Paint Paramedics – Ron Bledsoe, Proprietor & Visionary

in progress - Gesso sanded to show some black.

We applied primer, 2 coats black, then Gesso tinted to orangish brown over black and wet sanded it to show some black, applied satin varnish and a heavy coat of scumble and then gold paint on decorative gold  pieces.

Ron Bledsoe has been painting for over 22 years in the Dallas area. He started out strictly as a residential painter, but has expanded his business to include decorative faux painting.

How did you get started in the faux finishing business?

A friend of mine introduced me to doing simple glazes on walls about 9 years ago. I did OK on the very first project but I got better and better over the years. I have always been interested in learning new things and new trends in the industry. Painting for 22 years can wear you down so I was looking for other things I could do to expand my business.

How long have you been in business?

I started in 1995 for general interior and exterior painting and expanded to faux finishes in 1999.

Your company name is very unique! How did you come up with the name?

My brother-in-aw, Trey, came up with that name. We wanted to be different from all of the other painting companies in town. The name gets peoples’ attention and then they are fascinated with the designs on my company. Also, our name illustrates how we bring ordinary, boring walls and furniture to life - hence the concept of the “paramedics.”  Our name has really helped us get a lot of attention and it’s easy for people to remember us.

What is your specialty?

I always enjoy doing antiquing glazes on cabinets. We do several projects like this a year. Plus, we have been doing a lot of Old World textures using drywall mud and using the Modern Masters Extenders and Scumbles - depending on what we are doing with it.

What was one of your favorite projects?

One of our clients hired a carpenter to install wood siding pieces on the ceiling along with wood trim. We had to use a scaffold to reach the ceiling, which was pretty challenging. We stained the wood pieces first, covered them up, and then sprayed primer and 2 coats paint on the ceiling and part of the back wall with the siding. We dry brushed the glaze on and then removed all of the tape and paper and sprayed the whole ceiling with polycrylic clear coat. It took us about a week to complete this project. It turned out really well and the client got a lot of compliments from friends and family.

What was one of your most challenging projects?

The kitchen project where we did the bricks on the walls using Versiplast was very challenging. We had to play around with colors a bit and I was going through many different paint cans, trying to get the colors right. Finally, I stopped doing that and changed over to using tints which made my job much easier. It took me about 3 weeks to do the kitchen project because I had to do most of it myself. I usually have other folks helping me, but when it comes to these types of projects, I find that I have to work alone because I am just really picky about making sure it comes out the way I expect it to.

What advice would you give a new faux finisher?

For any painter who is just starting out, I strongly recommend that they take a course or two about how to set up a painting business. Then take some basic faux finishing courses the first 1 or 2 years. Focus on what you are good at, build on that, and then add new techniques over time. Most importantly is to always have a learning attitude. Be willing to learn techniques from other faux finishers or instructors. Be willing to accept criticism and learn from it because that’s how you get better. I am always learning new things and I know that it will never stop until the day I die.

What are your preferred products?

It really depends on what I am doing. Mostly, when I am doing glazes on cabinets, I like using the MM Scumbles because I can easily modify colors on the spot when needed. I mainly use MM Extenders for simple glazes but I am also experimenting with other glazes as well. We have worked with drywall mud a lot but have been working on getting clients to try other products like Versiplast, Venetian Plasters, and Bella Sabbia.

To schedule a house call with Paint Paramedics, call their patient hotline at 972-741-4995, or visit www.paintparamedics.com.

There was new wood siding boards installed on ceiling along with wood trim. We stained the wood trim and then covered them up. Applied primer and  painted the siding boards. Used Scumble with Bella Magic to extend drying time  and dry brushed the glaze on the boards. After that, we sprayed 2 coats of clear Polyacrylic on siding and wood trim. Then painted the walls and glazed the crown  molding the same way.

Applied gold metallic, then Bella Crackle - 2 coats, then  trowled Bella Sabbia and glazed with Van Dyke Brown