Craig Buksar Painting & Wallpaper

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The same 2 men came everyday on time and worked thru the day. They were respectful of our property and kept the work area tidy and neat. They were also careful to keep the other parts of my home free form dust and mess.

At first I thought that I would do all the painting myself, to save a little money but more importantly because I am SO PICKY and though I would never find a painter as detail-oriented as I am. I spent big bucks on a tall ladder and all the prep and paint tools and products I needed. But after it took me over 2 months of nights and weekends (I work full time) to prep and paint my entry hallway and powder room to my satisfaction, I gave in and decided to call in the pros. A neighbor recommended a guy and his buddy who came over and gave me an estimate after a quick eyeball of my space, but he was not insured (always ask!). He gave me his estimate after about 2 minutes of looking around (including the cost of the paint, I assume, because he did not even ask me which of us would buy the paint) and said it would take him and his buddy about a week to complete the job. I had to tell him I expected 2 coats on walls and ceilings, and wondered how he could give an estimate without asking this. But it didn't really matter because I had already decided I would not hire an uninsured contractor. Someone I knew had used Craig's company and they recommended him highly, so I asked Craig to come give me an estimate. First of all, Craig took about 20 minutes to measure every room, ask me questions about paint colors I was going to use, had me point out areas that I wanted repaired, and generally tried to fully understand the scope of the job. He asked if I wanted him to buy the paint or if I wanted to buy it (I decided I would). Unlike the first guy, he took notes. He called the next day with his estimate which, with tax, was less than I had expected, even though I was buying the paint. He said he could finish the job in 3 days (it took 2) instead of the week the other guy claimed. As I had requested, Craig gave me a couple of days notice so I could have time to prepare. The first thing Craig and the crew did when they arrived (on time) was cover the floor with a dropcloth so they did not track any dirt onto my hardwood floors. They carefully moved the furniture in my bedroom and bathroom and covered it completely. At that point I went to the office. When I came home that evening my bedroom, master bath, and kitchen were painted beautifully, with straight lines at the ceilings and no drips anywhere! The holes had been patched (except for the nail holes I had marked with tape and asked them to leave so I could rehang my pictures in the same spot). The furniture was back in place, the coffee stuff I had left out for them was cleaned up, the hardwood floors had been swept, and all the mess (buckets, dropcloths, etc.) was put out of my way on the terrace. The next day they came back (on time again!) and did the same exact thing in my living/dining area. But this time, when I came home I wasn't so happy and ndash; the color I had picked was too light, not the effect I was going for. I called Craig that night (yes, he answers his phone!) and talked to him about what I should do. He recommended that I live with the color for a few days to make sure of my feelings, and then give him a call. He also told me that if I still wanted to change the color I should go get a couple of pizza boxes (!!) and paint a few possible colors on the flat surfaces and tack them up on the walls to help me decide (great idea and ndash; where else would you get a large flat surface like that for free??). He quoted me $300 to re-do the living/dining area walls, assuming it would probably only take 1 coat because the color I picked wasn't that different from the 1st one. He came back the next day with his guys and they repainted, and I LOVE IT!! But the walls needed 2 coats of the new color, not just 1. He didn't charge for the additional labor for the 2nd coat and ndash; how often does THAT ever happen? Plus, one guy helped me rehang a really heavy mirror, and Craig fixed an off-the-track sliding door for me and ndash; no charge. Angie's List asks for lots of adjectives, so this is how I would describe Craig and his crew: Professional, pleasant, courteous, prompt, reliable, fast but neat, trustworthy, helpful, careful, and detail-oriented. And the paint job itself was meticulously done and well worth the money. And so, from beginning to end, this was a fantastic experience that was TOTALLY WORTH the money and ndash; I will never try to paint by myself again!! Hire them, you won't be sorry.