Unprofessional, careless, and combative…read more
I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere for your painting needs. Working with this company was a stressful experience from start to finish.
Poor Communication & Absent Management:
Communication across the board--with both the owner, Ibsan, and his crew--was frustrating. I was asked for my color choices probably 10 times and Ibsan and his crew kept threatening extra charges for finishes that were explicitly included in their original quote.
Messy Worksite & Property Damage:
Throughout the entire project, the crew constantly left our property in disarray, scattering tools, paint cans, and trash across our front, back, and side yards. They also damaged our attic vents and refused to take responsibility, claiming the damage was pre-existing. The crew also never fully cleaned up--I still have tons of paint chips and paint drops everywhere.
Complete Disregard for Property Protection:
I specifically emphasized how important it was to properly block off the soffit vents over my garage, as I store a lot of items in it alongside a brand new vehicle. All they did was cover them with a thin layer of masking tape, which blew right off during pressure washing. Instead of stopping to fix it, Hugo, the foreman, kept right on power washing directly into the open vents and shrugged it off when I brought it to his attention. My car and everything stored in the garage were covered with dirty sludge which will take me me days to clean.
Sloppy Workmanship & Cut Corners:
While they did an excellent job on stucco patching and prep, basic surface prep like scraping and sanding elsewhere else was really inconsistent, leaving an uneven finish in several areas. Even on day 1, the crew wasn't even planning to use a commercial mold remover despite visible mold present. Hugo argued with me, as he did throughout the entire project; while Ibsan agreed to handle it, he simply returned with a small spray bottle of consumer-grade cleaner you can get at Safeway and they only bothered to treat my rain gutters.
Gaslighting & Constant Pushback:
Whenever I pointed out a clear mistake either in prep or painting, the crew always said, "it was like that, you just didn't notice it before" so I had to show them "before" photos proving otherwise and then they begrudgingly corrected the mistake. Getting basic issues addressed required pressing them repeatedly. Hugo tried to convince me that I should "just trust the professional painter" and spent three days arguing to leave an unmasked, un-prepped window frame they accidentally painted--an issue that ultimately took just 5 minutes to clean. Hugo said, "well it's worth trying."
Ignoring Instructions & Insubordination:
The most absurd moment of the entire job happened on our porch. While applying a specialized product Ibsan admitted they had never used before, Hugo and I discussed the plan earlier in the day, which called for a 4-hour dry time between coats per the label instructions. Yet just an hour after he applied it, he started applying a second coat anyway. When I caught this and directly asked him to stop, he completely ignored my instructions, feeding me some nonsense line about "letting the product talk to him"--clearly rushing to finish the job so they wouldn't have to return the next day as discussed. He refused to stop working on my own property and literally kept painting right in front of me until I had to call Ibsan to intervene. It was completely mind-boggling and if Ibsan hadn't answered, my next call was to the police.
To cap it all off, after that major altercation with Hugo, Ibsan promised to call the next day to address what had happened, but clearly didn't care enough to do so. To be fair, the end result looks good as long as you don't get too close, but there were much cheaper bids that would have accomplished the same thing with a lot less stress. If you're not willing to constantly fight and push for what you want, avoid them entirely. Save yourself the headache and hire a team that respects you, your home, your contract, and basic professional standards.