Amato Painting Films With Benjamin Moore

Amato Painting films with Benjamin Moore

This week was a fun week, we filmed with Benjamin Moore discussing and applying their Notable dry erase product. 

It all started when someone from Benjamin Moore saw a YouTube video I did comparing Benjamin Moore's Notable dry erase against a competitor.  We all know I like to test out all the products that the company uses on our projects and dry erase was always one we just could not find a suitable product.

So I gave it one last try using a product from Benjamin Moore on a few walls in our office, immediately we knew this was a different product,it was easily applied, immediately two coats can be put on and the best part is it does what it says and erases over and over with no issues at all.

So I received a call from someone in the marketing department from Benjamin Moore asking if I would like to be part of a series of videos they are doing promoting Notable, as I already knew the quality and performance of it I was glad to be a part of it. So we set up the date, I secured a location to apply it and we were all set. 

On the day of filming a funny note, we all forgot the paint so Gleco Paint to the rescue, I called and luckily the area sales rep ran a kit right over.

Gina from Benjamin Moore, the film crew Tag from our office and myself were all involved.

Gina was so much fun, it felt like being at home with her cracking jokes about my instruction reading ability and the film crew was very accommodating and very nice to be around and of course professional.

As we forgot the paint we decided to start filming my interview first, that went great, I had no idea what the questions would be so it was an honest review of the product and other products I have used.

This took about an hour once we set up, did the interview and cleaned up and then it was on to the application of the Notable.

Tag took over here, mixing art A and B together for a few minutes making sure we followed the instruction sheet.

I had already visited the day before to prepare the wall and mask it out.

Once mixed and ready Tag rolled on two coats back to back, we let it dry just a bit and removed the paper. 

It does take 7 days for the product to cure before anyone can write on it, but once it's ready you have a very large surface to write and collaborate on. You would not be able to purchase a dry erase board for the price it would be for Notable. We all know how expensive those boards can be.

It was great to be involved in this project, meet Gina and the crew, we love to support great products and introduce them to our clients. We will have another blog as we have a visit to Benjamin Moore's headquarters next week to speak with their marketing team. Stay Tuned:

What to expect on your painting estimate

What to expect on your painting estimate

Everyone needs painting, not many have time to do it, with so many things going on in your daily lives, work, family, hobbies and more it can be a task that gets ignored and in some cases, painting is more than just a cosmetic task.

With protecting wood surfaces or when selling your home painting can become very important and that's where a painting company comes in, whether cosmetically through a color change or protective by preparing and protecting surfaces a professional painting company can give you a consultation on what should and can be done.

Contractors are frustrating

We have all called contractors and know the frustration of getting someone to call back, show up and when they show up to give you a timely price. We took all of these experiences and solved each of these issues one by one. So what does a typical process look like when you call our company?

• Someone will answer the phone, we care about this so much we have someone in the office for this and a backup if they should not be able to answer the phone
• Once you call they will be able to go over the project with you and determine if it is a project we can fully help you out with
• An estimate is scheduled and various emails will be sent to explain the process, confirm the appointment as well as reminders via text, email and a phone call before the scheduled estimate
• We make sure to arrive early, if we are more than five minutes late we always will call.
• On the estimate the estimator will walk through your project with the person making the decision and who knows the expectations of the project which is very important to tell your estimator
• After walking through the estimator will walk through again by themselves and do their measurements and estimating
• At this point either a price can be given right on the spot or it will be emailed, this is typically the same day and at the worst the next day.
• A post estimate phone call will be scheduled to review the estimate and answer any other questions you should have
• A real price will be given, isn't amazing how many companies give one price and then it changes a mear 24 hours later? 
• Once you accept the estimate our awesome office staff will take over and help you step by step along the way.

Why us?

We pride ourselves in communication, you will have an advocate throughout the entire process should you have any questions, a dedicated lead painter in charge of your project and a very clear and concise and transparent process.

Sherwin Williams Vs Benjamin Moore Dry Erase

          Sherwin Williams Vs. Benjamin Moore Dry Erase 

Who Will Be The Winner? Let's See

For those that do not know many companies make a dry erase coating, it can be clear or white, it will allow you to write on the wall or other surfaces you choose.

This is based on personal experience as I have used almost every dry erase coating including, Idea, Rust-Oleum and a few others. These coatings are not inexpensive some costing hundreds of dollars to cover about 100sq ft but when you consider the actual cost of a dry erase board and the flexibility of putting this almost wherever you want the cost is comparable.

Remember the coating you see in the big box stores are typically homeowner variations, they are not even close to the quality of the contractor versions.

 

So I decided to test two after I had no luck with some of the other coatings, some issues I saw were not able to be erased, ghosting (seeing the marker even when erased) Not curing, the coating sagging when applied no matter what we applied it with or how we applied it. Obviously, we want a dry erase coating that actually erases.

Through our relationships with Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore, I was given these coatings to test. First up was Sherwin Williams Sketch Pad, it is a two-part water-based epoxy coating and came in a clear.

We decided to paint the under color red, we used Pro Mar 200 and put on a few coats after patching the wall.

A kit goes about 50 sq ft, after mixing you have one hour of pot life to use this product. 

Everything you need will come in the kit, dry time is four hours, 1 day to recoat and 7 days to cure before using.

So I masked out the wall and rolled on using their roller cover one coat and then coated it again the next day. What did I see? it certainly runs a bit so make sure you mask down the wall a little more than normal and don't over apply.

After 7 days I pulled out the markers and wrote away, it did initially erase but however a few weeks later it got worse and subsequently worse until it would not erase, we had to use a solvent (xylene) to get the marker to erase.

Ease of application 10

Erasability initially 10, after a few weeks 0

Smell not bad

Would we use again no

Would not recommend for a homeowner or on a project

Next up Benjamin Moore Notable.

I will say after using every other product I really wasn't looking forward to another one.

But I was given the kit to try and I like trying new products.

First up I masked out the wall again and lightly sanded and wiped the wall down and primed the wall and repainted it red again using Ultraspec from Benjamin Moore

Again this kit comes with everything you will need, it is a two-part silicone hybrid  based epoxy

It is a wet on wet recoat and 7-day cure 

Here is what I found, it had very little smell, I applied it a bit lighter this time after my experience with all the others sagging which worked.

I love the wet on wet application, two coats in one shot and it's done.

Once completed and after 7 days we went right at it, writing, I could tell right away it looked and felt different and the marker fell off the wall so easy when writing.

One major difference months later it still easily erases.

Ease of application 10

Erasability 10

Smell not bad at all

We would recommend for a homeowner and any project

It is a bit pricey but certain,ly it delivers

I will say if you apply it as recommended it may sag/run, I know that from my past use of these coatings, go a little lighter

Hands down the winner is Benjamin Moore here, not even close.

Why getting three or more estimates still doesn't tell you anything

Why getting three or more estimates still doesn't help

I am not sure who came up with getting three or more estimates with each project we plan on doing but it goes as far to getting four estimates on painting one room sometimes.

The time wasted sitting around and getting these estimates and having everyone come through and do their song and dance can better be saved, allowing you to do what you do best to earn money for your family.

For my own work, it is rare I would get more than three estimates and most of the time if I am comfortable with the first person that is who I go with, it is just not worth the savings to have a parade of contractors come through.

I get the thought process, you have everyone come through and look at the work, send over an estimate and then you can compare them all and make an educated decision. But what if I told you a secret? You can out all of those estimators in one room and they wouldn't be able to come up with the same price if they tried.

Each company does things differently

This has nothing to do with pricing, it has to do with products, expectations of the client, the products used etc.

Every company is most likely going to paint the wall the same way, that is not what you should be looking for, you should be looking for the things unsaid such as do they train their employees? 

Do they even have employees or do they subcontract an entire other company to do your work?

Are they truly insured? How about a warranty and do they actually back their work?

Everyone has a warranty

Every company has a warranty, it's a piece of paper and anyone can write anything but can they keep those promises? Every company will make mistakes and we are no different but I can say we have always gone back and corrected any issues, that is a warranty, it is a trust that you're hiring someone more than to just paint a room. Your hiring for trust, trust they will do what they said and deliver.

Watch out for sales pitches

Watch out, some companies have sales pitches, you may hear it can be done in one day, but every paint manufacturer has specifications on recoating after the first coat, pushing those specifications can be disastrous.

You may hear we have all our own employees and then a whole different company shows up, not trained in the companies ways, a total different vison and it may turn out great or bad,

So if they can't agree what qualifies you?

So if three or four companies cannot agree on a price, what qualifies you as the homeowner to sift through these proposals to determine which one is real? AT that point it usually comes down to price and a guess.

Use your gut, find someone you trust and maybe was referred or you have seen and heard great things about

A company that has great relationships with their vendors such as Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams because those relationships may come in handy on your project.

Find Someone You trust

Trusting your contractor is huge because once you hir them you need to step back and let them do the work, they are the expert in what they do, homeowners who try to be the general contractor are setting up their project for failure and contractors who don't want to be on that project.

The issue becomes homeowners getting in the way of scheduling, job sequencing, having to do things in the wrong order or a different way they would typically do a project, remember they have been doing their trade for quite some time. When you go to the mechanic or doctor you don't tell them how to do the work, give them some room and let them do their skill.

What a great paint job

What a great paint job

Working for most clients is awesome, yes a few are not great and would rather soon forget but the one thing that is great in our business is the great clients who appreciate your work and let you know about it.

We really appreciate when a client goes out of their way to express their happiness with the painting work we have done.

This project was a large one, it had many different parts, we were contracted to do the kitchen cabinets, all the rooms which included the ceilings, walls in custom colors and painting the stained wood trim.

Painting stained trim is not an easy process, it involves a few extra steps we normally would not have to do on a typical paint project. Clean, scuff, fully prime and two coats of finish, sometimes that is not even enough and additional coats may need to be added to the original contract and this was the case on this project.

Brenden and company were very professional, clean and each day made sure to clean up the areas they worked in plus spoke to the client to make sure she knew the exact plan for the next day.

We were also working for an interior designer who actually hired us for this project and her client.

FD Design was integral in this project giving us the design, colors, and direction her client expressed to her. 

To make a vision become reality it takes great communication, constant communication is key to make sure all expectations are met on any project but especially a painting project.

Benjamin Moore top of the line products were used on this project requested by the designer and recommended by Ryan. We always believe using the best products possible makes for a better job and an easier application for the painters.

Get To Know Us Episode #1 Meet Chuck The Painter

Get To Know Us Episode #1 

Wouldn't it be great to meet the people who are doing your work? Well we thought the same thing so this is a new segment we will be doing called Get to know us   

In this first episode you will meet one of our senior painters , Chuck has been in the painting industry for a long time, he loves painting as you will hear.

Chuck brings a sense of joy and excitement to every project, he puts his heart and soul into his painting projects and takes them very seriously. After a project is completed he loves to look back at the projects and work he created.

Chuck's hobby is painting

We are so lucky to have great people and Chuck is a prime example of the awesome people we attract and retain, he is like a big teddy bear but expects the best from his co-workers, to show up on time, do the right thing is just a given on any painting project he is a part of.

Check out our first episode below

Painting Kitchen Cabinets Can Change The Look Of Your Kitchen

Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets Can Dramatically Change The Look Of Your Kitchen

When you think painting normally you think of your walls, ceilings or the exterior but one area we have seen explode is kitchen cabinet painting and refinishing.

When properly done you can quickly and affordably change the entire look of your kitchen for dramatically less cost vs replacing or refacing them.

Using the proper procedures by cleaning, dulling, sanding and the proper paint coatings you can correctly get the job done.

This is one area you should not skimp, that lowest priced contractor may be that for a reason. By skimping on materials or steps it could be a disaster and a tough one to correct.

By using time tested methods we train all of our painters we can be assured each project turns out the way it was estimated and expected by the client.

Cabinets can look great when painted and last

The pride and training it takes to do this work is not for every painter or every company. Choose one that has done many many sets of cabinets and knows what to do if something out of the ordinary should happen,

Remember doing it wrong the first time takes a lot to correct as far as kitchen cabinets

By hiring a professional painting company you are paying for their skill, knowledge and more important their experience, that experience comes in handy as each job is different, they may have to switch products, worry about humidity, dry times, coverage or the countless other things no one thinks about.