Why Choose Silkwood?

Most of our customers came to us through word-of-mouth referrals or because they watched us paint a neighbor's house. Here are the top 10 reasons why we are so highly recommended. To read more, click on each reason, or simply scroll down the page for the full text.

• 1. We do one job at a time.
• 2. The owner is at the job site.
• 3. We are available.
• 4. We are specialists.
• 5. We deliver what we promise.
• 6. We are exceptionally neat and clean.
• 7. We strive to do only long-lasting jobs.
• 8. We handle money issues with integrity.
• 9. We pay attention to the details.
• 10. We are professionals.

1. We do one job at a time.

We don't leave your job site to work on another job, unless inclement weather forces us to switch temporarily to interior work. Once we start your job, it is our #1 priority until we complete it.

2. The owner is at the job site.

He is at your job all day, working alongside our employees, though, of course, he may leave briefly to purchase paint or run an errand related to your job. We are a small company, and we intend to remain small, in order to maintain strict quality control and personal service. We never use subcontractors. The man you meet at the time of the bid is the man who will do the work.

3. We are available.

We are a local, family-owned business committed to complete customer satisfaction. Customers frequently mention how happy they are that we are consistently available by phone. We are happy to do bids on evenings and weekends, to better accommodate your schedule. Our office manager welcomes your questions, comments, and requests. We hope to be your painters in the future, and we hope to be your friends' and neighbors' painters, as well.

4. We are specialists.

We specialize in residential painting, and stay updated on the science behind it. We have extensive technical knowledge about types of surfaces, paints, stains, specialty applications, and so forth. We've read the studies and have years of experience observing what weathers well or stands up to traffic. Choices go far beyond the oil versus latex question. Should a flat or satin finish be used? What kind of primer is right for your siding? If you have children, the best choice for interior work may be easy-to-clean or low-odor paints. Surface preparation, too, will be based on the needs of your particular house: what type of siding and trim do you have, what condition is it in, which finish was used previously, are there signs of moisture problems or paint failure?

5. We deliver what we promise.

“Shortcuts” are all too prevalent in the business world, including the painting and construction business. But, at Silkwood Painting Company, we don't take shortcuts. “Two coats” really means “two coats.” “Top-of-the-line paint” means only the very best, from highly-rated manufacturers like Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore. “Hand-brushed,” “hand-sanded,” “scrubbed by hand,”: if we promise it, we deliver it. From start to finish, we do top-notch work with the best materials and equipment, and we invite you to watch us work!

6. We are exceptionally neat and clean.

Our job site is neat and tidy at the end of each and every work day. We protect the areas that won't be painted with dropcloths, plastic sheeting, or paper.

• Exterior Jobs: When we remove paint from your siding and trim, not only do we put down dropcloths to collect the paint chips, we go the extra mile to clean up stray chips, even vacuuming the roof and gutters, if necessary. We remove all trash from your property that we generated on your job, from paint chips to paper and paint cans, and dispose of it appropriately. We never use “grinders,” which send a fine spray of old paint over your yard, and your neighbors' yards, and usually damage the wood.
• Interior Jobs: We have a small team of experienced, clean painters who are careful when handling your furnishings and respectful of your home. For your convenience, we concentrate on one area at a time so that you don't have a number of rooms “out of order.”

7. We strive to do only long-lasting jobs.

We assess the condition of your home, and do the bid based on what is most likely to ensure a long-lasting job, beginning with thorough surface preparation. While we may recommend legitimate ways to save money, we won't propose shortcuts, even if it means we can't compete against a lower bid from another company that may be based on less-thorough work. For example, scraping and sanding is less expensive than heat-stripping. But, some houses actually need to be stripped, due to paint failure, and if your house does, merely scraping and sanding it will result in significant bubbling and peeling in just a few years, or even sooner. When people decide to take a cheaper route, all too often they regretfully realize later that our recommendations were correct. The result? They end up referring their friends to us. A house is a major investment, and we aim to help protect your investment.

8. We handle money issues with integrity.

We strive to be meticulously honest in all of our transactions.

• We don't ask for a significant amount of money in advance, in fact, we usually don't ask for ANY money in advance.We do a complete proposal, so that “add-ons” are rare. For example, contractors may give you a bid for one coat, knowing that you'll actually need two coats. They hit you with the additional bill partway through the job. We don't do that.We don't mark up our paints and other materials. We include the cost of paint when bidding your job, at the same price we pay.We use only durable top-of-the-line paints, never cheap contractors' paints.
• We have worker's compensation and liability insurance to protect our customers and our employees.

9. We pay attention to the details.

Each job has its own requirements, but a few examples of our usual practices are that:

• We don't just powerwash a house, we actually scrub it by hand with detergent and a scrub brush, an important step to ensure proper adhesion of latex paint.If there has been any recent precipitation, we use a special moisture meter to check the dryness of the wood before applying any primer or paint.We don't use “grinders” or high-pressure powerwashers, which can easily damage wood.
• We spend several hours at the end of each exterior job examining our work to make sure we haven't missed anything and that all work meets our standards.

10. We are professionals.

We are experienced painters, licensed by the state of Oregon, bonded, and insured. Our owner has been painting for close to 20 years. We have worked hard to establish an outstanding reputation, and you'll see this reflected in the Silkwood Painting Company name displayed prominently on our vehicle, our shirts, and our caps. Our employees are clean-cut, polite, and careful not to disturb you or your neighbors with inappropriate behavior or noise. We encourage you to read the Oregon Construction Contractors Board pamphlet “16 Ways to Avoid Modeling, Repair, Construction, and Landscaping Problems,” which provides tips from the Board on selecting and working with contractors. This will help you choose professional contractors who provide the highest-quality services.