NORTHWEST RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL PAINTING CO

Terrible, horrible paint. Way overpriced A couple years ago, my house was down to the studs and completely remodeled. The interior and exterior was painted by my contractor’s painter. He did a fine job, but the paint he used was terrible. It’s a flat paint, and marked like crazy. You put your fingers on the wall briefly, and the oil on your skin gets on the wall. Lean against the wall in jeans that haven’t been washed a lot, and there’s a mark from the denim. Just a couple examples. Even worse, when attempting to clean the marks, the paint readily came off on the microfiber cloth. There was no way that I could live with that paint. So I decided to spend the money and effort and get all of the interior walls repainted. I got bids from several painting companies, one of them Northwest Residential and Commercial Painting Co. LLC. In my original email of inquiry to the company: “I completely remodeled my rambler in 2016 and I hate the interior paint that was used. It goes with the modern style but it marks very easily. I want to explore getting the interior completely repainted with a more sturdy paint.” Travis’s bid: $7,480 includes 4 man hours of baseboard touchups. 2 year warranty. Travis recommended this paint [*** Link removed ***] A second painter’s bid: $4,975.00 including any repairs. 2 year warranty. The recommended paint is Benjamin Moore Ben Interior Eggshell A third painter’s bid: $3636.11 plus any drywall repair at $50/hr. 3 year warranty I am very aesthetically oriented and particular about how things look in my house. I notice things that many others do not. During the initial walk-through with Travis to discuss the job requirements, I pointed out a few things that I wanted corrected with the new paint job. Travis said that his guys have very high standards and quality of work, and there would be no problem to correct them. As in, it went without saying that his guys would do a better job. In fact, Travis made several dismissive comments about the job that my contractor’s painter had done. Travis said that if any of his guys had done that, he’d have made them redo the work until it met Travis’s standards. Based only on what Travis was telling me, I came away from that walk-through with the belief that Travis’s crew almost walked on water in their painting ability and quality standards. When I pointed out to Travis that his price was quite a bit higher than the other two bids I received, his response was: “Regarding the price, I really don’t concern myself with other competitors prices. I have no idea what quality they do, or how they pay their employees, etc… What I do is look at the project and listen to the customer and then ascertain how long I believe it will take to give the customer what they want with the products they want. I know you have a great eye for detail, and I appreciate that. That also means that we will need to take the right amount of time to not only meet, but to exceed your expectations. That is my point of view.” Because of this, I decided that for me, it would be worth it to pay the much higher price to get the high quality that I want. That is the only reason that I went with Travis over the $4,975 bid. However, that decision to go with Travis is one of the few regrets that I have in my 61 years of life. I spent A TON of money and the result is zero improvement on the original paint job. That was the ONLY reason I wanted to repaint: to have paint that didn’t mark easily and when it did, the marks could be easily washed off without the paint coming off on the wiping cloth. The paint that Travis so strongly recommended as a washable flat paint, marks just as easily as the original paint. Marks do not wash off with water, or even slightly soapy water. Per the paint company, which I called for “from the horse’s mouth” information, I have to use a TSP (trisodium phosphate) dilution to remove marks, then wipe that off with clean water. This is horrible, horrible paint. I will never recommend it for anything. An example: first responders in black uniforms kneeling with backs against the wall left swaths of black coloration on the walls. Travis’s crew’s attention to detail is not nearly as stellar as Travis thinks. They left things as finished, that definitely were not, some very obviously not. I had to point these out to the crew. Additionally, someone dripped on a closet door, and did not wipe it up, so it dried there. That door—which was not part of the job—had to be completely sprayed again, on the final of what were (too) many visits to my house to finish the job. I will say that Travis did have his guys come back as many times as it took and finish the job. Other contractors may not have done that. Travis really did want to satisfy me. The paint job looks good. The problem, in addition to using horrible, awful paint, is that Travis overpromised and his crew underdelivered. The expectations that he set for me were inappropriately high. Travis also was not as involved as he should have been, and as he told me that he would be. Travis wanted me to communicate with him, and Travis would tell the crew. Several times prior to the crew being back at my house, I explained very clearly to Travis what the crew had done the previous day, and what needed to be done that day. That never got communicated to the crew, as he said that he would do when I communicated with Travis. Here’s just one example, via an email that I wrote to Travis after an aggravating day: “They didn’t finish on Friday. I was at a doctor appointment when they arrived (at 8:35am when I was just pulling out of my driveway), which took a long time. By the time I got home, all the bits of blue tape I’d put up were gone. I assumed that you had explained to them what needed to be done, per our walk through when you were here with Rick and I think maybe Damian too? I’m not sure that you did that. I am not sure if they finished the ceiling. They didn’t say either way, and I don’t know how to judge if it’s done, or it’s as good as it’s going to get. Some things that were supposed to be fixed, were not. Other things that they did fix, were not done satisfactorily. I had written a list of some things to review with them. When I got home from my appointment, the list was not on the counter where I’d left it before I went to my doctor appointment. I asked Damian and he said it was in the living/dining room. I never saw it, and Damian never showed it to me, so we never got to discuss it. So I recreated the list and have put on it every place where there is a piece of tape, so it’s all listed out. They did not correct the problems around the towel ring in my master bathroom, that you and Rick and I reviewed in the walk through. They were unaware of that. Some of the fixes they did for window sill edges were unacceptable, so Jose put some more mud on a few that I pointed out. There are still other edges, on which I had blue tape, that still need to get redone.” I would bet that Travis was as frustrated as I was at the end of the job. However, I will never know because Travis stopped communicating with me after Rick finished spraying the closet door. I never got a warranty, even after asking twice. I paid in full so that wasn’t the issue. I would never hire Northwest Residential and Commercial Painting Co. LLC again nor would I recommend them at Travis’s pricing. In Travis’s case, you don’t get what you pay for.

I got two bids and choose NW Painting. Here's why. 1) the initial meeting I had with them made a positive impression on me and 2) the multi-paged estimate of work along with reviews and recommendations was complete and professionally drafted. That was the kicker for me. I had another bid which, price wise, was about the same. All the other painter did was send me an email with the bid price, NOTHING MORE. They had been recommended to me by an associate of mine from work. The job NW painting did was great. The house is a mid 70's home which had been a rental for 25 years. There was a lot of prep work needed, as the drywall had to be repaired and textured. This was a professionally handled job which I appreciated very much. From start to finish I felt they cared about my project and strived to do a great job. They did just that. Thank you!

Travis and his team did an excellent job of prep and staining. They were organized and found out what color we wanted each piece of our house. They made suggestions when asked - like what color should the interior roof of our covered patio be?? Very good experience. They are not cheap but if you want something that will last and be professionally done this is the company.

Fantastic. The house had not been stained for over 25 years so was long overdue. There was a lot of prep work that NW Painting did prior to staining and painting. Every step of the job was first class - planning, prep work, clean up, product selection and final walk-through. This is the paint company you want to use if you want to have a really good job done. They are not cheap but neither is their work. We absolutely love the result. We could not be happier with this company.

Excellent work and excellent communication throughout the project. These people are great. Truly outstanding - they "do the job RIGHT", which means that it won't have to be done again any time soon, and that saves money in the long run. Having this project done correctly was important to us. Travis Kunkel, the owner, was thorough and happy to answer questions during our initial meeting at the site before preparing the bid. He is a pleasure to work with, as was his team. We appreciated the attention to detail and how they took care to prepare all surfaces properly. We also greatly appreciated their handling some repairs for the project - all excellently done. They worked efficiently, we found them to be trustworthy, and the team was both pleasant and professional. Our neighbors even liked them. Best of all, the finished job was beautifully done. We give Northwest Residential and Commercial Painting Co. our HIGHEST recommendation.

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Excellent service, very professional, trustworthy people to work with. Great attention to detail. Extensive preparation of the surface with sanding and undercoat which resulting in a very durable, high quality paint finish. Completed in 16 days with a total crew of two. Several rain days extended the time. The bid was thorough with contract and warranty provided upfront. Contract was very complete and professional. I contracted and scheduled the work several months in advance. In home visit prior to signing the contract answered all my questions. Paid 50% on start of work and 50% on completion. Signed, written warranty provided. I highly recommend Northwest Residential Painting Company. I am extremely satisfied with the service and the result.

Victor and Jesus did an excellent job in prep, painting, staining, cleaning, everything.  Very professional, detail-minded, courteous, and delightful to be around. Victor was able to make some last minute color adjustments at our request - very accommodating. We are 100% satisfied and gladly tell friends/neighbors about the top-notch service they've provided.  This is the first company I'll contact for our next painting project.

Great job, cleaned up well, very professional.  We are very pleased and have a second project scheduled with them next month.

Travis, Mike, and the crew did a GREAT job! They have great attention to detail, doing an absolutely perfect job on the 6-panel doors and trim, high walls, the formerly ugly popcorn ceiling, baseboards. Coverage is excellent, and it looks terrific. Mike left a note each day letting me know what had been done and what the plan was for the next day, asking that I check the painting they had done to make sure everything was up to my expectations. Travis was on-site to get the work started and to walk through the completed job. He seems to hire competent, professional staff who I enjoyed talking with and who I felt I could trust completely when I was at work (he doesn't subcontract like some other companies). They left the place spotless.
Something I especially appreciated about Travis is that he does a color consult if you want it. I did. I had thought I wanted the 2 walls on the dining room painted a mustard color. Travis looked around, saw the colors of my furniture and decorations, asked how I used the space, fanned out his Pantone book of colors, and arrived at a few palettes to suggest. Blue! Different wall entirely! If there's such a thing as the psychology of paint color, he knows it. By painting the entire wall from the dining room across the living room, he said it would draw people from one room to the next. Painting the dining room a different color, like I thought I had wanted, could cause guests to stay in the dining room when I really wanted them with me in the kitchen. He was spot on. I love the color in the evenings, on sunny days, on gray rainy days. He offers up to 5 sample/quart cans of paint so you can try on the color - that helped me decide.
Travis is easy to work with, clear about the scope of the project, specific about what they'll do and won't do. He and his team did all the work they said they'd accomplish, with top quality, professionalism, and good spirits. I'd use them again in a heartbeat and recommend them highly.

unknown

The actual painting of the house was delayed about 10 days because the lead painter's wife had a baby (2-3 day delay and understandable) and a change in the weather (about 7 days of rain).  They then spent about a week or so painting the house.  They brush painted all of the wood pieces.  Each piece got at least two coats. They spray painted the concrete siding on the house.  Everything got two coats, and the places where the previous dark paint showed through received further coats until the appearance was satisfactory.  We are retired so we observed nearly all of the work on a daily basis, and they performed any touch up work we requested.  (Actually, very little was required as they were quite compulsive about the quality of their work.)  The work was completed for the estimated cost.  We are very happy with their work, and have received many compliments on the appearance of our house.  The cost to use this provider was not the lowest bid we received; but we've learned from past experiences that the lowest bid is not necessarily the best bid in the long run.  We give this provider a very strong endorsement.  All of their personnel were friendly and professional.

We are very pleased with the results of the work done on our home.  Travis, the owner, was very professional and great to work with.  The painting team headed up by Steve was equally professional, courteous and paid great attention to detail with the entire job from start to finish.  Our house looks brand new again.  We expected to have to pay a lot more than we were quoted prior to the start but were pleasantly surprised by the quote given the work our home needed. Thanks to all of you!!  I would highly recommend NW Residential & Commercial Painting to anyone needing their exterior home painted.

From first contact to the final walk though when the project was complete, Travis Kunkel, the owner, was very professional and courteous.
We arranged an appointment for an estimate during our first conversation. Travis completely inspected the exterior of our house and gave us a detailed explanation of the steps that would be involved. Then he followed up with a  proposal for the project that reiterated all of the points he made in the initial inspection. This included detailed information for each step : pressure washing; scraping and sanding where needed; priming; caulking; masking, painting including separate detail regarding the wooden soffits; and clean up. The parts of the house that had "failed" paint (bubbling due to separation from the wood) were stripped and sanded to bare wood before priming.
The color consultation followed our signing the proposal. Travis painted very generous samples of the two colors and the trim on the front and the back of the house. We decided against the trim color we had originally chosen and he came back out right away and repainted the trim section.
After the pressure washing was completed and had time to dry, Travis came with a crew to start the prep work. He walked us through the scope of work again with detailed questions about how the various aspects should be handled. For example, he asked how we wanted the downspouts painted, i.e., with trim color, with one of the body colors or with the body color directly beneath each downspout! That attention to detail really made a completed project that is absolutely excellent.
The crew paid attention to every detail  and worked in a totally professional manner even to the extent of completely cleaning up the area at the end of every work day. Another very nice touch was that Travis arranged for a portable toilet so that people were not coming in and out of our house at all.
When the project was finished, Travis came back for a final walk through to make sure of our satisfaction. He did a few very minor touch ups at our request.  And that was the completion of the best house painting contract we have ever had!

I am happy very with this results. They were quick, efficient, and clean.

unknown

Travis was very friendly and professional from the moment we contacted him to the moment he drove away in his truck. He and his crew were great, and really listened to our concerns. He knew what needed to be done to have the room done right, and I'm so glad! While they were quick, they really paid close attention to detail; no sloppy work here! Travis really has a great eye for not just design, but also construction. We had a spot where the drywall needed repairing, and I worried about how it would look when it was fixed (we kinda hacked it up ourselves before we called in the professionals!), but it looks perfect! You wouldn't even know we screwed it up first, it looks brand new! We also had a bit of door trim painted to match the rest of the trim in the room (just white), and it just looks so sharp now that it flows with the rest of the room. I feel like I just blinked and went from having a drab, boring rec room to a bright living space.
I was amazed watching them set up; the guys look like they've been doing it a while, know what they're doing and how to get it done right. I was truly impressed with these guys. Real quality seems so hard to find these days, so we really lucked out when we called in Travis! I would absolutely recommend this company to my own family and friends.

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They gave us a contract at the end of last season, they found that it was in worst shape then expected, but they have honored their original contract. They are very customer friendly. They are addressing all our needs. They have been very careful with the lead paint they were stripping.  Our area inspector examined their work and was very pleased.

Travis and his team of painters did an outstanding job on our home.  I got a large number of bids because of the scale of the project (6).  The large chain companies were unwilling to even offer stripping, however, on a house of this age with the amount of paint build up, it was basically a requirement.
Of the bids that were provided, Travis went into the most detail and he broke out all of the costs so we could understand what we were getting.
Stripping was by far the most difficult part of the job and accounts for the high price listed above, broken out in the itemized quote, painting was very reasonable and for those that do not need the extensive stripping it would be an even easier decision to go with Northwest paint. 
The finished results speak for themselves with many positive comments from neighbors (many of those asking for contact information).

Travis Kunkel, the owner, is a consummate professional and an experienced businessman.  He took us through color selection (more valuable than you think it is), paint materials, and took us step-by-step through the entire process.  He is tremendously detail-oriented and so is his crew.  They moved the large pieces of furniture and after a day's work, you would never have known there were painters in the house at all -- it was that clean.  No hyperbole there, it really was spotless.  Travis came in the next day for a walk-through (how many paint contractors do THAT?) and personally touched up a couple of places to perfection.  Then he asked us more questions about the quality of the work, wanted feedback on the crew, and all in all, made us feel as though we were his only client...which we are not, by any means.  He's quite popular, and those who have used his services know why.  He goes the extra step, the extra mile...whatever it takes to do the job not just right, but excellently.  I just can't recommend him enough.  He made the whole process perfect for us, and we'll use him again.  In fact, we are using him again for another job -- already signed him up.  I'm on his reference list, which is a mile long, filled with pretty much anyone he's ever done work for.  Call him, and feel free to call me, too.

Good (see other comment).

Overall, I thought everything went well. The crew was very professional. They showed up on time, and did the work as promised. I would recommend Northwest Painting to others.

As noted above, the job was done with great professionalism and an eye to unique details of this house.  The result looks great. 

We could not be more pleased. The house looks immaculate! The paint work is professional and, as important, very aesthetically pleasing. And the crew (Cris and Mike and Shane) were here daily (weather permitting), worked hard, cleaned up, and took great care around the house and in our neighborhood. Passers-by constantly commented on the overall job and how nice the house looks now. Same colors as before but ten years of rain and snow, pollution, and sea fog caused things to fade considerably. Travis and his crew are precisely the kind of contracting professionals you want to have work on your home because they care about their work and they care about your home. It's a win-win situation.