Frequently Asked Questions
Give me a call or send me an email if you have questions that are not answered here; I would be happy to answer them.
General Questions
- Do you have a contractor's license?
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Yes. CA Lic # 742613.
- Do you have business Insurance?
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Yes. I am bonded and Insured, please ask me for my credentials.
- How long is your work guaranteed?
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3 years on workmanship.
- How long does it take to get a free estimate?
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Not long at all. Give me a call (805-579-0347) and we'll set up an appointment. I can usually get the estimate back to you within a day or two.
- Do you require a deposit after the contract is signed?
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Yes. I prefer a deposit prior to beginning the work, though in some cases I can be flexible. I require a percentage of the job if it is quoted over $10,000.
- Who actually does the work?
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I paint every house and I am on the job everyday until work is completed.
- Can I get a list of referrals to call about your previous work?
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Yes. I can provide this to you anytime. I also suggest taking a look at my "My Work" page to view photos and read testimonials.
- Can you do repairs?
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Yes. We can do many types of repairs at a very reasonable price. I have helped many customer with minor repairs to window frames, doorways, etc. prior to beginning the painting work.
Painting Questions
- If I had a painter that did a "botch" job, can you fix it up?
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Most certainly! I have done this many times for customers. There are many painters available for hire, even at affordable prices. But finding one that can and will do a professional job at an affordable price is sometimes difficult. If this has been your unfortunate experience, I'd be glad to help!
- Do you do thorough surface preparation?
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Yes. Please refer to my Services page.
- Do you move furniture and replace it after painting?
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Yes. I not only move the furniture and put it back in place, I also clean the bare floors and vacuum the carpet before putting the furniture back.
- Do you cover the floors for protection?
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Yes. I use red rosin paper for all bare floors and interior drop cloths for the carpet.
- How many coats of paint and primer do you normally use?
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One coat primer and one coat paint.
- How do you prevent over-spray?
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Confining the area to be painted with masking tape and plastic.
- Do you remove fixtures and replace them?
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Yes. I believe fixtures should NOT be painted around, all electrical plates and light fixtures are taken off and replaced when painting is finished.
- How do I know what colors I should choose?
Many paint manufacturers provide both paint swatches and pamphlets with color combinations and advice on choosing the right colors for your home. I use Behr paints almost exclusively for interior work and Sherwin-Williams Paints for exterior work unless another brand is otherwise requested. You can get a lot of help choosing Behr colors at your nearest Home Depot Color Solutions Center or try Behr Paint's ColorSmart system on the Behr Web site for help. Sherwin-Williams also provides their Color Visualizer to help with choosing colors.
One suggestion is to buy a quart of the color you think you like, then paint a piece of posterboard in that color. Once dry, position the painted posterboard around the room at varying times during the day to better determine if you like it.
Door Restoration
- How many coats do you apply to the wood?
1-coat stain color and 3-coats of varnish on exterior side, 2-coats for interior side.
- We are having a new door installed, can you seal it up immediately?
Yes. Of course, give me a call and I will be right there.
- I just bought some new wood furniture, can you stain and seal it?
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Yes. I have special materials I use for furniture.
- I need to pick out stain colors for my new wood doors we had installed?
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I have many stain colors you can look at in all differant types of wood.
- How much does it cost to strip and seal up a exterior side wood door?
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It depends on many factors, but this I will say, the cost is much less than buying new doors.
- How do you apply your material to the wood?
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Most applications are applied with a brush, when paint is the choice you can use a thin nap roller for application.
- What's involved in restoring my front wood doors?
First I have to strip all previous applications off the door, right down to bare wood. From there I will prep, stain and apply the varnish.
In some cases the wood door does not need to be stripped. If this is the case, I would apply a stain/varnish mix for a first coat and two-coats of clear varnish.
- Can I see some of your work you have done?
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Yes. I photograph most of the work I do. You may visit My Work page to see a few of these photos and read testimonials.
- Are the doors finished on the hinges?
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Yes & no.
I finish them on the hinges if I am applying a stain/varnish finish.
I only take them off the hinges if they are to be stripped clean. If this is the case, they are finished under a tent canopy on your property.
- What about security?
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Doors will be put back on the hinges and all locks will be fastened back in place after each day is through.