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Project Portfolio

2012-04-02T02:58:00Z

Beginning in 2003, when we completed the sanctuary portion of St-Augustine's Church, I developed an increasing desire to find larger and more difficult projects. Heights and the constructing of Scaffolding have always been a passion of mine and since the business of painting is what i've become an expert at, the two merged perfectly with the projects of churches. They vary dramatically from one to the other and there are no set rules or blue prints on how to complete them. An ability to think quickly and to make safe and practical decisions are the difference between being on-time or having an upset client.

All of the following were completed within 10 days of the start. None of them ever had any more than 7 employees, with the least having 4. Our clients proclaimed us miracle workers, but i think we just always had a sound plan that was researched and backed with years of experience. But most of all, it was fueled by passion and that always wins!!

Enjoy!

St-Anselme's Parish Church Spring of 2011

Before Pictures. Sorry for the low resolution of this one. The church is primarily white with blue and darker blue accent mouldings. All mouldings are on average 8 inches wide pieces of moulded wood. Some of which were metal flashing and some plaster.

A better view of the before (in progress) picture. At this juncture, we had 3 shades of colour on the ceilings. A dark ivory on the main areas, trimmed out with a caramel like brown for the mouldings and a darker brown for the mid-wall mouldings and column caps. The front sanctuary ceiling contains a 4th colour for its primary ceiling colour (a lighter off white).

The finish product, which is not done much justice by this picture. The blend of all the colours makes for a very bright and spectacular contrast. The statues on the walls and the thousands of feet of moulding stand out so much better. Everyone loved it!

St-Augustine's Church, Fall of 2005.

The incredibly smoke stained ceilings were the primary reason for this projects existence. Years of burning candles and oil heat left the ceilings, which are well out of reach of anyone, very dirty. 200+ gallons of paint were needed to coat them properly. Each section of scaffolding spans upward 5 feet. Notice how it's still 1 full section away from the top.

The after shot is very telling of how clean and bright the new paint looks. Unlike the before picture, this picture is from the front and looking to the back of the church.

St-Dunstan's Parish. Fall of 2010

A very low-light shot of the before picture. For obvious reasons, this church needed a colour makeover. The lights hung so low that the upper portions of the ceilings were permanently dark. The previous colours were dark and unreflective of the light. This was our highest and most difficult of access projects. As you can see, i'm standing at the front of the church. 65+ feet away from reaching the top.

The after shot shows a distinct improvement on lighting. The ceilings were done in a creamy ivory colour, while all the columns were hand painted with a golden yellow colour. Each column needed well over a gallon of paint on its own. Almost 200 gallons were used on both the ceilings and columns. Not our most material heavy project, but the heights and sweltering heats at the top, made for it being the most difficult project.

St-Thomas Aquinas, Winter of 2009

This was probably our most dated of colour schemes prior to starting. It was over 30 years since the walls and ceilings had been painted. Overall, it was the easiest access project in terms of height and scaffolding requirements, but due to the extremely dry stucco ceilings and many many back rooms and stairwells, we spent the most man hours and most materials.

The finished product. Again consistent with the brighter main colour and the more golden of colours for the accents. it truly ended up making a significant difference in appearance. Everyone loved it and felt it to be a much more welcoming environment to be in.

More projects will be uploaded soon. But these are obviously our most difficult ones and thus our most cherished accomplishments.

It's worth noting that these projects are few and far between, the bulk of our work remains residential repaints and will always be the main focus of the business.

After these pictures, do you think we can handle your property? Give us a call, you won't be disappointed!

Why PrimeX? (Spring Flyer)

2012-03-23T00:26:00Z

Why use PrimeX has become a great topic of conversation, especially at the most recent Calgary Home and Garden show. Lot's of people gathered around as we told the story of the painting company who dared to be different. It all started with a belief that hiring a company shouldn't involve creating work for the homeowner. So we decided to put forth an initiative that would see the project start and finish with as little impact on the clients lives as possible. What this boils down to, is that you come home to a clean house every evening of the project. Never will you have tools or drop sheets or even dust laying around. We will fully clean, vacuum and even mop your floors before we leave. That way, you can truly feel that you have left the 'entire' project in the hands of someone committed to making your life easier. You can trust us when we say, we are in the business of building happy, raving clients. Long term relationships and satisfied clients makes us what we've become over the last 11 years.

Are you being treated this well?

About PrimeX

2011-10-03T15:52:00Z

Our passion is paint.
PrimeX Painting founder Frank Legacy began his love affair with the painting trade at age 16 when he painted a local high school with his father in his hometown of Campbellton, New Brunswick.

In the summer of 2001, he established his painting company in Moncton following his graduation from Dalhousie University. He thought it would be a great way to combine his business and painting skills. That first summer job, although starting with no crew, no tools and no vehicle, was enormously successful. It steadily grew into a company with several employees, enjoying annual sales of roughly 1/2 million.

Frank credits his company’s success to providing a timely, consistent product, delivered by an organized and well-trained team. PrimeX employees are great people who share the founder’s passion for paint.

PrimeX serves both commercial and residential customers with proficiency, courtesy and professionalism. They work in all forms of residential re-paint (both interior and exterior), new construction and other unique buildings with specialized needs, such as churches.
Now celebrating 10 years in business, the company recently expanded its services to Calgary, Alberta, an exciting city that provides plenty of new opportunities for team members to work and play.

PrimeX prides itself on building and maintaining friendly relationships with its clients and looks forward to building new ones in the great city of Calgary and beyond.

Are you ready to challenge us with your painting project?

You golf, We paint!

2010-04-20T12:52:00Z

There’s no doubt about it—you appreciate quality, professionalism, efficiency and workmanship. We know, because you’ve been telling us.

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It gives us great pleasure to hear from our clients, especially when they tell us selecting PrimeX for that looming paint project was the best decision they ever made. “When friends and family comment on how great our house looks,” you’ve told us, “it just reinforces our satisfaction. We’re really proud of the work you did. Thanks.”<o:p></o:p>

You’ve also reported that even though you were doubtful at first, contracting the project turned out to be a painless procedure. Our clever staff was quick, courteous, trustworthy and efficient. You were pleased to find their work didn’t interfere with your day-to-day lives, so you looked forward to the job rather than dreading it. You were relieved to find your home and belongings were safe and secure. <o:p></o:p>

At PrimeX, we’re excited about such feedback, because it means we’ve reached our goal to develop an efficient work process. Our excellent staff provides clients with a safe and pleasant experience. So, our hard work has paid off with great results!

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With this idea of trust in mind, we’re happy to announce the launch of a new advertising campaign. You might see it if you’re on the golf course this summer. Our new slogan, “You Golf, We Paint!” encourages you to trust us with that overwhelming-but-necessary paint project, so you can focus on other important things, whether it’s golf or something else. No matter what fills your day, you can concentrate on your tasks fully, knowing PrimeX Painting is making your commercial or residential project perfect. <o:p></o:p>

See you on the course!

Painting of Vinyl or Aluminum Siding

2009-02-17T19:00:00Z

After a conversation with a friend last night, I came to a stark realization about the painting of Vinyl or Aluminum Siding. Here's the realization, most people think they are doomed to replacing the entire product when they (1) don't like the colour anymore (2) feel the product is faded or (3) just think it's time for a change. You CAN paint this stuff, and not only can you paint it, it's actually a perfect surface to paint. The design of the surface (etched patterns) and the product (Vinyl or Aluminum) are both very conducive to allowing paint to bond extremely well, with little to no chance of it ever peeling. The bonus part is, it costs around 30-40% of total replacement cost. So, how do you do it, and what do you use. Here's a free lesson on the painting of Vinyl siding.

First, and most importantly, you need to wash the surface clean of all residue. Not only is dirt a factor here, but chalk is also. If you happen to run your hand on the surface of older vinyl siding, you'll notice a powdery residue on it. This is a result of the pigment in the surface failing over the years. It's important to get as much of this stuff off as possible before applying any paint. The easiest way to do this is with a high pressure washer. Preferably over 2500 psi. A solution to be used to wash the surface is commonly TSP, Bleach and detergent (dish soap). The TSP and bleach will act as harsh cleaners to get the dirt, grime, mildew and chalkiness off. The detergent basically serves the purpose of creating soap suds to allow the cleaner to be a little frothier to hold on to the surface. Once you have applied this and before the sun dries it completely, a pressure washer should be used to power rinse it all off. This should be done slowly to make sure to wash as many areas as possible. After the cleaning is done, a 100% acrylic latex paint should be used to paint all vinyl areas. An important thing to note is the colour you are thinking of using cannot be darker than the colour of the existing siding (moreso for Vinyl Siding). Vinyl siding is only rated for a certain amount of UV exposure and if you darken the colour, it will attract more UV rays and buckle the siding under the more intense heat. Talking to a trusted paint retailer directly will help you understand your options. Once this is decided, apply two coats in the shade (avoiding direct sunlight to slow drying times) and enjoy your new found siding. Your neighbours won't know the difference between painting and replacing. Unless they watched you do it.

If you don't want to leave your colour selection and the ultimate fate of your house to a big box store, call us, we'll help you along.

Selecting Paint Colours :-( to :-)

2008-10-23T11:08:00Z

One of the most common questions I face when doing consultations with clients is the one about colours. The underlying question is always the same: “Did I pick a nice colour? Do you think they work?”

Well here is the answer to this question for everyone. It never matters what colour you chose. That’s right, it doesn’t matter. What matters are the accessories you have to go with these colours. The accessories are what bring out the colour in the wall. Therefore, you can have the most common colour used in the world, but if your accessories are geared towards a different colour, it will look bad. Here is an example that I think will stand as a great indicator forever. I had a client paint her living room and family room in a bright turquoise and purple (and I mean purple, very Barney like). When we put the paint on, I remember the builder and the workers around the area saying “Wow, that’s a horrible colour for a nice house like this.” This remained the opinion for the remainder of the construction period. Although, once we finished the painting and the client moved in the furniture, everyone changed their opinions. All the furniture was white leather, with a large white mantle around the fireplace, the artwork on the walls all contained subtle hints of the wall colours and the whole thing “Just Worked”.
All of this to say, the question of “is it a nice colour?” has no backing…it’s all about the accessories.
Hint to Husbands: If you’ve paid attention while reading the above comments, you’ll have figured out something really important…Changing a paint colour is not costly, changing the accessories around it, could be significant…Keep your chin up!

What colours would you love to see in your home? We'd love to know...

New Construction Procedures

2008-10-22T15:31:00Z

Preparation Crew: This is a very important stage of the work as the skeleton of the project is created. The crew always begins with making sure the site is clean and free of dust. We then spray all primer, sand all walls and prepare for the spraying of the trim, doors and closets. After all this is done, the prep crew will remove all tape from hinges and plastic from windows, make sure all the walls are sanded and leave the area clean for the 1st coat crew to come and paint.

First Coat crew: Although the job of the first coat crew is, like the name says, they still take responsibility for checking over the areas done by the prep crew. A second set of eyes looking over the job helps make sure fewer mistakes are made. When really dark colours are used, the crew will place two coats on areas that they feel will require a third coat at the finish stage.

Stair crew: This crew is responsible for staining and varnishing of the stair systems. Staining is only required when the stairs are to match the colour of the hardwood (which has been stained). Once this is done, the varnishing can begin, we use one of two systems to get our three coats of varnish on. A spray application of a lacquer based product for the first two coats, with one coat by hand done after all the painting has been done, to ensure that no scratches or damage has been done to the stairs and also to ensure that no dust is stirred up during the final application. The second system has the crew apply three coats of the finish product by hand. This takes more time, but is sometimes easier to schedule around other trades.

Second coat crew: This is the most important stage as it will be the last team to have a part in the finish product before it is handed over to the client/contractor for closing. This stage always starts with the inspection of all trim and walls for imperfections that may cause the finish product to suffer. Once all the walls have been checked and the repairs of imperfections done, they apply the last coat of fresh paint and walk out so that the client/homeowner can walk in.

Painting 101

2008-06-09T17:25:00Z

As we all know, painting is a pretty common home improvement topic. Although it is one of the simplest things you can do to improve the look of your house, it can be overwhelming when it comes to doing it right. I often find myself answering questions from clients and having to correct the advice they received from some of the big box stores. Be very careful when taking advice from a staff member at one of these stores. More often than not, they haven’t swung a brush for anybody but themselves. Some generic information can cause you extra time in labour and extra costs in dollars. Our advice is always free and always double checked for accuracy. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find someone who does. And ultimately, you can bet that your trust in me is my utmost priority.

Problems can range from product selection to tips on application. The most common mistake is often tied to the gadgets to use. Most of these self manifested "do it yourself" gadgets are not worth a dime if you want a quality job. We have tried and tested all different models and have found that they all fail in one way or another. The fact of the matter is, the painting trade still boils down to a person, a brush, a roller and a steady hand. That’s It!

What Painting Questions do you have?