Cincinnati just had six inches of snow dumped on it this week and GreenWay has been busy clearing driveways.  As we build our client base up we are offering the lowest prices we will ever have.  Get in on these early bird prices [$.05 sq. ft.]. Never worry again about doing it yourself, nor being sore for three days afterwards! Call GreenWay at 513.405.7048

GreenWay Painting, LLC. is expanding it’s borders due to customer demand and due to a desire to grow.

Sometime late this quarter we will be launching a new division specializing in house cleaning.  Of course [as is our custom], we’ll be using only green, earth-friendly products!

We’ll also be offering specials for homeowners who hire us for interior painting.

Stay tuned for more information to follow.

In a recent business networking group I was recently asked in front of the entire group of twenty-six, “What are three things you want us to know about GreenWay Painting?”

My response was:

1. We choose top-of-the-line products only!
2. We choose green, earth friendly products!
3. My crew is very family-friendly!

If you are considering having house painting done around your home or property, we would love to give you an estimate.  I am confident we’ll exceed your expectations.  And for every referral thereafter that you give to your friends, family and co-workers which becomes a secured job, you’ll receive a $50.00 gas gift card.

Effective January 1, 2011: GreenWay will only guarantee no peeling paint on an exterior for two years on homes built after 1978.  Houses built prior to 1978 will receive one year guarantee against peeling paint.

Time and time again I come in contact with homeowners who’ve had “the painting horror story.”  They found a painter from a friend of a friend who gave them an unbelievable price only to find out that something drastic went wrong.

The most recent story was a homeowner who called me looking for price to have their deck stained.  They got a great price from someone, he finished half the job and asked for payment since he just had a “little more left to stain” and never came back.  He received his money and was gone.  They somehow talked the painter into coming back to simply return the stain, which he did, but never completed the job.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but while painting the interior of a home splattered paint all over the countertops and hardwood floors.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but his exterior paint job which cost $2,500.00 [and was still lower than the other bids] failed within two years costing the homeowner another $2,500.00 just two years later.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but couldn’t make straight lines against the woodwork inside.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price on an exterior, but didn’t clean out the gutters even though he was working right by them, didn’t paint the electric meter, the lintels, valleys, garage doors, shutters, or the dirty downspouts.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but used the cheapest paint and caulk he could find to cut some costs.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but didn’t carry insurance, workers’ comp., and wasn’t bonded.

Don’t make the mistake of hiring a cheap painter and suffering the consequences of their poor workmanship and lack of professionalism.

Numerous painters I have run into throughout the years have openly admitted to adding water to paint.  For the person who does not know there are big problems with that, frankly, there are.  Primarily, if the paint manufacturers thought there needed to be more water in paint, they would have manufactured it that way.  All paint has a percentage of “solids” and “liquids” in each can.  Your cheaper paint is usually  over 90% liquid and less than 10% solid.  Your top-of-the-line paints are upwards of 53%-55% solid and 45%-47% liquid.  Point being, water in paint is lessening is coverage, lessening it’s durability, and lessening it’s washability.

Most painters I know personally are not using top-of-the-line products.  And then most of them that are using lower grade paints are watering down their paint.  Again, this makes coverage more difficult.  If you have ever painted a room and have it look great only until six months later you could “see through” the paint then you know what I mean about poor coverage.  All paint fades over time, even inside homes.  That’s why you need good coverage.

Or let’s take the durability  factor with watered down paint.  Exteriors are notorious for peeling and fading paint.  Again, that’s why good products are of the necessity.  Adding water to paint rapidly speeds up the peeling and fading factor!

And what about washability.  Every homeowner wants to be able to wash their walls.  Only the best products are washable.  But then most painters are adding water to their paint thus voiding any washability you might have had.

Then why water down paint?  Money!  Painters are trying to cut costs to survive a struggling economy.  How do you know your painter is not watering down his paint?  Ask him.  And press him about the issue.  Keep insisting that no water be added to the paint.

As for GreenWay, we never add water to the paint.  All my painters know that water is to never be added to paint.  So how do I know that my painters are not adding water to their paint?  I’m so glad you asked.  Remember, my workers have been together for four plus years from before GreenWay was ever established.  And three of those six have been with me for ten plus years.  Before I owned a business I worked with these men for years side by side and they never added water to paint.

Ultimately it comes down to a trust factor.  Can you trust your painter to do what he said he would do?  You’ll have no problems with GreenWay, I promise.

Many people are into saving money these days and so am I.

Many people have various projects around the house they are spending money on and so am I.

Many of these projects homeowners decide to hire men and/or women from the service industry to complete these projects and so do I.

In the last six months, I have incurred much spending to various businesses from the service industry.  My cast iron drain going out to the main on the street busted and needed replaced.  My electrical breaker box got soaked from rain for months and I did not know it and it had to be replaced.  My HVAC system breaks quarterly and so I am having it replaced presently.  Perhaps you do not know the costs of those items, but it was very pricey.

I would be unwise to invite these servicemen into my home without showing proper general liability insurance and workers’ compensation.  The liability is this: if they get hurt on my property and they are not covered by their own insurance, guess who pays the bill if they get hurt…ME!

These people who do not carry proper insurance and who work in peoples’ homes are what we call people who “work on the side.”  Meaning they are keeping their labor costs to a minimum because they are not paying for insurance and possibly not paying taxes on the money they earn.  Not only is that causing a major blow to the prosperity of small businesses nationwide who do carry proper insurances, but the liability the homeowners are assuming by hiring people “on the side” is very high.

Suppose a man has a wife and three children, does not carry proper insurance, insists on working “on the side” and he falls and breaks his neck at your house.  What makes any homeowner think that that man will not sue that homeowner, even it he is an acquaintance or friend?  If you need to feed your wife and children and it’s a choice between your family or a stranger/friend, you better believe they’ll be picking family!

In short, the liability of having your house painted on the side is incredibly dangerous and frankly, I’d not be wanting to put my own family in that type of liability and that type of a gamble.  Thank goodness the plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians did not get hurt at my home, but more importantly than that thank goodness they had insurance.  And it was worth the extra several hundred or couple grand to not put my family in that type of liability.

Think twice about having a man climb 25 feet onto the side of your house without insurance.  And check for insurance before you hire anyone!

Are you in the market for the cheapest painter?  Are you in the market for the best price?

Perhaps we ought to word this a little bit differently:

Are you in the market for the painter who declares he paints two coats but only does one?

Are you in the market for the painter who uses cheaper products to save on material costs?

Are you in the market for the painter who neglects to paint all areas that were previously painted?

Are you in the market for the painter who skimps on the prep work on the areas where the homeowner will never see like on top of steep roofs?

Are you in the market for the painter who does not paint the rusted electric meter, the rusted valleys, and the rusted lintels?

Are you in the market for the painter who uses the least durable finishes like flat finishes because he is trying to hide imperfections in his work?

Are you in the market for the painter who splatters paint on your concrete, window sills, and roof?

Are you in the market for the painter who does not clean out your gutters even though he is painting right by them?

Are you in the market for the painter who does not re-caulk your windows where they are cracked out so that he can save time and caulk?

Are you in the market for the painter who does not offer a guarantee that his paint will not peel for two years even in the crazy Cincinnati weather?

Are you in the market for the painter who smokes and leaves his butts in the mulch?

Are you in the market for the painter who leaves trash lying around at the end of the day?

Are you in the market for the painter who spills paint in your lawn?

Are you in the market for the painter who curses like a sailor before your children?

Are you in the market for the painter who recommends one coat because “he wants you to save money” when really he just wants to win the job from the correct painter who recommended two coats?

Are you in the market for the painter who neglects the new EPA lead based paint laws to the possible harm of you and your family?

Check out GreenWay Painting here and see that we’re certified by the EPA, we’re safe for your family, and we’re green for the environment!

The subtitle of this post could be: “15 ways good painters are taken for granted.”

1. Don’t take your painter for granted if he is there when he says he will be there.
2. Don’t take your painter for granted if he thoroughly explains how he will paint your home the professional way.
3. Don’t take your painter for granted if he chooses the accurate paints for your project.
4. Don’t take your painter for granted if he chooses the best and most expensive paints on the market.
5. Don’t take your painter for granted if he and his painters are clean cut.
6. Don’t take your painter for granted if he and his painters are respectful of you, your children, your animals, and your property.
7. Don’t take your painter for granted if he does not leave trash lying around your home at the end of the day.
8. Don’t take your painter for granted if he cleans up his work area before he leaves.
9. Don’t take your painter for granted if he is thorough on his estimate about what is included and what is not.
10. Don’t take your painter for granted if he recommends two coats of top-of-the-line paint for your interior and exterior project.
11. Don’t take your painter for granted if he keeps you updated daily on the progress of the project.
12. Don’t take your painter for granted if he chooses earth friendly paint for the safety of you and your children.
13. Don’t take your painter for granted if completes your job in a timely manner.
14. Don’t take your painter for granted if offers a two year exterior warranty against peeling paint.
15. Don’t take your painter for granted if he offers a one year interior touch up warranty.

It’s sad that there are more “painting horror stories” with homeowners and their “professional painter,” but if you do happen to land a good painter don’t take him for granted!  We’d love to be your good painter so give us a call and ask us about painting your home the GreenWay!  Also, check us out on YouTube!