2026-10-14T00:46:37.008Z

Summary: 4.5* result, 2* process == overall 3*.Note that my project was relatively complex, and I see how others were more satisfied than I. Read on.I had a simple request for my almost 50yo house’s exterior: protect the wood and refresh the look. I picked Arclight because1) The estimate contained materials and explicitly spelled labor. It looked like I would get better quality without learning in detail what proper cleaning, preparations and painting should entail.2) Jennifer and Shawn looked like awesome people I want to bring my money to.In reality:1) I had to learn a lot more about different paints and stains and quality control than I wished in order to ensure that 4.5* final quality.2) It took slightly over 6 weeks from the day 1 of the project when the house was washed till all the issues I found were addressed and I said I was happy. Instead of 10-14 days estimated. It was _not_ because of the weather. This meant missed opportunities to travel and do other projects.3) I removed ½* from the end result rating because end grain protection on the bottoms of vertical siding boards (historically the biggest source of wood rot) was best-effort as it was just impossible to do above ⅛” flushing - the paint didn't stick well despite honest effort. Another source of dissatisfaction is that protecting the wood included wood filling all cracks and knot holes but covering nail holes was not explicitly spelled in the estimate so Rafael - my project lead on the ground - was told to stop doing that after the back and the sides of the house have been prepped. The result: the back of the house and the sides have a cleaner appearance than the front - the nail holes and staple holes for the shingles were not filled. As a consumer, I don’t believe I need to know such details.4) Communication was very slow, especially when it needed to involve Jennifer and Shawn to fix mistakes made. Some of the communication I found quite condescending. It took me many hours to write emails and text messages to argue what was included and what was not right. This was a very unexpected cost of the project for me. One mistake was notable as ordering a solid stain to apply over old acrylic paint managed to easily flow from the color ordering sheet to paint ordering to actual application to previously painted surfaces. It was fixed but it was an especially high effort for me.5) Every effort was made by the management team to upcharge me once the 50% deposit was paid. Who would be happy with 5 hours of labor added for managing additional paint (not labor to apply the paint, not materials)? This was a part of change needed because I pointed out that Jennifer forgot to address some surfaces in the initial estimate. I felt I treated Arclight better than they treated me.6) The deal was that I manage fixing all wood Arclight flags as not included into the bondo work they estimated. Some of it was flagged in the final stages of the project after painting over rot, or just leaving one rotten roof rafter unpainted and telling me it was not included at the last moment. They said it will require their busy carpenter team to come later (I imagine for $$$$); BTW, I fixed the rafter in an hour working with my own contractor.Having said the above, I recommend Rafael - my project manager leading actual work at the site - quite highly. While I had to learn more about expected quality than I wished, Rafael worked fast and very professionally and was able to make me happy about the result.A quick note in case you decide to hire Arclight. I had a few siding boards and deck railing boards replaced by my contractor due to rot. They were replaced with new unprimed wood. Arclight's prep apparently does not include light sanding after priming. Primer raises cellulose fibers from the wood so some of my railing boards feel like sandpaper - unpleasant to touch and defeats self-cleaning properties of expensive paints.

2026-10-08T18:41:34.332Z

Amazing job on the recently completed exterior painting project! Arclight was easy to work with and extremely helpful addressing any challenges.

2026-10-06T03:02:09.303Z

Subcontractor sent who said I need to have materials but I was already being charged for. $700 for mud and tape for 45sqft. I had explicitly asked for drywall to be checked is in city code and he says the is no code. And after everything was done, he says the board should have been green board drywall. One good thing is they are responsive atleast.

2026-09-22T17:24:07.974Z

We had a very good experience with Arclight Painting. From the initial estimate, they were detailed, organized, professional, and very responsive. I received three quotes, and Arclight fell in the middle. While their price per square foot seemed a little high, I ultimately chose them because of their quick response and attention to detail.Once the project started, the job leader was great to work with. He listened to our concerns, kept us informed, and communicated with us throughout each step of the project. The crew was professional and organized, and I appreciated how smoothly everything went.My only concern was the amount of paint left over at the end of the job. We purchased 6 gallons of interior wall paint, and I still have more than 3 gallons remaining. We also have close to half of the ceiling paint left. I understand having some extra paint for touch-ups is helpful, but this seemed like quite a bit more than necessary, and I feel there may have been an opportunity to reduce the overall material cost with a more accurate paint estimate.Overall, I was very happy with the professionalism, communication, and quality of service from Arclight Painting.

2026-09-08T04:38:35.387Z

We are very pleased with the work of your painting technician Sandor. He was consistently prompt, and effectively managed his output while working within the changing weather constraints. Gracious, helpful demeanor with superb attention to detail. We had high, reasonable expectations, and Arclight delivered via the skills of Sandor. Would hire again.