1912 Mansion

I had the pleasure (and the challenge) of painting this century-old beauty this month and now the house, stone and wood portico and surrounding gardens are the very picture of what Victoria is all about.

The house was in dire need of new paint- the old paint was literally falling off in tiny, thick flakes that fell away at the touch of a fingertip to reveal the bare stucco substrate. That’s a hundred years of failed paint! No matter, it came away quite easily with a thorough scraping and sanding. I applied an even but liberal coat of sticky primer and the panels were ready for two more coats of Weatherguard exterior acrylic. The Tudor boards were easily prepped and spot primed, then coated twice with Beauti-Tone oil enamel. (unsolicited kudos to Beauti-Tone products: can’t get enough of this stuff. Every time I work with it things go very well.)

The portico was in rough shape. Dry rot, mildew, moss and lichen growth plus a thin layer of failed paint below and a rail full of splinters above. I sanded it all down and sprayed it with a 25% bleach to water solution to kill the mildew. After that, I fixed the dry rot at the corners of the railing by sanding out the dry wood and filling the resulting cracks and low spots with wood filler. This was then primed and painted three coats for durability.

After that- my Spiderman routine. That is, scrambling over the roof to paint the dormers. Never my favorite job (roasting in the sun while asphalt tiles burn my bum) the three dormers were prepped and painted with a minimum of fuss and I was on to the back side of the house. There were areas of trim and tudor boards that I did not paint, as they had been done the year previous, so all told, the job took 16 days. The project went well and came out looking great. And I get to be a (small) part in the history of one of Victoria’s landmark structures. Mission accomplished.

Bud’s Villa – Windows, Trim and Doors

I had the pleasure of working on a quiet cul-de-sac in Oak Bay recently, working on two Tudor cottages that had, er – fallen on hard times. My job was to restore the windows doors and trim to some sort of respectability. Both houses I worked on had areas where the paint had long cracked and fallen off, leaving weathered wood and nasty, dusty peeling paint which fell off in great flakes. The front windows on both houses were the worst for this, utterly weather-beaten with old caulking and filler dropping out of even older cracks and splits.

Never fear, these things are easily mended with a little hard work. After a bleach solution spray and a thorough rinse, I sanded, filled and primed all the surfaces back into shape, then gave it all a double coat of Weather Guard acrylic paint to seal it up and make it all look good again. Both houses came out looking good and now all the neighbours have a better sight to look at as they stroll past.

Big Yellow

All the neighbours love this house – and why shouldn’t they? It’s beautiful!

Cheap paint and the nuclear rays of the Sun had caused a lot of fading after only 3 years. Thus, when some minor renovations had to be done and a few holes needed patching and filling, alas, the touch up paint wouldn’t match, owing to the fade. No worries – proper preparation of the surface and a liberal application of ICI’s Gripper primer and Weather Guard paint and the faded house shines again.

Light yellows such as this, sadly, don’t have a lot of pigment strength. Often light yellows (as well as certain reds) need multiple coats (3 or more) if applied over anything but a similar colour. We tested out some green on one wall and it took 6 coats to cover it over. Not a problem, though – multiple coats were called for anyway as a way to combat the Evil Sun. I applied 3 liberal coats to the south side which receives constant mid-day sun. On the west side I applied 4 coats as it receives afternoon and evening sunlight. All paints fade in sunlight, but I’m confident that this coating will last a lot longer than the original coating.

Thanks to the owners – wonderful people with a great sense of style!
Thanks, too, to Kris Hansen of Hansenbuilt Carpentry for the speedy rebuild on the lower front entrance (pictured). Quality work and timely too!

Cheers!

Stairs and Trim

1912 Character Home

I’ve done a lot of projects this summer, but this was one of the best. The house was in dire need of attention as the paint was literally falling off the siding and peeling away from much of the trim on the south and east sides. Moreover, shade from trees and excessive moisture had done much to encourage the growth of mildew on the north facing areas. My solution was to scrape off all the paint flakes and sand and sand. Much of the South and East sides went down to the bare wood. I then coated these sides in their entirety with ICI Gripper primer. THe rest of the house I spot-primed wherever bare wood came exposed. I also washed great portions of the house with 30 Seconds mildew and moss remover, which made short work of removing the growing stuff. I then went to work painting the house in five colours. In the end it came out looking good and was once again well protected from the coastal elements.

Welcome to Polaris Quality Painting

Hello, everyone! Thanks for taking the time to check out the blog. My name is Jeff Rode, owner and operator of Polaris Quality Painting and I thought I would provide a little information about the services Polaris can bring to you. Also, you will find here photos of some of my projects. Not all of my customers want their homes displayed on the web, however, which means photos of some of the most interesting projects are missing. However, there are lots of great examples of my work here; feel free to look through the galleries and mini articles below.

I’ve been a painter for ten years. When the time came for me to go out on my own, I wanted to start a company that focused on quality finishes that not only add beauty, but add value to the building as well. Most homeowners have made a significant investment in their home and for many, the cost of upkeep or renovation is more than they bargained for. My job includes protecting that investment in a way that adds style, colour and durability. And, because my overhead is low, I can offer my services at a price that is hard to beat. Often, I find my quotes come in 10-15% lower than other bids.

I am handy with a spray gun, which makes the work go quickly, but I’m also a big fan of the old fashioned approach to painting, especially when it comes to older and heritage homes. (see “Alpha Lodge” below) Some surfaces are better coated with a simple brush and roller; unfashionable as they might be, they are still the best tools for applying paint to uneven or weathered surfaces. I have two excellent helpers who aid me in the larger projects, guys who really care about doing their job well. This year I am putting out the call to all who would like to save money on quality painting for their Victorian or Edwardian houses – call me for a quote, you may be pleasantly surprised.

But it’s not all heritage homes and old fashioned style – I paint apartments, condos, interiors of all description, businesses, private residences, fences, concrete and driveways, stucco, boats, and anything else that might need an excellent coat of paint. I also do window reglazing, gutter cleaning, power washing, drywall and plaster repair, caulking – the list goes on.

From time to time I work with two contractors – Stillwater Carpentry and Orv Coulter Construction – and an interior designer named Sarah Donald. They are the best in their respective fields that I’ve seen in Victoria, which is why I work with them. If you are in need of a designer or a building contractor, I can recommend these folks as true professionals and great people to work with.

Painting is my life and livelihood- I take it seriously, I take pride in what I do and enjoy knowing that I’ve done somebody right in providing my services. Feel free to look through the rest of this site, the photographic record is growing all the time. And, of course, I am always available to provide you with a free quote. The number is 250 744 0894, or you can email me at jmrode@gmail.com. Thank you for your interest in Polaris Quality Painting. I am looking forward to making your house or business space shine with renewal!
Cheers, Jeff Rode
jmrode@gmail.com

Alpha Lodge

I’ve done a few projects this summer, none so interesting or challenging as the Alpha Lodge in Victoria.  It was built in the 1890′s and has been fully renovated in the old style, probably a couple of times.  The house contains the offices of Vintage Woodworks, and the owners, Bill Murphy and Jim Stiven have an impressive joinery behind the house where they produce a number of custom – milled wood products, including old-style counterweighted windows.  This is definitely the place to go if you are fixing up your heritage home.

The house was in terrible shape when I started – the paint was literally falling off the house in great flakes and the siding and trim was terribly cracked and pitted, dessicated and bleached out by the sun.  It needed some extra care.  So Bill powerwashed most of the flakes off, then I went to work with my brush.  It’s easy to see how the house got this way; heavy traffic on Burnside Road bathes the neighbourhood with exhaust particulate, the heavy diesel mechanic next door adds to the pollution damage.  And the Southwest exposure gets full sun for most of the day, intensified by the surrounding concrete and asphalt.  That’s what we get for revolving our planet around a giant nuclear explosion.

It may sound crazy, but I ended up painting 95% of the shop and house with a simple paintbrush.  It was challenging, to say the least.  But The condition of the siding was such that the primer and paint really needed to be pushed into the cracks and crevices to ensure the best coverage.  It was a lot of work, but the result was worth the effort.  And I was amazed just how much ground I could cover with only a big, speedy brush and some favorable weather.  The siding went fast, then things slowed down some as I took on the trim.  It took me a month all told, but I am now convinced that the brush method, supported with a little backrolling, is the best approach to painting heritage houses and old dried-out siding in general.  The Alpha Lodge came out looking great!

Polaris Quality Painting in Victoria, British Columbia!

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to the Polaris Quality Painting Blog from Victoria, B.C. !  Often people want to see examples of my work and I decided that this would be a convenient way to let everyone see the work that is going on as well as past jobs.

Polaris was created with quality in mind.  I draw satisfaction from leaving your home or business space well protected and looking good and knowing that my customers are satisfied with a job well done.  I do interior and exterior painting of all descriptions, from spray coatings to old fashioned brush and roller application, window repair, reglazing, caulking, moss and mildew removal, as well as drywall repair, removal of water and wood oil stains, power washing and gutter cleaning.  My prices are reasonable and I’m always available to give a free estimate anywhere on the Saanich Peninsula.

Feel free to scroll through the entries here, I’ll try to include photos of the more noteworthy jobs.  Cheers!,

Jeff.