You are taking on a project that will improve your property value and enhance your living experience…and may increase your anxiety. Whether you are taking on a small painting project or a whole house remodel, we offer these basic guidelines to help maintain perspective and humor…and get the best results.

Carefully review this list so you know what to expect during your paint project:

1. Perfection does not exist, and looking for it can add to your stress.If you are someone who expects perfection on this or any project, you’re likely to be disappointed often.  Your paint project is being managed by human hands and humans are, well, human. You can trust us to do our very best to create the results you want.
2. Murphy’s Law applies to every project, bar none.  If something can go wrong, it probably will. Stuff happens.   Keeping a cool head and learning to rely on honest and direct communication is the best way to deal with glitches in the plan. It’s also why it’s important to hire professionals to manage your project. We have lots of experience with overcoming the inevitable glitches along the way…so you don’t have to.
3. Communicate with us. Something doesn’t look or feel right?  You’re frustrated that you can’t get to that bottle of wine covered with painter’s plastic? You haven’t seen your cat around for hours and worry he may have fallen into the paint bucket? (kidding!) Talk to your onsite project manager, tell them how you feel and what you need.  And, never hesitate to call the office or the owners to discuss any questions or concerns. We are all here to help you be as comfortable as possible with the process.
4. Delays   Many factors can delay a project, including the weather, material shortages, sick workers, or other unforeseen issues.  Don’t fret, your project will be completed in the order it was scheduled. Rain is the biggest reason for delay of exterior projects. We carefully monitor weather forecasts to determine whether or not to schedule painters on a given day.  Sometimes the forecast is incorrect, which may cost us a day on the project. However, to get the results we (and you) want, we need optimal painting conditions. Try to be patient, and trust us to do our best.
5. Now and then, damage  On any worksite, things occasionally get broken. If you have an irreplaceable heirloom or special family treasure, take the time to move it out of the construction/paint zone. While our employees are extremely careful and, while paint spills and splatter can easily be cleaned up in almost all instances, we strongly encourage you to remove anything of personal importance.
6. Sometimes the swatch doesn’t always match the wall, or your expectations.Our color matching experts are excellent at what they do, but remember rule #1: perfection does not exist.  This is the reason we do drawdowns (large samples of the actual paint drawn down on card stock for color match approval).  The good news is, if the color doesn’t match, we can always change it.  That’s the nice thing about paint J.
7. Interior paint projects can disrupt your life! In order to do the proper paint preparation necessary to achieve an exceptional final result, we’ll cover everything (furniture, etc) with plastic, paper and drop cloths… and keep things covered during the duration of the painting project. If it’s your first project using professional painters, you may be shocked… but you will be thrilled to see the final result. Try to be patient.
8. There may be surprises along the way. Once the project is underway, our painters may discover existing damage or flaws that require attention. Your house may need maintenance that you were not aware of.  Discovery is important, but it’s never the kind of news we are happy to deliver.  When this happens, you can trust us to bring the issue to your attention.  In some cases, we may need to bring in other contractors to fix a problem, which may add additional costs to your project.
9. Occasionally – very occasionally – we miss a spot.Touch-up painting is generally done at the end of the project, during the phase when our expert painters are looking over all the newly painted areas. If, by some chance, you notice something we missed, just give us a call and we’ll come and fit it.
10. We take deadlines seriously, but workmanship is most important of all.Rest assured, our painters are working as fast as they can to finish your project.  Sometimes, due to a variety of unforeseen circumstances (see #9), things take longer than anticipated.  We will never rush a job to get to a deadline, because we know that rushing results in sloppy workmanship.  Be patient.  We pledge to stay on your project and do the job right, from start to finish.
11. Pre-existing paint conditions can be tricky. It is common to encounter old drips and spills on trim or baseboards, left over from the last paint application.  Because this paint is old and set, the process of removing it can be very time consuming and expensive.  In most instances, through careful preparation, we can make it look better or “good enough,” but rarely can we make it look like new unless you are willing to incur additional expenses.
12. Color selections must be pre-approved to assure a match. Your color selections need to be finalized at least a week prior to the start of your project in order to present drawdowns for color match approval.  If you authorize us to begin your project without your having approved the color, the cost of ordering additional paint in a new color will be applied to you.
13. Relax: there is rarely a problem for which there is not a good solution. It is rare that we face an issue that really baffles us, but occasionally it takes a little awhile to find the right solution.  Remember, we are as eager as you are to make everything come out right.
14. Brace yourself for color shock. Once the color starts to go up, so will your anxiety.  This is a normal reaction to change. Take a deep breath.  The first coat rarely looks “right” in the beginning, but 99% of the time clients find it stunning in the end.
15. Sit back and enjoy the process. We hear it all the time from clients: you won’t find a harder working or more highly skilled team of professional painters anywhere.  The work ethic of our team is unsurpassed in the industry, and they are really nice to boot!

The best thing you can do to improve your overall experience of any home renovation project, is to relax and stay positive. Remember, especially during the construction phase, how much you wanted these changes… and that all good things take time.

Here’s to fresh paint!

Nancy