The Orange County firm of IM Painting Inc in San Clemente CA is known for flexibility when it comes to rates, materials and services. We interviewed IM Painting Inc owner Bob Belhumeur and asked him how flexibility gives customers more value.

Flexible Rates from IM Painting in Orange County

Bob Belhumeur explains that IM Painting Inc is versatile enough to offer quality painting services within their customers' budgets. He says, "According to the wishes of each customer, the paint jobs we do for them can range from Chevy to Cadillac. People deserve the best paint job they can get for their budget, and we understand that some people can't afford a Cadillac. So we tailor the project to match the budget they're comfortable with, and their house will still look great and the paint will last."

But that doesn't mean you should hire a painter based on price and Bob Belhumeur explains why. "Cheap painters often hire inexperienced day laborers who know nothing about prepping or painting, and they usually don't use good materials. So the paint quickly fades or flakes. When you choose a painter based on quality and reliability, you won't have to pay to repaint for many years into the future. You can actually save money by hiring a painting company that gives you good value instead of the rock-bottom cheapest price quote."

And when it comes to comparing bids, Bob Behhumeur says, "If one bid looks too low, watch out. There must be something he's doing differently." That can be paying employees less, using low-quality paint, adding water to the paint, not prepping the surfaces correctly so the paint will stick, or speeding through the job. "Prepping the surface correctly should take hours," says Bob. "And the more prep you do, the better the end result will be and the longer it lasts."

IM Painting in San Clemente CA Offers Customers Choices in Preparation

IM Painting lets customers select the level of preparation they prefer rather than forcing them into only one approach and cost. Employees of IM Painting point out areas where customers can tailor the amount of prep work. Bob Belhumeur says, "If the fascia is peeling, we can just scrape it and put on the new paint. Or we can scrape, sand, fill in any voids, prime, and then paint. The more detailed preparation option will cost a little more, but it will look better and last longer. So we educate our customers on all their choices, and then ask them what they'd like us to do."

Customers Get Paint Cost Choices with IM Painting in Orange County

All major paint brands have different grades of paint within that one brand, so even the high-end brands have starter grades that aren't meant to last quite as long. Within a single paint brand, the cost difference between grades can be as high as $50 a gallon. That can mean the difference of many hundreds of dollars when you're painting an entire house.

Other painting contractors may tell you only the brand of paint they'll use, without revealing which grade, so customers believe they're getting a higher quality of paint than they really are. With their flexible approach, IM Painting lets you choose not only the paint brand, but the grade of paint within that brand, based on your needs. Bob Belhumeur explains, "It comes down to whether you need the paint to last five years or twenty years. If a customer is working on a limited budget, we can use the medium grade paint and still get them a good paint job. But if they want to pay a little more, the job can last twice as long. Whatever they choose, we put it in writing in our contract so they know the exact quality and grade of paint they're getting."

Company owner Bob Belhumeur is president of the local chapter of the PDCA (Painting and Decorating Contractors of America), a trade organization for professional painters. Having moved to California as a youngster, Bob Belhumeur has lived in Orange County for more than 30 years where he and his wife raised their daughter together. Bob's other passion is sailing, and each year he supports the Leukemia Cup put on by Dana West Yacht Club with a silent auction for free painting work. Customers describe Bob as honest, skilled and dedicated to giving them the best work at a price they can afford.

So IM Painting in Orange County known as the one that is flexible on cost for customers, including letting them make an informed choice among paint grades and amount of surface preparation, all while dedicated to providing lasting value. Bob Belhumeur summed it up saying, "There is no other painting company in the world like IM Painting. No one else does everything that we do in terms of flexibility, customer service, quality, the level of training, and the overall value we provide."