Student Works Painting West

Our house is 30 yrs old and we live in a wet climate. We had some rotting wood that needed to be replaced before painting and one piece that was discovered (by them) at the time of painting. There was a lot of prep work in this job. Everything was explained and discussed with us prior to the work starting. They came when they said they would, worked hard all the time they were here and finished when they said they would including complete cleanup. I didn't like my initial colour choice and appreciated the help in choosing other colours, and the fact that I wasn't made to feel like a problem when the paint had to be remixed. They were careful of my garden and flower beds and didn't drive me crazy with overly loud music while they worked. I am happy with the job, and found Dallas to be very professional.

Great job by Jessica and her crew. They were professional and quick and the job looks great. All that was promised was delivered and we would use them again in the future.

we received a pamphlet in the mail advertising this service and call for a quote. The young man showed up appearing very professional had a look at the job and gave us a quote. We decided to go ahead, with the fact that he appeared to be very confident of the job. We have 2 dogs and a doggy door so scheduling was very necessary because we had to lock the doggy door and then come home to let them out during the day. The communication shut down, he was not answering his cell phone or responding to any text, we to stated how dissatisfied we were about that. At this time most of the sanding was done and we were ready to just call the rest of it off, give us a fair price for the work done and we will do it ourselves. We were assured things will go well. The staining part was terrible, they did not even get between the planks and when that was discussed we would have to get that quoted and pay extra.......it's part of the deck.....he then offered to come back some time next week and do it.....by this time we were done and the hassles with the dogs was not worth it. We paid him and sent him on his way leaving us a days work to finish the job. Never again will we use this service and we will warn all our friends, family and co-workers. What a disappointment!

Update September 2017:
After posting this review and also sending my concerns to the SW home office, I was contacted immediately by the regional manager, Cory. He arranged to come on site within a few days and following his visit, he made all arrangements for the crew to return and do the job right. He also had the local Squamish operator stain the front and back decks at no additional cost given all the issues we had. This experience tells me two things about StudentWorks: 1. When in doubt, contact the regional manager. This is their bread and butter and they truly want you to be satisfied. 2. The quality of work will vary greatly operator to operator. The Squamish operator showed little to no interest in ensuring the job was done right. He wanted to be paid and move on as quickly as possible. If you can, get direct recommendations or references for the local operator you will be working with, as opposed to StudentWorks in general.

Original Review:
Hired based on answers to two key questions: Are your painters experienced so I get a quality paint job? Do you fill knot holes/cracks and caulk because my siding is old? Got a resounding and reassuring yes to both. Turns out neither were true.

On day 1, it was a free-for-all with no apparent plan. Some guys painting trim, some guys painting siding side by side. Paint colours overlapping, no taping, no drop cloth, paint on my wood decks, paint on my eaves and soffits, paint dripping down the walls. I sent a note to the franchisee with my immediate quality concerns. The quality did not improve.

To remove the massive amounts of paint from my decking they sanded out sections, meaning I know have to put the time and money into refinishing my decks. The franchisee seemed only concerned with collecting incremental payments, regardless of my continued discomfort with the quality.

When I inquired about filling holes and caulking, I was told that wasn't included. It 100% was part of the sales conversation, as witnessed by my husband. It was not checked off on the contract. They said it was not included. I was foolish to not scrutinize the contract.

As part of the contract negotiation, they included a small patio railing area "free". The patio looked like a five year old painted it. When I asked for this to be fixed, the franchisee said "it's not like you paid for that" insinuating that I should accept the shoddy work as-is. I rebuffed and they did add another coat.

What was most troubling was the franchisee having what appears to be a total lack of oversight or concern for quality. I was asked to do three "final" walk arounds. Each time, it was up to me to point out the glaring errors. Areas not yet painted, large quantities of paint on fixtures, areas lacking a second coat. The lack of professionalism, obvious lack of experience, and questionable sales/contract negotiation unfortunately made this process quite gruelling.

I would not recommend this service for these reasons. I had good faith in what they sold me. They did not. After three rounds of substantial fix-ups my house looks decent, albeit for the caulking, holes and cracks that need attention, and the decks that need refinishing - both of which I will now have to pay someone else to complete.

Overall experience was very professional at the start, explained the quality they planned to perform, follow up and communication. Once it was time to do the work, two days and two coats of paint turned into around 3/4 of a day and the painting was less than satisfactory. Spots weren't sanded or even stained! Without knowing any better I just paid... and here we were trying to make a free weekend for ourselves instead of painting and I think we actually made more work for ourselves along with a long frustration of what to do about it, how to handle it, etc. I would highly recommend hiring a professional company with trained employees to do your painting if that's what your looking for and not Student Works.

The estimate originally given was modified because they did not understand the type of stain used on my deck. I was asked to pay for a special stripper and an extra day of sanding/stripping. When the job was finished, the owner hovered over me while I completed the evaluation (that's why the scores are high). Worst of all, the work was done in August 2016 and by February 2017, all areas were cracking because it was not properly filled and sanded. When I complained, they said the (three year) warranty did not apply because they were surfaces that were walked on. The back steps to my house were probably walked on 6 times over the winter (which is mild in Victoria). Now I have to find the time to do it properly myself or hire a real painter who knows what they are doing. Do not use Student Painters (Victoria BC)!!!

Great service was provided Muriah. She was on site with the students and teaching them. She ensured that furniture was protected and moved. She came by to provide samples swatches in various bright and dark locations so we would be able to pick the right colour. We have curved corners so went with one colour vs. multiple but multiple was an option. She explained the three year warranty and ensured we had her card to call with any concerns. All of them were professional and polite. She ensured everything was cleaned up and did a walkthrough with me to fix any areas missed. I have painted before so I expected some areas requiring touch ups which happens because the paint doesn't necessarily come off the way it should.

We'd specifically asked for an undercoat, and estimate said there would be one, however never happened. Had to consistently point out spots that never got any paint, let alone 1 coat, there are still a couple spots that never got any paint. We were given the leftover paint to finish ourselves. However our concern now is the warranty. I have asked repeatedly for a copy as we were initially told there was a warranty card. Now am told there is nothing to give us. I want something for my records, please.

The three students worked tirelessly for 3 days to get our painting done, and continuously consulted us to make sure they were painting to our specifications. The student in charge, Mitch, was exceptionally professional.

They did not communicate with us that they were delayed with the starting time booked.Had to call and remind them that we had set a time.
Their work was barely acceptable. Blobs of paint left and had to be They did the bare essentials. Blobs of paint left which needed sanding and redoing. We took off all the knobs to help them but they did not offer to replace them until questioned then offered to do it at an inappropiate time for us. They need a lot of education in what how to get lasting clientele.They do know how to charge but their workmanship is questionable. .They need to learn the difference between what is quality and what is only barely acceptable.These comments are meant to be learning and not derogative. I wish them well but they need to develop better skills and ethics.We always like to help young people working to help themselves get through a tough education process but want them to be dedicated and provide quality work ethics/ practises along the way so they will be better at whatever career they end up in.