Petoskey Plastics named finalist for Plastics News® Processor of the Year 2016

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This award honors companies with superior achievement among plastics processors

 Petoskey, MI: Petoskey Plastics was named one of four finalists for the Plastics News Processor of the Year Award for 2016, which is sponsored by the Plastics Industry Association. Petoskey Plastics is the only blown film company among the finalists. The winner will be announced in March.

A processor is defined as a manufacturer that forms finished plastics parts. For a private or public company or corporate operating division to qualify for the award, they must be engaged in North American plastics processing for at least the past five years. Candidates were then evaluated on the following criteria by members of the Plastics News’ editorial staff:

  • financial performance
  • quality
  • customer relations
  • employee relations
  • environmental performance
  • industry/public service
  • technological innovation

The accompanying article about the finalists states, “Given Petoskey’s expertise in recycled film products, the judges also were impressed by its technology. Making multi-layer blown film is hard enough, and producing that film with a high level of recycled plastics makes it that much more challenging.”

One customer reference remarked, “Petoskey has a long-term outlook, is a company that forges a partnership that helps solve problems, and it even helps suggest opportunities in new markets.”

Additional information on the award and Petoskey Plastics can be found in this Plastics News’ article in the January 9, 2017 edition:

http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20170109/NEWS/170109923/finalists-named-for-plastics-news-processor-of-the-year-award#tagID_46

 Plastics News is a weekly, 46,000-circulation trade newspaper delivering global news to a primarily North American market. Founded by Crain Communications Inc. in Akron, Ohio, in 1989, it covers the business of the global plastics industry.

Petoskey Plastics is an environmentally focused recycler and plastic film, bag and resin manufacturer providing superior products and solutions. Headquartered in Petoskey, Michigan, the company provides products and engineered solutions for a variety of industries including automotive, industrial, institutional, retail, construction and home improvement.  Petoskey Plastics has facilities in Michigan, Indiana and Tennessee.  Learn more at www.petoskeyplastics.com.

Showtime for Steelcoat®!

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This week’s most recent episode of The Affair on Showtime included a surprise for some of its watchers, and it didn’t have anything to do with a plot twist. During a short snippet of the episode one of the main protagonists could be seen rummaging through the drawers and cabinets in his kitchen. He can then be seen pulling out a blue box from the cupboard and that’s where things got a little crazy… It was a box of Steelcoat® Contractor bags!

A follower of the show already, our very own Nancy deFries, spotted it for us! “It was a split second,” she told me. “If I didn’t work here, I would have never noticed it was our Steelcoat® brand!”

A screenshot of the scene can be viewed below, but if you’d like to watch the video yourself you can watch on-demand by logging in through your cable or satellite provider if you already subscribe to the channel. Otherwise you can sign up for a free trial on sho.com.

Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Home Value

petoskeyplastics DIY Advice

Making a jump into the housing marketplace is an important life decision. It doesn’t matter which side of the spectrum you’re on, buying or selling. For today’s purposes, lets stick to what I feel is the more neglected side; very few of the cable network home shows focus on the seller. Most highlight the process of purchasing and renovating the home of the new owner, not the old.

Let’s play pretend for a minute. You’ve lived in a home that was everything you could have asked for at the time of purchase, but for one reason or another you’ve outgrown it or are looking for a change of scenery. What now though? You love everything about this house, so much so that you haven’t performed the proper upgrades needed to get a competitive price on the market. There are so many things you can change about a home… where do you even start? Although there are many directions you can go on this journey, some research makes it seem like there’s a few items everyone can agree on.

Curb appeal: How does your home look from the street? Is the lawn well kept? Are there shrubs, and if so, how much upkeep to they need? One rule of thumb, and it helps if it’s green in this case, is the less pruning and upkeep the better. Having a tree or two is a big plus as well.

Paint: Take some time to check out what colors are currently trending. If you don’t feel like doing the entire place, see if you can find a color that would suit an accent wall.

Storage: You may think that you’re at capacity in your current living space. You’d be surprised at the different ways you can expand! Check out this link for a ton of new options!

KitchenThis is in my opinion the most fun and could be the easiest. Kitchens seem to have the most bang for their buck. Upgrade some appliances, maybe change the countertop, and voila the whole space is transformed.

BathroomKitchens and bathrooms are very similar; cosmetic upgrades bring big $$$.

And finally, if you’re really feeling up to jumping into the game, taking down a couple of walls can make a huge difference. Current trends in the realty world show that the more open a home is, the more draw it will have.

Mastering Techniques Against Mold and Mildew

petoskeyplastics DIY Advice

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By description mold could serve as the antagonist in a horror movie. It only lives in the deepest, darkest areas of your home. Basements, attics, even crawl spaces are the prime locations for spores to take root, silently taking over the depths of your property lines. As a homeowner, you can take all the preventative measures but at some point you’ll be very likely to come face to face with this foe. Let’s look at some of the best ways to defend yourself from these little monsters.

Before jumping into a task like this, make sure you take advantage of the information around you. If you’re reading this, you’ve already taking part in some research, but don’t stop here. Make sure to educate yourself on the different types of mold and mildew that exist and compare what you’ve found in your home to the many examples at your fingertips. When undertaking a task like this one, take your time and do your due diligence before diving in.

If you determine that your mold issue is treatable in a DIY fashion, there are a few tactics you can use to knock out your issue. If mildew is the problem, you can most likely take care of it with a little bit of soap and warm water. One thing you’ll want to make sure of though is that afterwards the problematic area stays dry… or else you’ll be back to where you started in a short period of time.

Surface mold of the more stubborn varieties can be removed from your home with a mixture of bleach and water. Recommended ratios vary between 1:8 and 1:9 parts bleach to water. However, do not under any circumstances add any sort of detergent or ammonia to it as this can create a very dangerous gas. Here’s another little tidbit; if you aren’t sure if it’s surface mold, dab it a few times with the bleach and water mixture. If the black fades, it’s mold; if it doesn’t, it’s just dirt.

Based on a little research (see links to full articles below), if the area of your mold infestation is greater than 10 sq. ft., I would recommend that you reach out to a professional. At that point you’ll most likely be able to smell the musty odor of the large area of mold and any action would mean complete removal of the affected area.

If you’re set on removing mold yourself no matter what, please take proper precautions by dressing in old clothes that will cover your body adequately, and wear safety glasses, gloves, and respirators to prevent inhalation. When disposing of the removed materials, either heavy duty contractor bags or wrapping items in plastic sheeting do a great job of keeping the workspace tidy.

Here are a couple links to articles that will help if you prefer to do it yourself no matter the challenge:

The Family Handy Man

EPA

It’s Prime(r) Time

petoskeyplastics Painting

Primer: the underappreciated little brother of the much more flamboyant and adored paint. Has anyone tuned into an episode of Property Brothers, or Fixer Upper where they actually mention their favorite type of primer, or discuss its purpose and importance? Paint gets all the hype because it can take a home and transform it by adjusting cmyk values, but without applying primer, paint can’t do its job.

If you are new to the paint world. primer is a liquid substance that readies a raw surface that paint will then be applied to. But what happens if you don’t apply a coat of primer first? Well it does not have a good result, that’s for sure. The possibilities are multi-faceted; one problem is that the drywall won’t seal. Priming drywall will coat and fill any holes or rough surfaces which otherwise would cause paint to dry and finish inconsistently. The absolute worst-case scenario is that the paint itself does not adhere, so unless you want to deal with peeling, you better use primer!

Now that you know primer is highly recommended for any paint job, is there a certain type or brand that you should use? To answer this question I would like to refer to a video by This Old House. Take a couple minutes and check it out before you start your painting job- it’ll be worth your time in the long run.

The Paint vs. Stain. Dilemma

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With election season heating up, we decided to have our own debate over here at Steelcoat. Although I can’t promise the fireworks of our most recent presidential face off, this discussion is incredibly relevant.

Paint or stain… it’s an age old home improvement dilemma to be facing. Furniture, outdoor spaces, and cabinets are just a few items that can completely transform the feel of a house. But how do you choose?

We can probably agree that one of the most important characteristics paint or stain can have is protection. These avenues offer resistance from things rain and other types of weather if you’re looking to use product outdoors. While stain soaks into the wood, and paint sits on top, both can help protect the items you’re looking to cover.

Paint on one hand can be a bit more expensive than stain is, and the process can be more time consuming because it requires the object to be primed before paint can be applied. However there is a larger amount of colors and shades available and paint tends to last longer before a new coat is needed.

When it comes to stain, it requires no priming and is very easily applied. While new coats are needed more often, reapplication is easier as well with minimal surface preparation. Stain is also great if you’re looking to keep the natural look or feel of the wood. The two general categories for stain are semi-transparent and opaque. While semi-transparent keeps the grain itself visible, the opaque variety covers up most of the visible grain, while still keeping the overall natural feel.

With a vast array of stain options from antique semi-transparent white to a rich dark chestnut, the question becomes, how adventurous do you want to be? Stick with enhancing the beauty of the wood grain, or go for something more modern and choose a paint to spice up a room? The choice is yours.

Check out some of these sites if you’d like to explore the subject further:

http://pitneypainting.com/paint-or-stain-what-is-the-difference

http://www.paintquality.com/en/advice-and-tips/faq/exterior/difference-between-paint-and-stain

https://www.houselogic.com/remodel/painting-lighting/exterior-paints-and-stains-guide-options/

Pick Paint Color with Poise

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Do you like DIY projects and doing new things to your house? Then you probably would love to be an HGTV star. From Chip and Joanna Gaines to the Property Brothers, each and every one of us would leave our day jobs if it meant demo day today and interior designing the next.
Unfortunately, not all of us have the means, talent, time, or whatever the reason may be to pull this off. So instead we take pride in our little DIY projects around the house when we can. One of the most common projects we can look to conquer, which can add a whole lot of value to a home is a fresh coat of paint. Everyone knows that paint can take a room from dark and drab to the belle of the ball with a little elbow grease and an accent wall, and it’s not something that you necessarily need to hire somebody for. It’s a doable task as a night and weekend project.
There is reason to tread lightly here though, as choosing the right color can be a lot of pressure. Make the wrong choice and your home may suffer in value.
So how exactly do we know what direction to go? Where should one even start? Well first let’s think about a few color tones to steer clear from. Through quick research I was able to locate shades to stay away from during your revamp. You can find the main article from MarketWatch here.
1. Off-white or eggshell- This first one surprised me a bit. Off-white always seemed to have been a go-to in homes when I was growing up and it always felt like a safe bet.
2. Dark Brown– Makes sense, this color could make some rooms feel like a dungeon without proper lighting.
3. Terracotta– If for some reason you’re set on this, try and make it in as small of an area as possible. When I look at this color I think of the ceramic plant pots you find at Michael’s. Great color for those, not for your walls.
4. Slate gray– This one caught me off guard. But as you’ll see in a second, with gray, it really just depends on the shade.

One last quick thing to let you know before you embark on your next project, if you’re looking for color trends, check out this article from Sherwin Williams that announces Poised Taupe as the color of the year. You’ll see that this color looks very gray. Even though you just read to stay away from a hue like this, color of the year proves that a little change in cmyk can make all the difference.

 

 

How can I Use that? Opportunities Abound w/ High Density Sheeting

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Welcome to our second installment of The Steelcoat Blog. We haven’t received any questions from readers yet, but hopefully they’ll start rolling in soon! Today, let’s take a look at a product that doesn’t get a whole lot of the spotlight in the construction and home improvement world, but can be used in just about any of your daily projects. You have to be wondering what this universal handy commodity is right? It’s none other than some simple high-density plastic sheeting.

You can find it in local mom and pop hardware shops, and big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s, but do you really know how you can use it? If you haven’t before, it might not look like much coming off the roll, but in reality there’s so many reasons to have some on hand.
HD-Uses

Hello and Welcome!

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Hello!
Looks like you’ve made your way on over to our new blog page! That’s great, hope to see you make it part of your online routine. Today’s edition is more about the general scope, or the long term goals of who these posts are meant to serve, and it’s great that you’re reading because you are the audience! -That’s exactly who we want to serve!
As you can see from the website, the Steelcoat brand carries a wide array of products ranging anywhere from kitchen trash bags to high density painter’s plastic. While we love our product and think you would too, advertising is not really what this platform is going to be used for. What we want to do here is answer any sort of construction or home improvement question you may have. DIYers, don’t worry, we have you covered. Even if you’ve been in the business for years and need a little advice on your latest endeavor, fire away and we’ll do our best to find an answer. If for some reason we don’t receive any questions from readers we will then find a topic that we find interesting and relevant to one of the fields mentioned and hope you’ll learn something new along the way.
When it comes to frequency, twice a month or every two weeks will be our starting point. If we get a great amount of participation though, things could change and we may need to ramp it up. So the more you ask for, the more we’ll be able to help!
At Steelcoat, we are so excited for this new way to reach out. We really believe that this blog is a way for us to connect with you all and our goal is to give you the best insight possible on your day-to-day construction and home improvement projects.

Have any suggestions on topics? Email us at: info@steelcoatproducts.com

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