Each month you will find our best monthly bargains on the

TEXAS PAINT VALUE$ FLYER!

Please visit one of our store for your copy of this month’s Sale Flyer.

Visit one of our convenient store locations in Dallas and in Arlington.

(Savings and offers are valid in-store only)

They are from the Corona Performance Chinex Series and are especially well-suited for use with the new Benjamin Moore & Co. — Aura, Natura, and Advance Waterborne finishes.

Be sure to stop in one of stores today to see these performance quality brushes in the following sizes.

The new addition of Pratt & Lambert paint coatings is in keeping with Texas Paint & Wallpaper’s long-standing tradition of providing the best customer service, the finest paint coatings available, the solid professional experience that we have been known for – Since 1947, and the product knowledge that will guide our customers regardless of their level of expertise.

Pratt & Lambert® Paints award-winning line of coatings, primers and industrial coatings are easily recognized by Homeowners, Designers, Architects and professional paint Contractors alike. At every user level — these high-quality paint coatings provide ease of application, beauty and long-lasting results.

It is our continual goal, at Texas Paint, to provide each of our valued customers with the choice of paint coatings that fit their decorating needs. The paint you choose should provide constant protection for your property and equipment. In today’s economy it should also be easy on the budget, and of course it must be concerned with what is desired the most from a paint coating… quality & beauty!

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Texas Paint is also the proud host of the “Color for your space” seminars by Charlotte Comer.

Born a Southerner, Charlotte Comer has lived and traveled the world, settling in Texas in the late 70’s, then permanently in Dallas in 1991. She brings a rich background and a talented eye to each unique design project.

She has designed furniture, fabric, rugs and commercial spaces, but her first love is working with the individual client and making a house a home. Often husbands call to say they are so glad that their wife is happy with the result, but even they like to come home because it feels so comfortable.

For more information, about our exclusive line of Charlotte Comer paint colors, and information on our most recent “Color for your space” seminar, please click here. (read more….)

Yes… wood and concrete floors, porches, and even decks can be painted when done properly.

The type of paint coating that can be used on a wood, or concrete floor, is normally called… you guessed it… Porch & Floor paint.

Ordinary paints and enamels are not always suitable for this purpose. Normal oil-based paints are not recommended for many concrete surfaces. Concrete surfaces, in contact with ground moisture such as basements and patios, will prohibit proper paint adhesion because paint will not adhere to damp surfaces.

The alkali in concrete can also react with the oil-based paint to form a type of soapy compound, resulting in poor adhesion and the paint will eventually lift from the surface.

Old concrete floors which have been penetrated by products like engine oils, transmission fluids and gasoline, are extremely difficult to paint because these contaminants must be removed thoroughly for paint to adhere. The types of chemicals and equipment necessary to clean contaminated concrete may not be readily available, so you should consider a professional painter, to do the work, if this describes the surface you want to paint.

Porch & Floor enamels are formulated to withstand weather, and normal foot traffic wear, on wood and concrete. They come in both oil-based and latex formulas. At this point we must emphasize that surface prep must be stressed so that proper adhesion is achieved. If you are painting an un-painted concrete floor, then a commercial acid-etch solution must be used.

Do not use a primer on floors. Instead, thin the paint coating so that the first coat can penetrate the surface. Then apply a full (un-thinned) coat of paint. Consult with your paint store professional and follow the label instructions for maximum product durability and personal safety protection. Wood floors must be clean and free of wax. They must be sanded properly to remove the sheen from the floor. The first coat will need to be thinned down so that it can penetrate the open wood grain. Then after that surface is dry, a full un-thinned coat should be applied.

In recent years, a concrete staining process has gained greater popularity called “Acid Stains”. These stains come in many beautiful colors and need only a clean concrete surface to adhere to. The colors can also be mixed on the concrete surface with mops to achieve a beautiful scumbled, or mutli-toned color effect. The porosity of concrete can actually add to the unique ruggedness of stained concrete floors. After the surface is dry, the floor can be easily maintained by waxing and polishing with a commercial grade of floor wax. This will help to lengthen and maintain the life of the stained concrete. When scratches appear they can be easily touched up and re-waxed.

Conventional floor paints work poorly on garage floors. Remember that your car tires get hot as the car is driven, and when the hot tires are exposed to the normal floor paint, the paint sticks to the tires and is lifted off. An epoxy floor enamel is normally recommended for garage floors. A product like Insl-x “Garage Guard” would be recommended for garage floors.

IMPORTANT SAFETY TIPS:

• Many gloss floor paints are slippery when wet, and a non-skid additive should be considered to prevent slips and falls.
• Read, and follow, all label instructions for preparation, application and safety precautions.
• Be sure to extinguish all fires, and pilot lights when painting.

Click the links below for additional product information on:

Benjamin Moore Porch & Floor Enamel

Coronado Paint Co. TOUGH SHIELD Floor & Patio Coating

Chem-Coat Acid Stains

Please consult with the paint professionals at Texas Paint & Wallpaper for the best results.

DWELL with DIGNITY, in Dallas, has graciously spotlighted Texas Paint & Wallpaper, as one of their sponsors, from their DWELL with DIGNITY Blog.

We appreciate their acknowledgement of our contributions, but we can’t help but point out that we feel that it is our honor and privilege to be a supporter of this very esteemed organization.

Dallas’ DWELL with DIGNITY is a non-profit group consisting of interior designers and volunteers who are dedicated to creating inspiring homes for families who are struggling with homelessness and poverty. They provide and install home interiors for families that include furnishings, art, bedding, kitchen supplies and food in the pantry.

“Dwell with Dignity’s mission is to help families escape homelessness and poverty through design; one household at a time.”

Their worthwhile efforts are a truly fresh and inspired approach to the age-old issue of homelessness and poverty that inflicts itself upon families. The intended results, by DWELL with DIGNITY, are to lift up and inspire these families by creating a change in their lives, especially the lives of the children, by exposing them to a new “outlook on life”.

If you would like more information about DWELL with DIGNITY, or more importantly if you would like to underwrite financially, or volunteer with your talents on their next project, please visit their website and click on the “You can Help!” link.

You can also follow DWELL with DIGNITY on their Facebook and Twitter pages!

Access our mobile website from any internet enabled cellphone, or smartphone browser. There’s no app to buy, and nothing to download. We’ve provided basic and important contact information about each of our store locations, so you can be about your business instead of spending your valuable time looking for our’s.

We call it our “On the Go Info” — where we’ve listed our phone and fax numbers, store hours, convenient driving directions, as well as an easy to read map to find our store locations faster and easier to save you time and money. Smartphone users will also appreciate the quick Touch & Dial* feature by simply touching the phone number on their screen.

TexasPaint.mobi is simple and quick to use, and just one-more reason why Texas Paint is working harder to earn your business!

The 100 Clear as a sole finish coat will protect wood from deterioration and will allow the surface to gray naturally. If you want your wood to maintain its new appearance, you must use one of the colors (see examples below). Always check color prior to application for desired look.

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By Gene Lemons – Texas Paint & Wallpaper

Do you need a jump-start to decorating your home for the New Year?    

Are your walls color deprived?    

Then you will want to see the all new Envision Color 2011™ paint color samples, and the room use examples from Benjamin Moore Paint Company. 

You will see a fantastic selection of dramatic paint colors, playful color hues, and creative painting techniques that will inspire and challenge you to use color in an entirely new way in your home, or office environment. Painting walls is the most simple yet vital and versatile part of your overall decorating, and it’s an inexpensive way to freshen up your home, or office. 

You might even be a little surprised about the Benjamin Moore color designer’s forecasted color of the year — Vintage Wine #2116-20.    

Benjamin Moore states that it was - “First seen on the fashion runways of New York, Paris, and Milan, this rich hue with a deep brown base and a hint of smoky violet is just as magnificent in the home.  As an undertone in many of the latest wood finishes, leathers, and other textiles, vintage wine, and its lighter variations, will make a great paint color pick for many applications over the coming years.”    

Color is back in season, and in a very big way for 2011.

Three colors that we want to make note of are: 

Grape Green #20727-40: Think of the uniqueness of nature’s creation. The anticipated first, fresh taste of spring’s harvest of grapes from the vine. Grape Green is part of the Benjamin Moore Color Preview collection of 1,232 colors. Pick Grape Green as an accent color, or for those most emboldened as an entire room. It will excite and illuminate your world. 

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Royal Flush #2076-20: A color that demands to be used as a playful and vibrant fuchsia. If you want bedroom, or living room walls that refuses to just sit there… and you want your walls to punch back, then Royal Flush is your winning hand. For those who truly dare to be different consider using Royal Flush as an entry ceiling color. Royal Flush is also part of the Color Preview collection of colors. 

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Hush AF-95: So you say you’re a little overwhelmed with color right now… OK, let’s Hush things down a bit and start harmonizing the rest of the walls. Don’t call Hush just another beige though… it’s much more quiet than that. Think of it as a soft whisper that combines with your accent colors to give an entire room a respectful tone of solace. AF-95 Hush is part of the Affinity collection of colors from Benjamin Moore. 

Look over the entire collection of Benjamin Moore Envision Color 2011 paint colors and then drop by one of your local Texas Paint & Wallpaper store locations to pick up a sample to try out on your walls today. Our paint professionals will be happy to assist you in coordinating the colors that will enhance your lifestyle and environment.   

Hurry in today, before your best friend picks your color first!

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Updated April 5, 2011 – See below.

A world-wide shortage of raw shellac resin is really bugging the paint industry and causing price escalations that we have not seen, in the paint coating industry, since World War II.

Shellac is a natural resin secreted from the female lac beetle during their mating season. This secretion is gathered from trees, branches and leaves, which are primarily located in the south-east Asia nations of India and Thailand.

Shellac is used in a number of specialty convenience products which are then used by consumers world-wide.  Some of the uses of shellac include products produced for nail polish, paint coatings, food processing, medical equipment use, ink products, and many other applications. Although the shelf-life of the raw shellac flakes are indefinite, the shelf-life of liquified shellac is not as long as other paint coatings made from vinyl, lacquer, or other more synthetic resins. So, “stocking-up” while supplies last may not be the best idea.

Although world-wide demand for raw shellac has risen, there doesn’t appear to be any “one thing” that has caused the shortage of raw shellac resin. One possible reason given for the shortages is that the beetles are being disturbed by human encroachments into their normal mating areas.

In its raw state, shellac is an amber flake that can be liquified into a paint coating, which can then can be applied to wood surfaces, to provide a very long-lasting protective film.

As costs continue to escalate, we anticipate a very unstable pricing market for the products we sell which are made from shellac. These products include clear and amber shellac coatings as well as shellac based primer-sealers.

While shellac has served the paint industry very well, keep in mind that there are a number of other paint products that can do many of the jobs that shellac can do.

• Varnishes and lacquers will provide a beautiful long-lasting clear finish for hardwood floors, cabinets, doors and other wood surfaces that require a natural finish.
• Water-borne and alkyd-based primer-sealers can provide the same sealing power of shellac over most stains and smoke damages.

Give us a call to discuss the “Bug Free” options we can offer you at your local Texas Paint & Wallpaper location.

Updated April 5, 2011

Of all the articles that we have ever posted, this one article has garnered the most attention from our local paint customers, from other paint stores across the country, and even overseas.

Many of our customers wanted to have more specific information about the Shellac shortage and its possible consequences to their paint and wallpaper contractor business.

Mr. Lyle Allen, the Director of Sales – Paint Channel, for Rustoleum Sales Group, was very kind to answer our questions about their Zinsser Brand of Shellac products.

Texas Paint: “What is causing the shortage of raw shellac resin?”

Mr. Allen: “Shellac is produced from a resin of natural origin, harvested primarily in India and Thailand. There, shellac resin is secreted by the tiny “lac” insect as a protective shell for its larvae, and deposited on trees. Once the insect’s life cycle is complete, the dried shell remains – thus the name shel – lac. The dried secretion left on the tree is called seedlac, the base material that after refining and processing becomes flaked shellac.

Market pricing for seedlac is determined by the amount/quantity of the annual harvest for a particular year. However, we have now experienced 3 straight years in the decline of the annual seedlac harvest, with the 2011 harvest prediction looking very grim.  As a naturally harvested product, in the past seedlac demand has been affected by weather (Typhoons in the 1980s drove prices up over 130% in a five-year period) and even transportation worker strikes.

Since 2000, environmental changes have decreased the available supply of shellac. Pesticides in farm use can disturb lac bug reproduction. In addition, the economic boom in China has made Southeast Asian trees very popular for lumber harvesting challenging regeneration. Rust-Oleum has tried to maintain heavy inventory of seedlac to minimize the impact of low harvest years. Unfortunately, those reserves are gone.”

Texas Paint: “Will this current shortage of shellac resin be for an extended period of time, or will it be short-lived?”

Mr Allen: “The supply and demand for naturally harvested crops like seedlac can have immense fluctuation.  Our hope is that the situation will improve. However, we are preparing for the long-term by evaluating alternative formulas including those that use less seedlac without performance compromise.”

Texas Paint: “Do you expect shellac prices to continue to escalate, and for how long?

Mr. Allen: “That is hard to say, but again, we are preparing for such difficult situations by working on alternative formulations.”

Texas Paint: “Will the shortage force new research into new formulas and products that will produce the same results that we have depended on shellac for, for so long?”

Mr. Allen: “Shellac is iconic to the Zinsser brand (whether clear Bulls Eye Shellac or pigmented like BIN Primer), and its performance is unmatched in the coating industry. While shellac is part of the Zinsser brand’s heritage, innovation is part of Rust-Oleum’s. Whether alternatives can equal the current shellac standard is yet to be seen. If it can be done, you can be sure we will be the ones doing it.”

We want to thank Mr. Lyle Allen for taking the time to respond to our questions.