Training Can you create a better painter? We think so. We have a 5000 square foot training facility. We teach new painters to do exteriors.

They learn to:

Brush Roll Spray Mask and Poly Staining

We test them before allowing them to begin learning on the job.

We teach and test experienced painters on interiors

They learn:

Cutting in Roller technique Self inspections Masking stained woodwork Masking enameled woodwork Masking textured ceilings Proper floor protection systems Interior spraying Fine Finish spraying Wall paper hanging and removal

We believe our training system reduces problems by 20%.
This explains why 83% of our clients are extremely pleased with our performance!

We would love to show you our facility and demonstrate how we create a Better Painter!

Dear Prospective Client:

I would like to explain why we are the best painting company in Minnesota.  Most painters learn on the job.  They muddle through their first several jobs, figuring things out as they go.  Each time they encounter a new challenge, they learn by trial and error.  This is scary when they are learning on your project.

We value your business too much to take those risks. We believe in training and testing our painters before we send them out.  We have 5000 square feet of space to improve our painters skill and technique.  We have 2 training walls for exterior training.  Each wall is 12’ x 40’.  The training walls are made up of Hardy Plank lap siding, T-111 siding and cedar shakes.  Each requires different application methods and techniques.  We also teach masking, back rolling, and airless spraying on these walls. We even built a deck inside our shop with 2 kinds of wood and 3 types of spindles.  By ensuring that our painters understand the differences and are proficient at each technique, we reduce the amount of mistakes made in the field. 

After a painters is experienced at exterior painting, we bring them back into the training facility and teach them on the interior training wall.  That wall is 8’ tall by 80’ long.  It is made up of sheetrock and pseudo windows and doors.  We use it to teach masking, cutting in, and roller technique.  We teach them to make proper choices in types and sizes of tape, choices in protecting the floor with poly, paper or tarps, choices in roller type and thickness and choices in brushes.  They are taught to do each and then tested to ensure retention. 

The painters are also given very detailed expectations for speed and quality.  They are taught how to organize their work to achieve the proper result.  They must prove that they can meet and exceed our expectations. After all of this training, they are then able to go “learn on the job.”

These first two steps take a painter about a year.  At this point, our painters are less than half trained.  The next training session is on drywall repair.  Most painters do not do drywall repair regularly enough to become good at it.  We take the painters back to the interior training wall and vandalize it.  We punch holes, rip out drywall tape and dent the wall.  Some damages are next to the floor by a stud, others are at eye level, etc.  The painters are then taught to do sheetrock replacement, taping and mudding.  They also learn to repair holes, cracks and dents in sheetrock.  They perform the repairs several times each.  The purpose is to make them not just able to do the repairs, but to do them well.  Next we teach them all of the same repairs, but on a textured ceiling.   We built a 12’ x 11’ room with an 8’ textured ceiling for this purpose.  The room even has dark gray carpeting and furniture to simulate working in an occupied home.  The painters develop great “touch” for blending texture.  This is very rare in the industry.

The last classroom session is the most demanding.  Woodwork requires excellent judgment and a feel for how wood will “take” a dark cherry stain.  We teach staining, sealing, varnishing and enameling by hand on the interior training wall.  We then teach them to do all of the same with sprayers.  We use airless sprayers, cup guns with conventional sprayers and HVLP’s.  We also teach a couple other proprietary techniques for achieving excellent finishes.  Their training is not complete until they can make cabinets feel like glass. 

All of this training sounds expensive.  We have found that mistakes are more expensive.  Good training actually lowers costs and raises quality.  Your projects are too important to be used as classrooms.

If you value your clients and believe in training, call us for a tour of our facility.  We would love to work with you.

Sincerely,

Mark Schoenfelder, Pres.