Elysium Painting Company

Tried to contact company to perform 5 year warranty work due to exterior of house paint peeling but they are unresponsive.

see above

Went very well!

unknown

After taking down the siding on the front portion of my 1890's home I needed to get that section scraped and painted.  Aftr getting a quote they did respond quickly and did lead abatement and then scraped and painted that front portion of the house.  By the next year, 2012, paint was already pealing.  I had them come out again and they did warranty work, which consisted of scraping, priming and repainting only the portions that had pealing paint.  In 2013 I contacted them again and they sent a new person out who was an experienced painter who told me that it should have been all taken down to the wood and that it would continue to fail until that was done.  He said he would quote the price to do that, but that I didn't have a warranty.  Interesting, since they did what they called warranty work in 2012.
I recently tried contacting the owner to try and bring this to a resolution.  No surprise - he has failed to contact me back.  The MO here is that you contact, they promise resolution, you contact again, they send someone and then never hear from them again.
I feel taken and that they did not do the job properly the first time.  I have several email's confirming my contact with them and have written a log of contact and responses.
I had another painting company come out to look at the job.  They stated that it would all have to be taken down to the wood or the paint job would fail.
Will never recommend them to anyone.

I had used this company numerous times. It has turned into a nightmare. I expected more from David Landau.

They were great.  The guy who came out to give me the estimate gave me a lot of tips on what to do with the baseboards and window frames and he was great.  The painters came out, they were time, they were neat, got the job done and I would definitely use them again.

He was ontime and very professional, I did not use them because the quote was a little high.

Professional from start to finish.  Within a day of getting the estimate they were at the house working with a team to get the job completed quickly.  Staff were fast, friendly, and the price was better than any other place we checked into.  We were extremely satisfied with the finished product.  Kevin W. and his team get 5 stars from us, and we will be contacting him for any future painting needs! Great job!

unknown

They did a very good job

I hired Elysium based on online reviews for wallpaper removal in kitchen, foyer, stairwells and bathroom. I was quoted it would be 3 day project and price was good. A subcontractor was sent out, not Elysium painting. Well as far as wallpaper removal, they did not remove the glue but instead did a lot of sanding and plaster to cover the glue . The kitchen turned out nice and you could tell they took their time. As for the rest of the job, they hurried on the last day and painted over a lot of the glue, did not sand all the plaster down and only did 1 coat of paint without primer. It looked horrible. I called the subcontractor who was very apologetic and long story short he came out and fixed it. Elysium called and apologized as well. It ended up looking better but not as nice as I thought it would . While I was thankful they came and fixed it, overall I just wasn't too thrilled with the whole experience. There was not a lot of communication, always late, cancellations,dirty drop cloths, didn't do a great job sealing off my house to prevent sanding dust from getting everywhere, my whole house smelled like cigarettes as they took a break very often, different people everyday,overcharged me for paint but I just let that go because I was over it all . Very nice people but I would have taken my time to read reviews next time. After they got into the job they realized my walls were in pretty bad shape but I would have rather they stop and renegotiate with me to get the job done in a nice professional way and not try to make up labor costs on the paint.

Decided to leave the color as is.  The software was a cool idea, but hard to use and only good if you just wanted to get some ideas.  It will only give you an approximation because it will not account for the lighting in your area.   The phone consultant said it would be better to use a color consultant.  I will probably go that route in the future, but for now I will leave as is.

Along the way we managed to mis-communicate so the kitchen was painted as well. Some of the switch plates were also thrown out because one person on the crew thought I wasn't keeping them. These hiccups took time to resolve but the company ensured that matters were resolved. I've had many compliments on the finished job so I can attest to their quality. I would recommend them but do make sure that you have a fully written out contract (all the details spelled out) and that the person who you make the arrangements with is able to manage the project i.e. doesn't go out of town.

The Elysium team was courteous, personable, and respectful throughout the project. Painting is always a messy proposition but the team did their best to limit that and vacuumed when a room was completed. Touch-ups were addressed quickly and without reservation. Finished walls were pristine and cut lines were very clean. Project was completed in one week as promised. Very happy with the service. Pricing was not the cheapest, but as I gaze at my rejuvenated space it feels like money well-spent. Kudos to Chris, Matt, Tim, Erik, and Hank!

After receiving the quote for the job, work was initially scheduled to start on Thursday, November 21, 2013.  About a week before that, we were asked if we could accomodate a start date of Friday, November 22; that was fine with us.  We were also told that the job would take 2 full days, so we assumed that the job would be done on Saturday, November 23.  We were satisfied with that as it would give us plenty of time to clean up the house before Thanksgiving the following Thursday.  We paid a 50% deposit before work began.  One important thing to note at this point is that our estimate initially called for Elysium to install quarter round moldings in our living room and paint them, in addition to the other painting we wanted done.
 
On Friday, November 22, Rich and 2 workers arrived at our house close to the promised time.  The job got off to a bad start immediately as Rich asked if I had been told that they couldn't come back for the 2nd day of work until Sunday, the 24th.  That was the first we had heard about that, but we didn't have much of a choice in the matter at that point.
Throughout the day, we tried to stay out of their way and didn't hover over them to keep tabs on the work.  At one point during the day, we did hear a big crash upstairs and assumed that paint had been spilled.  I was surprised at the large number of breaks they took from their work, but we felt we should trust their profesionalism and let them do their jobs.  When they left after the first day of work, we were dismayed to see that they had painted the window trim, the doors, and the base moldings in the master bedroom the wrong color (they painted them the same color as the ceiling, despte the contract being clear that all trim and doors would be the same color).  The chair rail was painted the right color, however.  We also noticed that the quality of the work was far below what we had expected, with the lines between the walls and trim being very uneven and a lot of paint drips on the floor.  They did scrape up some paint drips before they left and when they returned on Sunday, but we spent probably an hour or so that first night trying to remove as many of the drips as possible from the floor.  In the corner of our bedroom, we noticed that paint had spilled onto the wood floors and seeped in between the boards.  That paint will never come out.  Even though we had been promised a two day job, not even one full complete coat had been done in all areas by the end of the first day.  Needless to say, the quarter round installation had not happened either, and we both got the impression that they were not totally comfortable with that part of the job, even though Rich is the one who provided the initial quote.  Rich eventually decided to try to find someone else to do the carpentry, but as described below, it never happened.
I sent Rich a text that night about the concerns we had with the poor quality and with the wrong color being used in the master bedroom.  The crew returned on Sunday as promised, minus one worker, leaving only Rich and one other painter.  That day, they did a second coat on the lower half of the master bedroom walls, beneath the chair rail, and repainted one coat of the correct color on the bedroom doors and trim.  The stairwells and landing were not finished, nor was the upstairs trim or the moldings and painting in the living room.  We also noticed areas where spackle had been painted over without being sanded and a nail hole was painted over without being patched, even though we were assured that all necessary wall/trim repairs would be made during prep.
A 3 man crew (including Rich) returned on Monday and did what we believe to be one coat of paint in the landing areas and in the stairwell.  Later, we would notice that it appeared that only one coat was done in almost all the areas we had wanted painted and some areas were missed completely.  Rich said we could mark any areas that needed touch up for when they would come back to finish the job on Friday, November 29.  In the meantime, Rich was working on getting someone to do the quarter round and eventually we were told that this would also be done on the 29th.
On the 29th, one painter showed up and touched up the areas we had marked.  He also painted one coat on the base molding in the living room, but the carpenter never showed up to install the quarter round as we expected.    Because the carpenter never showed up, the painter only did one coat on the base moldings and left.  He did paint one coat on our fireplace mantle for free, which we did really appreciate since that was not part of the original quote.  I texted Rich and later found out that the carpenter didn't show because he was supposedly sick.  We were told to expect the carpenter the next day, Saturday the 30th, by 10:30 a.m.  When he didn't show up on time, I notified Rich and he had the carpenter call us.  The carpenter said he was in Lansing and could probably arrive by 1:00, but that he wouldn't be prepared to paint the quarter round as Rich had promised us would happen.  At that point, I told him to forget it and called an end to the job.
Another thing to note is that we had paid for the quarter round and the painter who came out on the 29th brought it with him.  It is still sitting in our basement and we have no idea how it is ever going to get installed.  They did reduce our bill by the labor cost that had been calculated to install the moldings.  I also know that Rich felt extremely bad about the carpenter not showing up and not being prepared to do what we were told to expect.
On December 2, 2013, I received an e-mail from Elysium Manager Troy Brown who apologized for the carpentry failure and offered to try to make things right.  We were not interested in working with Elysium further since we had noticed many more areas in the meantime that had not been painted with 2 coats as promised and that were of poor quality.  We also noticed that someone got paint on our brand new comforter (meaning that after the first day of work, our things were not protected as they had promised to do) and that there was paint in the grout between our wood floors in the upstairs landing and our upstairs bathroom, which is tiled.  Those mistakes, in addition to the paint between the boards of our bedroom floor mentioned above,  are essentially permanent.
I relayed all this to Troy Brown in our e-mail exchange and he offered to send us a $100 refund to make up for the fact that we paid $95 for labor for the living room trim painting for essentially no reason.  I told him, via e-mail on December 2, 2013, that we would appreciate a refund.  As of the date of this review (written on January 18, 2014) we have not received a refund check as promised.  I checked in with Troy via e-mail on December 28th and he said that the owner had been in California for a month and that he was sure we would be taken care of soon.  At this point, I am assuming that we will never see that $100 refund.
To summarize the bad points: 1) two day job took parts of five days and was never actually completed as promised 2) it is clear that most areas received only one coat of paint and other areas were missed completely (for example, some of the spindles under the stairway bannister) 3) paint was spilled or dripped on things that cannot be removed  4) after the first day, our belongings were not properly protected as promised 5) the carpenter was a no-show on the 29th and was not even prepared to do the required work on the 30th 6) we are stuck with no quarter round in our living room and paid for painting on the base moldings that will need to be done again when we eventually get it installed 7) we will eventually have to repaint or touch up areas on all surfaces that were painted due to areas missed an

Elysium responded quickly and were patient with an extended time line that we had to have.  They showed up on time and the crew completed the job on time and correct.  They were very professional.

Painting itself was excellent.  The painters were neat for the most part. although we did find some small paint spots on the carpet..  Edge lines looked good, and we found very few defects that required correction.  They did refer a problem with blotchy coverage to the manufacturer, who refunded the price of the paint for the bathroom, provided new paint, but did not pay for the labor involved in repainting that room.

Our major problems came with the estimate and billing. The original estimate was for $3200, and the final bill was over $4400.  Our contact, Chris, blamed the difference on the fact that they underestimated the amount the number of coats and amount of paint that was required.  Also, we found discrepancies in the amount we were billed for paint.  This was blamed on the fact that they were doing work for "two Kathy's" and got the invoices mixed up.  We had to argue with them to get the discounts we were initially promised.  The job was originally estimated to be completed in 3 to 5 days, but took 2 1/2 weeks. They started painting on 8/13 and we did not settle our billing issues until 12/24.  We tired of arguing with them and ended up paying for $73 in supplies they could not account for.

Also, they offered to give us a bill reduction in the amount of our Angie's List membership if we gave them a favorable review. 

We would look elsewhere when we need painters again.

It was not the greatest experience for us. I did like that they sent out a color specialist to help us in selecting a paint color and scheduling was very easy. However, the quality of the work was not the best and it seemed like they were in a rush. Two painters came out to do the work and it took about 8 hours to complete everything.

They did a really good prep job on the walls. They cleaned up well after themselves. It took a little longer than they expected, it took about 4 days to complete with one painter. I am very satisfied with the results and thought the price was great. They were excellent painters.

My experience was not great. They did not have all the right materials and proper equipment with them. They did not paint behind the toilet tank.  They were prompt for the appointment and the price was fair. The seemed like they were rushing the job.

Remodeling an older home can be a headache, having little to no free time to commit to doing
the work myself I set out to find a quality company that could give me a quick turn around in time for the holiday season. 
With an imminent need to have my floors stripped and re-finished, wallpaper
removed as well as several rooms in need of painting I needed someone
that could offer me a fair price to do the whole job in a short time frame.
Elysium was incredible; an estimator came to house the same day as I called to
schedule a quote and began work the following week. Four rooms of removed
wallpaper borders, some drywall patching later and the topcoat was applied.
With the wall paper gone and the new paint on the walls, my house got a complete 
facelift. The crew that performed work on my house was respectful of
the project timeline and of our home and property. They held their word every
step of the way and the crew chief stayed in communication with me through out
the duration of the project. If you need a quick and professional turn around
Elysium has got skill and ability to take care of your project. 

Kori and his crew rearranged their schedule and came to give us an estimate (after working a long day) because they knew we were in a hurry to get our house painted. We had just purchased a home and discovered the previous owners were heavy smokers. We wanted to get the painting done before we moved in and they were so accomodating! Kori worked with me every step of the way. He wanted to make sure we were happy, always checking with me to make sure I liked what they were doing. He made sure he understood what we wanted done and they got right to work. His crew was extremely friendly and professional. Kori had me check the work along the way to make sure I was happy with it. At one point, I didn't like the color of the paint, and Kori changed it, twice, and was very happy to do it. He wanted to make sure we were satisfied with the job. My husband and I kept adding on to the job also, which was probably frustrating to them.... but they never let on!! Kori's work ethic is exemplary and I would hire him to come back in a heartbeat. He was very careful to keep things covered, cleaned up afterwards, etc. He also does outside work and I know we will need work done in the spring - we will definitely call Kori and his crew to come back!!

The problems started from day one. The crew was slated to arrive at 9 a.m. At 10:15 I
receive a phone call from Kevin stating that he would not be coming at all
today due to a funeral, but that his crew was already on their way. He assured
me that he would be there the next day to oversee the work. (Already an issue-
since the job was only supposed to take one day!) The crew never arrives at my
home until after noon- and they have no paint to start working since no one
ever came in advance to pick up the swatches. Honestly- if I hadn't already
signed a contract and paid a deposit I would have sent them away and found
another painting company. They work until shortly after 5, and ASSURE me that
they will be at my home at 9 a.m. the next day.
Day 2-  and 9 a.m. rolls around with no one here. I receive a call from Steve
telling me that Kevin has pulled them from my job to hang drywall at another
location, and no one would be at my home to work until at least 1:30. (Oh- and
asks if this is okay...of COURSE it's not!) I had a photography job that
required me to leave my house at 4:30, so my husband had to come home from work
to be here while they worked. At 10:45 one of the painters arrives- Khal, who
started right to work by himself. At 1:30 another painter, Kent arrives. They
both worked as hard as they could, but were hampered by the fact that they did
not have the tall ladder required to paint the taller parts of the walls and
could only work on the areas they could reach with extension poles. At approx.
3:30 Steve and another guy Chris show up with the tall ladder. Shortly after
this my husband arrives home, and as I'm gathering my equipment to leave for my
photo shoot, Kent is climbing the ladder to reach the tall walls when the
ladder collapses from underneath him, sending him crashing to the ground from about
a 10 foot height.  My concern right away is for Kent, who seemed shaken
but unharmed. Then the damage was assessed. The ladder put a 1-1/2" dent
on the stair post at the bottom of the stairs, a large hole in the wall and
about a foot long gouge in the hardwood floor. The workers admit it's their
fault for 2 reasons: 1- the ladder should never have been placed on the paper
protecting the floor, and B) the ladder had been broken for some time and one
of the rubber feet was broken and bent sideways- which caused the gouge in the
floor. I had to leave shortly after that, and returned home to find the job
still incomplete and my husband telling me that the workers stated they had
about 3-4 hours more work to do and would be back the next day- but not until after
1:30.
Day 3. At 1:30 I receive a call from Steve saying he was having car trouble and
would be here as soon as he could. He and Dave show up and job one is repairing
the hole in the wall caused by the ladder. I am working at my computer when
Steve asks if we have any Spackle because apparently they had none with them!
He also asks for a fan to speed to drying process of the Spackle. When they
finished I was on the phone with the company I had install my hardwood floors
asking how much it was going to cost to repair the floor- since the day before
the workers assured me that the company would pay to have them repaired. 
As I get off the phone with the flooring guy Steve tells me they're finished
and he is to collect a check. I told him I wasn't paying until I found out what
was going to be done about the floor repair. (Now- at this point I should
mention that at no time during the course of this entire job did Kevin- who was
supposed to be the crew chief, ever show up at this house. I would have fully expected
that especially after there had been an accident and damage done that as the
supervisor he would have come to the house to see what the damage was and to
talk to me about the issues that had occurred. ) I had to call him myself and
ask how he was going to deal with the damage to the floor. (At this point I
wasn?t even adding in the stair post that was damaged, or the paint that had
been spilled on the upstairs carpet, or the shoddy job that had been done to
repair the hole in the wall.) Kevin tells me he?ll have his flooring guys come
take a look and can probably fix the floor- I explain that the floor is almost
brand new and I would prefer to have my flooring guys take care of it. I
explain that the gouge can?t just be sanded down and refinished, either the
whole floor would have to be sanded down or the boards that are damaged will
have to be replaced. Kevin says he?ll email me a final invoice, include wording
that covers having the floor repaired, and taking $200 off the cost of the job
for all the trouble.) He wants Steve to wait until I receive the email so I can
still give him a check. When after 15 minutes the email still hasn?t arrive- I
tell Steve to go ahead and leave and I?ll mail the check in.  The email finally arrives- and while there is
wording that states that they?ll repair the floor- but if the cost is over $200
the company needs to be contacted first. Fair enough.  It also states that he?s taking a $200
discount off the total. However- there?s this vague line in the invoice that
says ?supplies?- with a total of $480! Hmm?exactly $200 more than what was
estimated, and the amount Kevin graciously offers to discount. RIGHT. So I
email Kevin back, and request a copy of all receipts for paint purchased, and
once I received that I would send a check.
Days later- and I still have received no email
with copies of the receipts. So I send an email to Kevin, copied the home
office, and stated that since we still had not received copies of the receipts
from Home Depot I was prepared to send a check with the total for labor, minus
the deposit, minus the $200 discount, and minus the amount it was going to cost
to have the floor repaired. I would include the amount it would have cost for
the 7 gallons of paint that was originally quoted, and when I received receipts
that proved I owed more than that it would be dealt with at that time.
 About 1/2 hour after sending the email I received a phone call from Troy- the production manager. All apologies, and talking about bringing me flowers, he accepts the amount I said I would pay. I send the check that afternoon and figure it would be the last I would hear from them. But no...
Last week I receive a phone call from Troy telling me they hadn't received my check. I assured him I sent it out the day I talked to him, and which address I sent it to. He said he would check with David, the owner and get back to me. Two days later I receive a second call, telling me he'd check and they had not received payment, and could I send another check. I told him I'd check with my bank. Sure enough- the check had been cashed 2 days after I'd sent it.
I would never recommend this company to anyone. And frankly- I'm amazed they have such a high rating on Angie's list.

Thank you Elysium!
I am very happy with the work that was performed on the
interior of my home by Elysium. I had my upstairs bathroom wall paper removed
and the drywall skimmed and repaired as well as painted. I also had Elysium
paint the upstairs hallway, which has a high ceiling and required ladder work
to paint around our skylights. 
  The production manager Troy made sure that our project was scheduled and completed in a timely
fashion. I really appreciated the fine customer service that I received from
the company as a whole. I felt like they really cared about respecting my time
as well as my home. The crew was fantastic when it came time to clean up and do the final walk through, I was impressed with how well they cleaned up. I am so excited to have fresh paint on the walls. 
definitely be raving about Elysium to all my friends and family this holiday
season!