How To get The Perfect Painting Estimate

How To Get The Perfect Painting Estimate

When you think about painting your home or business, the first thing you need is a painter to call.

You ask around or you may Google search or look on social media to find the perfect one.

Once you make your call and a few call you back you make an appointment and that's it.

But in reality, this is the start of a little bit of work you should do to be prepared
for your estimate as a client.

Be Prepared

The painter and estimator also have their work cut out for them, you cannot just show up.
You must be prepared and also prepare your client for this estimate.

Sending information out before the estimate prepares the client for the perfect estimate.

By answering questions before arrival,  you avoid any confusion, while showing
you're an expert.

What questions are asked? Answer them in an email, blog or video

As a client, you must know what you want to have done and be able to
either express it on the estimate or have it written down. 

Not expressing your expectations to the estimator is problem number one
that can come back to bite you. 

Whenever we have an issue on a project is typically comes down to
missed expectations that were never expressed to the estimator.

No Two Are Alike

Do not assume each painting company is going to offer the
same level of service or the same quality.

Do not assume you're receiving the top of the line level of work if it
was not discussed or paid for.

Let me say that again, you cannot expect to receive a new BMW when
your paying for a used car with 200,000 miles on it. 

A budget should be discussed, no one wants to talk about money but why?
It's the perfect time to discuss a budget, you can both agree on what will be done
and not done and how much it will cost.

Once you have met, discussed the budget and expectations of the project,
the best time to make a commitment is now.

Do It Now

It makes no sense to not take care of this now, especially if you have
pre-planned and know how much you can afford.
You do not want to be pressured however and this goes back to be comfortable
with your estimator.

Discuss the price openly, it is not a bad thing to discuss pricing at all,
if you can’t discuss pricing with the person you want to hire, maybe it isn't the
right person to hire?

Once your budget is discussed and the price is agreed upon making
sure everything you discussed is written in the proposal.

This is important for us because our painters get a copy of that wording
and this is what they will do on a project, no more or less, again you want this
to be clear now, not when you have painting happening inside your home.

Once everything looks great, sign the proposal and a copy is typically emailed right over
to you,
now you are set to go on to the next step which is scheduling.
We will review that is another video

10 Free Paint Jobs

10 free Paint Jobs

We are offering 10 free painters for the day for property managers, facility managers or operation managers who have not used our painting services before.

Some companies have not used us or do not know about our services and what better way to find out by trying us with a no-risk,no-cost day of painting? 

Why?

Why not? The facility will get a free small paint job and in turn, when the painting is needed in the future "we just ask to be considered for that work, that is all that's expected" says Ryan Amato

If you already have a painting company and are thrilled with them that is awesome, don't lose them or switch just because of a lower price. But if your not happy or have had issues we would love to be able to show you what we can do for your facility or property

The catch?

There is none, you supply the paint and any materials, we will bring one painter for 8 hours of work, typically a painter can paint the walls of a small 8x10 room, or maybe some doors. We won't be able to do exterior work, epoxy floors or anything other than the 8 hours of work which may eliminate some work, heavy patching. What we suggest is contacting us, we can come out and take a look at the work to show you what can be done or not.

Win-Win

It's a win-win, best case you love us, you get a free small paint job, worst case, you don't and we never have to see each other again and you owe nothing except a little paint, tape etc

Contact us through this link 

The painting business

The painting business

When you think of the painting business you think about the painters who are fly by night, the drinking and the horror stories you hear from your friends and some of those things are true to say the least.

But there are also great people in this industry who are business people, have great families and are awesome to be around so in this blog we will focus on that.

I have the luxury each day to be able to meet all types of people from all walks of life, small business owners, large facility managers, potential clients, and the great ones always stand out.

Just yesterday I was able to meet a former fireman/ crime scene investigator, I noticed his pictures on a shelf and asked and he was nice enough to share his stories with me and you could see him open up as soon as we began talking about it. I could have stayed there all day had I not had other estimates to get to.

New business owners

Last week I had the chance to talk with two painters who just started their own business and to see their excitement in that was awesome, I love to see other people who are inspired and striving hard towards a goal.

Typically I am fending of salespeople who others who are trying to get something from us but even there you have to realize they are just doing their job, it's similar to what we do while trying to find clients and salespeople are some of the best people to talk to, they always have great stories and I do appreciate their hustle, frankly, we are in the same business.

It's not you, it's them

The podcasts and blogs I am able to do I created just so I would be able to talk with people I am interested in and it has been simply awesome, each one has had a uniques story however they all related to one another. Every day remember we all have our goals, struggles, and successes and failures, yes you may run into the occasional nasty, grumpy person, the easiest way to push them aside is to feel sorry for them, they must be very sad to be so nasty to other people,l it's not you, it's them.

Appreciate your daily meetings

Take a moment to realize the great people you meet each day, have gratitude, talk to them, put your phone down and listen to their story. There are so many people that can bring value to your life just by opening up your ears and really listening

Why using subs isn't a bad thing

Why using subcontractors doesn't have to be a bad word

We all have heard horror stories about subcontractors, they messed up our yard, or house or insert any other area of your home or business but the same can be said for employee-based companies as well.

We had been there, 25 plus employees working each day, missing work, calling off, their truck broke down, they have no license or any other excuse in the book. Jobs took forever because it didn't matter to them how prompt they completed jobs, they were paid hourly.

Jobs became longer, schedules compacted onto each other, no one was seemingly happy except for the painters who were making money with no cares in the world until one day when it all changed.

Pay For Performance

We decided to try a production-based pay, now the first thing I knew that would happen is we would lose the underperforming painters, I didn't realize how quick though. When someone realizes they aren't as good as they think I believe the realization the feel hits their ego hard. They blame the company, they point fingers at anyone but themselves, they have zero accountability, for us, this was all a precursor to using subcontractors in our painting business, just like many other companies you use each day such as the cable company, contractors, landscapers, roofers they all may use "subs"

The switch

Once all the underperforming painters were gone it was time to make a switch to using subcontractors, I have to admit I totally changed my perception of this practice from over the years, once I saw there were companies that didn't want to deal with marketing, sales or the other business aspects and solely wanted to perform the work we had a match that was perfect. We are good at finding top talent and making sure they are successful, to be able to do this on your own as a client is a tough task, so we took it all away, we hire, fire, schedule and manage the project, being a liaison between the painters and the client to make sure it is a successful project.

Not always smooth

It wasn't all roses, there were mistakes, bad contractors, jobs that we had to correct just like every other painting contractor.

But what happened is one day we had all these great contractors around us, bringing their positive attitudes, great work and low and behold jobs were getting done at a pace we always expected. Great review after the review came streaming in and in the office, the happiness meter went way up.

Sometimes the preconceived notions about things are completely not true and this was a huge one for us.

The S word

So the next time you hear the word remember it is just a different way to pay someone, a sub receives a 1099 and that is the only difference, you should never feel any sort of different experience when working with any subcontractor, remember they only want to make you happy too. While the other employees are milking the time our subs can come in and get the real work done.

Kitchen Cabinet Painting Does Not have To Be Expensive

Kitchen Cabinet Painting 

Kitchen cabinet painting can be rewarding and change the entire look and feel of your kitchen minus the large expense of totally purchasing new cabinets or refacing them.

With a professional painter who has done many sets of cabinets, professional products and the proper preparation of the surfaces you can be assured your project will turn out the way you want and expect.

Painting kitchen cabinets is the hottest thing right now because it can save so much money, good quality kitchen cabinets are not inexpensive, there is no way to match the cost of painting compared to buying a new set unless you purchase very inexpensive cabinets and then you will have issues of them holding up down the road.

Typical costs of painting your kitchen cabinets can range from $1750 all the way up to $5000 and more depending on the number of doors and drawers, unique pieces such as wine racks, glass fronts or other items as well as the number of colors you are requesting.

It all starts with the estimate, when choosing a painting company to do your work you want one who has done a lot of these, this is not the "let's find the cheapest painter" type of estimate. Your cabinets need to be prepared correctly and they are all different, different types of wood, finishes, all requiring a unique process. I have been in the painting stores watching painters ask the person behind the counter how to paint kitchen cabinets, you do not want that in this case.

Many things can happen with a bad job such as peeling (not chipping) hard to wash surfaces and uneven finishes (sheens) 

With chipping we have to have realistic expectations, we are painting your cabinets and although we use very good products no paint can withstand abuse such as wood rubbing on wood, high use areas such as corners being hit, they will knick and chip but the best thing about this whole process is you can touch them up easily. Hopefully, your painter left you to touch up paint, there is no need to pay someone to come out and do this unless you simply do not have enough time. with a small foam brush or roller corners can easily be touched up.

You do not have to be scared of this process, for a few days of minimal disruption you can have an entirely new kitchen for a very affordable price tag.

Get your estimate here 

Be present on your painting estimate

Be present on your painting estimate

Being present is much more than simply being there, you know you can be physically there but miles away in your mind.

When you call any company to come out and give you an estimate all the want is to be able to give you an accurate cost and possibly do the work for you. 

By not taking this seriously you are wasting their time but more importantly what happens if you actually give them the project to do and you never reviewed all the information with them? You're setting the project up for missed expectations and possible failure.

I cannot tell you how many times I go look at a huge painting project and get little to no information from the client. It makes it hard to give an actually detailed estimate, there are always many follow up questions that could have been avoided on-site and the work order the painters follow is one we made up with this little info given.

This can all be avoided

All of this can be avoided simply by putting your phone down and devoting the 15-30 minutes it takes to do YOUR estimate. Speaking about all the details and reviewing the project onsite.

Remember not every company does things the exact same way.

Here is a video I did on this exact topic

10 Questions With Benjamin Moore's Mark Lipton

10 Questions with Benjamin Moore's Mak Plimpton

I have had the luxury to be able to interview, meet and interact with many great people from all walks of life, from business to sports to entertainment and I wanted to start to bring these discussions to you.

You will soon find out even though we all come from different walks of life we all have many of the same things in common.

Listen in as we speak to Mark about his life, business and family and I hope you can learn a few things to use in your world as well

Podcast

10 Questions With David Galkin

10 Questions With David Galkin

We recently had the opportunity to interview David Galkin of Fish Window Cleaning of the Lehigh Valley's owner David Galkin

I have had the luxury to be able to interview, meet and interact with many great people from all walks of life, from business to sports to entertainment and I wanted to start to bring these discussions to you.

You will soon find out even though we all come from different walks of life we all have many of the same things in common.

Listen in as we speak to David about his life, business and family and I hope you can learn a few things to use ion your world as well

Podcast

Metallic Epoxy Samples

Metallic Epoxy

If you have not heard of metallic epoxy you will soon in our area.

In other parts of the country metallic epoxy is used inside people's homes, in kitchens, on the entire first floor, in garages, stores and more.

It offers a very unique and custom element to any area and brings the wow factor to the space it is used in. WIth any epoxy however you have to know what you're doing and be able to follow very specific details when applying this product.

With metallic epoxy it is very creative and artistic so it does not mean any person can do it, you have to make adjustments on the fly, no two floors or applications will ever be the same for this reason and we prefer to have one person working on the floor at least in the final creative portion otherwise you will end up with two different techniques, this also can be fine too as it is custom.

It is hard to match certain looks on sample pieces unless the person doing the sample also does the application. Many things go into the final look, the base coat, the lighting of the room and the reflection of those lights can also change the look not to mention the metallic pigments will also change, the way your application looks the first day is not what it will look like the next.

Here you can see we had an old table lying around so why not coat it with metallic epoxy?

 We used Armorpoxy of New Jersey high solid epoxy clear along with metallic pigments., at first you can see we disbursed the epoxy with alcohol but then decided to go over it, we added blue highlights with epoxy and white using a spray can and then hand created the final look. You can contact us for any epoxy project you have in mind, we would love to take a look at it

Kitchen Countertops or paint the cabinets first?

We are asked this question all the time and it is a great one.

In a perfect world, everything goes as planned and this is a simple answer.

But as we all know it is never that easy

Even with the most conscientious contractor mistakes happen and small damage can occur such as scratches, dings, and dents, if you refinish your kitchen cabinets first and then have backsplashes or countertops done there is a very good chance some things can happen. 

$$$

When mistakes happen it costs money, it costs money to the painter to come back and do touch-ups and in turn that cost will be given to the homeowner to cover or put in the estimate in the first place to cover these incidental costs so we recommend doing your painting AFTER all other work is complete.

Floors can be covered, counters can also be covered and protected from any damage.

Think about it wouldn't it be great to start and complete a project without having to ask contractors to come back out?

Having your painter do his or her work after all other trades have been in is a perfect way to maintain project costs while getting a top-quality job.

Epoxy Concrete Floor Failures

Epoxy Floor Failures

You need or want an epoxy floor for your business or home and you start to search around, look online and have a few estimates.

What you find is the information you receive may be all over the place but one thing that is more important than the type of epoxy used or who does your epoxy project is the preparation needs to be done and done well and specifically how the epoxy being used mandates.

Read the specifications

With every paint or epoxy, you buy or consider using you should have access to the datasheets an inside those data sheets it will specify the application and preparation methods needed and may even note the CSP (concrete surface profile) level needed.

I would bet some companies you have had out may have never heard of CSP profiles but they are so important to know and must be met so you have a manufactures warranty on your floor.

CSP

Concrete Surface Profile (CSP) is the measure of the average distance from the peaks of the surface to the valleys as seen through a cross-sectional view of the concrete surface. The standards are rated 1-9 with 1 being the smoothest and 9 being the roughest.

The CSP is important to consider when trying to achieve proper bonding of concrete overlays and coatings. Generally, when using a thick overlay, the CSP needs to be higher. When using a coating that is slim, a smoother CSP of 2 to 4 is correct. When using thicker self-leveling and polymer overlays, the appropriate CSP will range from 4 to 6. (ref )

Every person who is coating your floor should know what csp profile is needed and have the csp samples to match up before applying any coating.

Acid Etch or Grind?

When it comes to preparing concrete for a garage floor coating, the best method is to grind the garage floor. One of the reasons for this is that the profile of the surface can be controlled to provide the desired outcome. It provides a rougher and more porous surface that is considered ideal. It will also remove excess laitance that acid etching doesn’t always remove. Link

Remember, acid etching will not remove dirt and oil from your concrete floor. It still needs to be cleaned first. Etching works by reacting with the free lime in concrete. If the concrete is coated in oil or grime, the acid will not be very effective.

The results

So what happens if you do not prepare your floor?

This is an actual site we were asked to come out and diagnose the issue of the previous companies coating, it was pretty easy to tell the floor was installed over an unprepared sealed concrete floor. In this or most any environment, the flor would never work and of course, you get failure.

Not only did they pay the first contractor, now they had to pay us to remove that coating, grind the floor and install another coating, so double or triple the original price

Do it right first

Please do the project correctly the first time and save yourself a lot of headaches and money down the road, we have seen it time and time again.

Check out out my video on this subject and hopefully, we can save you some issues

Some of the top painting questions answered

Some of the top painting questions we receive

We receive questions all the time about the painting projects we do. it seems there is a mystery on some things as contractors sometimes can be very secretive and not disclose everything that may or may not happen.

What we like to do is answer every possible question there may be, we have found it solves many issue s that may happen on job sites, reduce missed expectations and create a great template for a perfect project if there is such a thing.

So if you have any questions we have not addressed here we would LOVE to hear them, please send them over to us and we will add them to our list for our next video.

When your receiving multiple bids and speaking to different painting contractors or any contractors for that matter you will hear all kinds of things, from the way they will do your project, how they run their business to the types of products they will use. This is why it is so hard to compare proposals as we spoke about in this blog 

So sit back and enjoy the video we did, we hope it can help answer some of the painting questions that you may have.

Ryan Amato Painting Completes Another Epoxy Floor

We recently had the pleasure of working for a great client Valentino. He was referred to us by another client we did work for two years ago.

Ryan visited Valentino’s home after he scheduled an estimate, upon arriving it was clear the need to have the garage floor done was because he was having a large family gathering and the floor just had not been maintained over the years.

This was an easy floor to solve except for one thing, he needed it done within a week of us doing the estimate, that presents a few issues such as scheduling, other projects already scheduled and sourcing the materials.

Everything fell right into place however, it turned out we had an open day before starting two other floors and we were able to fo this floor in one day, it all worked out great. As he was looking for a quick cosmetic coating and with the requests we come back out in the Spring and do a fully epoxy flaked floor, the perfect floor was not his wish this time around.

We still diamond grinded the floor and then applied two full coats of a water-based epoxy to the garage floor, he was so happy he did a video review for us.

Kitchen Cabinet Painting FAQ'S

We are asked questions all the time about the kitchen cabinet painting process and why not? Painting your kitchen cabinets can save so much money vs replacing or refacing them.

At typically more then half the cost you can dramatically change the appearance of your home and kitchen in a few days.

Using the top of the line materials and the proper preparation procedures are vital to this type of painting. You want to make sure the company you choose has a vast knowledge of this process and that includes what to do when something goes wrong. From cleaning to priming and painting there are many steps that can go the wrong way and experience are vital so you can avoid or correct these issues should they happen.

Do you have other questions that we can answer? Please reach out to us Email Us We would love to hear from you and help answer painting questions you may have.

www.ryanamatopainting.com

What happens when it rains for painters?

What happens when it rains for a painter?

Rain happens, it's going to rain that is for sure but what happens to painting companies or any contractor who works on exterior projects?

Managing any schedule for the service industry is difficult to start with, then throw in rain, snow, ice, call-offs and you have a big puzzle to put together while minimizing upset clients.

We realized years ago the schedule will never be perfect and to try to make it perfect will only create disappointment from all ends, you will be upset as the contractor you can't make everyone happy and the clients will be happy as you try to throw painters on every project, when you react like that and make decisions quick you will have projects that are not manned accordingly or with the quality they deserve.

So what do you do? 

You need to manage the expectations of the clients on the initial estimate and keep letting them know how the schedule works, no one customer is more important than the others, some will bark, grumble and groan but as long as they knew the process before they accepted the project there should not be an issue.

We give broad date ranges, that is the only way unless you have an unlimited amount of staff to cover all projects and no one does. By giving broad date ranges you never lock yourself in until a week or so before the actual start date. Even at that point if it rains and a job is ushed back it ushes back all the jobs behind it even if they are interior projects.

There is simply no other way

This is the fairest way for all clients to get their work done in a professional and punctual way while minimizing disruptions. It will still not be perfect and you will continually be reassuring clients how the schedule is going, you must have great communication. The moment a client feels you have not communicated doubts creep in and then you will be explaining things again.

Your price is too high to paint my home ?

Your price is too high to paint my home?

We occasionally hear this when we receive feedback from the estimate that we do and we always caution the price comparison. 

Deciding on price alone monetizes your contractor and makes them nothing more than a number to be beaten by ANY other low number that comes in.

Disregarding their experience from past jobs which enables them to make field adjustments on your projects can be a recipe for disaster.

What happens if something goes wrong on a project or your project, yes it's true many people can paint but a craftsman or woman will know what to do when things change, someone just painting will have no idea how to adjust onsite. 

Will they know the roper dew point to paint? Or the recoat times or adhesion issues? Ho about the proper primer that really will work and perform, not just the one the paint store tells you to use. 

It's your risk

It's your choice and your risk when selecting that low price, sure you may luck out and get a nice job, but what happens if something goes wrong and you have a warranty claim? Will they back it?

What about when you have questions and there is no one to answer them for you?

What about when you ay them but there is still work left, will they show up? Or will they be worried about the next job that has more money in it for them?

Not all low prices are bad

It's true not all low prices are bad but how can you tell?

Paying a fair price to a legitimate company helps pay for their expenses and overhead, it allows them to pay a fair hourly wage that supports their families, it keeps money in the community.

Paying that to any low ball painter that comes along is not a great idea, you drive down the prices companies can get and lower the ultimate quality of all jobs in the area.

We know that is hard to think about when selecting a contractor, but it's true

Just ayign cash to someone does nothing for the area, nothing is being paid into taxes that are used locally to support many great things.

Should you want a fair price and need an estimate please contact us here

Kitchen Cabinet Painting Changes Your Kitchen

Kitchen Cabinet Painting

Have you wanted to change the look of your kitchen and do it without having to renovate your entire kitchen?

Painting your kitchen cabinets can dramatically and affordably paint your kitchen cabinets using a professional painting contractor who has experience painting and refinishing cabinets and has successfully done so many times.

This is not the type of job to take lightly and hire the cheapest price that comes along, sometimes looking for that low price will equal low quality.

Types of products

The quality of the products you use  will make or break your project, using low-quality products will have a direct effect on washability, longevity and the quality of the finish itself (how it looks)
using low-quality paint products can make a surface impossible to be scrubbed or washed when dirt and oils get on it. Remember you're going to be using them every day and they will take heavy use from you and your family. It is important to take this project seriously

Can I do it myself?

Yes, you may be able to do this project yourself if you have good experience painting and repairing surfaces, you still may not be able to achieve the finish a professional would be able to offer not to mention the time it will save you so you can do what you do best. I would take every precaution if you decide to take this project on yourself and do your homework. One wrong move and you could have peeling paint or runs and sags in your finish. A professional will have the experience should somethign go wrong and know how to correct it

Sports Themed Epoxy Floors

Themed Sports Epoxy Floors

Epoxy floors are an amazing way to bring your loyalty to your sports team to life and in the first place, you come home to each day, your garage floor.

You have the big screen tv, the hat, the sweatshirt, the matching socks, and boxer shorts but do you have a custom sports epoxy floor?

An epoxy floor can protect your biggest investment, your home and the concrete in the garage is very important. From all the oil and grease that hits it daily to the hot tires and things being dropped on it, we have seen some concrete floors needing complete resurfacing and that is costly. 

Catch it early

We want to catch this early and protect the concrete and there is no better way than with an epoxy coating and by adding a flair such as your favorite team's colors and possibly their logo embedded into the epoxy is something not many other people will have, the ultimate fan space

Here is the process

Once we work with you to select the exact look you want we will make a plan tailored to your floor, no two floors are the same as they all require different preparation and products. Typically the process is as followed.

• Remove the grease and oils from the floor
• Diamond grind the concrete to promote adhesion 
• Apply epoxy with flakes, full or partial 
• Apply clear coat
• Enjoy your floor 

How long will we need to wait to get back on the floor?

This depends on what products were used but typically 72 hours before you can put your vehicles back on the floor however we do also have products with a 24-hour turnover

There is a difference

What we have been seeing is lower pricing coming from other companies that is unbelievable and it certainly is, epoxy is measured in coating thickness and that is where we found they are saving, they are sacrificing the longevity of your floor to get you a lower price that sounds too good to be true, typically we have seen coating half the thickness of what we are using. This makes it hard to compare proposals, always ask how think of a floor you are receiving when it is dry.

How much will a floor like this cost?

The price of epoxy floors can vary greatly and it is mainly because of the prep needed or not needed.

Do you have a current coating on the floor? Even if you think there is nothing on it you could have a sealer on it, pour some water on the floor if it absorbs that is a good sign.

Was it trowled hard which closes the pores of the concrete and means we may need to grind which increases the cost slightly.

What are you using the garage for? Normal everyday use or will you be working on cars, welding or having heavy items on it? This all means we need to switch products.

Typically we have seen ricing in the $4-6 a sq ft area, maybe more but probably not less.

Add a logo? That also increases the cost of buying the vinyl as well as another added clear coat. 

Floors can be easily affordable and consider the money saved by not having to correct concrete issues down the road, also it will be easily washable now.

Call us

Ryan Amato Painting

Easton, Pa 

bidrequests@ryanamatopaintingllc.com

484-821-7112

How to get a kitchen cabinet estimate

How to get a kitchen cabinet estimate

We are asked all the time how to get a kitchen cabinet estimate and this process cannot be easier.
I have attached a video below explaining this entire process.

Gone are the days of having to wait around for someone to show up, give you a song and dance on how great their company is and then they try to usell you on other services.

All we need is for you to fill out our information form along with a few pictures and the count of the door and drawers and we can have a price over generally the same day.

How much easier can it be?

Once we send the price over, all you have to do is click accept, we will send a deposit request over and get your project scheduled as soon as possible.

If you're having other work done we suggest you get that work done first to avoid any damage or added costs touching up other people's work.

Epoxy Floor Easton,Pa Full Flaked

We recently completed this fully flaked epoxy garage floor in Easton, Pa

This project started with cleaning the concrete as it had oil and other car fluids on it. It is important to do this before you do anything else to the concrete.

After cleaning we used a diamond grinder to properly prepare the concrete for adhesion of the epoxy. Once we cleaned the floor we applied a polyurea/polyspartic product along with a full broadcast of epoxy flakes to the epoxy.

After that step we let the product dry and we removed the extra flakes, cleaned the floor again and applied a clear coat to the entire surface. Needless to say it turned out amazing and the client was thrilled and left a video review for us.

Here is a video of this project

The Ole Switcheroo

The Ole Switcheroo

When I say please be at your estimate there are many reasons why but expectations of the final product are one of the top reasons for sure.

I know in my house or really in any relationship you have we all have different opinions and things that are important to us and some things that are not important.

So many decisions in your home are done together to make sure both people are happy with the end result and the decision being made, whether that is a new dog, a new car, or new furniture the person or people who will be living with the decisions should be part of that process.

No more important is the decision when you are hiring a service such as a painting contractor

One issue we sometimes see is I have done an estimate let's say for the husband, he walks me through the house and shows me the work being done, the only issue is he could care less on the final appearance and only wants a color change.

He never explained his wife really is the one who this is very important to and will be judging the final work.

Why is this bad?

This can be disastrous to your project because no expectations were ever mentioned so it was estimated for a basic color change, minimal patching and a quick repaint project.

When the project starts the other partner expects the walls to look brand new, ultra-smooth even though they are not currently that way.

And so it begins

This is where it can all go south, you can have an angry spouse who doesn't think the job is the quality they expected although it really is what was explained on the estimate, they weren't there though and trying to explain this is what they asked for is a mute point now because it will only get worse. So you end up spending more time on a project, extra hours spackling and patching or extra coats of paint.

The walkthrough

This is where you can end any of these issues, do a pre-job walkthrough and fully explain to everyone how the project will be done, what to expect and what the final appearance will look like. What you can do and cannot do. Make it a point and requirement everyone is there and why they should be there. If they cannot be at the estimate or the pre-job walkthrough I know it sounds tough but they should not be communicating with you once the job starts.

It takes clear and direct communication to achieve this, if you're afraid to tell them the truth or be direct it can only get worse from here. Yes, you may upset a few people but reflect back on the estimate when they could not be there for the most important part of the job.

The relationship

This can happen in any form, it could be the wife or girlfriend not there or vice versa or on a commercial project they typically have a secretary walk though who has no say in anything once the job starts and along comes someone else who knows nothing about the conversations we had long before the job starts. Address this issue right away or be prepared for a long, tough project

Epoxy Flooring Solutions

Epoxy Flooring Solutions

When you think of an epoxy floor normally you picture a warehouse or maybe those box store kits you see at the stores but epoxy floors can and are used throughout homes and many places in the business setting.
Don't lock yourself in a box, you can be so creative with where you use an epoxy floor, you can embed a logo or design into any floor using the right products to truly make the floor an extension of your personality or brand your company. How awesome would it look when people walk into your business lobby and your logo is sitting on the floor with a nice shiny clear coat over it. 

Stand Out From The Competition

When your clients arrive at your business this may in some cases be the first impression they get about you and your business, a peeling floor or vinyl tiled floor is not the best impression.

Make a splash and show them what your company is all about, a metallic floor may be an option to make a grand entrance whether in your business or home. We can help with samles and design ideas for any floor. Trust me there is a solution for almost any application or surface.

Epoxy is for safety too

Epoxy floors offer protection of not only the surface but also anyone walking on it, by adding flakes or another aggregate (sand, silica) we can make any floor anti-slip which is important as epoxy floors can be slippery when wet or when they have grease or other contaminants on them, by simply adding something to the epoxy or broadcasting into the coating this can be taken care of right away which is perfect to protect your clients or family from slipping.

Price is an issue?

Is price an issue with a floor? It may seem that way but when you break down the costs it is actually a very competitive option for a floor. To have an easily cleaned, anti-slip coating with unlimited options in design it is very comparative in price to vinyl, wood or almost any other type of floor installed and much more protective and durable and in a food manufacturing facility it is a must.

Schedule your Epoxy Floor Estimate Here

Top ways to get a good painting estimate

The top ways for you to get a good paint estimate

You have decided it's time to paint inside your home, maybe it's a few bedrooms or possibly the trim or maybe your just going to paint your entire interior. 

So now what?

You will find out quickly when you start calling around, many companies will either not call back or it will take a few days if they call back at all. Once your lucky enough to get someone either pick up the phone or call you back now your issue will be them showing up at all. 

One of the comments I receive all the time is "wow you showed up on time just like you said" Sounds crazy right? People are in business but won't call back or show up.

If your lucky enough to have someone show up now the issue is they won't be honest and tell you they are not either interested in your project or capable of doing it, so they will never send a proposal over or price it very high so you never call them.

So this is why it is very important on your end to be prepared when your ready to call a painting company or any trade for that matter. Here are some things you should be prepared with.

1. Know your budget and don't be afraid to share it, when asked. A good company can generally work within any budget but without having an idea of what it may be you may receive prices all over the place. With painting there are varying levels of quality, no two companies will paint a residential project the same. 
2. Know exactly what you want to be done, are all the ceilings being done or can they be left out to help reduce costs? Is the trim being done? Again by not having all these details, your pricing will be all over the place and you may be surprised with the end result
3. What is important to you? Is quality most important or is the cost? You typically will not be able to get a low priced job with top quality work but if you're real about your expectations and budget missed expectations can be avoided
4. Be at the estimate, the person who will interact and "judge" the work should be the person at the estimate. I can't tell you how many times people don't take this seriously and leave a parent or babysitter home to show the work or even the other spouse who when the job starts isn't the person judging the work, another area where you will have missed expectations
5. Be realistic, it will rain, people will call off or be sick, other things will come up. Every company does it's best to make sure everyone works each day all year long but we will all be disappointed with workers who are not responsible, all anyone can do is make it right and move forward. Remember things can always be worse, have patience and understand everyone has a story and things going on in their life.

There are no apples to apples

When you say you want to compare apples to apples what you're really implying is every company does the exact same thing, the same quality, the same training and the only thing separating them is the rice they are about to give you.

Let me let you in on a little secret, you could put 5 painting estimators in a room, using the same paint, same application and you will get 5 different prices, don't assume each company knows what they are doing and certainly you cannot compare this with price alone.

Don't forget about the things not said, communication, the extra value they bring, will they be around if you need something down the road? Or once they are paid are they gone and forgot your name. Trust me I am involved heavily in the painting industry and there are some very questionable workers and companies out there, just as there are some great people and companies out there, but if a bunch of estimators cannot agre on a price what makes you think you're qualified enough to be able to compare them?

Things may still go wrong

Even after all of this, you may have some things go wrong, they may spill paint, or have drips or not prep as you think they should or the color may be wrong. The mark of a good company is just to correct these things if it was their fault. There is no need to yell and scream, no one wants to work for anyone like that, the painters end up trying gto go faster to get out of there, the client is upset and the office is tired of those "phone calls" Remember it's a team effort that includes the painters, the office and the client. Everyone must be on the same page for a successful project

Ryan Amato

www.ryanamatopainting.com

484-821-7112

Ryan Amato painting completes epoxy floor in Bethlehem

Ryan Amato Painting completes floor in Bethlehem, Pa

We recently completed this awesome floor for an even better client, it was a thrill to be able to help Ryan and his family out with their floor.

It was always a dream of his to have a nice functional floor that looks great too.
We started by cleaning the floor and applying a hard surface primer to be assured of adhesion.

Without preparing a floor correctly you can have some major issues. Once it was clean and rimed, we added WB 250 base coat and then an intermediate coat with a heavy partial broadcast of flakes

Once that was done we returned the next day, removed the extra flakes and added a clear top coat to help protect it all.

If you need an epoxy floor done for your home, facility or business lease call 484-821-7112 or email bidrequests@ryanamatopaintingllc.com.
www.ryanamatopainting.com

Here is a video of this entire process.

Why You Should Be Home For Your Estimate

Why be home for your estimate:

When getting a painting estimate or an estimate for work around your home
for that matter it is important to be able to let the estimator know what you
expect when the project is done.

You may say why? Each job no matter who I use should be prepared,
painted and done the same but that is further from the truth then you would know.

There is not a specific standard of work from company to company and
most painting projects have very
different levels of service for the same thing, for instance spackling.

Preparation Of Surfaces

You can spackle a wall with many different levels of quality, from low to high
and somewhere in the middle is typical, but if you think they are doing it to perfection and they
are thinking the opposite,
it doesn’t mean they did a bad job, it was a missed expectation not explained
by the painter or asked for by the homeowner.

The same goes for exterior preparation work such as scraping peeling paint, under
most circumstances work is done by preservation techniques,
meaning loose paint is scrapped,
some caulking may be done,
usually bare wood is pot primed but then it is painted. If you're thinking the surface
will be completely smooth you
will be very upset with the final appearance. It will certainly how old levels of paint,
uneven surfaces and more, without stripping the entire surface you
will not get a level surface
under a normal repaint project.

The Estimate

I cannot tell you how many times I have gone out for an estimate and the person
who ultimately would be critiquing the work was not there,
leaving it to another person to try
to explain what they wanted to be done
or no one at all was home. These projects go bad 9 out of ten times.

Comments like bad quality, not enough prep or scrapping are mentioned when
in reality it was a mixed expectation or an expectation
that could never be met with a normal repaint.

So what to do? It’s simple be home, if you cannot be home at the least have
a conversation with the estimator and create a detailed list,
then its possible this can be matched
up with the estimator's
notes and work order. 

We have actually implemented a policy that we will not go out on an estimate
unless the decision make will be onsite, this may cost us
a few estimates opportunities
but in the long run, it is better
to have less work
than clients who are upset with the quality of the work from missed expectations. 

The number one thing that turns a new project bad is missed expectations,
it always comes down to this, when we look back at a bad
project or one that turned bad.