Definition Painting Services, Inc.

I called Joel about a dozen times, text and emailed him and have yet to get an estimate sent to me. Every time I called him he was on a job, and was not able to send me an estimate. He is the type of person if you do not call him, you will never hear back from him. I hate to speak bad about someone, but at least be respectful enough to get back with someone when you promise to do so.

I cannot rate these guys highly enough! Once I bought the 'Big Deal', I was contacted by the Co to arrange scheduling and advise me on what supplied I needed to buy ahead of their arrival - paint, rollers, etc. They arrived absolutely on time and quickly assured me what I wanted done was not going to keep them both occupied for the 8hrs I had paid for - they suggested that as well as the drywall repair and painting of walls and ceiling I had requested, they would have enough time to also paint all the door and window trims and the baseboards so while I nipped out to buy a a tin of gloss paint, they got to work. They laid out drop cloths to protect my wooden floors (I had already removed all the furniture) and they also created a dust barrier to keep the sanding dust out of the rest of the house. The drywall repair and painting was excellent and they achieved more in 8hrs than I would have done over three weekend ! They left the room clean and tidy and washed up all their brushes, etc. Thoroughly happy with the service and would recommend them - will certainly use them again.

The owner who came out was very knowledgeable and an expert. He went through the process and really helped us to understand what goes into painting a wall. We did have additional square footage beyond the details of the Big Deal and charged it for a discounted rate. We were out of town after the estimate and they were very accommodating with our time frame. The work only took one day to complete. It went very well.

Neutral experience. Could not get a date soon enough for the painting that I needed done. I emailed the contractor through the site several times and asked that they call or email me direct so I could ask questions and try and resolve it. They would not communicate other than through Angie's list website email and it took a couple of days each time for them to respond. Easier to just get my money back and schedule the service with someone that will actually talk to me on the phone.

He never got in contact with us after we purchased the deal. When we reached out to him he was not aware of the dates we had provided when we purchased the deal. Then when we gave him dates that we would like the work done he was not able to accommodate that. We had several interactions when we tried to communicate with him through email and phone and it would be several days in between until we would hear back. We are needing the work done before Thanksgiving and this has really set us back with our time limit. We got the impression that our deal was not a priority for them. It confirmed my fear that if a provider is agreeing to do the work at a cut right price I would not be prioritized. They were courteous when we talked on the phone but my overall impression was not good.

Moved and covered all large furniture. Did an excellent job of painting all surfaces. Cleaned area upon completion.

The guys that Joel had sent over were very courteous and professional. My wife was home with my 22 month son and they enjoyed the company. The crew continued to work throughout the day and kept things quiet for my son as he napped. I would definitely use them again and have no reservations in recommending them to anyone!!! I look forward to using them again for future projects!

Joel Alvarado, the owner was very prompt getting in touch with me to set a date for a walk through. Since his Big Deal did not include anything more than small repairs to the walls, I had another company come in to get the rooms ready to paint. The Big Deal also did not include painting the ceiling or trim. Because the rooms exceded the square footage for the Deal and the fact that I also wanted the closets painted those extras along with painting the trim and ceiling took my cost $403 above the Big Deal cost. The two painters that came in were very professional and did a great job. They were able to finish the job inn one day even though they had to work into the evening. I had told themI had an appointment the next day and because of that, they were willing to accomodate my schedule.

Overall a very good experience. The painters were on time and did exactly what was asked of them. Very clean. Did a wonderful job painting.

My mother had just moved from her home of 33 years to this apartment. We wanted to make it feel as homey as possible, so when I saw the Ad for painting, I decided to look into it. I checked out Definition as well as several others and Definition had incredible reviews, so I decided on them. I could not have made a better choice...... I bought the deal of $450 for 500sq ft I ended up painting 1200 $1053.00 ( They offered me same price per sq ft as the deal :0) Lucky me ! Joel came out to the house to look at what we were going to have painted ( initially just the bedroom / bathroom). I decided to get his opinion on Living room & Kitchen as the area is open concept. It was a little like having a home designer. He suggested colors and mixes etc. He brought up how moving from one room to another and how important it was to keep in the same pallet and he absolutely nailed it. I purchased the paint at Benjamin Moore and Joel provided his discount, so I got super nice paint at great price and the people at the Benjamin Moore store knew him well and had good things to say. They were actually super helpful and easy to deal with as well. Yesterday, on schedule, the painters showed up. Two (sorry I don't know their names :0/, but they were so polite , professional, nice and easy. They started around 9-930ish and were done by 230ish. They worked around the clock, none stop. They were very detailed and meticulous. I was very -very- very pleased with the job they and how incredible the colors Joel suggested looked. BUT, what really sold me was how happy my mother was. When she saw the finished work, you could not only hear her excitement but see it in her face... It made her feel like it was a home. I've already recommended Definition to a friend and will continue to do so. I've had several painters in my time, but by far they have been the best. Fair if not Great prices, easy and wonderful to work with and professional. Thanks Joel, Definition & Team :0)

The painting special was for 500 sq ft cost $450. It included 2 coats on walls, 1 coat on ceiling and patching minor holes. Painting all trim and 3 doors was an additional $55.00. At my request, crown moulding was installed and painted for $520. Total $1,025. Because of family events, I had to delay the painting for several weeks and Joel agreed to meet my needs. He came and gave me an estimate and that I could use his company's name when I purchased the paint at his discount rate and this was accepted by my paint store. On the day of work Lionel phoned to let me know that there was a 1/2 hour delay on their arrival. Lionel & Iris worked from 9 am to near 6pm to complete the job. They moved my heavy bed and other furniture. I had cleared the room of personal effects. They covered furniture and floor. When they left, the room was spot free and vacuumed, I was very pleased with their work and respect for my home. I would certainly use them again and will refer them to my friends. J. V., Lutherville, Maryland

Unfortunately our deck was covered in black mold within 1 week of the service. There was little to no noticeable mold on the deck previously. Joel was quick to come back out and check the deck and promised to correct the issue. This was the begining of June. It took until October for us to be able to use our deck again (or even the garage since it housed all the deck furniture). There were many no shows, excuses, and non returned email/phone calls. Finally (3 months after initial contact with issue) when the men came to restain the deck they spent 30 minutes on our somewhat large deck. Needless to say it barely looked like they put anything on it. We decided at this point we had enough and were just going to put a couple more coats of stain on ourselves. Well we called/emailed Joel just asking for the type and color of the stain so we could go buy a can ourselves. He couldn't even take the time to answer us. We went to Sherwin Williams and found the correct type. One of the things Joel had told us for the delay was that it was a special stain and hard to find. Well, they had a ton at the store and the employee said they always have it. I think the problem is that Joel has become very busy and has other people doing the work now. It's unfortunate because he is a nice guy and a couple years ago we thought he did good work. Updating because Joel thought the mold was coming from under our deck and not his stain work. As of 8/9/14 we have had no mold again after everything was powerwashed and my husband restained our deck. It is clear they caused the mold issue by incorrectly staining it the first time.

There was a schedule mix-up but when brought to the owner?s attention he quickly took care of it. The painter came out and painted two ceilings and a hallway. The paint job was very good. I would use this company again as well as refer them to a friend.

Definition Painting was terrific. The only minor downside is that they are busy so getting an appointment for the initial meeting and then the actual painting date can take a few weeks. This was not a problem for me, just something to keep in mind. I met with the scheduler a couple weeks after I purchased the deal to review what I wanted to accomplish and set a painting date. He was on time, offered useful advice on how much of my list could be accomplished in the 8-hour time block, how to best utilize the time (do some prep work myself, be sure furniture is moved, have paint ready, list areas to be tackled by priority, etc) and was very careful to explain my options if the worker was not able to complete everything on my list in the allotted time and what any time beyond the 8 hours would be charged at. When the painting day arrived, the worker was right on time, got directly to work and really did a terrific job. I had three spaces (~8x10 each) requiring all trim to be painted and wanted two coats over everything (baseboards, windows, doors). One room had three sets of bi-fold slatted doors and he was able to complete these as well even though they were at the bottom of my priority list. I did not ask for the insides of the bi-fold doors to be painted since they're not visible. Had I chosen to have that done, it probably would have been another couple hours. I will definitely use this company again and do recommend them. Overall I've found the Angie's List Big Deals to be a good way to test out a company and get the more minor repairs or renovations accomplished effectively.

Someone else in my home bought this Big Deal, but I ended up not needing. The folks in the office were nice though.

they did a great job! Worked late to finish the job in one day and it is beautiful. When they left, we had colorful walls and no mess. Woudl definitely recommend them and use them again.

Did not show up for appt., and did not call. I contacted them and was told something came up and they would call to reschedule. After 5 days and no call, I called them and was given a new appt. time. The work performed was OK, even though I was asked to pay extra in the middle of the job.

The quality of the paint job was good but not excellent. However the bigger issue was that the painter told our adult son (who was home for the day for this painting to be done) that he did not do ceilings. The painter finished and left. When my son called me, I came home and pointed out on the contract where we had paid for the ceilings to be done, so my son called the owner who called his workman who then came back. That should not have happened. The workers may not know all the details but they should know the basic specs of the job. I rated this a B and not lower as the work did get done that day. I will not have them come back to do my living room.

They were prompt, polite and self directed. They did a thorough job and cleaned up after themselves. They could have wiped down the walls better, but I didn't really expect them to unless I asked.

It went well. They worked quickly and did a good job.

They did a good job but not a fantastic job. There were 3 men painting two bedrooms and the kitchen.

Everything went very smooth. The job was done well.

Everything went very well. Great job. Very professional.

Joel was extremely friendly and professional during the estimate/proposal process. Pricing was fair and accurate. On the day of service, painters arrived on time, and were friendly. Painting was overall very good. Cons: The team missed some areas, got a little paint/sparkle on the floor, and damaged the floor from moving some furniture. I contacted Joel and he was very professional about the issues and plans to follow up soon regarding a time to correct/fix any issues. Despite the issues we had in the end, I would use Definition again, based mostly on the interaction with Joel and his professionalism from start to finish.

Was a couple of hours late. Said the GPS got him lost. Painted the 3 areas which we had agreed to. Ok job, but I felt that it could have been better. Painted over the electrical outlets & I had to clean out the slots in order to put in the electrical plugs. Maybe I'm wrong to expect it (?), but the metal heating & return vents in the walls which had previously been painted the same color as the walls were not painted at all. I had to do this myself, as I didn't really pay attention to it while he was there. For the most part, I would grade it as a C+ - not bad, but could have been better.