brush Painting was to restore a relatively run down garage and back wall of a turn of the century home in High Park.  The paint was literally pealing upwards off the walls and many parts of the cedar wood siding were rotting.  A massive undertaking, the work involved applying a coat of thick paint thinner, scraping the entire walls, then belt sanding and hand sanding them.  All told we must have went through upwards of 30 to 40 sheets of  50 grit belt sanding paper. After the prep work was completed we applied a thick coat of exterior white wood primer followed by two coats of finished cottage grey paint. To reach the upper portions of the 3 storey wall we had to rent 2 storey's worth of scaffolding and place a 6 foot step ladder on top! The results (depicted below) were better then we had expected.  But then again this is what we do and we do it very well.  In the end we restored the exterior walls to their former glory, proving that at One Brush Painting, no job is too big for our britches. We are looking to return to the scene to quote the customer on some interior work.

Before

After

Before

After

Paint it Black!

One Brush Painting received a contract with a general contractor to convert an all white exterior to black. The work included windows, pillars, 2 lattice fences, hand railings, fascia, soffit, and of course the front door. Below is the picture.  We used 3 coats alone to cover the hand railings!  Our choice of paint after consulting the home owner was a Sherwin Williams Emarald Paint which could cover 3 surfaces including vinyl, aluminum, and cedar.  It is amazing what 1 type of paint can cover these days. This was a fun yet precise job.  Since the work was for a contractor it had to be exceptional (which it always is of course).  In the end another satisfied One Brush customer!

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