CraftWorks Painters of the Bay Area is a full-service painting contractor that serves residential and commercial clients in an area that stretches throughout the entire Peninsula and South Bay, from Daly City to Morgan Hill. The company offers a wide range of interior and exterior painting services, including full preparation and priming, power washing, staining and varnish application, and more. It can also provide color consultation services.
Owners Steve and Norie Bonbright spent years in the high-tech industry before turning their attention to painting. Mr. Bonbright says they saw a local need for a more customer-oriented painting business—one that could provide reliable service; focused management; and safe, dependable crews. “We run our business with a singular focus: to build lasting relationships with our customers.”
CraftWorks Painters of the Bay Area stresses the importance of communication between its crews and clients. “At the end of each work day, we’ll update the customer about the job’s progress and address any concerns they may have,” says Mr. Bonbright. “We’ll fix anything that isn’t to their total satisfaction.”
“We’re able to consistently provide exceptional customer service and quality results because of our inspired, motivated, and happy employees. We communicate clearly with them, and we expect them to do the same for our clients. We want to be judged not only by the quality of our work, but also by our customers’ overall experiences throughout the painting process.”
Choosing the right type of primer is a crucial part of any painting project.
Applying a coat of primer may seem like a routine step in the painting process, but it’s actually one of the most important and complex aspects involved. There are more than 50 different types of primers available on the market, and each is geared toward a particular kind of material or environmental condition, so it’s important to understand which will be best for your situation before making a decision. Here are a few examples of materials and situations that require specific primers:
Stucco
Previously painted stucco doesn’t provide much in the way of absorption, so it’s important to choose a product that will hang on to the stucco effectively. The preferred product in this situation is masonry primer, which doesn’t require a lot of absorption in order to bind to a surface. Chalk abatement is another good characteristic to look for in a stucco primer—stucco walls become chalky over time, and stucco primers are designed to re-emulsify that chalk, pull it back into the substrate and provide a solid surface on which to paint.
Wood
Unlike stucco, wood requires a primer that will absorb easily and penetrate deeply.
Stained walls
Choose a primer that’s specifically designed to hide water stains or stains left by mold that has previously been removed. These products will also ensure the stains don’t come through the wall once it’s repainted.
Galvanized metal
Using the wrong primer on galvanized metal (especially anything oil-based) will result in a chemical reaction called “saponification,” in which a film builds up between the surface and the paint and, within a year or two, causes the paint to peel off in large strips.
If you’re unsure about the type of primer to use for your painting project, consult a local painting contractor or paint supplier to get more information before moving forward.
Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it's even more important for painting companies that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For CraftWorks Painters of the Bay Area, the key to achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is combining quality work and top-notch products to provide a positive experience for every client. "Like any trade business, we live off our reputation, so the feedback from our customers is far more important than any marketing strategy," says co-owner Steve Bonbright. "That's why it's so important for us to provide not only quality workmanship, but enjoyable customer experiences as well."
CraftWorks Painters of the Bay Area has been providing complete painting services for residential and commercial clients throughout San Mateo County and beyond since 2006. In addition to its interior and exterior painting capabilities, the company offers power washing, staining and varnish application, free one-hour consultations with its in-house interior designers, light carpentry and more.
Unlike less experienced painting contractors that take the same approach on every project, CraftWorks Painters of the Bay Area offers highly personalized services that are designed to address each customer's specific needs. "We not only help our clients choose the right colors for the interiors and exteriors of their homes, we also help them choose the right primers to suit the climates in which they live," explains Mr. Bonbright. "There are more than 50 kinds of primer that can go onto a house, so we make sure our employees are properly trained to identify the right product for each situation."
To further differentiate itself from its competition, CraftWorks Painters of the Bay Area has literally made safety, quality and integrity fundamental parts of its business model by implementing an in-house employee certification program called SQI. "Essentially, we train our employees to include safety, quality and integrity in everything they do," says Mr. Bonbright. "These attributes aren't just part of a marketing strategy–they're essential to our success."
