1)  If I contract now, how long until my house is painted?

Answer:   Typically we can complete a job about a week after it is contracted.

2)  What makes your company different / why should we choose you over somebody else?

Answer:  That’s easy – Our Crew Leaders get paid sooner and earn considerably more money when a you the client are happy.  This means they are in less of a hurry and more motivated to please you.  Its amazing how this positively affects quality.  As a note our hourly guys get paid once a week.

3)  What paint to you use?

Answer:  Dunn Edwards and Sherwin Williams typically.  As one of Dunn Edwards largest users of Acri-Flat and Evershield paints we are pleased to be passing both the high quality and great pricing on to you the customer.

4)  Licensed, Bonded, Insured?

Short Answer:  Yes, Yes and Yes. 

Longer Answer:  License is ROC193501 and we pay a small fortune to the State of Arizona every three years for it.  Bonded – yes we are bonded (Though most people don’t know what that means other than its important).   Insured – Yes with several different policies – valued in the millions.

5)  Bob the unlicensed painter quoted the job for less money than you, can you match his price.

Answer:  Sorry,  we can’t.  Doing business legally and ethically costs more money.  Taxes, licenses, insurance, workmen's compensation, sales tax, etc….     The real questions are: 1) What happens if you don’t like Bobs quality of work?  And 2) What if Bob gets hurt at your house while working?  (The answer to that is you are liable and to our knowledge the fine from the workmen's compensation commission is $10,000 – and they do enforce it)

 My recommendation  - Do it correctly, pay fair market value, and sleep well.

6)  Can you estimate the price for me over the phone?

Answer:  Not very accurately.  Its not the square footage that determines the price of a job though this is a factor. As an example, on an an interior paint job items such as how much furniture, how big is the furniture, is there carpet, ceiling height, stucco texture of existing wall, how flat or glossy the existing and new paint are, existing paint colors and new colors, and how much trim work there is all affect the price.  Two homes with the same square footage might vary in price by 350%.   Not a satisfying answer?  Then in short, paint jobs on an interior go from $1 square foot to $3.50  a square foot depending on the many variables.  Each one has to be individually quoted.

7)  How long will my paint job last?

Answer:  A good paint job should last 15+ years if there is not significant abuse by the owner (smoking, pets, kids playing tennis on the side of the house, etc...)

8)  My house is only two years old and the exterior is all ready faded.  What happened?

Answer: Most new homes are made as cheaply as possible, including the paint job.  If the company painting that subdivision is painting 100 houses, and they manage to save five gallons of paint on each house then the owner can afford to go to the Bahamas for his winter vacation.  When a house is repainted the labor is a much higher proportion of the job, and using an extra five gallons of paint is not a big deal (at least to AABrite 24/7).  Especially since the colors are all custom and it can't be used on the next job.  When repainting a house its cheaper to have paint left over than it is to come up short, stop the job,  and have to spend hours buying more (since the wait at the paint store is sometimes 3 hours).  Additionally, in my opinion a reputable painter who is repainting a house will use more paint than the contractor who originally painted it.  Thus the repainted house will stay looking good a lot longer than when it was painted the first time.

9) I had three quotes on my house and one was a lot cheaper than the other two, what happened?

Answer:   Is the cheap quote "blow and go"? (a term for spray and then run away).  Don't know if the cheap quote is "blow and go" - then look at the details of the contract.  Did they write down all of the details regarding what they are going to do?  Typically we have eight to fourteen lines of details in writing on a contract describing what is going to be done.  If its not in writing then maybe they don't plan on doing it even if they say so verbally.  Also as LOTS of unlicensed contractors lie and say they are licensed,  call  the ROC and ask if the contractor is really licensed and if they have a history of problems.   Finally - how did they look, act and present?  Is the low quote from a a greasy guy who smells bad, has on a dirty shirt and is driving a truck that leaks oil all over your driveway?  Do you believe he is going to stand by his work like a professional?  The old adage "you get what you pay for" is true. 

10) Which sheen of paint should I use for an interior?  Flat, Satin, Semi gloss, Gloss?

Answer: They more sheen or luster a paint has the easier it is to clean.  Bathroom and kitchens are usually done in a semi gloss.  Door frames are also usually done in semi gloss.  Ceilings are almost always flat.  Walls in new houses are usually painted flat, but if you have kids then its typical to use at least a satin.  One reason glossy paint is not frequently used in an entire house is the more sheen on a wall or ceiling the easier it is to see a defect in the sheetrock under it.  Its amazing how easy it is to see problems in sheetrock when glossy paint is used so most people avoid it for really big rooms as you see lots of defects.  Summary:

•     Kitchen: Typically semi gloss

•     Bathroom: Typically semi gloss

•     Bedroom, Living Room etc....   Typically flat or Satin

•     Door Frames: Typically Semi gloss

11)  Can I use my credit card and collect miles? 

Yes you are welcome to -  or just get the mileage immediately.  We offer a 2% discount for check / cash payments.  The standard price and the discounted price will both be noted on the quote.

12)  Can I use a credit card check?

Sorry but no.  I've yet to find a bank in town that will accept them as a large percentage of credit card checks are declined by the issuing credit card company.  To my knowledge all other contractors are going to tell you the same thing.

13)  What other costs are there?  Are the material costs for paint, plastic, tape, primer, caulk, etc… included in the quote? 

Glad you asked that one.  As I write this I’m just back from one of those shops that tunes up your car or truck next to the Motor Vehicles Registration building on 22^nd street.  One of my trucks failed the state emissions test and I took it next door to get fixed.  The $60 to $80 fee they quoted me to pass emissions changed to $198 after they started working, and then they wanted $225 more.  I was billed an additional $50 for labor to change a sensor – which I watched the mechanic do and it took less than one minute.  In my opinion this place is a scam.  

So back to the original question regarding what is included in our quote to you?   The short answer is all labor and materials to complete the job we quoted. 

If an exterior paint job was quoted then we provide all labor and materials to paint the exterior body and trim – no curve balls and no oh by the way that was an additional charge.  

Practically speaking only three items come up when we are talking to clients about exteriors – the front door, the security door and the patio.  If the front door is the same color as the house or trim then we will paint it for you as a part of the quote.  If the front door is stained or urethaned then it needs to be quoted separately.  The wrought iron security doors are separate – and we gladly quote them.  Patios are part of the house bid if they are going to be the same color as the house, otherwise we have to quote them and budget time and material to buy another color, clean the pump and spray the patio. 

Conclusion: By being straight with potential clients from the beginning about pricing and work times its easy to complete the job as quoted and on time.  Truth - the easy way for everybody.

With over 1000 jobs completed in the past five years we've never had a complaint with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors or with the BBB. 

Quality work doesn't happen by accident.