Our experience with Kitchen Tune-Up started off on a high note but quickly collapsed when the work started. It was immediately obvious that the information on the website and the information provided prior to signing the contract was less than truthful. We were on a tight deadline and the work needed to be completed not later than May 27. We said if the project could not be completed by our deadline, we would prefer to delay the start of the project until July. David Lawrence (the salesman/former owner) assured us it would be done - they even started 4 days early. The website clearly states, "Our painting process is performed by skilled craftsmen, using state-of-the-art technologies. The process involves minimal downtime, providing a full restoration of your kitchen cabinets. Our process keeps mess to a minimum on most projects. Cabinet painting, in most cases can be completed in under a week, which means you can update your kitchen in time for an upcoming event." (emphasis mine) This is our truth of our experience: 1. They did not do any primer on the cabinets, even though the Sherwin Williams paint can clearly identifies the need for a specific primer (We didn't read the paint can until it was obvious that the paint was not adhering.) They said the first coat of paint is the primer and that is "industry standard" which we heard anytime we pointed out anything that didn't seem correct. 2. After our cabinet doors and drawer fronts were taken to their shop and all of our cabinets were emptied out and the cabinet insides were being painted, Darren Quesnell (Owner/Project Manager) informed us that there was a 14-day curing process required for the paint which was an "industry standard". He also told us that if we did put anything into the cabinet the paint might cause the item to stick to the paint or the paint would come off and it would be on us to repair. Of course, we talked to David Lawrence regarding this waiting period which would affect the rapidly approaching finish deadline. David said that was not true. This caused a heated discussion between the two of them and we were never clear whether it was safe to put stuff away. An interesting aside is that Darren put their supplies on the paint when they finished for the day. 3. The paint was never applied evenly or systematically. They painted here and there and no one was ever sure how many coats of paint were in any one place. Many areas did not receive any paint or only a few brush strokes unless we pointed out the need for paint. John, the worker, was the most haphazard painter. He is a big man and it was difficult for him to reach some spaces which meant there were places in corners or high spaces that didn't get paint. While painting under the sink, he accidentally bumped the plumbing, causing a pipe separation. He used the sink to clean his painting supplies and we all left the house. When we got home the carpet in front of the sink was soaked. We opened the doors and the entire cabinet floor was wet and we could see the separated pipe. In the morning, we asked them to fix the pipe. John started saying that he had nothing to do with it and it wasn't his fault, etc. Darren did fix the pipe. 4. When asked why the cabinets were not completely painted inside and out per the contract, Darren said he would only paint the places you could see when you looked straight at the cabinets. They did not caulk or paint all the seams in the cabinets. Many discussions later, John did some minor caulking. He smoothed the caulk with dirty hands and spread it far beyond the area that required caulk. 5. When they started to remove the wallpaper to paint the kitchen, the job was too difficult for them to accomplish and they had to call in another experienced contractor. They allowed a $700 credit for not doing the work; however, we feel that amount did not represent the true cost of not removing the wallpaper as the contract specified. We asked to see the invoice from the painter but they just ignored us. Plus, to us it was an indication that they are not the "skilled craftsmen" the website offers. 6. Darren took the lazy susan from my cabinet and took it to the shop for painting. After he installed in the cabinet, I showed him where the paint was already chipping (nothing had been put in the cabinet). He looked right at me and said, "Of course it is chipping - you can't paint rubber." My thought was, then why did you paint it? 7. They ran out of paint because the wood was soaking up too much paint and we had to purchase another gallon of paint. David went with my husband to get the paint. When they installed the door/drawer fronts, we could see a slight color difference. Upon mentioning it, Darren said we noticed that too - sometimes the paint mixture varies. Why didn't they stop painting and tell us so we could get another gallon? Variations are an "industry standard". 8. Our glass cabinet doors have decorative wood trim on the read more