This past week, Painting in Partnership, from the Chicago area, repaired a decorative finish that we had executed ten years ago. We also repaired painted mural elements that had later been added to our work, by the client’s friend. The decorative painting had been damaged by a water leak in an upstairs bathroom, just above a doorway.
Repairing Decorative Finishes - Before
In those days, we used eggshell oil as a basecoat and oil glazes. With the new ASHA regulations, eggshell oil products were no longer available. We had to resort to reformulated satin oil products that were still on the market, at least for now. Even though the damage was limited to the upper portion of the doorway, we repainted the two side legs of the doorway opening to avoid creating any repair lines. Because we keep excellent records for all the decorative finishes we create for a client, we were able to recreate this painted finish perfectly. Our muralist, even though she did not do the original painting, was able to recreate the mural elements that had later been added to our work.
Repairing Decorative Finishes - After
This room was the only work we had ever done for this client. Yet, all she needed to do, after ten years, was to place a phone call to have us rescue the situation and help protect what had been a $5,000 dollar investment in the decorating of her dining room. She was thrilled. Halfway through the repair process, she took me in the adjacent room to show her next project. Someone had given her a bid to do this entire two-story room for an unbelievably low price of $750, including a decorative finish all over the walls. I made the point to her that someone who charges those kinds of prices cannot stay in business for long. I further explained that, because we price our services correctly, we have been in business for over twenty years and we were able to save her $5000 in her dining room.
So she asked me to bid for her room. To keep the cost down, we limited the decorative finish to the fireplace wall and will use plain paint on the other walls. The cost: $3,000 – she gladly hired us to do her next house painting project! In the short-run, our painting prices are higher than many others. However, in the long-run, we are the best value – she knows it well!
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