1. Do you give free estimates? Can you give me an estimate over the phone?
We give free estimates if we can meet with the decision makers at the property.  We do not do drive-by estimates. Estimates depend so much upon the estimator's clear understanding of customer's expectations & notions (i.e., degree of preparation).

Please be ready to interact with our estimators on the phone when you call for an appointment. We want to see if we are a match, before we waste your time with an actual inspection of your home.

If you have no idea of costs, we can do a phone estimate, which is more of a budget conversation as to rough cost.

2. Do you do small paint jobs? I have a powder room I need painted.
We paint homes in Northern Virginia, both interiors and exteriors.  Our particular strength is delivering large paint projects in a timely, efficient manner. Our customers hire us because they feel they will experience a professional, painless painting experience. It is hard for us to do projects under $2,400.  We are trying to educate homeowners that it is not practical or cost effective to do small jobs, e.g. one room at a time.  Homeowner can save through economies of scale, if they will try to bundle their painting needs together and make bigger projects. 

A $2,400 job is a job for 2 men for 2 days.  If a job is specified for 2 coats of oil paint, the job will require 2 days, because the first coat of oil needs a day to dry before applying the second coat. Wallpaper stripping also requires 2 days. The walls need to dry for a day before it can be primed. 

3. How much lead time do you need before you start the job?
We are considered a large company in the area of residential repainting. We currently have 5 teams made up of painters and carpenters. This allows us to schedule jobs sooner. Most residential repaint companies have 1-3 man operations and get quickly booked months in advance. A company like ours is more likely to be able to schedule a paint job, which has a time restriction such as having painting done between settlement and when the movers come with the furniture.

4. Can your painters speak English?
Our painters speak English.  We are aware that most homeowners feel uncomfortable having painters in their home that they cannot communicate with.

5. Can you help with color selection?
Yes.  We have access to an excellent color consultant.  Colors are so subjective; it is a good idea to get professional assistance.  We want to break-up the farce Norman Rockwell, the artist, depicted in his picture of a homeowner and a painter trying multiple samples on a wall. Our color consultant has a wonderful sense of how colors complement each other. Our first experiences with her were on the exteriors of homes.  She has a real skill when it comes to harmonizing the fixed colors of the roof, brick, front doors, etc, when picking a trim or siding color. 

6. What's the difference between eggshell and flat finish?
An eggshell wall finish is very close to a semi-gloss finish.  Some people use the term interchangeably to signify a neutral off-white color. A true eggshell/satin finish can raise havoc with a paint job if its shortcomings are not understood. Eggshell wall finishes are promoted by paint manufactures as a finish that mother's would like--to wash little hand prints off the wall!, but in truth, eggshell wall finishes are harder to touch-up if they are burnished or scuffed.  If the issue is ease of maintenance, use flat paints on the walls because you can touch it up, whereas with an eggshell/satin wall finish you have to repaint the entire wall. The exception to the rule is bathroom walls and kitchen walls where water can get to the wall.

Specifying eggshell/satin wall finishes on a remodeling job can cause nightmares. We have had to repaint all the walls when other trades scuffed up the walls. 
   
7. Does your company do carpentry repairs, for example, replace rotten wood or install new crown molding in the dining room?
We do offer carpentry services that are required in the course of painting such as the above examples but we are not a handyman company [do small jobs], so we typically won't replace that cabinet door that has fallen off its hinges in your kitchen!

8.  Does your company remove and hang wallpaper?
Yes we do.

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