Catania Painting

These guys were clowns and the owner, Leon D'Orazio, a scam artist. The website was deceptively professional looking as were the claims made by Leon: 1) 20+ years in the business; and 2) "professionally" paint my 4 rooms and 2 hallways in 2 days. He refused to inspect the shoddy work that was done and hung up on me in the middle of describing what was unacceptable. His crew of what he called "professionals" did not use tape for clean lines- anywhere; they did not put on the contracted 2 coats- anywhere-resulting in original colors showing through; they left drip marks on walls and woodwork; they left some trim and an entire wall unpainted; they left wall colors in some spots on ceilings; they got the dining room's burgundy wall color on all of the woodwork which bled through after they painted over it with white gloss; and spilled some type of chemical on the front porch post that cannot be removed. I wish I had known about Angie's List prior to my involvement with this company - I never would have hired them and would recommend them for NOTHING. I know how to paint and am meticulous - but at the time I didn't have the inclination to tackle the job myself. I should have - because it took me a month to fix and attempt to correct the damage that was done in the 2 days these people were in my home. This company is not reputable, the work is sloppy and unacceptable, and the fact that the owner is cocky, disrespectful and uninterested in inspecting the work product of his employees - is pathetic.

FIRST let me say I am sorry I did not belong to Angies list before - LISTEN to these reports!!! 1 - No proper prep for garage door and 3 exit doors before painting - limited sanding - can see old paint through new 2 - Where 2 different colors come together on all paint surfaces - doen free hand with no attempt to use tape or whatever professional painters use to make sure even straight lines where colors meet - very sloppy 3 - In many areas patches were either totally missed or only a primer or first coat were applied 4 - No attempt was made to do any repair work on the floors - adequate sanding was done however incomplete product was applied and therefore floor does not look even throughout 5 - Never discussed baseboard material and so they applied non wood product where I would have paid for real wood 6 - Estimate included 5 days labor charges but actual work completed in 3 1/2 days which also contributed to shoddy job 7 - Poly-urethane was never applied to the bookcase and cheapest wood was used - D'Orazio called the bookcase rustic. 8 - The middle shelf of the bookcase went right through the wall socket so that neither top socket or bottom socket could be used (my husband and/or I were always available for consultations if adjustments were in order) 9 - When D'Orazio came for the final payment he saw and commented on the sloppy job on the garage and exit doors himself and promised to return and have them corrected. Lots verbiage about professional job and pleasing customer etc. Since one phone call a week after the completed job D'Orazio has not accepted or returned any calls. 10 - As I write this report I hear a second firm trying to correct the mess Catania left behind. I have filed a report with the BBB also. 11 - Originally we took D'Orazio at his word and wanted the job fixed to specifications. Since he has shown no indication of his honoring his word we are spending additional money for these repairs and through the BBB have asked for money to be refunded.

Three service people showed up. The youngest man handled the power washing of the siding and deck. An older gentleman assisted the other man (Scott) with bringing in the equipment and moving the table from the kitchen. He also helped Scott put plastic over the cabinets and appliances, although they did not have painter's tape to attach the plastic to the walls. They ended using some electrical tape which was found in their truck. It's hard to believe that "painters" wouldn't think to make sure they had the proper tape with them. While Scott sanded the floor, the older gentleman tried to keep the plastic from blowing around to keep as much dust as possible from entering the living room. We were not home while all the work was being done and when we were home, we stayed upstairs to stay out of the way and to avoid the noise. From our bedroom window, we could see the young man and the older man staining/sealing the deck. This project was pretty good although they did get the stain on the house siding in a couple of places. The young man did a good job with the power washing. We were unable to see how the kitchen floor came out until we were allowed to take down the plastic after at least 24 hours. We waited 36 hours. I was very disappointed with the condition of the floor. I identified 58 spots where the following conditions existed: (1) missing finish, (2) sanding dust and/or hair and paint bristles under the finish, and (3) raised finish. Also, the finish which was applied was not as smooth as the finish on the hardwood floor which butts up against it. I called Leon to report my disappointment and the terrible job which was done. I asked him to come to see the terrible job for himself. He said that he would contact Scott to see what could be done. After several days, he called to say that he would have it taken care of. After about 10 days, Scott showed up again with another worker. I was away at my daughter's house, but my husband was home. I had marked each of the 58 spots with painter's tape, numbered each one and made a list of the problem with each spot. When the other worker saw the list, he made a disparanging remark about me to my husband. After the floor was sanded once again, my husband offered our vacuum cleaner to them so they could remove the sanding dust. At some point, my husband looked in the kitchen to see how things were going. He observed Scott applying the finish with a brush attached to a pole. I can't believe that a professional floor refinisher would think that he could do a good job applying the finish in this manner. Needless to say, this is probably why the previous refinishing job turned out the way it did. We waited 48 hours before removing the plastic. Again, the job was unsatisfactory. Since Scott applied the finish with a brush attached to a pole (rather than on his knees), there are large spots where there is no finish and other areas where the finish was applied very thick. Again, there are some spots where the finish is raised and the finish is on the baseboard and under the cabinets because Scott didn't bother to put any painter's tape around to prevent this from happening. I called Leon again to report this unsatisfactory job and asked him to come himself so he could see the type of work Scott had done. I had to leave a message because Leon was not available when I called. I received no response after waiting for three weeks. I then sent an email message to Leon asking him to get back to me. In my message, I told him I would contact Angie's List to report this unsatisfactory work if he did not get back to me. It's been a couple of months and he has not responded so that's why I'm submitting this report. Please don't use Catania Painting if you need your floors refinished. Scott did an absolutely terrible job. I don't want him ruining anybody else's floor.