Thursday, December 15, 2016

Tips for your painting estimate

Tips to make your painting estimate successful

Getting an estimate for any kind of work can sometimes be frustrating and stressful but for our painting estimates we make the process as easy as possible on our end. However the customer still has a few things they need to do.

The most important thing for the homeowner or owner of the property to do is BE HOME.
Meeting the person who will be doing your estimate and possibly the work is so important for many reasons yet every now and then someone else is waiting to meet me who knows very little about the project and most certainly cannot express the expectations of the customer to me.
Without knowing the expectations of the customer the job is ripe for failure.

The second reason to be home is simply you should meet the person doing the work otherwise it is strictly a price issue and we would not be the best fit for that type of work. Anyone can come in with the lowest price on a project, trying to make that a successful one is the challenge when you start to discount and undervalue your work.

We make a policy to not do estimates unless the decision maker is on site and can fully express the final expectations of the work to us. With our company it is more then painting, most companies and estimates you will get will say the same things, how they will apply the paint , number of coats, insured workers but with us you get an experience from start to finish. Someone who will listen to your concerns, answer emails and a very attentive staff.

Monday, December 5, 2016

What it costs to paint your kitchen cabinets

What it typically costs to paint your kitchen cabinets.
We get asked all the time about pricing and more times then not it is about kitchen cabinets.
Customers usually have gone out to find replacing the cabinets with new or faces is not cost effective.
Did you know you can paint your cabinets with a quality paint that is fully washable and as hard as new ones at half or more then half the cost?

Painting kitchen cabinets in the Lehigh Valley is not an easy process for the typical homeowner and not something as easy as it seems. Without the proper prep and procedures you can end up with a mes and a project that will in the end cost more then it would take to hire a qualified and experienced contractor such as Amato Painting.

So let's get down to the process and costs: In the sample above we first start with a wash using the correct cleaners to remove any surface contaminants BEFORE sanding or you will sand the grease and dirt into your cabinets jeopardizing your finish. After this we will lightly scuff or degloss the surface or both. Again we will wash the surface to remove any dust from sanding.
At this point we will use an oil based primer and sealer, should someone in the home have asthma or allergies we would typically use a different product. After priming we will lightly scuff the surface again and apply two coats using the correct top coats chosen for longevity, wash ability and appearance.
The cabinet painting process is not one where steps can be skipped to save money ro to use less expensive products to achieve a lower cost. In the sample above the cost for us to paint those cabinets with us taking the doors to our shop to spray can range from $2000-$4000 depending on the prep work, amount of cabinets, details on the wood, an island or other details creating more prep and finish work. You can most certainly find cheaper pricing but quality does come with a price, if someone ruins your cabinets and they are not insured the cost you saved will be one that will cost you in the end.