CertaPro Painters® of the Main Line

As always, CertaPro of Bryn Mawr was excellent in every way. Have used only them since mid 90's for painting.

It was between CertoPro and a solo guy who worked for me before and did good work. CertaPro was very responsive about answering calls, coming out to do the estimate, providing a proposal in writing and scheduling the work. I did not hire the little guy because he failed to respond to several phone calls when I left messages saying "you got the job; please call to schedule." Of course, that's the kind of thing that drives consumers crazy when dealing with the little guys. CertaPro's job was good enough but not great. I did not take advantage of their offer to come back to do touch up and that was entirely my doing and not at all their fault. My problem with CertaPro is that they use subcontractors which I realize should not have surprised me. The guy (or gal) who wants to invest in a painting franchise is not necessary the guy (or gal) who wants to paint for a living. Personally, I'd rather have the work done by somebody who thinks "this is my business and my name on the line." The CertaPro price and the solo guy price were pretty much the same but the job cost me more from CertaPro because i tipped the subcontractors. Again, entirely my own doing; they didn't ask for anything. They were nice guys and they worked hard. It was pretty easy to figure out they were not making much money; 3 guys doing the job the other guy was going to do alone AND some significant percentage, of course, going to CertaPro. Here are some of the things I didn't like about the actual job. They got paint on the screen inserts in my Pella windows which I laboriously removed myself; they could have popped them out to paint; it takes about 2 seconds. They left scratches on my kitchen cabinetry, which I don't understand because they covered the kitchen cabinets. Some of the wood work is "drippy." In case you didn't figure it out yet, I am very, very, very picky. Anyway, the job looks nice enough and nothing was horrible but in the future I will hire the little guy, so the guy in my home has a vested interest in the job. (I deliberated a lot about the score for qualify, probably a "good minus" or a "fair plus." I want to be fair.)

I did a lot of research before choosing this company. CertaPro was a lot of friendly talk and we were taken in by that and the reviews on Angie's List and elsewhere. I knew the company didn't want bad reviews, but I have lived for a year with this and felt it was time to share my experiences. Let me begin by saying that when we complained about the work, we were told that the best crews were busy on larger jobs. That is really what we were told. We paid extra to have the walls better prepared. In the kitchen there are sharp protrusions under the paint that either were not there before or were not repaired. I can only surmise that since this area was low to the ground and not in an often seen spot that it was ignored. It took me a while to find it and it just made everything worse. Chris sent different people twice to repair the poorly done work. When it was clear, after months of difficulty, that no repair had been a good one, we gave up. How much bad work can one have done and continue to put up with giving up time and then again being disappointed? Two people worked on the master bathroom to repair the poor job done originally and now the paint on the door jamb is peeling. This is not professional. Chris did not keep an eye on the work as it was happening. There was a "team lead" who was supposed to be in charge. This did not work out. We designated (as asked) a sink for washing brushes. The painting crew dried off their brushes by striking them on the one of our tree trunks outside. We left the nails in the walls in the kitchen and bathroom stating that we wanted them there to rehang pictures (as suggested by Angie's List). The nails were removed and the nail holes puttied. There was paint on some of the wood in the kitchen and since we used the same color , they claimed it was the prior painting (years before we moved in). I learned that if I could wipe off the paint if it was new, but that old paint would not come off. I had to go around the kitchen myself and was able to remove paint, which meant it was from CertaPro. There was sometimes a language barrier and at times, no one to help with that. The crews were not always timely. It seems we were not important enough for one of the "best" crews. (We even waited until the off-season, taking advantage of a slight discount (also recommended by Angie's List). I am so glad we tried a smaller job instead of hiring CertaPro for painting/staining the exterior of the house. I would neither use this company again nor recommend it..

Everything went great. Had a few struggles setting up the initial appointment but once I expressed some concerns the owner came and met with me personally.

This was a big deal purchase. They quoted me a price and then they tried to raise it the day before they were supposed to come out. You know, they said they did not agree to that and wanted to add more money. They wanted to charge me about $140 more. They said they could not do the two rooms for that price and that I would have to pay $140 more. No, you don't do that to me. They did not do any work for me and I don't want any contact with them at all. The final quote was fine. This was not about the money. I did not appreciate them waiting two days before they were to start the job and then try to bump the price. I took them a while before they responded. They responded after an Angie's List representative called me. It was very shady because I kept calling and their representative was not there. The guy was here on time when he gave me the estimate.

He came out to give us an estimate on painting a 1200 square foot condo. He gave us a verbal price of $8,500 and when we balked at the price he said he could use cheaper paint and refigure the price. Since then we have never received an estimate written or otherwise. The only thing he did right was show up for the estimate on time.

I bought a big deal for this service and it worked wonderfully -- very good. I spent $5,000 more than the price of the deal. They did a good job, but I am questioning that because the offer was, like, 40 gallons of paint or something like that and so many hours of labor. It probably took more hours of labor because they painted the whole house and not just a room or two. But I did not expect it to come in quite that much, but it did. It looks wonderful. They did a great job, but it was a little pricey.

After purchasing a new house, I wanted to get the interior painted before moving in. After searching on Angie's list, I spoke with James and once we were able to connect,we walked through the house and he and helped us understand the work that could be done (which was everything we wanted!) and gave us an estimate on the spot that was competitive and reasonable. They were able to have a crew out to the house within a week. Communication was great and the color consulting with Susan made a tremendous difference! The colors that Susan helped us choose were amazing and really helped us make the new house our own. Leo and his team came out very promptly on the first day and once we walked through the paperwork, they got started right away. I checked in on progress each night and I was thrilled with the progress each night and impressed with the work. They were clean, professional and communicative throughout the process. At the end of the job, we walked through the house and examined the job done. Leo spotted 2 spots that were not up to his liking during the walk-through and he repainted these right there before he left. I walked back through the house and was still very impressed with the job done. I have told several others about the awesome job performed by Leo and the entire team at CertaPro painters of the Main Line. I will definitely use them again!

CertaPro Painters of the Main Line were WONDERFUL! Drew Keilt came initially and went over the job with me, answering all questions and squeezing us in to their very tight schedule so we could get our house on the market. Drew is the nicest, respectful, understanding and communicative estimator out there. (I've been really, really lucky with the contractors we chose!). Fabio Silva headed up his crew with a distinct sense of responsibility to every detail and went above and beyond to help us out. Yes, of course, we did pay for the work to be done, but Fabio hit this job out of the ballpark! We are very, very happy with the final results! I'd noticed on their sign they asked to be placed out front of our home, We Take Painting Personally. Well, they do. Thank you, Drew and a huge thank you to Fabio! (who also took the time to show me how to better cut-in my own paint jobs in the future!) Terrific job!!!!!!

A quality job. Juan was excellent and I was impressed tHat he removed his shoes each time he entered my home. He called me to set up an arrival time that worked for me and called in the morning to let me know he was on his way. The job required part of a second day and when he left at the end of the first day, Juan put things back that he had removed for painting. The kitchen area was clean and neat when he finished the job. I would use this company again.

Chris arrived on time and provided an estimate to power wash and stain my two decks. His estimate was right in line with others I had received. He was extremely professional and followed up with an email quoting the numbers we talked about. Two of his workers, Rolando and Abby, contacted me and scheduled a time to begin the work. They too were professional, hardworking and got the job done within the time specified. My decks look great and I was extremely satisfied with my experience. Would contact and use CertaPro again for any painting I need done.

Super. Certa-Pro convinces as never before the value of professional, knowledgeable, professional painting over DIY. They tow old paint down to smooth wood so the paint is flat, bright and even. There are no flubs where paint was left on windows or elsewhere where it shouldn't be. They were meticulous in picking out the black binges and hardware on shutters/. They were at leasat 10% cheaper than other bidders. The showed up when promised, worked hard and long, left no issues with clean-up and finished on time. I totally recommend these guys. Keith Fox

James, the local sales rep for Certapro of Mainline, was excellent. He was very accommodating and knowledgeable. The crew that came out to paint (Claiton was the foreman) was exceptional. They came out when other contractors were working in the condo. Claiton was very professional and worked around the other contractors and did an excellent job. The painters are professional and kept the place clean.

GREAT! From start to finish, the whole process was stress free and the final product is wonderful and exactly as promised. I couldn't be happier. Erick and Caesar were a great team. Very tidy during their work and respectful of our living space while working here. I highly recommend Certa Pro Painters of the Main Line. I also praise them for their community service and the $100.00 discount just for donating a "gently worn" winter coat to their service project.

The work was done in a very professional manner. Eric, the lead person on the job, was very cooperative and personable, and I had the sense that he was honest, reliable, and trustworthy. There was an issue with color matching initially, but Eric made it right without any problem for us, and at no additional cost. The only problem was that the initial job description was a little unclear, which caused some difference in expectation as to what was to be painted and what was not. We had to pay as little extra for some work I thought was included, but CertaPro was reasonable in settling the matter. Overall, we were very satisfied with the experience and would have no reservations about hiring them again. They are good people to do business with.

Prompt and professional and explained all details and checked all surfaces and transformed home into uptodate beauty with meticulous paint job. Finished a day ahead of schedule. From the initial visit by Chris to give us an estimate to his staff follow up and the visit by the interior designer Susan to help select the colors to the preparation and painting and cleanup by Fabio and his team, we had a superb experience and the communications were clear and reassuring. We are extremely happy with the whole process. We love the way the paint looks through out our home. Fabio is so pleasant and meticulous. Nothing to criticize because nothing was too much trouble for them.

I have an older home with plaster-based walls that had been previously been painted in semi-gloss paint. The crew on my project was able to handle the particular issues when having to address uneven paint, painting over semi-gloss paint correctly, knowing when primer was needed for various areas, fixing cracks and water marks from previous roof issues, and making things look totally refreshed and new. I plan to use them again with upcoming projects in other parts of my home. Even a neighbor who came over this evening to take a look at the finished paint projects was very impressed with the quality of the workmanship.

This was a very smooth and efficient job - from the estimation through to the clean-up. The workers were upstairs (master and bath) and in the family room and did everything possible not to disturb the other activities in the house while doing a beautiful job with the work.

I would use this company a million times again! At first I was not going to call them for an estimate because I figured a chain/franchise would be not as good as an independent painter. I got 6+ estimates and the "big name" companies made it seem as though I was wasting their time. When Chris came into our house and removed his shoes, I thought, "Well, they can't be that bad. This guy respects my carpets no matter how dirty they already are (3 and 1 year old children at the time)." Chris was very personable, super easy to talk to. He took lots of pictures, asked many questions and spent a good amount of time at our home. I was also happy that they would attempt the removal of popcorn ceilings. There was plaster under the popcorn that was swirled on with a brush (hello 1950's) and every other company was afraid to touch them. When I decided to go with Certa Pro, they were ready to work the very next week. I asked for a week extension because I was not prepared for them to be ready to work right away. Fabio and his crew were awesome to work with. Fabio was as personable as Chris and very patient with me, too (perfectionist). He suggested the blackboard wall for my kids and was the one that gave the go ahead on the popcorn removal. Of course dust is to be expected, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was having trouble deciding on a color for the kitchen and he showed me a picture of a kitchen he painted with black appliances like ours. I was sold on the color. I still really love it. This is really awesome...I had an issue where the paint began to buckle because of the freezing cold winter we just had. Chris came out to evaluate and then Fabio came to fix it. It has been great since then. Talk about a company that stands behind it's workmanship! Seriously, people... if you want a company that cares about you, your living space, your needs and concerns, AND does an excellent job, go with Certa Pro of the Main Line.

The initial consultation and discussion about my needs and the services they provide went well. They truly want to do a good job for you! The painting job went smoothly, starting with the arrival time being communicated up front and the accuracy of their timeline for completion of the project. I have done interior painting myself in the past but I was never able to adequately cover cracks so they would truly not show or come back. Even with the areas of my wall that had previous water damage, everything was repaired and prepped before painting and you cannot even tell there was water damage to the plaster. Team Fabio did a great job for me and helped me to understand more details of the painting process. Fabio has an excellent understanding of what types of paint to use in what areas (e.g. painting bricks and metal trim around lights in my 3-season sunroom; painting the firebox of my gas-insert fireplace) as well as the best brands for the specific jobs. He was able to successfully match colors of paint from a paint chip to the proper paint brand for the job. The completed rooms look fantastic and I will have them paint the other two rooms of my house in a few weeks. I highly recommend the company!

This is not our first experience with Chris Drucker and Certa Pro of the Mainline. They painted the outside of our house 2 years ago. Just as last time this experience was great from start to finish. This was a small job so Anthony came by himself . He was prompt and worked neatly and quickly. I asked him to fix a couple of dings on the surface which he did happily. I have nothing but good things to say.

Certa Pro was a great experience. I needed a small commercial building painted - large office space, bathrooms and kitchens and hallways painted. From the initial contact, the responsiveness was fast, impressive and professional. The quote was provided quickly and clearly. The job started at my convenience and was completely swiftly and efficiently. I cannot say enough good things about the courteousness of the painters who completed the job. They were quite, efficient and polite and always very friendly. Most importantly the paint job was very high quality - everything from floor to ceiling to wood trim was all flawless. I would highly recommend them to anyone. When asked, they also provided guidance on the type of paint to be used.

Loved the process of meeting with the owner who wants to understand your needs and expectations. He nailed it! the crew was very knowledgeable and made great recommendations as well as color matching for paint colors I already had on the walls for continuity in the hallway. they were courteous, friendly professional and very neat., we love our new rooms.

Really nice guys, easy to have around, I completely trusted them. They were punctual, great communicators. The few small things that didn't get done exactly how I expected were fixed right away. Paint job looks great!

Chris and his crew have performed several jobs for us over the past few years for which we have spent several thousand dollars on multiple occasions. Initially I would request several quotes. At this point I will not use any other painting contractor as pricing, quality, and professionalism are bar none. In addition Chris has been a valuable resource for other qualified contractors in different fields. He will only partner with those who share similar business practices. Chris's crews are always on time, impeccably dressed, for the work that they do, and cognizant of the importance of maintaining a clean environment. I would highly recommend Certa Pro Painters of the Main Line