Prep is the paint job.
Everything below the finish coat is what determines whether it is still there in year nine. This is the whole sequence, in order, including the parts that are slow and unglamorous.
An Olmos job runs in eight steps: walkthrough, written itemized estimate, color and product selection, protection, repair and preparation, prime and two finish coats, daily restore, and a punch list we walk together before the truck is loaded. The preparation step is the longest one and it is where up to 40 percent of an exterior price goes.
What happens in your house.
You will know what is happening on each of these days before the first one starts.
- 01
The walkthrough
We come out, walk every room or every elevation, and look at the condition of what is already there. On exteriors we probe the soft spots and estimate what percentage of the surface needs scraping, because that number, not square footage, is what drives your price.
- 02
The written estimate
Itemized by surface and by prep, with the number of coats stated and with what happens if a deep color does not cover in two. Free, and it does not expire the moment we walk out the door. If your house predates 1978, lead-safe containment appears as its own line so you can see exactly what it costs.
- 03
Color and product selection
We bring large-format samples and look at them on your wall, in your light, at the hour you actually use the room. We also name the specific product line we intend to use, not just the brand, because every manufacturer sells a builder-grade product and a premium one and the gap between them is real.
- 04
Protection
Floors covered, furniture moved to the center and wrapped, hardware and switch plates removed and bagged by room, vents masked. On exteriors, ground and landscaping covered and pre-wet. In pre-1978 homes, full containment goes up before anything is disturbed.
- 05
Repair and preparation
Fill, sand, caulk, de-gloss, and spot-prime inside. Wash, scrape, feather-sand, and prime every bit of bare wood the same day it is exposed outside. This is the longest step, it photographs terribly, and it is the entire reason the finish is still there in year nine.
- 06
Prime and paint
Stain-blocking primer where it is needed, then two full finish coats, cut in by hand and rolled with the nap the surface calls for. Three coats on dark-to-light changes and deep saturated colors, which we told you about in step two rather than discovering on day four.
- 07
Daily restore
Furniture back, floors clear, plates on, tools out of the way. Every evening, not just at the end of the week. You should be able to use your house while we are painting it.
- 08
The punch list, together
We walk the finished job with you, with a light, and you point at anything you want touched. We fix it before the truck is loaded, not on a return trip that gets scheduled and then rescheduled. Then you get the written warranty.
Four commitments.
Same crew, start to finish
A small crew. The person who measured your house is on site on day one.
We tell you when we cannot
If the weather window closes or a wall is still holding moisture, we stop and come back. A day lost beats a coat that fails in two years.
No surprise change orders
If we find something the estimate did not cover, you hear about it that day, in writing, before we do the work.
3-year written warranty
Covering workmanship on interior and exterior painting, covering peeling, blistering, and premature failure that is not caused by structural movement, moisture intrusion, or substrate failure. In writing, with the exclusions spelled out plainly.
When we will tell you not to hire us.
If your ceiling stain is coming from an active roof leak, painting it is money set on fire. You need a roofer first, and we will tell you that and give you a name.
If your cabinet boxes are particleboard that has swollen under the sink, refinishing them is a beautiful finish on failing material. Replace them.
If your pressure-treated deck went in three weeks ago, it is still too wet to stain, and staining it now traps that moisture and guarantees failure. We will come back in a few months.
And if your porch column is rotting at the base, that is a carpentry repair before it is a painting job. Painting over rot hides it for one season and costs you the column.
We have lost work saying all four of those things. We have also had people come back two years later, which is the actual business model.
How much notice do you need to start a job?
Interior work is usually available within two to four weeks and is easiest to schedule January through March. Exterior work runs on a roughly 20-week Wisconsin window from mid-May to early October, and May and September fill first. If you want September, ask in March.
Do I need to be home while you work?
No, and most of our clients are not. We can work from a lockbox or a key, and we send a photo update at the end of each day. We do want you present for the initial walkthrough and for the final punch list, because both go much better in person.
What happens if you find something unexpected?
You hear about it the day we find it, in writing, before we do anything about it. Rotted trim behind a downspout, a wall that holds moisture, wallpaper hung on unprimed drywall. We price the additional work and you decide. We do not do it first and invoice it after.
How do you handle payment?
A modest deposit toward materials on larger jobs, progress billing as phases complete, and the final payment after you have walked the job and signed off on the punch list. We do not ask for half the contract before anyone shows up.
What if I do not like the color once it is up?
Tell us early. A color that is wrong on one wall is a much smaller conversation than a color that is wrong in the whole house, which is exactly why we sample large before we start. If a color needs changing after the fact, we will quote the repaint honestly rather than pretending it was your fault or ours.