Haha funny dog #Dog #jump (Taken with Cinemagram)

(Source: newlifepainting.com)

As a painting contractor on the Central Coast, I hear a lot of frustrations and concerns that people have about hiring contractors. In this blog post I’m going to give you 4 frustrations that buyers have with contractors and I’ll give you some tips on how to avoid these frustrations when calling out your contractor. 

1.) Cleanliness/Not Showing up on Time - I heard this last week from a potential customer that walked in our showroom, “The last 2 contractors I’ve dealt with, the crew never show up on time, and when they did show up, they were so messy.” I believe if this is one of your concerns or frustrations, just ask the contractor if they show up on time and ask them to prove it. Ask for some previous customers phone numbers, call them and ask how that contractor worked for them.  

2.) Never Call Back - This is the biggest frustration as a consumer. When you have questions or concerns, you want them answered and in a timely matter, after all, you are spending your hard earned dollars to get not only a good job, but also good customer service. Ask your contractor, “Do you have a communication Policy?” Ours is, 1:00 PM for AM calls and 6:00 PM for PM calls. 

3.) It Cost More to Use a Contractor - This is generally true. But, it is so crucial for whoever is working on your house to have a contractor’s license, to carry workers compensations, and to be insured. It cost more money to use someone’s services that carry these credentials because it cost the contractor more money to do business. If someone gets hurt on the job and the “business” isn’t carrying these credentials, you might be paying for that person’s medical bills the rest of your life. 

4.) Sounds Great before they Start - Your contractor sells you the sizzle, that they are the best company, yet when they get to your home, the sizzle fades fast. This is such a concern for consumers and the best advice that I can give is, do your research. Spend a little more time on the Internet, calling past customers, and asking around about your potential contractor. 

(Source: newlifepainting.com)

Being a painting contractor on the central coast, I have a lot of customers or potential customers that ask, “why should I go with New Life Painting?” or “why should I use a licensed contractor?” I’m going to give you 4 reasons why you should use us, or a licensed contractor because it will save you money and give you peace of mind. 

1.) A Good Track Record - Always ask how long the contractor has been in business. We have been in business for over 30 years and have thousands of projects complete. You can also ask who their suppliers are and get more information about how the company works from their suppliers. 

2.) A Good Reputation - A reputable business is built one job at a time; we are aware that a job well done will bring credit to our reputation. A contractor should do every job right because their future work depends on pleasing you. 

3.) Quality Quality Quality - We give our customers a new, clean, and well-ordered job site along with a quiet, efficient, well-equipped and courteous crew. It is important for a contractor to carefully choose a crew that is honest and reliable with technical expertise and that are all pre-employed drug screened. Ask that contractor if they have a permanent staff so they can voucher for their crew and don’t sub-contract any work out (which happens more often then not). 

4.) Giving You Peace of Mind - Make sure the contractor is LICENSED, BONDED, and INSURED! You can look this all up at the California State License Board website www.cslb.ca.gov. You don’t want anyone on the job getting hurt, and accidents do happen and if they do, you want that contractor to be insured so you don’t have to pay out of pocket. 

Here are just 4 reasons why you should use a licensed contractor who has a good track record, has a good reputation, and uses quality product with quality people. All this will give you peace of mind. 

(Source: newlifepainting.com)

This week I’m going to talk about some of the ingredients of paint and it’s important to note that all brands of paint have these components, where they differ is how they are blended and cooked.

Here are the key componets:
1.) Liquid: Which is the water and solvent. The water evaporates and it becomes latex and pigemnt. 

• Solvent: VOC
• Water

2.) Pigment: This provides whitemness, color, hiding, and bulk. Deep base has no pigment - no white and light base has a lot of pigment - which has more white. 

• Titanium Dioxide
•  Extenders and Fillers
•  Color Pigment
•  Opaque Polymeter

3.) Additives: this distigueshes the paint manufactures and is this gives the paint stability and functionality.

• Rheology Modifiers which controles the thinkcness and smoothness.
• Dispersant which helps mix and keps products from conforming and ruining the paint.
• Defoamer so the paint doesn’t bubble.
• Biocide which kills the bugs and gives the paint shelf durability
• Surfacent
• Coalescent which makes the paint hard. It softens when applied and hard when it dries. 

4.) Binders: This binds the pigment, provides adhesion, durability & film integrity. Oil base is a solution. Water base binders dries when the water dissolves.

• Alkyd
• Acrylic

 Hey everyone, I have a lot customers here on the Central Coast that ask me about what makes good paint, good paint. As a painting contractor here on the central coast, I make sure that all of the material that we do use is quality. Take a look at these characteristics and you’ll see, if one of those start to show, the customer will be unhappy. 

Right product + Right Knowledge + Right tools + Right Conditions + Right People = Total Quality package

1.) Quality paints – Exterior

• Mildew resistance
• Fade resistance
• Chalk resistance
• Hides Well
• Good Adhesion
• Greater dry film thickness

2.) Quality Paints – Interior

• Spatter resistance
• Holding
• Touch up ability
• Resistance to blocking
• Resistance to burnishing
• Flow and Leveling

Going out and meeting with customers on a daily basis, I get to learn a lot about other contractors and problems that customers have with them. One common theme that comes up when I am talking to homeowners is that they went with the lowest bid and ended up paying more in the end and not getting the job they wanted. Here are a couple of tips when getting estimates from painting contractors:

1. Good communication on the first visit. This is so important and it is like an interview process, you want to be a good fit for both you and the contractor. If you feel comfortable, invite them in, sit them down, and ask questions. If you are going to give this person hundreds or thousands of your dollars to do painting work on your home, don’t you want to feel comfortable about it? Here are a few sample questions to ask a contractor.

• Are you licensed, bonded and insured? Do you carry workers compensation?

• Do you drug test you employees? 

• Do you or your guys show up on time? Will you pull off the job to do another job? What happens if the job does take longer than your quoted time?

• Are your guys qualified to do the work? 

• What type of materials do you use? Do I have to order the materials? 

• What type of warranty do you offer?

When you ask some of these questions, you might find out why this certain contractor is less expensive than others. I heard this quote the other day: “All people are created equal, but not every contractor is.” That is so true. 

2.) Check up on every contractor that gives you a bid. Ask for references and check up on those references and make sure it’s not their grandmother or spouse on the other end. You want testimonies from real customers. Check the California State License Board if they have workers compensation and liability insurance. When I say that going with the low bid might cost more at the end, I’m not kidding. If your contractor falls on your property and he or she doesn’t have a license or doesn’t carry workers compensation, the one who will be liable and paying for medical bills is the customer. Check up on your contractor, it will save you money if anything were to happen.

3.) Carefully review the contract. Check to see if everything that you wanted to be done is in the contract. Because guess what, if it’s not in the contract, it’s not going to be done. Change orders are a big part of the “cheapest bid” routine. All the things that were not in the contract suddenly add up to be a bigger bill in the end. Remember to check who is paying for the materials? Customers that are going with a low bid sometimes don’t understand that they will be buying the materials, which could cost a lot of money and a lot of their time. 

These series of questions and research are very important if you need to call out a contractor. The bottom line is that people sometimes hire the “cheapest bid.” Sometimes it works out, sometimes it does not. Based on what I’ve heard, people who hire the “cheapest contractor” typically will spend more money and time buying materials, making punch-list, following up on the jobs, managing the jobs, and having the job take much more time than expected. A small, less expensive contractor just cannot provide the value of a more established painting company. Call a couple of your local professional contractors; it could save you money. 

New Life Painting is a full-service painting contractor serving Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo and other Central Coast communities. 

(Source: newlifepainting.com)

Continuing with our monthly color ideas from Sherwin Williams, here is the forecast called “Suburban Modern”. Enjoy

The optimism that followed WWII is reflected in the colors of the era. Bright, clear colors made a strong and upbeat statement that went hand in hand with the clean, simple lines of the mid-century modern homes springing up in suburbs throughout the nation. Offset the rich ambers, avocado greens and inky blues of the Suburban Modern Palette with neutral tones and aluminum or stainless steel accents for a sleek, contemporary style.