EDIT 7/15: The owner reached out to me requesting I take down my review, which in my opinion, is a…read morehuge red flag and has downgraded my score from 2/5 stars to 1/5 stars. My review on google has been hidden from public view, so I assume the company flagged it to be hidden.
EDIT: These photos show the issues I experienced throughout the project. I've added more photos showing the remaining problems after the work was completed. The exterior is now mostly acceptable.
We hired Stephens Painting to paint the exterior of our home and had a very mixed experience.
Before the painting even started, the owner sent her son, along with a 16-year-old worker, to pressure wash the property. My patio cover was not pressure washed, but I was told it had been. After I showed the owner photos demonstrating that it had not been washed, she told me that her son would never inherit the company because of what had happened. I found it inappropriate to be drawn into internal family and employment matters as a customer.
The biggest issue involved our brand-new front door. The paint repeatedly failed because the factory primer had not been properly prepared before painting. The door ultimately had to be stripped, sanded, and reprimed. Even after that, the team was unable to achieve an acceptable finish despite at least four additional attempts.
At their request, I purchased a steel door because they did not want to paint a fiberglass door. I informed them that it was factory primed. When the paint failed, I was told by the owner that I had said the door was primed. However, determining the proper preparation procedures for a factory-finished surface is the responsibility of the painting contractor, not the homeowner. I was also advised that if I purchased another door, I "shouldn't paint it" because it "has trouble taking paint." The manufacturer's instructions require the door to be sanded before painting and painted within 45 days to maintain the warranty. That step was not performed before the initial paint application. The door now has scratched glass and significant texture defects, and we have decided to replace it and have the new door painted by another company.
They also painted the vinyl door frame after I had specifically requested in writing that it not be painted. During the process, they removed the vinyl cover and cracked the brand-new exterior trim. Although they repaired it with wood filler and the repair is acceptable, it was another example of a lack of attention to detail.
There were also numerous overspray issues. White trim paint was sprayed onto the dark body of the house multiple times, requiring repeated repainting. Front door paint was oversprayed onto my interior walls, and the repairs were not completed to an acceptable standard. My entryway walls were also scratched. For one interior wall, I clearly specified eggshell for the wall and semi-gloss for the trim. I even labeled the paint cans I supplied, yet the sheens were reversed.
While working inside my home, they did not adequately protect my belongings and got paint on my couch and an irreplaceable ottoman. The paint was wiped off, but the damage remained noticeable.
We also experienced issues with the dark exterior paint, including noticeable flashing and numerous missed spots. To their credit, they returned multiple times to address the problems, and the exterior paint is now mostly acceptable.
Ultimately, I now have to hire another company to paint a new front door, repaint the damaged interior walls and trim, and finish the exterior door trim.
Communication throughout the project was inconsistent and unprofessional, requiring extensive discussions, multiple site visits, and ultimately a settlement agreement. At one point, I was also told that employees' pay might be affected because of the situation, which made me uncomfortable. I don't believe customers should be placed in the middle of internal employment matters.
I appreciate that the company made repeated efforts to address the issues, but I believe many of these problems could have been avoided with better surface preparation, quality control, and communication from the beginning. Based on my experience, I would encourage anyone considering this company to carefully inspect the work throughout the project, especially on specialty surfaces and when using dark paint colors.
