This beautiful home received one heck of a lasting paint job… 23 years ago! Last year, the homeowner Marci Koman decided it was time for a new, beautiful refresh. Her first step was to go to her local paint store to get some color advice from paint store employee and friend, Wendy Weary.

Aumen’s Paint Store is a second-generation independent retailer, foundec by Vic Aumen in the late '50s and is currently owned by Richie and Anne Hench. Weary works with her nephew, Derek Hench who manages and runs the store. This neighborhood store is a little like Cheers, "Everybody really does know our name, and we are always glad they came,” said Weary. Today, not only do they offer superior paint and supplies to their customers, but they also offer top-notch color consulting services. Weary worked with Koman to help bring her vision to life. They landed on a neutral backdrop for their main colors and then added some really fun color pops.  

With the colors chosen, it was time to find a pro to apply the paint. The homeowner found Just Add Paint through a Google search. She didn’t know it at the time, but she stumbled upon a rare combination of artistry, product knowledge, hard work and even musical talent.

Curtis Tankersley is the owner/operator of Just Add Paint. He painted in his younger years to help pay for college. With his psychology degree in hand and a knack for playing live music, he left the painting field and spent years touring the world of psychology and music careers. In 2005, he realized that he missed working with his hands and started Just Add Paint. The company specializes in cabinet painting, interior residential repaints and custom new builds. The work is done by a small, tight-knit group of employees hand-selected for their ability to work hard and bring a winning attitude to the team. The guiding principle in this company is simple and inspiring: Make customers happy and love what you do. “We take so much pride in the work we are doing, and we go above and beyond to make sure our work is exceptional,” says Tankersley.

When Just Add Paint was approached for this project, they were thrilled by the opportunity to work on a full interior refresh that would include walls, ceilings and trim.

Of course, after 23 years, they knew there would be a fair amount of prep to ensure a successful outcome. Trim all had been previously painted with an oil-based product and this round was to be finished with Benjamin Moore Aura in semi-gloss, so the team took special care to ensure that the conversion was smooth and would last. All trim and doors were given a scuff sand using Festool and Surfprep sanders, then cleaned with Krud Kutter. In addition, everything was caulked, and nail pops and gouges were patched. After that, it was time to paint.

For the walls in the dining and living rooms, the team used Benjamin Moore Regal Select in Lush, and Stonington Gray in the remaining areas. The trim and doors received un-tinted Aura semi-gloss.

“We are fans of Regal Select because it cleans easily and has exceptional hide and build. The application is just so smooth. And the Aura was great for the trim. In the past we’ve used it for accent walls with really deep colors, but for this, it had great bite and coverage, was very thick, and almost felt like oil-based paint when it dried,” said Matt Schmohl, crew leader for Just Add Paint.

When the job was done, the owner was so thrilled she even gave them one more room to do! Now she joins the ranks of satisfied customers of Just Add Paint, and she will even be invited to their annual customer appreciation party, where the Just Add Paint team feeds and entertains them with their musical stylings.