LVX PAINTING

“If you had said you expected a good job, I would have bid higher.” This bizarre excuse for a mediocre job came from Randall Reese, apparent owner of LVX Painting in Newport, KY. During a temper tantrum – something we endured from Reese all too often – he explained that whoever painted the trim on our historic home two or three owners ago had not done an especially good job. Therefore, he argued, we shouldn’t expect an especially good job from his company either. (His was the second highest of four bids we received.) Problems arose from the beginning. Work was set to start on a Tuesday with pressure washing, but rain was forecast, so Reese phoned to postpone until the next day. On Wednesday, Reese called again with the same message even though rain was not forecast, and the day was clear. He said a crew would arrive on Friday. Workers showed up on Friday and began painting. We pointed out that pressure washing had not been done. The painters had to do the pressure washing and lost a day of painting because the process left surfaces wet. When work resumed the following Tuesday, two painters conducted obscenity laced conversation so loudly that our neighbor, the city manager’s wife, complained. One of the two was removed from our project. The other spent hours talking loudly on a cell phone for the three-week duration. Other problems on our project included:  Caulking done carelessly and without a smoothing tool.  Screens removed without tags to show which screen went on which window. As a result, several screens could not be reinstalled.  Screens tossed about in such a way as to puncture at least two.  Brush-cleaning water poured into shrubbery, resulting in death of a lovely flowering bush.  Cigarette butts scattered about the job site after workers left.  An outdoor light dismantled and never correctly reassembled. Eventually, Reese pulled his crew off our project even though work was not complete. He explained that he was running behind on other projects and had no time to finish ours. We told him that we would not pay the final invoice until excess paint was removed from window glass and one surface already scraped bare was painted. Reluctantly, he sent a couple of men back to our home to finish the work. We paid the balance due, but we would recommend against hiring LVX for any painting project.