NORTH PINE PAINTING
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 Simply the best in painting for Bellingham WA.
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we're getting better organized to take better care of our customers

6/7/2016

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You've probably noticed I've been absent from my blog for awhile, and with good reason.  I've been focusing on getting organized so that I can take better care of my customers.  Last year was phenomenal for us - the best I've ever had in the 30+ years I've been in the painting and wallpapering business. 

I realized it had been 30 years since I got semi-apprenticed to a wallpaper craftsman in Middletown, Ohio, where my wife and I moved right after we got married.  Vernon White (or Whitey, as he preferred to be called) was about my age when I went to work for him.  I had been painting for awhile but I wanted to learn the tricks of the trade from a master, which he was.  And he was looking to train somebody else to take over his business since his sons didn't care to. 

In addition to learning how to hang wallpaper (after about a year of helping him with prep he finally let me hang my first strip), I learned the importance of taking good care of customers.  He had some he'd been working for repeatedly for over 40 years.  In addition to being a master at painting and wallpaper, he was also a master organization.  He was always on top of his schedule and he had his tools in order at all times. 

It hasn't come as easy for me as it did for Whitey, but I finally figured out that part of the problem was I never really had the right space.  Corners of the garage for tools and paint and the side of the house to stack up ladders just wasn't making it.  What I needed was a home for all my stuff - one spot where everything was. 

Katie was helping me get the administrative side of the business in order with calendars, plus she finally dragged me into the digital age and got me a tablet to keep track of things, which has helped.  (And I'll let you in on a little secret - if you get an email that says it's been sent from my iPhone or my Samsung Galaxy, you'll know it's me.  Otherwise it's my wife masquerading as me as she holds down things at the office.)

Interior of painting company shop
So once we got the administrative tools in order, it was time to move on and get the business tools a home.  At the first of the year I moved everything into a shop space over off Hannegan that's just what I've needed.  (That's me in the shop in the picture above.)

Not only does it have a ton of shelves and places to stash everything, but it's got a utility sink so I no longer have to wash out buckets and brushes in our kitchen or bathroom.  (If you listen carefully you can hear my wife cheering.)    And one of my favorite things about this shop space is that the overhead bay door is big enough for me to pull the van in and load up, even ladders.  No more dragging stuff out from under the deck or trying to figure out where I put the sprayer!  Plus I don't need to carry things around in the van because I don't know where else to put them.

I trust all this will lead to being able to take even better care of our customers. If you'd like a tour of our new shop, give me a call.  I'm pretty pleased with the space and enjoy showing it off.  Plus I'd like to give a hearty thank-you to all our customers who have had to put up with scheduling mix-ups and have been patient with me as I've figured out how to get things in order.  I appreciate your trust and support. 

John Schweiss
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We're proud to offer 5-star painting & wall paper services

10/2/2014

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Picture
Perhaps you've noticed you don't really see any ads around Bellingham  or on the internet for North Pine Painting.  There's a good reason for that - I've never been much for paid advertising, and that's because most of my customers come from referrals.  Word of mouth is a big deal for me, because it means someone thought enough of my work to recommend me to a close friend or family member. 

I know that when people refer me, their reputation is on the line as well as mine.  That's one of the reasons I endeavor to treat each customer with care and make sure that when I leave your home or office that you're really happy with the way things turned out.  I'm proud to say that in nearly 30 years of painting and hanging wallpaper that I've never had one complaint and rarely had a call-back. 

Having been a homeowner, I understand how stressful it can be to think of having a stranger come and work in your home.  Hiring a contractor that a friend or relative has worked with before can be easier to take.  I get that.  And I appreciate it when people give out my name.  Often the calls I get start with, "So and so told me to call you." 

And every once in awhile, some customer takes the time to go online and post a review about the work I did.  That's something I am really grateful for.  I know how busy life can get, so for a person to take time out of a busy day to let others know what they thought of the job I did is really exceptional.  So Margaret, thanks for the thumbs up!  I'm glad you're happy with how the wallpaper project turned out. 
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Sometimes Doing Things the Old Fashioned Way is the Best

8/15/2013

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I've been hanging wallpaper and vinyl for nearly 30 years.  I learned from a master craftsman who was close to retirement but looking to pass his art on to someone who would follow in his footsteps.  He taught me a lot, mostly about taking the time to do things properly the first time, and to do it well.  Part of what I learned from him was that having the right tools and knowing how to use them can make all the difference.  So you can imagine my dismay when I found out that my favorite wall covering tool has been discontinued. 

I've used the same brand of  wallpaper seam smoother for many years.  I tried others - some cheaper, others more expensive, but none worked as well as the Wal Wiz.  My most recent commercial  project involved hanging almost 5000 yards of commercial vinyl, and that's a lot of seams.  The Wal Wiz isn't an expensive tool, but it works well and feels comfortable in my hand.  After smoothing thousands of seams with this implement, the motions are almost instinctive.  But the edges wear down eventually, and I go through them quickly on a big job like this.  My stock was getting low, but I couldn't find any locally.  My paint store rep tried to find them and couldn't.  He suggested another brand, but it was just too flimsy for me.  I looked online, and every site that advertised them noted it was out of stock.  An inquiry to Zinsser, the manufacturer, revealed that the Wal Wiz had been discontinued.  So I've been calling places all over the country who carried them in the past to see if I could buy up the remaining stock.  Eventually those will be gone and I'll have to find something new.  So far I haven't found a suitable substitute. 

That seam smoother reminds me of many things in my business.  Those old tools worked well, but it seems like everyone has a newer solution, and the old way of doing things is difficult to find.  It used to be that contractors mailed signed estimates to prospective customers; now digitally-signed emails are the norm.  A live voice on the end of a telephone has been replaced with an automated answering system.  Estimating software has taken over for a calculator and experience. 

At North Pine Painting we do things a little differently - the old-fashioned way, mostly.  Rarely do I give an estimate on the phone - I'd prefer to come out and look at your project and talk things over with you.  If you call my office, you'll reach my wife, who runs the administrative end.  You can contact me by email, but I always give my customers my cell phone number so they can talk directly to me when it's important.  And it's my belief that a computer program can't ever take the place of skills gained from years of hands-on experience.  If that's outdated, that's just fine with me; it's the way I prefer to do business.  And it must be okay with my customers, because over the years I've hardly ever  needed to advertise - word of mouth keeps me plenty busy.   That doesn't mean I'm technology-shy; after all, I am blogging here!  Plus if you'd prefer an email estimate, I can handle that, too.  After all, the old-fashioned way meant putting the customer first.  And that's how I do business. 

In the painting and decorating business, technology is changing things, just as it is in all industries.  But at North Pine Painting we're not about to let technology take the place of good, old-fashioned customer care and craftsmanship.  If that's what you're looking for in a painting contractor, give me a call.  And if you've got a good substitute for the soon-extinct Wal Wiz please let me know. 

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