Early Independence Day Statement

The Fourth of July came a tad too early when a man in Florida painted his house’s façade to look like the U.S. flag. Mark Young of the Bradenton Herald reports that it’s homeowner Brent Greer’s way of expressing his dissatisfaction with local officials for telling him how his century-old, two-story house should look.

Greer told the Herald about his frustrating experience with an inspector from the local code enforcement board.

“That’s when he told me, ‘We aren’t done,’ ” said Greer. “He said he had other issues. And keep in mind, this was said during the post-inspection for the tree. I asked what the issues were, and he said he forgot his list.”

Among the issues that were cited to Greer were that his house was not painted sufficiently to “city standards,” and that there were children’s toys in the yard.

Flag Code Compliance

Whether or not this is a violation of the Flag Code, it’s not a major conundrum because you can’t be penalized for it. In fact, if you’ll look at the images of Greer’s handiwork, his flag doesn’t come close to federal specifications. His flag only has 5 stripes out of 13 and is one star short. On top of that, the stars are arranged in equal columns instead of alternating ones of fives and fours.

Accuracy Matters in Patriotic Expression

So, if you want to paint your façade a bright red, white, and blue, the least you can do (to show your patriotism) is to be as accurate as your exterior will allow. Seek help from Albuquerque painting contractors like Andy’s Painting Inc. to get the colors and design right. If the current colors available won’t do, they can mix them up to spec.

Choosing the Right Colors

As there are dozens of shades of red and blue, it’s important for a professional Albuquerque house painter to carry a color guide. The Pantone color system is one of the most widely-used guides in the industry, with over 1,600 hues. Based on the system, the U.S. flag uses a PMS 282 (281 and 288 as alternatives) for blue and a PMS 193 for red.

Respect Through Accuracy

Nothing’s more inspirational than the flag taking the form of something beyond a piece of fabric. You can have it on lapel pins, hoist it alongside other nations’ flags, or make your house symbolize it. Just make sure you show as much respect to it as you would a normal flag by keeping in line with how the forefathers designed it.

(Source: “Bradenton homeowner sends signal to code enforcement that ‘this is America’,” Bradenton Herald, June 4, 2014)