Emerald Decorating Co

I notified Michael O'Grady by phone. He visited the condo and gave me an estimate, set up a time for painting, and even picked a lovely color, since he knew the current market trends. He met our apartment manager and got the job done the following week. The word I would use for Emerald Decorating's service: SEAMLESS. Michael took care of every detail in a professional, polite, and timely manner. (Even when I could not be there.)

My condo's management company chose Emerald Decorating to patch a hole in my ceiling caused by water damage. I was so impressed by their work that contacted them myself to patch other wall cracks. They also repainted them for me. I can't get over how great the walls and ceiling look!! Michael, David and crew are also very nice and professional. I highly recommend them.

I believe strongly in being fair.  Mike and his team were extremely professional - from the first time he came out to give a quote through the painting of the condo.  They showed up exactly when they said they would and worked consistently throughout the day until it was time to leave.  In terms of reliability, they were top notch.  With that being said, the overall quality of the work was nothing short of atrocious.  It was so bad, that I had to have the entire condo repainted, doubling my cost.  My complaints really fall into two categories.  The first was that I was looking for a faux finish.  My condo overlooks the Chicago river and I wanted a Tuscan Villa feel and a finish to reflect that.  I communicated this to Mike at the outset and he assured me he could deliver.

After he completed just one room, it was evident that he did not possess the skill set to do the job correctly.  I have personally applied numerous faux finishes to my previous condo - suede, ragging and a whooly finish so I am very familiar with what a completed job should look like.  I chose to hire a professional this time around because I simply did not have the time to do it myself.  What Mike tried to pass as a finish honestly looked like toddler did it.  After I looked at the 1st room, it was so bad, I asked him to just apply the base coat to the rest of the house. 

In fairness, the base coat he and his team applied looked fantastic.  The lines were straight and the application was even.  However, he performed absolutely no wall preparation, instead choosing to paint over any imperfections or areas that required sanding or prep.  I will admit that prior to the job, I had communicated to him that the walls would be prepped and ready to paint as my contractor had told me.  This was not the case, and Mike came to me and asked that I compensate him for the prep his team would have to perform.  I told him I had no problem with that and was happy to pay.  I wanted the job to be peformed correctly.  Unfortunately, his team did what I would consider a half a** job of sanding and wall preparation. 

In short, I would recommend Mike to anyone who needed nothing more than a new coat of paint to an existing room or rooms.  If your project involves wall preparation or any kind of faux finish, you are much wiser to look elsewhere.  Mike charged me over $8,000 for a the job.  I had to spend another $6,000 to fix it. 

Michael was excellent. One of our bedrooms had a complete wall of mirrors. The tar attaching the mirrors was thick. He had to scrape and plaster the indentations from the tar which were numerous. You can't even tell the wall had mirrors.
Thanks Mike . He is by far the best painter we have ever had!!!

Mike O'Grady is extremely dependable and trustworthy as well as a hard worker.  He does not waste time coming and going or not showing upon time as promised.  The work performed is very neat.

Promptly, provided quote, print samples, and design guidance. Performed work during non-business hours. Space was clean and all furniture in place after work was complete.

Painting- Interior and exterior.
Wallpaper-Interior

       I was expanding my dining room and adding a powder room to the first floor of my house. I needed the ceiling and walls of  the rooms painted before other remodeling work could be completed. I called before Thanksgiving and although it was a busy time of year, Emerald Painting promptly returned my call and came out to see the project.  I decided to repaint two bedrooms and give the first and second floors of my house a new coat of paint, including the ceilings and al the trim. I had the painters paint the ceilings and add one coat to the walls in the remodeled rooms before the holidays. They came back after the New Year and finished painting the remodeled rooms, the two bedrooms and the rest of the house. They re-caulked and patched areas before painting. In one of the two bedrooms there was a mural. They were able to cover it completely and paint the room. The painters arrived at the agreed upon start time in the morning and worked a full day. I will definitely use them again.

We couldn't be happier with  Mike.  First of all, he was the only contractor of three that we spoke with who came to the house, looked around asked questions, and then a gave us an estimate in a timely manner.  In comparison to other quotes we got, his price was fair and reasonable to paint most rooms in our home. 

Mike and his assistant, Dave, were prompt, friendly and hardworking.  They were careful of floors and carpeting and cleaned up at the end of each day.  Originally, I had been worried about being able to repair some settling cracks that had developed in the "Spanish plaster" in our living and dining rooms.  However, Dave did great work there and in any other rooms that had cracks.  The house looks great now.  I'd highly recommend Emerald Decorating to anyone in our area looking for a professional, reliable painter.

Have used Emerald multiple times.  Very prompt, efficient and high level of quality.  Also has a network of trades that have worked out very well.

Repeat requests for him says it all.  A true professional and artist with a brush.

He's prompt. He shows up on time and when says he will. He does all things that most trades people say they will do but don't. He knows how to treat customers very well. He's very flexible and his pricing was reasonable.

Amazing job by Mike and crew.  Expert workmanship and attention to detail.  Perfection.  All of our belongings were protected and carefully placed back when painting was completed.  Can't say enough about the professionalism of this company.  The owner, Michael O'Grady came out shortly to give an estimate after I called.  He was on time and very professional in appearance and demeanor.  He and the crew were on time every day of the job and were always pleasant and friendly.  Mike's guidance in color choices were so helpful to me and the finished product is absolutely gorgeous.  It's something we can't wait to show off to friends and family.  I can honestly say that Emerald Co. delivered what they promised.  My husband and I have dealt with many unfortunate contractor experiences as we have relocated about every 5 years around the country.  We have never been as pleased with a contractor as much as we are with Mike and Emerald Co.  In fact, I already have him on the calendar for the next project!  I highly recommend this company and will only use them for my painting and wallpaper needs.

Mike was timely in returning our initial phone call and came out  promptly to look at the job and provide us an estimate. We needed to have the trim painted quickly and he was able to accommodate our time frame.  Mike came out to the job on time and worked steadily. He was very neat. Mike did a fine job!