Old World Painting

I've been a successful Realtor in NW Philadelphia for almost 40 years and meet vendors, contractors, estimators, etc. all the time. However, so glad I met these guys for my own home. They are masters at their craft and I am now a fan! Dj, Craig, Kareem and Taion, Raphique, Daquan are nothing but wonderful not only as humans but also at details. Hired Old World Painters to paint the exterior of our 3 floor Victorian, that hadn't been painted in a few decades. So glad we went with OWP. They always arrived right on time, and worked tirelessly to get the job done. Particularly impressed with the amount of prep work involved to get the house ready for painting. We also had them replace a few cracked window panes, do some stucco repair and reglaze all of our original windows. The results are like night and day. Love the way the house looks!

Apostoli M (0wner) reviewed the job almost immediately after my call (plea) for help. He really examined the needed work and explained what needed to be done. He promised to be clean, careful and that no one would know they had been there. The employee who did the work (Craig) was absolutely wonderful. Totally competent and true to his art form. Craig would text and let me know he was on the way; he was always on time; worked VERY hard each day. He was good about protecting everything. For example, he set down cloth tarps on the ground and put spaces so as not to cover my small plants so they wouldn't smother. I told him they would survive and cover them too. Then he shop-vaccumed my mulch! I can't rave enough. Craig went over how he would perform and routinely showed me his progress. He fixed everything and was able to repair and replace that part of the rotting sill. The entire window looks beautiful and perhaps even better when first installed about 87 years ago. Apostoli promised to come check things out in the fall to make sure it was still all good. So, finally: Yes, it was expensive. Yes, this is an art. Yes, you are going to pay for it. And when you calculate the overall cost to the time involved and the final product, you will have gotten a bargain!

I had three rooms, a stair well and hallway painted. My house is 98 years old. The woodwork was worn, under several bad paint jobs and an accumulation of drips, ridges, and poorly bonded layers. The plaster of the walls was uneven, due to age and settling, poor plastering over drywall repairs and a few places where the plaster detached from the lathe. It needed more than a “light sand and paint,” which was all most of the 8 or so painters I interviewed were willing to do. This house needed an intervention. After two interviews, Apostoli understood the conditions of the house, what I wanted done, and was willing to do all the prep work that would be necessary. But his team didn’t just run with it. They paused and had me review their work a few times in the first days to clarify what I wanted. After that, they would ask for my review of each room as it was finished. I’m a perfectionist about painting and had painted some of the house myself so I knew how much work was involved and, in some cases, how I wanted it done. Apostoli and his crew were very patient and listened to my sometimes detailed instructions and concerns. They did a lot of scraping, sanding, priming, filling — a lot of filling — caulking and finally sanding down the woodwork to flat and smooth surfaces. They did a lot of patching and skim coating of the plaster walls and ceilings. They discovered the plaster of three ceilings had detached from the lathe and replaced them. The crew, Craig, DJ, and Kareem, were great to work with. They were congenial and took pride in their work. They were respectful of our property and privacy. I felt comfortable having them in my home. They showed up every day until the project was finished. They worked steadily from 8 when they arrived, took a lunch, and continued working until they left, often at 5:30 or 6. They sealed the doorway of each room with plastic to contain most of the dust. They cleaned up at the end of every work day, gathered their equipment in one place, and swept and vacuumed the work area. They were open to requests, took corrections well and asked questions if they were in doubt. They reserved the last day for touch ups that they had flagged as they worked. I removed all hardware to protect it and facilitate the sanding and painting. At their request I created a detailed list of all paints and where they were to be applied which they followed flawlessly. You might want to drape furniture in the rest of the house for dust and have them cover the path from the entrance of the house to the work area with paper taped to the floor. If you have any chemical sensitivity, you should talk with them up front as some of the fillers and primers they use have a strong smell. The results exceeded my expectations. The plaster of the walls and ceilings is now smooth and looks like new. The woodwork has flat surfaces, smooth curves and sharper detail. What had appeared as an old, worn and neglected interior now looks bright and well-maintained.

We hired Old World Painting primarily for exterior wood staining, but also some interior work. Although the job took longer than expected, the workmanship and attention to detail were outstanding, and it was well worth the wait. The cost was also highly competitive. DJ, Angel, Carl, Josh, and Kareem contributed and were all professional and friendly. We will definitely hire them again.

Overall process went great. Apo was very responsive to requests to provide estimates and his team of Craig and Laurence provided quality work. The job extended over 4 days and they promptly arrived each morning and took great care to clean up each evening. Overall I was pleased with quality of the work and the professionalism of the team.

From consultation to execution, Old World Painting exceeded my expectations. Apostoli’s “no-fluff,” open communication approach made it easy to not only trust but also choose them to paint my interior. If I had a question or concern, Apostoli was easy to reach and willing to swing by at short notice, which was extremely unique during a pandemic where it’s been difficult to contact most contractors. The job took roughly 3 days. DJ, Drew and Laurence arrived on time every day and worked diligently to ensure my vision came to life. If something needed adjusting, they quickly resolved it. The job resulted in a neat and smooth finish, which has already received compliments. My freshly painted walls look incredible and I’m excited to finally furnish my space. Overall, I would highly recommend Old World Painting. They checked all the boxes for me: Price, Customer Service, Quality and Professionalism. 10 out of 10 experience.

Excellent the work went smoothly Craig was very good with his carpentry work DJ Drew and Joe were very professional as they were painting and repairing my ceiling and walls

I selected Old World Painting to paint the exterior of my large 120-year-old home. I interviewed 4 painting companies and ultimately chose OWP because of Apo’s knowledge, attention to detail, and passion to give my home a beautiful and classic look. The job was professionally done. The prep work was thorough and well beyond my expectations. Apo and I communicated every day. Craig had a window sill and molding custom milled to replaced some rotted areas, and it match perfectly. The front door was painted with high gloss Fine Paints of Europe which I highly recommend, which is very elegant and makes it really pop. I highly recommend Old World Painting.

The project went very well. It only took 3 days. Craig and Joe did a seamless job. They literally transformed my porch. I hired them to come back in the spring for more work. I highly recommend Old World Painting to anyone who wants a clean, crisp job.

Excellent—great job—reliable crew showed up as promised and finished in good time. Repaired wood as needed; everything looks great!

Highly recommend Old World Painting! Hands down the best painting company we have ever used. Their preparation and attention to detail was top notch. And the owner, Apostoli and the crew were great to work with and very helpful throughout our project. We are extremely happy with how beautiful our home looks.

Old World Painting really transformed our 18th century Swarthmore home. Apostoli was extremely thorough during the walk-through and estimate process, and really took time to explain what he would work on during the project. The team with DJ and Craig finished the job on time and were flexible with the final walk-through and touchups. Overall a smooth, painless experience and a great job done with Old World Painting!

Their quality was unmatched and surpassed my expectations. DJ kept me informed throughout the project and exemplified excellent craftsmanship. They were great with my kids and finished the job in a timely manner. My wife has high expectations and she was put at ease by the experience. They will be my only call for all of my future painting needs.

From our initial meeting to discuss an estimate through the entirety of the project, Apostoli displayed the utmost professionalism and treated us with courtesy. The standards he holds his crew to exceeded my expectations and the final product is outstanding. I would recommend Old World Painting to anyone in the area looking for a high quality contractor. In the future, any painting needs I have will be served by Apostoli and his team at Old World Painting.

Very well. Professional, set up and clean up very good. Communicates well. Easy to reach if there is an issue.

it was a wonderful experience! The painters paid attention to detail throughout the job. I would recommend them highly! The big challenging job finished a “10”!!!

We recently hired Apostoli and his team to paint the interior of our house after purchasing a new home that hadn't been updated in a while. They did a great job and finished the entire project in 5 days working 8am - 5pm every day. Apostoli gave us great tips on what colors/paint to use based on our goals. His team that painted our house (DJ, Craig and Andrew) were very friendly and made sure we were happy with the results throughout the entire process. The team didn't cut corners and made sure to paint every room the right way, even if it meant more work for them. I highly recommend Apostoli and his team to anyone looking for a painter.

It was a+plus, no mess, they were professional, nice clean job, very friendly, very cautious on my schedule. The price is competitive as well. They were very knowledgeable about suggesting colors and it was super helpful.

The estimate was professional and seamless with the turn around.