Professional Painter

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. Exterior, full paint restorations. In most cases I:

1) completely remove the paint
2) replace or repair all failing wood
3) re-secure any loose boards
3) pressure wash the entire home
4) replace all broken glass
5) put a 100% brand new glaze on every window sash
6) prime the entire home
7) hand-sand and fill nail holes, caulk seams
8) paint the entire home

That's a very general description. A more specific description of a possible element of the job could be:

*) Restore Balcony Rails
..a) Strip, scrape and hand-sand all of the paint from the New Orleans, historical style balcony's decorations, spindles and columns
..b) Power-sand all flat and semi-contoured areas
..c) Pressure wash the entire balcony
....ca) Wait for the wood to completely dry
......c1) Possibly spray down all the wood work with linseed oil. if so:
........c1a) Mask off large areas to reduce over-spray
........c1b) place a drop cloth over any nearby items
........c1c) wait for linseed oil to cure
..d) Prime the entire structure
....da) Wait for the primer to cure
..e) Make filler repairs on all areas of the balcony that have damage. Whether it be 50 year old damage or 2 day old damage
....ea) Wait for filler to dry
..f) Sand filled areas
....fa) Dust brush and spot prime filled areas
......f1) Wait for primer to cure
..g) a Quick hand-sand over the entire structure (this is to scuff the primer so it will lock to the paint better as-well-as to knock off any trash that may have landed in the primer while it was drying and/or during application.)
....ga) Dust brush behind the hand-sanding
....gb) Caulk all visible seams
......g1) keep a wet cloth and wipe caulk clean into seams
......g2) wait for the caulk to dry
..h) Paint the entire structure
....ha) Wait for the paint to cure
..I) Touch up any necessary areas with a self-priming paint of the exact same color

A real job, done the real way.

**I do not rebuild balconies. If there are structural repairs that need to be made, you should call someone that specializes in that, not a New Orleans painter.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Choose someone who is interested in the project. You want a contractor that actually has some information. I highly recommend choosing someone that asks you questions and can provide answers based on your answers.

Someone could come to your house:

1) ask you four questions
2) make a lap around the property
3) walk to the truck
4) come back in 20 minutes with an estimate

Or

A Professional can come to your home:

1) explain to you what he sees,
2) explain (in short form) what needs to be done
3) listen to your concerns and comments
4) measure the property
5) produce an estimate based on facts

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. 2 coats of paint on the exterior of a home is not recommended. Paint is formulated to stick to primer (not more paint). Your most solid coat derives from priming, hand-sanding the primer and then painting. If you absolutely must use a second coat in order to make the coat completely opaque, a self priming paint is highly recommended. You may get away with 2 coats of paint on the interior where there aren't severe weather conditions but, the exterior of your home is exposed to the elements and whatever conditions nature throws at it. Paint (except self-priming) is not formulated to create a proper bond to another layer of paint, to achieve maximum life in exterior conditions.

When painting concrete areas, such as porches, you do not want to prime the concrete. You want to use industrial enamel that has been thinned by one-third with paint thinner and apply it directly to the bare concrete. You allow 2 full days for it to properly cure and then give it another coat of pure industrial enamel. Priming the concrete will create a "soft layer" below your enamel. Heavily tread areas will start to "sink" and eventually rip.

However, you can call me to do your project and you will not have to know any of this because, this painter already does.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. All potential clients should have a full understanding of their project. They don't need to know the measurements (I will gather those in the estimate). They do need to know all of what they would like done.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I have noticed that many other company's use unskilled/cheap labor. Whereas the results seem appealing to the client, the overall work is not elite and in many cases fails within a short amount of time. My paint applications are of a high performance level. I respect my work and final result.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. The finished product. Isn't that what everyone likes most about any painters job? I've never had a client approach me and say "You're halfway done, this is my favorite part!"
;)

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. Every job is different and so are the questions. All questions, comments and concerns will be addressed during the estimate. They have to. I need to know everything that will be included in the project in order to produce an honest price.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. I know what I am doing. I have produced countless full, exterior paint restorations in the New Orleans Uptown, Lower Garden District, Kenner, Jefferson and Mid City areas. I have done half that many interior paint jobs. I do the job that we agreed I would do, from beginning to end, for the price we agreed to. It is literally that simple.

Feel free to visit the official Paint NOLA website at:
http://paintnola.com

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. Quality coatings keep changing and inherently prep and application may change with them but, there hasn't been any rocket science adjustments on how to paint a home. You still use a brush and a roller. The quality comes from the man that has mastered the brush and the roller.