Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it’s even more important for painting companies that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Keech Painting Contractors, Inc., the key to achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is simple: take a detail-oriented approach to every project to ensure each phase of its work adheres to the highest standards of quality. “We always go the extra mile for our clients, even when we’re painting areas that they won’t even see,” says owner Robert Keech. “It’s all about integrity for us–we want our customers to trust us to provide them with the best possible results.”

Keech Painting Contractors has been providing interior and exterior painting services for residential, commercial and industrial clients in Sonoma, Marin, Napa and San Francisco Counties since 1993. The company handles every aspect of the painting process–from preparing and pressure washing to waterproofing and finishing–and it only uses high-quality paints, stains and specialty products made by leading manufacturers like Dunn-Edwards, Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore.

Unlike painting contractors that strive to reduce their operating costs by hiring inexperienced painters and providing them with minimal training, Keech Painting Contractors maintains a crew of certified professionals who have been with the company for many years. “Our painters know exactly what they’re doing and understand what’s expected of them,” says Mr. Keech. “Not only are they trained in industry-required areas like EPA Lead Safe Certification, they also receive in-house training on all the newest products. There are many different kinds of paint, so we have to know about their weather and temperature requirements, how to handle and store them, and how and where to apply them. Ultimately, we utilize our extensive training to ensure a quality outcome for every project.”

When it comes to interior painting, preparation is the key to achieving long-lasting results. Different surfaces require different preparation steps, so before you take on your next painting project, consider the following tips and information:

Bare wood
Use patching paste to fill any cracks, joints and nail holes. After that, sand the bare wood until it’s smooth and use a tack cloth to remove sanding dust.

Wallpaper
Make sure you remove all the wallpaper from a surface before painting it (chemical wallpaper removers are readily available). Once the wallpaper is removed, wash off the old adhesive and rinse the entire surface with water. Make sure it’s completely dry before you start painting.

Previously painted surfaces
Use cleaning products to wash off grease, dirt, and soap and oil buildup. Remove loose paint and powdery substances, and make sure you prime all bare areas before you apply a topcoat. Avoid “spot priming”—it can cause a non-uniform appearance between primed and non-primed areas.

According to Robert Keech, owner of Keech Painting Contractors, Inc. in Windsor, it’s also important to keep an eye on the caulking around windows and railings when painting the interior of your home. “Caulking shrinks and expands with changes in temperature, and if it shrinks too much over time, it allows cracks to open up and let in water,” he explains. “That’s a good way to get dry rot, which can be expensive to repair.”

Mr. Keech also recommends keeping a can of paint around the house so you can ensure an exact color match when you need to perform touch-ups. The downside is that paint can only be stored for about two years before it starts to degrade, but Mr. Keech says even paint that’s three or four years old can still be used for minor touch-ups. “Make sure you store the paint off the ground at a moderate temperature. Room temperature is ideal, but you really just need to avoid situations where it could freeze. Also, make sure you thoroughly mix any old paint before applying it.”

Q: How long will it take to complete my paint job?

A: Every job is different, but we try to work around our customers’ schedules as much as possible. For example, if we’re painting the interior of your house and you want to go on vacation for two days, we can usually get most of the work done before you get back. We can also work on one room at a time to minimize disruption to your daily routine, although that’s usually a slower and more expensive process.

Q: Is there an advantage to having my house’s exterior and interior painted at the same time?

A: No. Interior painting and exterior painting are completely different jobs. If you want to space them out to make it easier on your budget, we recommend doing the exterior during the summer and the interior during the winter.

Q: Do you provide color consultations?

A: Yes. We can make recommendations and suggestions as to which colors will work best for your particular project. We’ll also give you free samples and paint a portion of your home or business so you can see what the finished product will look like. Nothing is worse than finishing a paint job and then regretting the color choice.

Q: What’s the largest job you’ve ever done?

A: We’ve painted warehouses and data centers as big as 150,000 square feet.

Q: Do you maintain a clean worksite?

A: Yes. We do a complete clean-up at the end of each day, and we store all our tools and paint in an onsite trailer. We also pay special attention to ensure we protect plants and landscaping.