Review of Interstate Services Group/Interstate Powerwashing.
This is a list of what they were contracted to do: Powerwash the deck; set the nails; sand the deck and rails;
stain and seal the deck.
This is what they did:
Powerwash the deck. Status:completed
Stain & seal the deck:
1. set the nails Status: not done
2. sand the deck & rails Status: not done
3. stain the deck Status: they used a SPRAYER! Not a brush, but a sprayer!--on the deck, the railings, the posts, everything! It took only about 30 minutes. They had no intention of 'backbrushing' the deck, i.e., using a brush after they spray. They were just going to wait until the stain dried, then apply the sealer--with the sprayer. Good thing my very observant wife called me at work and told me the deck "looked terrible". She noticed quite a few blotchy spots on the deck due to the use of the sprayer and not a paint brush.
I left work to come home and found 2 young guys, obviously not very experienced painters, doing the job. I asked them if they sanded, they answered 'NO', I asked them if they set the nails. Again, they answered 'NO'. I asked them why they didnt use a brush--answer:'We dont have any brushes'. Are they serious? A painting contractor sends out his workers without brushes??
They said they were just following the work order, so I can only assume the work order didnt list these steps--why I don't know. Was somebody trying to scam me? I told them that the staining was not acceptable. At our insistence, they did some minor sanding on the rails and re-stained the blotchy parts of the deck and rails with a pad, which is not as good as a brush, but better than just spraying. They came back a few days later to apply the sealer. At my strong suggestion, they did not just spray it on, but used painting pads.
Overall, after our necessary interference, the deck came out okay, but only after redoing a major part of the deck. Only time will tell how the stain and sealer holds up against the Jersey weather. My concern is that without using a brush the stain doesn't get really absorbed into the wood and the snow and heat will take its
toll.
I've had the deck stained previously by professional painters and they took the time to use a brush on ALL surfaces,the deck, stairs, railings, etc. without it written in the contract, which is why I assumed this company would do the same. But to use a sprayer and NOT backbrush? Are they kidding? Ask any
experienced painter and I'm sure he/she would shake their head and roll their eyes at that idea.
If this is an example of how they work I would be very wary of using any of their services again. If you decide to use this company, make sure every detail is spelled out in the contract. Don't make any assumptions. It would be a good
idea to check their work at every step of the project to insure its what you contracted for.
I always ask this question at the end of a project---would I hire this company again? The answer, in this case is a resounding NO!
So let the buyer beware! read more
