Is there a wedding in your future? More specifically, are you responsible for planning a wedding and need to determine the venue?

Do you own a barn?

If the answer to any of these is yes, you may want to consider jumping on the “wedding in a barn” bandwagon that has spread all across Northern Virginia. Old, historic barns have been renovated and turned into delightfully unique wedding venues. Are they successful? Well, try booking one.

That old, weathered barn on your property, with a little loving care, can be transformed into a matrimonial marvel that will impress the bride and groom and become a memorable event for everyone attending. It’s a great idea, but a project you don’t want to take on yourself. You also don’t want to hire a painting service with no or limited experience restoring old, weathered wood.

What you want is the award winning, Reston-based, exterior painting contractors at All American Painting Plus. Our professional painters have significant experience with barn restoration. Just as importantly, the “Plus” in our name stands for our crew of skilled craftsmen who can tackle the carpentry and other challenges old barns present. In business for more than 12 years, All American Painting Plus provides quality, affordable painting services to homeowners and businesses all across Northern Virginia.

Three Steps to Restore an Old Barn

Step 1. The first step in creating your dream wedding venue is planning and evaluation. Our experts will do a detailed inspection of the barn inside and out. If your barn is like others in Northern Virginia, there will be planks that are beyond repair and will need to be replaced. Barn doors lead a hard life and usually will require some repair. Then there’s the color. Red is the traditional choice but think outside the box. Grey with a crisp white on the wagon doors and trim give the structure an unexpected contemporary look. Just the opposite, white with grey trim, projects a chapel-like image. We are happy to assist you in your color selection.

Step 2. The biggest part of the project is preparation of the surface. The first step is to get rid of the old paint, dirt, cobwebs, and other debris and the fastest way to do that is with a power washer. Because the paint on your old barn probably contains lead, we follow special cleanup procedures and possibly wear respirators. After the barn has had enough time to completely dry out, we will attack any remaining paint with scrappers.

Damaged planks are replaced and other wood that needs repair will be dealt with at this point. Finally, all windows, vents, and other openings will be caulked.

The power washer can make quick work of the interior floor and rafters. Rather than painting the interior (although we would be happy to do it) you might want to consider using fabric to cover the walls. At the end of the day you want a clean space that you can transform using flowers and accessories.

Step 3. It’s time for paint, and you’ll need more paint than you might think. Old wood soaks it up so don’t be surprised if you get 300 square feet from a gallon can that says 400 square feet. Depending on the size of the barn, this part will take a lot of ladder work or scaffolding if required. We will use brushes, rollers, and sprayers depending on the condition of the wood. Once that first coat dries, it’s time to apply a second coat. When that dries you can stand back and admire your new barn and start worrying about invitations, chair rental, and finding a discount liquor store.

Painting a barn is a challenge but when it’s complete, you not only have an attractive venue but you have also significantly increased the value of your property. If you would like to discuss this possibility, talk to the professional painting company that has the experience you want. Call us today.