Our process
How a LOBOS Project Runs, Start to Finish
Five stages, written out with what happens and what you should expect at each one, including the parts other contractors leave vague, which are usually the parts that cause the problems.
- Free walkthrough
- Written itemised scope
- Walkthrough sign-off
The five stages of a LOBOS project
- 01
Request an estimate
Send the project details or call. No quote over the phone.
Tell us what you have in mind: rooms, elevations, cabinetry, timing. We'll get a walkthrough on the calendar. Photos help but they don't replace seeing the surfaces.
We don't quote painting over the phone, because a number given without seeing the walls is a number that changes later.
What to expect: A walkthrough booked, and a straight answer about timing.
- 02
Property walkthrough
We look at the actual surfaces and the actual conditions.
We walk the property with you, check substrate condition elevation by elevation or room by room, look at what previous coatings have done, and note the repairs that have to happen before any finish.
This is also when we talk through sheens, colour direction, access, working hours and anything that has to be protected or worked around.
What to expect: An honest read on condition, including anything we think you shouldn't spend money on.
- 03
Written proposal and colour planning
Itemised scope, so you can see what is and isn't included.
You get a written, itemised scope: surfaces, preparation, coating system, number of coats and the schedule. Repairs are listed separately from coating so nothing is buried in a lump sum.
Colour and sheen decisions get made here. Where the finish justifies it, on specialty finishes, dark or saturated colours and cabinetry, we'll recommend a sample before you commit.
What to expect: A scope you can compare against any other bid line for line.
- 04
Protection, preparation and painting
Most of the hours go in before the finish coat.
Furniture moved and wrapped, floors covered, fixtures masked, landscaping protected. Then the real work: washing, sanding, patching, texture matching, caulking and priming.
Finish is sprayed, rolled or brushed to suit the surface. The work zone is swept and staged at the end of each day rather than at the end of the job.
What to expect: A protected property, a contained work zone and a site you can live or trade in.
- 05
Final walkthrough
We walk it with you before the truck is loaded.
Masking pulled, hardware reinstalled, site cleaned. Then we walk the job with you in daylight and you point at anything you're not happy with.
Whatever you flag gets corrected before we leave, not booked in as a follow-up visit.
What to expect: A finished job signed off by you, on site, on the same visit.
Stage four, in detail
Preparation is most of what you’re paying for
A finish only lasts as long as what’s underneath it. The majority of our hours on any job go into masking, washing, sanding, patching, texture matching, caulking and priming: the work you’ll never see once the furniture goes back.
It is also the first thing removed from a cheaper bid, which is why two quotes for the same house can differ so much and produce results that diverge in year two.
- Plastic and paper on every surface that isn't being coated
- Doorways sealed so sanding dust stays in the work area
- Cabinet doors numbered, removed and sprayed flat for an even film
- Knockdown and orange-peel texture matched so repairs vanish under paint
- Joints, penetrations and window perimeters sealed before priming
- Site swept and staged at the end of every day, not the end of the job
Your part
What we need from you
- Take down anything irreplaceable: photographs, artwork, heirlooms
- Clear counters, closet contents and the tops of furniture in the work area
- A plan for pets on working days
- Access details: parking, gate codes, alarm procedure, exterior water and power
- Tell us about known issues: a wall that always cracks, a window that leaks
Our part
What you don’t need to do
- Don't move heavy furniture; that's our job and it's how people get hurt
- Don't buy drop cloths, plastic or tape
- Don't patch holes yourself; unmatched filler usually makes more work
- Don't wash the walls; degreasing and de-glossing is part of our scope
- Don't chase us for updates; you get one point of contact for the schedule
Questions
About how the work runs
Do you provide free painting estimates?
Yes. The walkthrough and the written estimate are free, and the number on the estimate is the number you pay unless the scope changes.
We don't quote over the phone. A price given without seeing the surfaces is a price that moves later.
What preparation is included?
Protection first: furniture moved and wrapped, floors covered, fixtures masked or removed, landscaping and hardscape protected on exteriors.
Then surface work: washing, sanding and de-glossing, patching and texture matching, caulking joints and penetrations, and priming where the substrate, the repairs or the colour change require it.
Preparation is itemised in your estimate, separate from the coating, so you can see exactly what it includes.
Do you help with paint colours and finishes?
Yes. We'll walk through where flat, eggshell, satin and semi-gloss belong, how a colour will read against your flooring and the light the room gets, and where a sample is worth doing before you commit.
For specialty finishes and saturated or dark colours we recommend a sample board or a test area as standard.
How long does a typical project take?
A single interior room is usually a day. A full interior typically runs three to five days. Cabinet refinishing usually runs four to seven days, driven by cure time between coats rather than labour hours.
Exteriors depend on the size of the property and how much repair the stucco or block needs. Your written estimate includes the expected schedule.
Do we need to leave the house during interior painting?
Almost never. We work in occupied homes constantly. The work area is sectioned off and protected, and your kitchen and at least one bathroom stay usable.
For cabinet refinishing we can spray doors and drawer fronts off the property, so you keep the kitchen through most of the project.
How do you protect floors, furniture, landscaping and fixtures?
Inside: furniture moved to the centre of the room and wrapped, floors papered or covered wall to wall, switch plates and hardware removed, vents and fixtures masked, doorways sealed against dust.
Outside: plants, pavers, pool decking, windows, lighting and fixtures covered, with overspray controlled by shielding and screening around the active work zone.
Free written estimate
Step one is a walkthrough.
It's free, it takes about half an hour, and it produces a written itemised estimate rather than a ballpark number over the phone.
- Licensed, bonded and insured in Arizona, AZ ROC #364076
- Itemised scope: preparation and repair listed separately from coating
- Walkthrough on site, because we don't quote painting over the phone