Mclain Painting

I got several quotes when I was looking for someone to stain my home. Even though McLain's was the very highest quote, I chose them because, 1) the estimator was very professional and seemed to the business, 2) I was willing to pay extra so the outside of my house turned out great, and 3) I was willing to pay extra to not have to deal with a goofball contractor. McLain's double one of the other bids - but, again, I thought it would be worth it. It was a bit of a frustrating experience selecting the stain. They originally proposed a Benjamin Moore stain that they said was the best quality. After reading a ton of reviews and spot testing this stain on my home, I was appalled. It was not acceptable at all. I told them two stains that would be acceptable - and they instead offered me a third - this time a Sherwin Williams stain. Again, research by an independent comparison site told me that this was one of the lowest of 25 stains that was compared. Finally, they agreed to use the stain that I wanted. All in all - more headache that I'd signed up for (again, double the price of the other guy). There was over a month of delay - but that was weather-related, I don't fault this contractor. When they did start, the painters were very professional and showed up on time. Generally speaking, the house looks good - with a couple of noted exceptions. They didn't put a tarp over my garage or sidewalk, and dripped stain all over them - hundreds of drips. A friend who used to be a professional painter saw this and remarked, "this is the most basic thing - always cover concrete!". In several places, they did not cover where the block wall met the wood siding and you can see overspray marks on the blocks. I'll see if I can attach pictures to this review. I gave them a D for quality because of their sloppiness - and because they talked a big game about being careful and conscientious. Didn't turn out that way for me. I paid thousands of dollars extra so that I wouldn't have to **** around with a low-bid contractor. Seems like I wasted that money and could have had the same result a lower price. On the plus side, the workers were very friendly to me and polite to my wife - both the painters and the estimator.