CertaPro Painters of Arlington, VA

We recently used Steven and CertaPro to repaint the exterior of our 90 year-old brick home. They had done the wooden trim and windows about 18 years ago and some interior work not too long after that and did a great job. But I had put off doing the brick for a long time in anticipation of some renovation work and not knowing if we might want to go with a look that exposes more of the brick surface, and had some repair work that was needed for cracks and aging surfaces. Ultimately, we decided to have it all painted, including the portion that was added in the renovation 7 years ago and needed to be done. They did a thorough job of cleaning and prepping all the surfaces, including removing loose paint and glazing windows, plus priming bare spots. Removed and painted my wooden storm windows, and removed the heavy shutters around the windows. They applied 2 coats on all surfaces with brushes and rollers and then got everything back on the house (shutters and storm windows). The weather cooperated and they got it all done in a little over a week. Considering one side of the house is 4 stories tall, I thought that was pretty fast turn-around. Steven is great to work with. Once we had everything done that preceded the painting, he was able to start work within a couple weeks notice. His crew was considerate, communicative and thoughtful of our schedule, with the supervisor having worked on our house the first time they had worked on it. It says a lot about a company that can retain employees like that. We are very happy with the job they did and the price was right. Steven makes it easy. We have recommended him to a friend who hired him for a similar job (though lots more shutters) and she was pleased, too. We will definitely use him again!

I appreciated that someone knowledgeable took time to understand the scope of the work I needed before providing an estimate. Many other contractors just asked me for room dimensions and pictures, without coming to see my home. I did not trust that these estimates were based on my actual needs. The person at CertaPro who provided the estimate took time to look at the walls in each room and asked relevant questions anout what I wanted. He also talked to me about paint types and quality and about how to obtain samples. This was very helpful to someone with no experience/DIY skills. The painters arrived at the time promised and worked efficiently to do the project, which included both drywall repair and painting. Everything was done immaculately. When they finished, I inspected the work with the crew leader. I noticed one minor flaw, which was fixed immediately and to my complete satisfaction. There were no hidden costs. The estimated price was what I paid.

Steve and his crew were absolutely excellent to work with. They were extremely knowledgeable and most importantly - transparent - about the pros/cons of painting vinyl siding. Steve helped us through all the decisions we needed to make and was extremely patient and accommodating when we needed to change the timing of the job due to construction happening on the house next door to us. These guys were also super fast! They did a very high quality job in a very short amount of time. We were very impressed, we are super happy with the outcome and we would definitely use these guys again for any painting needs in the future.

As a Realtor I have a relationship with numerous painters and I negotiate contracts for a living. I originally chose CertaPro based on a relationship with a previous sales person who is no longer with the company. Well, I learned my lesson here! I wish I would have gone with one of two other quotes I received one of which was even less expensive. After receiving a contract that did not include all of the detailed services I requested and set expectations for I made them come back and update contract to which I ultimately agreed to. Unfortunately, I learned the sales associate who negotiated the contract and walked our home with no longer works for CertaPro on the day they were scheduled to start work for me. This was after no one showed up. Not in a rush, it was no big deal to me. I suggested the owner come out to my home to provide a new estimate to make sure there were no surprises regarding expectations at the end of my project. He declined. Three weeks later at the end of the job, my expectations were not met. At my bequest the owner visited my home for the first time to re-set expectations on how to complete the job. Still another three weeks later and two days after expected to arrive expectations were not met or completed to our agreed upon state. I was then met by a THIRD salesperson to sign off on the work. As the owner of a referral based business myself, I reserve poor reviews for only the egregiously terrible and despise writing them. I take responsibility for valuing the referral relationship previously built and not insisting that the new CertaPro sales person/owner would honor the previously negotiated contract the same. In the end, I paid the fully negotiated price of the contract even though the work was never complete and asked them to leave. I was tired of talking to someone new at every turn and being told what contract meant by "fascia, friezeboards, rakeboards, soffits included" by people who did not originally negotiate the contract. I will no longer refer any business to CertaPro of Arlington. Please find just a snippet of photos attached of unacceptable work inclusive of paint chips and and debris in my yard and missing thermometer that was never replaced.