Encore was recommended to me by my real estate agent who has used the company for staging homes for sale. I have never hired painters before as I have usually done it myself. However, as a busy dad with a whole house to paint, I knew I couldn't take on the job myself. So I hired the company to paint the main and second floor of my house (1500 sqft total), mostly all in the same colour.
Lauren, the project manager, was easy to work with and communicated well. Scheduling was easy and the painters always showed up on time. However, the work was completed very quickly by 2 painters who seemed irritated the whole time. The resulting paint job is decent but by no means spectacular. The part we are most satisfied with are the colour choices, which Encore did not play any part in.
Prep work was minimal, so the poor condition of the old surfaces (trims, in particular) remains, just with a new colour on top. The painters painted over the dimming mechanism of a couple of light switches causing them not to work which I had to call out to them. I also had to call them back to touch up several areas that were not painted properly. Buckets of paint were carelessly left open in my house we found out when my kid stuck his hand into an open bucket and his whole hand got covered.
At the end of the day, I feel like I paid a premium price for average work.
It's clear to me that Encore's main skill is speed. Unfortunately, this is quite common in the trades as everyone is trying to squeeze in as many jobs as possible to maximize profits. So to be fair, this critique is not really unique to Encore, however I can say that they do not rise above the crowd and therefore no chance to earn 5 stars.
In summary, if you need your painting done fast, if you are sure about your colours, and if you're willing to pay a premium for fast and punctual work, these are your people. No wonder the stagers love them. But for me as a home owner, next time I need a painter, I will be looking for something different.
