I want to be as fair as I possibly can be in writing this review, giving Mr. Chaojun every benefit of the doubt.
What I expect from a contractor or painter is that they act with autonomy to complete a job. Clear communication was certainly at a minimum with Mr. Chaojun and he solicited my involvement on a continuous basis.
Pricing was not laid out in a manner that gave me a clear idea what the total would be at the end of the job. Working with him was like flying on Spirit Airlines. You want a coke? $5 extra. You want a smile? $5 extra. I was very happy he was ultimately able to get the paint on the walls but wish I would have done the job myself.
I needed a painter to finish up a walk-in closet, two small bathrooms and a medium sized bedroom and the hallway. I initially saw Mr. Chaojun's ad on craigslist and followed it to his Yelp page. I was drawn to many pictures he posted. I was especially encouraged by the straight lines between the trim and the walls. Since I'm preparing the room for a high-end renter, I wanted things to look very good.
Mr. Chaojun was very businesslike on the phone, and I described my needs. He quoted me $250/room which sounded very fair. I was to buy the paint. He made no suggestion, so I bought Kelly Moore. I also told him that two of the walls of two of the rooms were already painted and needed very little work.
Day One: He arrived on time. He is clean and has a businesslike manner. He brought along an assistant, and they got right to work. There was no talk about price or upcharges, he just got down to business with what I said I needed.
I checked in on them after an hour or so and his assistant was painting over parts of the light switch covers. They don't use painter's tape, although I provided it. I also pointed out a few drips that were coagulating here and there. Apparently, the helper didn't like my input and left the jobsite.
Halfway through the day, he explains to me that door jams are an additional charge. (I began to feel the bait and switch.) If you don't have a total, how can you agree to it before work starts? Why didn't we talk about this before you started working? I agreed to the extra $400.
As he continued, he painted over nail patches that had not yet been sanded. I don't know why he didn't ask me about them, if there was going to be a problem or additional charge for light prep, I would have been open to that. I ended up having to follow him around and sand down the patches myself.
I noticed many, many areas of wall that did not have complete and even coats of paint. He has his own technique for "cutting in" corners and around the tops and bottoms of walls that seems rushed and does not deposit even coats of paint. He told me not to worry about it, that he was a "professional" and did not need advice; to trust him regarding the finished product.
By the end of the day, I was not at all confident that the job would be completed. I sent him an email outlining my concerns. He told me not to worry, that I would be happy with the completed paint job.
Day Two: We had a brief discussion in the morning, and I reiterated my concerns. I walked through the job with him and pointed out many of the issues demonstrated in the photos.
Mr. Chaojun bantered around the word, "Professional" several times. The definition of a professional is someone who maintains a high level of skill and standards. They also participate in continuous training. Trust me, I'm no "Tool-Time" handyman. When I can do a better job than the person I hire; there is a problem.
I was on the verge of firing him because I had very little confidence in his abilities. I imagined myself, paint roller in hand, filling in all the missed areas he failed to paint. (And that's exactly what happened)
He let me know that he had used the paint marked "Bathroom" instead of the paint marked "Walls" for the bedroom walls. Oh well, it looked good enough, so I let it slide.
Two days into the job, he told me he would have to re-assess the cost of painting the door trim because, "That's very hard work."
Long story short: There was a lot of input from me on day two. I went around the house more than four times pointing out patches of uncovered wall. He complained about the quality of the paint. He told me he decided he wasn't going to paint the trim around the doors. (I frankly think that was his best idea, otherwise this review would be even longer) There were two areas of tile that had paint splotches on them. He continually told me he would fix things and then I would find the next thing that was unfinished or improperly completed. I was really frustrated playing supervisor to our "professional" painter.
I paid him the $1250 we had originally agreed to and was happy to be free of him.
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