Ralph Ilic
Owner and crew lead
Runs Monday on most jobs: covering, repairs and caulking, room by room, and is back on Friday for the walk-through.
House painters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Know who is in your house every day of the week.
We are Ralph, his daughter Lindsay and a crew of six. Before the job starts, you get the week on one page: what happens each day, and the name and face of each person on site.
Lindsay IlicCo-owner and project lead
Week one
Your week, and who is on site each day
A typical interior job runs Monday to Friday, after a walk-through the week before. Your own days are written into your estimate.
- Before Monday
Step 1: Walk-through, colors and a written estimate
Lindsay walks the rooms with you, we settle the colors on the wall itself, and a written estimate follows.
On site: Lindsay Ilic and Ralph Ilic
Lindsay Ilic, project lead - Monday
Step 2: Cover, repair and caulk
Floors, stairs and furniture are covered before a can is opened.
On site: Ralph Ilic and Drew Schultz
Ralph Ilic, owner - Tuesday
Step 3: Sand and prime
Patches get sanded flush and spot-primed.
On site: Matt Dunne and Drew Schultz
Matt Dunne, painter - Wednesday
Step 4: First coat on walls and ceilings
Ceilings first, then walls, cut in by hand at the edges.
On site: Molly Bracken and Drew Schultz
Drew Schultz, painter - Thursday
Step 5: Second coat and trim
A second coat where the first needs it, then baseboards, casings and stair trim.
On site: Molly Bracken, Matt Dunne and Kelvin Chatman
Molly Bracken, painter - Friday
Step 6: Doors, touch-ups and walk-through
Doors and cabinet fronts get their final coat, the tape comes off, and the floors are cleaned.
On site: Staci Galanis, Lindsay Ilic and Ralph Ilic
Staci Galanis, finish painter
The crew
Eight people, each with their own days
Ralph and Lindsay own the firm. Nobody is sent to your house you have not seen on the schedule first.
Lindsay Ilic
Co-owner and project lead
Walks the house with you before the job and again on Friday. Writes your estimate and the week's schedule.
Matt Dunne
Painter, priming and walls
On site Tuesday and Thursday: sanding, priming and walls.
Molly Bracken
Painter, walls and ceilings
On site Wednesday and Thursday: first and second coats.
Kelvin Chatman
Painter, trim and stairs
On site Thursday: baseboards, casings, railings and stair trim.
Staci Galanis
Finish painter, doors and cabinets
Sprays doors, trim and cabinet fronts, in the shop and on site. On site Friday.
Drew Schultz
Painter, prep and ceilings
On site Monday to Wednesday: patching, sanding and ceilings.
Doreen Gilmore
Office and scheduling
Answers the phone, books the week and texts you the plan.
What we paint
Rooms, trim and the outside of the house
Rooms and ceilings
Walls, ceilings and closets, with plaster and drywall repairs done first.
Interior painting
The outside
Siding, trim, porches and railings, with ladders and scaffold set for hillside lots and tall fronts.
Exterior painting
Trim, doors and stairs
Baseboards, casings, railings and doors, brushed or sprayed for a smooth finish.
Interior painting
Kitchen cabinets
Doors and drawer fronts taken to the shop, sprayed, and hung back on the frames.
Interior painting
How pricing works
The number comes after the walk-through
We don't quote by phone. Here is what moves the figure and what the written estimate lists.
What moves the price
Surfaces and areas, prep and repairs, coats, how many colors, height and access, and the grade of paint.
What the estimate lists
Every surface, repairs, coats, products and sheens, colors, cleanup, the schedule and the payment schedule.
The visit
Lindsay or Ralph walks the house, measures, and asks what bothers you about it.
When you get it
In writing after the walk-through, with the week's days and names on the back.
From the neighbors
What customers say about the week
“The text said who was coming each morning, and that is who came. Kelvin did the stair railings I had put off for years.”
Janice D.Brentwood, stairs and hallway
“Lindsay measured, wrote everything down, and the week matched the estimate. Nothing on the list changed.”
Howard P.Brookline, two bedrooms
“They covered the whole stair hall before opening a can, and the floor was clean on Friday.”
Shauna L.Beechview, living room and hall
“Ralph told me on Monday that the porch ceiling needed more prep than we had planned. He showed me, and we agreed on the change in writing.”
Raheem B.Brighton Heights, porch
Sample reviews.
Where we paint
Pittsburgh neighborhoods and the towns around them
Type your ZIP and see whether we come to you.
- City neighborhoods: Brookline, Beechview, Carrick, Brighton Heights, Polish Hill, Troy Hill
- South Hills: Brentwood, Whitehall, Upper St. Clair, Crafton, Carnegie
- North of the rivers: Etna, Millvale, Shaler Township, Ross Township, Bellevue, Avalon
- East: Munhall, Edgewood, Baldwin
We don't paint outside Allegheny County, and we don't take high-rise or commercial jobs.
Questions
Before you call
How long does a job take?
A typical two-bedroom-and-hall interior takes a week, Monday to Friday. Larger jobs and exteriors run longer; your estimate gives the days for your house.
What is in the written estimate?
Each surface, the repairs, the coats, the products and sheens, the colors, cleanup, the schedule, the payment schedule and the warranty terms.
Do I have to leave the house?
No. We cover floors and furniture, and keep one path clear. You decide which rooms are off limits and when.
My house was built before 1978. Does that change anything?
Yes. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule covers paid work that disturbs paint in homes built before 1978. Tell us the year when you call; the firm number is in the footer.
Who is in my house?
The people named on your schedule, and no one else. If a day changes, we text you the new name before they arrive.
Who buys the paint?
We do, and the estimate names the product line and sheen. Ask for the product data sheet and we send it.
Get started
Tell us about the rooms
We reply from the office, Monday to Friday, with a time for the walk-through.