My new condo needed to be re-painted because I wanted to get away from the look of a typical builder beige box or what I call the Triscuit Look (like the biscuit). I called a few painters and eventually settled on Kerry from Budget & Save Painters because he replied (this is important if you remember the trades shortage of the mid-2000s) and was candid in his conversations with me.
The open-floor plan condo is 1,070 sq feet and was painted with Farrow & Ball in the living/dining area, bedrooms and bathrooms. The closets were painted with General Paint (to match a litre of Benjamin Moore Aura). Four (4) paint colours were used throughout the condo (shades of gray and a light blue).
Overall I am very pleased with Kerry's work and attitude, specifically:
(1) He used 3 rolls of tape, took out all the covers of switches and outlets, and followed existing lines to ensure that paint did not bleed and the walls-ceiling-baseboards-casings had straight lines. In some areas, he corrected the lines the previous painters had done in order for it to look right. The paint job looks very polished.
(2) He used only as much paint as he needed. This saved me money - Farrow and Ball is very expensive paint (more so than Benjamin Moore's Aura line) but the look and colour are fantastic. I also don't have gallons of paint hanging around my tiny storage room.
(3) Even before he saw the actual condo, Kerry visited the show home to give me a quote. His revised quote was very close to the original and he gave me ideas on how to shave costs without sacrificing quality. My original estimate of the paint job was less than Kerry's but seeing the work itself makes you appreciate the time, detail and expertise that goes into painting. The money may have been more than I expected, but the result made up for it.
(4) He originally quoted 5 days to do the work but he finished in 4. This allowed the paint to cure properly over two days before the closet company came for their installation job. The installers were happy they had dry and even walls to work with! Time is money they say - that also applies when you have a tight schedule and have trades coming in one after the other.
(5) Kerry takes pride in his work and wants you to be happy. I am a details kind of person and Kerry worked to refinish the areas that I noted without complaint. We had a mis-tint with the paint and although this was not his issue, Kerry re-painted a few walls because he knew leaving them uneven would bother me. He also gave me tips on how to deal with the Farrow & Ball dealer, and volunteered to be available to speak to them if needed.
I highly recommend Kerry's services if you need a good painter. He is very easy to deal with, works hard and fast, and take pride in his profession. Five stars all the way!
