Questions we get asked

I was already in the trades, and painting is one of the fastest ways to genuinely change how a home looks and feels without a full remodel. That is what pulled me in. I started Elements Painting because I wanted to build something of my own, not be another cog in a corporate franchise system. I saw a lot of shysters in this trade, and I knew I could deliver quality and actually care about the outcome. I have been painting professionally since 2001, and that is still the whole point.

Two things. First, I am a painter, not just a sales guy or a face for the company. I can walk any of my jobs and see immediately whether the crew rushed or cut corners, because I have been painting professionally since 2001. Second, my crews are in-house, and my three lead painters have more than 25 years with the company between them. There is no rotating cast of day-of subcontractors. When I write your estimate, I already know the guys who will be in your house.

Honestly, being taken for a ride. There are a lot of guys out there saying a lot of different things and putting a hefty price tag on it, and most homeowners do not know what they do not know about paint. On top of that people worry about the crew itself: whether vegetation and floors will get protected, whether things will get broken, whether the guys are going to play loud music, smoke, drink or leave a mess at the end of the day. Those concerns are real, and I try to address every one of them upfront at the estimate.

In-house. My three lead painters have more than 25 years with the company between them, combined. That is deliberate. Paint quality is a habit, not a technique. A long-tenured in-house crew knows how to prep a room, protect a floor, and leave a job site the way they found it, without being told. They also know what I look for on the final walk-through, which means the work gets done right the first time.

Floors are covered and furniture is moved or draped before any painting starts. On exteriors, landscaping and anything else near the walls gets masked, moved or worked around carefully. No loud music, no smoking and no drinking on your property. The job site is cleaned at the end of every day, not just at the end of the project. My rule with my guys is that we leave the space as we found it or better.

No. Interior work is done room by room, with furniture covered and floors protected, so you keep living in the house. Cabinet work is the one exception worth planning around, because the kitchen is disrupted for part of the project.

Furniture is moved or covered and floors are protected before any painting starts. When we are done the space gets cleaned up rather than left for you to deal with. On interiors especially there is more that can go wrong, so protection is set up before the first drop of paint hits a wall.

I buy the paint directly, in the grade written on your estimate, and I take the material cost on myself. You are welcome to ask to see the cans on the job. One of the older tricks in this trade is putting low-quality paint into high-quality cans so it looks right on site. The way you protect yourself against that is hiring a painter who is willing to show you the label. Because I am the one buying, I know exactly what is going on your walls and I know how much of it it takes.

Three big ones. One, watering the paint down so it stretches further. Two, putting a low-grade paint into a high-grade can. Three, spraying horizontally and then vertically while the first pass is still wet, which is called cross-hatching, and calling that two coats. It is still one coat of wet paint. Real two-coat coverage means a full first coat, full manufacturer dry time, then a second coat. That is what actually gives you the durability you paid for. Most of these shortcuts happen because the big painting companies subcontract the labor and pay the crew half the job cost, so the crew makes their money back by cutting corners on the paint.

Two coats means two separate applications with the full manufacturer-specified dry time between them. Not wet-on-wet, not cross-hatching. On your job the second coat goes on after the first is dry, and you can watch it happen. That is why our exterior work takes the time it takes. On most jobs my guys are calling me for more paint mid-project, and that is the tell that the coats are going on at the right thickness rather than being stretched.

Surfaces are washed, loose paint is scraped and sanded, gaps are caulked and bare areas are primed. Prep is where the time on a paint job actually goes. Once a surface is prepped properly, the paint goes on quickly. Prep is also the first thing cut when a bid comes in unusually low, and it is the reason a cheap paint job stops looking cheap and starts looking failed about two years in.

If the cabinet boxes are structurally sound, refinishing costs far less than replacement and takes days rather than weeks. If the boxes are failing, sagging or water damaged, paint does not fix that and replacement is the honest answer.

A 5-year limited warranty on craftsmanship. If the paint cracks, peels or shows uneven coverage from a workmanship or product-application issue, we come back and make it right. The warranty is written on your estimate, not verbal. My rule with my crews is simple: if we are going to do the job, we do it right the first time. I am not in the business of paying my guys to paint the same wall twice.

Yes. My crew does a final walk-through with you at the end of the job, and then I come and do a separate walk-through with you. Two walk-throughs is a policy, not a favor. On those walks I usually point out things the homeowner did not even notice, because I have been painting professionally since 2001 and know exactly what to look for. Anything less than right gets caught and fixed before the invoice.

Yes, Elements Painting is insured, and a certificate of insurance is available on request before you sign anything. Colorado does not require a state license for residential painting contractors, so insurance is the credential that matters most here, and it is a fair thing to ask any painter for. If a company is not willing to send you one, that answers the question.

Call or send a message and we schedule a visit to look at the actual space. I listen to what you want done, walk the property with you, and then I curate the estimate around what I heard, so the number on paper matches the conversation we had on your driveway. Measurements and surface condition are what make an estimate accurate, which is why a real number comes after seeing the property, not before.

It depends on square footage, the condition of the surfaces, how much repair is needed and the coatings you choose. Any painter who gives you a firm number before walking your property is guessing, and that guess normally gets corrected upward once the work starts. You get a detailed written estimate after we see the actual space.

It depends on the size of the home, the condition of the surfaces and the weather. Most interior projects run a few days. A full exterior more commonly runs about a week. You get a schedule up front, so you know what to expect rather than finding out as it goes.

Spring through fall, when temperatures are mild and stable. Coatings need a temperature range to cure properly, and the Front Range gets cold enough in winter that exterior work is normally paused. Booking earlier in the season gets you a better spot in the schedule.

Most homeowners do not, and it is the part of the job people find hardest. We include a color consultation, and it is much cheaper to change your mind before the first coat than after. On cabinet work especially, the cost of reversing a color decision is high, so we build in time to sit with samples in your actual light before we start.

Who buys the paint and how do you know the grade being used. Are the crews employees or day-of subcontractors. What is the exact policy on cleanup, noise and property protection. Does the owner do an independent final inspection separate from the crew’s own walk-through. And what exactly does the warranty cover for cracking, peeling or uneven coverage. A straight answer to all five tells you more than any brochure will.

Elements Painting works out of Berthoud and serves the Front Range, including Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, Lafayette and Louisville, along with the surrounding communities in Boulder and Larimer counties.