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Prep: Before You Paint

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Are you ready to tackle a new paint project with all supplies in hand? Before you begin, make sure you have your surfaces prepped! We know that prepping is the least fun task of the project, but it is critical if you want a stellar paint job. To help, we have listed prep job steps below to make this step easier and more organized. Let’s take a look!

Clear & Protect the Room

There is no doubt that you will probably spill, step, or sit in paint, so clear out the room and cover items in plastic to prevent them from getting splattered with paint. Look through your laundry room closet and look for old sheets and towels that you can put to good use! If you cannot recycle old sheets, you can purchase plastic drop clothes to help cover your valuables. Move what furniture you can out of the room, or at least place in the center of the room. Cover light fixtures with plastic or newspaper and secure them with painters tape. Do not overlook switchplates and outlet covers; simply remove them and put in a box for safe keeping. Also, remove or cover door knobs and door plates with painters tape.

Revamp Walls and Framing

Look around for peeling paint, and sand it with fine sandpaper. What about old holes from previous artwork? Caulk it, let dry, and sand with fine sandpaper. Now apply primer to the repaired areas and make sure they are dry before painting. By repairing these type of areas, you will completely cover the area instead of highlighting the damage by simply painting over.

Clean Walls and Framing

This step is a must! If you do not clean the area you are painting, the dirt and grease will seep through the new paint and highlight the poor paint job. Begin by pulling out the vacuum. Dust the walls, baseboards, all framing, and doors. Now start at the top of the wall and use a damp cloth and clean in a circular motion working yourself down and across the wall. You may also have to use clear dish detergent and water to clean doors and cabinets.

Painters Tape

After you have thoroughly cleaned and everything is completely dry, start using painters tape for the trim and windows. By using longer pieces, you will eliminate paint seepage. Painters tape is a dream product for painting and can be removed and reattached to surfaces.

Prime

Again, do not overlook this step; it is critical in the overall look of the final paint job. Primer covers imperfections and helps the paint go on smooth and realizes its true color! We start with priming the trim with a brush and finish by rolling the walls. Once the primer is completely dry, begin the final step of painting your amazing room!

As always, we hope this helps, and please let us know if you have any questions below in the comment section.

Special Event Recap

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ICC Home New Showroom Release Event

We would like to say a special thank you to everyone who came out to our special event on Thursday, June 13. We were humbled and overjoyed by the amount of support we received and cannot wait to share our new showroom with everyone who did not have the chance to attend. If you are interested in browsing our brand-new showroom, we would love to show you around and help you find everything you need for your next design project. From countertops to cabinets to paint and flooring, you will find that ICC Home is your one-stop-shop for everything design related. So please do not hesitate to come down and visit us at our Castleton Location, and we look forward to the opportunity to work with you.

Special Event!

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We are incredibly excited to announce our special event next week on Thursday, June 13. During this event, you can come and see our brand new ICC Home showroom. But the fun does not end there, we will have three food trucks serving delicious pizza, mouth-watering bbq, and tasty ice cream as well as a ton of giveaways! With various drawings to win items like free gift cards, gift baskets, a Sonos Play: 1 Speaker, or a flat-screen television, you will definitely not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime event.

We cannot wait to share our new showroom with you and hope you love it as much as we do. So, be sure to mark your calendar for Thursday, June 13 from 4pm to 8pm at our Castleton Location (7226 E 87th St, Suite D1, Indianapolis, IN 46256), and we will see you soon!

How Our Showroom Remodel Relates to You

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We are incredibly excited about our showroom remodel for several reasons. First, it gives us a chance to offer a world-class experience to our customers. In our new showroom, customers will be able to enjoy a one-stop-shop. During your shopping and design experience, we hope to provide you with ease of mind. Our new showroom will help ensure a smooth transition between design projects. You will not have to worry about miscommunication and delays with different contractors because it will all be serviced by our team. The second reason we are excited about the showroom remodel is that we are eager to experience the design process ourselves. While we are all homeowners, it is exciting to come together as a team and unite with one project in mind: the new showroom. 

While designing our showroom, we faced design challenges that would be no different from the ones you would meet in your own project. In fact, we wanted to use those experiences to help guide you on your next redesign. That is why we created four tips for mastering a design project. Whether it be a remodel, renovation, redesign, or a project where you are starting from scratch, these tips are sure to come in handy with your next project. 

Have a Plan, but Try to Be Flexible 

Whenever you begin any type of home project, it is essential to have a plan set in place. With our redesign, we had to work around our installer’s regular work hours. Similarly, ICC Home’s installers will work around your schedule to provide you with the best service. That being said, during a project, we always encourage flexibility. We do not expect anything to happen, but in case an unforeseen circumstance arises, it is important to have a little wiggle room with the project’s timeline. 

Understand Your Wants & Needs

During our remodel, we had to select products that would be set up in our mini “room scenes.” To do so, we needed to understand the different styles and features associated with each product. Additionally, we had to decide which manufacturers to showcase. Similarly, you will need to understand your lifestyle and your family’s wants and needs. For example, if you are designing an active space, you may opt for a more durable flooring or countertop choice. It is important to understand your home’s lifestyle before making a decision. If you are unfamiliar with products that align well with your family’s needs, no need to worry! Our expert sales associates will help guide you to the perfect selections for your home. 

Let Your Space Inspire You

Everyone’s space is entirely different. You will want to hone in on your house’s key characteristics and optimize its architecture during the design. For example, we have a large showroom, and we wanted to showcase several room scenes. During the remodel, we had to work around our space and see what the best layout would be for our project. Similarly, you can use your house as inspiration. Try to balance the design to highlight your home’s architecture while not overbearing the space. It is an art, but it is easier to do, and do not worry; we are here to help! 

Sample Your Paint 

As paint experts, we understand how different a paint color can look in your own home. That is why we recommend taking a sample home and trying it out on different areas of the wall. You ideally want to look at the sample in different lighting and different times of the day. After, you will be able to determine the best paint option for your home. 

In conclusion, you are not alone. Our team of experts is happy to help with any questions you might have because we have been there ourselves. Please do not hesitate to visit one of our showrooms to learn more about the product line. We are open during the remodel. Plus, stay tuned for our special announcement in June! You will not want to miss it. 

Behind the Scenes of the ICC Home Redesign

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As we remodel the ICC Home showroom, we, like many homeowners, face the many challenging and fun aspects of design. While designing and planning our new layout, we needed to focus on making the showroom convenient and easy to navigate as well as beautiful. During this time, we also were in the process of rebranding our image–this included purchasing and designing new store signage, ordering and selecting materials to set up our “room scene” examples as well as picking out what products and manufacturers we wanted to feature throughout the space.

As you may already know, designing a corporate space involves similar aspects of design that you would see in your own home design. During a redesign, you have to pre-plan a lot of features before the work can begin. We had to look at our past experiences and use them to determine what was the correct flooring amount for the project, what features would work well with the other design elements as well as what the timeframe would be. Additionally, we had schedule installers after hours and on weekends for them to install our products.

During this time, we faced design challenges that would be no different from the ones you would meet. We had to determine when to have the floors installed, and whether they should go in before the cabinets or if the flooring would go in after the cabinets. We firmly believe that as homeowners, who have designed their own homes and have been through this redesign experience ourselves, we can help you master any design project. In fact, you will find our new showroom to be very user-friendly. We hope our new showroom provides you with ease of mind while shopping and making your design decisions.

With all of this being said, we cannot wait to showcase our new showroom to you. We hope you love it as much as we do. In fact, we are excited to feature a special announcement in June, so be sure to check back weekly to make sure you do not miss it. Thank you again for your continuous support, and we look forward to the opportunity to work with you in the future.

Five Elements to Consider When Choosing Countertops

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Remodeling your kitchen is one of the most intricate, yet rewarding, renovations you can do for your home’s value. While many decisions need to be made and considered along the way like cabinets, sinks, appliances, and countertops, you will find that all of these elements will play a significant role in the overall design. Not to mention, each one of these choices has a wide variety of stylish options you will need to consider.

At ICC Home, we understand that your countertops need to be a functional part of your layout. Since you will be preparing family dinners, hosting holiday traditions, and entertaining guests, your kitchen countertops need to be able to withstand your household’s daily activities, and we are here to help! When considering countertop options, it is important that you make sure you ask yourself these five essential questions:

Maintenance

When considering countertops, the first thing you should consider is the amount of maintenance and upkeep. Different countertop materials have different levels of required maintenance. While you may be in love with granite, you may not have the time or desire to keep up on the maintenance. If you are looking for an easy to maintain countertop solution, we recommend going with some beautiful yet simple like ceramic tile. If ceramic tile is not quite your speed, no need to fret; one of our expert sales staff would love to help guide you to the perfect material for your family’s lifestyle.

Type

There are many types of countertop options with different benefits. Granite, quartz, butcher block, ceramic tile, and more, all have added beneficial reasons that homeowners choose them. The first thing you should consider is the type that looks the most aesthetically pleasing with your home design. While this is important, functionality will also play a significant role. For example, what are the types of activities your kitchen countertops will see on a day to day basis? If your countertops will be used consistently and need to be cleaned regularly, you may want to opt for an easier to maintain countertop like quartz.

Heat Resistance

Some countertops are excellent heat resistors. For example, you can take a hot pot from the oven and set it directly onto a granite countertop. Unfortunately, you cannot do the same with wood or quartz countertops. That is why you will need to consider if heat resistance is an added benefit you are looking for in your countertops. Many people love this additional benefit, while others it does not matter.

Stain Resistance

Some more porous countertops will allow liquids to penetrate deep into the material and this can lead to unwanted stains. Make sure if you have a porous countertop that you keep up on maintenance and apply a stain barrier when needed. And if you are unsure whether or not the countertop you like is porous, one of our expert sales associates would love to help differentiate the products for you!

Budget

Unfortunately, a significant determining factor for most people is the budget. Creating your kitchen can be a costly investment, and we understand that. Make sure you weigh out the options of different countertops that fit your budget and determine whether or not you want to put more of your investment into other areas of the kitchen.

Luckily with financing options available, your dream kitchen may be closer than you think! Let us help tailor every design element to your needs and make this an enjoyable experience at ICC Home. With our new showroom, you can explore our many countertop options and talk to one of our expert sales representatives about all of your design needs. While in our new showroom, be sure to check out everything you need to complete your design.