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marsh_online
Citizen
Username: Marshonline
Post Number: 66
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 1:28 pm: | 
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I wanted to recommend our former interior painter who recently moved back to town after a brief hiatus in Oregon. He is a Mexican immigrant who works his butt off. He is inexpensive but really does an excellent job. Anyway, the posts below reflect the previous work he's done for us and another Maplewood resident (who referred him to me). Since he moved back, we've had him do a couple of additional projects for us, namely clean, paint, and seal our basement walls and floors. We had the typical Maplewood unfinished basement that was a dark dust-hole. We had him clear off the old chipping paint, clean the floors, apply semigloss white paint to the walls and gray paint with sealant to the floors. He painted the doors and stairs too. Looks awesome, our basement is now 10x brighter and clean. And as always, he did the job for a really great price; I had planned to do the basement myself but when he quoted me what he'd charge, it was a no brainer. He'll do small jobs and large jobs, he's just trying to get as much work as possible as he no longer works under a contractor but has his own license. Anyway his number is 973-573-5586 or 973-280-5185. I took before pics and will take the after pics and post them so you can see the difference.
Posted on Tuesday, May 31, 2005 - 7:37pm:
I wanted to throw in my two cents and make a recommendation for an interior painter who also does some ceiling and wall work/replacement as well. I found Albaro from the poster below and he worked out wonderfully so I thought I'd do the board and Albaro a favor and pass on the recommendation.
We recently bought a house in Maplewood and wanted to have the place spiffied up before we moved in, but were on a tight budget (having just bought our first house and all). From the original poster we found out that Albaro did some work on the side and had good prices and quality workmanship. Obviously, he did a great job, hence my recommendation.
He painted almost the whole interior of our house (bathroom and kitchen were already recently painted), fixed plaster cracks, hand sanded all the moldings, stripped paint off our original 1920's bedroom doors and re-stained them. He also tore out a drop-down ceiling in our den, replaced it, and put up new molding. In addition to the ceiling replacement, he tore out a back-to the-70's mirrored wall above our fireplace and replaced it with drywall.
Everything turned out exceptionally well, and trust me, I'm a real perfectionist. We've definitely gotten some "wow's" from family/friends and neighbors, particularly from those who had seen the place before he brought it back to its former glory.
If anyone wants to email me for additional photos feel free to do so, or better yet stop by and take a look at the work yourself. If interested, Albaro’s number is 973-986-2968. Original post from Maplemom is below...
Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 4:08 pm:
Subject: My Interior Painter
Maplemom
Citizen
Username: Maplemom
Post Number: 153
Registered: 7-2001
Is so good it made my eyes water to see the finished job! Our 100 year old new house had cracked ceilings, paint chipped molding, you name it. He works for a painting company but does work on the side (so is fully capable of painting, repairing molding, repairing/replacing ceilings, and can even powerwash/stain decks, etc). We have hexagonal bumpout windows and he made the molding look new again. Cracks in the ceiling got chipped out and filled with a myriad of different compounds and he even blended one bad crack near a cove ceiling...brought it back to it's original splendor. He put chair rail up in two of the bedrooms (beautiful)did split color painting and painted ever-so-delicately around the wainscotings in the dining room. His price was fabulous compared to other quotes and we never knew he would go to such extremes to do this great of a job. I feel like it was a Bob Villa episode. He even sanded my doors and sills where paint was built up and chipping.
Please consider him if you have painting/staining/wallpapering needs (and he can sheetrock/skim coat too if you have an attic space or crumbling plaster). He's smart, hardworking as all get out but his english is a little rough so just speak slow and easy. Trust me, it's worth it!!!
Albaro 973-986-2968 }} |
Shanabana
Citizen
Username: Shanabana
Post Number: 168
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 5:03 pm: |
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Good tip, though I'm sure he's not insured. Pray he doesn't fall off a ladder in your house! |
shoshannah
Citizen
Username: Shoshannah
Post Number: 1168
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 7:52 pm: |
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If he has his own license, as marsh said, wouldn't he have to have insurance? Sounds like a guy I'd want to call! |
mwsilva
Citizen
Username: Mwsilva
Post Number: 478
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 8:18 pm: |
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As of January 1, 2006, to do this work in NJ he must have a state issued license, must have workmans comp and general lib. insurance.
You should understand the risk to you and your family financial position if you hire a person without the items required by the new law. Your home owners insurance may even be void in case of an accident.
I think you may be at risk of a fine from the state as well.
Check it out. The Building Department at Town Hall has a large sign posted warning all who enter and the man working the counter showed me a 10 page document on the new law.
And, just having a license document does not mean that he has insurance. One phone call or bounced check will cancel that.
Call the insurance agent and get a copy of the Certification of insurance.
Cheap is not always the best idea. Would you break the law and steal from the Kings? Then why break the law and hire someone working cheap without insurance and a state license? |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 364
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 8:41 pm: |
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marsh - looking forward to seeing the before/after pics!
I already called him, he came & gave an estimate.
(He also proudly showed me a pic of his 3 month old boy - whata cutie!) |
Michael K. Mc Kell
Citizen
Username: Greenerose
Post Number: 834
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - 8:41 am: |
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You work on a customers property, you MUST have insurance.
Michael K. Mc Kell
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Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 389
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 9:35 am: |
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Albaro started yesterday - his work schedule is not yet very full, so we were very lucky to be able to begin immediately. He's here now with one helper. They arrive early (before 8) and leave after a LOOONNNNGGG day (I did not even notice them stopping to eat!)
So far we are very pleased with the job and clean-up. Will update again after he is finished. |
Wilkanoid
Citizen
Username: Cseleosida
Post Number: 553
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 10:09 am: |
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Pdg --
Just curious -- does he have a license/insurance?
W |
marsh_online
Citizen
Username: Marshonline
Post Number: 69
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 4:47 pm: |
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A few of you have asked me to post pics, so here goes. He painted most of the interior of our house, but here is just one pic. However, while the pic looks great, I think it is probably be tough to tell a really good job from a so-so job via a picture.
I'll post before and afters of the most recent job-our basement.
 |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 392
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 4:49 pm: |
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LOVE the color! Do you remember what it's called? (Still would like to see the basement before/afters if you have them.)
About the license/insurance - yes, he has them. He was licensed and I printed and showed him the above new rules about insurance, which he didn't know about. So he spent the $ and now has his own insurance (for interior work only).
Again, from what I've seen of his work, he is very hard-working, detail oriented, clean and frankly, proud of his results.
(I do hope this thread helps him get more jobs, because I know he spent money that is tough to spare on the insurance. He wants to do the right thing.) |
Wilkanoid
Citizen
Username: Cseleosida
Post Number: 554
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 5:59 pm: |
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Great! Now, to call him! |
marsh_online
Citizen
Username: Marshonline
Post Number: 70
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 8:35 pm: |
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Yes he is a very hard worker and a perfectionist. The only thing that I think has held him back is his English, which is becoming less of a barrier. However when we first met him, it was difficult to converse, particularly over the phone. But it was a small price to pay for the quality of work he did for us.
BTW, the color is called Olive Branch by Benjamin Moore (the only brand of paint you should ever use from what I hear). We love it. It's a bold color for the dining room.
I will post the before and afters of the basement this weekend. We took the afters at night, which aren't that good of a comparison since the befores were taken during the day. I want to take another set during the day so everyone can see what a difference using the bright white paint makes. Our basement looks absolutely awesome--bright and clean. |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 428
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, February 12, 2006 - 8:52 am: |
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Albaro finished the job of removing wallpaper, fully cleaning the walls of residue, repairing spots/cracked areas, priming and painting one BR and one bath in 2 1/2 days. The window glass is free of paint. The edges where trim/ceiling meets wall seem perfect, although he didn't tape. The work space was very clean when they left. I speak no Spanish and had very little trouble understanding him and no trouble being understood. I encountered nothing but a friendly, extremely polite team of workers who arrived early and left late. We are very pleased with the job results overall.
Since Albaro really needs work, we are considering giving him a second project although we weren't really budgeted for it yet. He has a 19 y.o. wife of two years, and they have a 3 month old son. He's a hardworking, talented painter with 8 years of experience and is worth getting a quote from.
(Thanks for the original post, Marsh!) |
marsh_online
Citizen
Username: Marshonline
Post Number: 73
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 10:51 am: |
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As promised before and afters of the basement...
 |
marsh_online
Citizen
Username: Marshonline
Post Number: 74
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 10:52 am: |
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Purplebug
Citizen
Username: Purplebug
Post Number: 32
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 11:56 am: |
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Marsh-
Beautiful job. Just want to clarify for the basement floors....he didn't have to pour any additional cement? He just mixed sealant with the paint and they looked like that? |
marsh_online
Citizen
Username: Marshonline
Post Number: 75
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 12:08 pm: |
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Actually if you look at the before, he had already patched the divits with a compound that works for cement. He then used an oil-based semi gloss paint, and sealant therefter. |
Purplebug
Citizen
Username: Purplebug
Post Number: 33
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 12:30 pm: |
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That's what clarification is for. 
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Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 453
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 1:24 pm: |
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Someone PL'd me and asked questions about Albaro, but their email is not able to get replies. So the reply below is for "do-not-reply@southorangevillage.com" who is looking for someone to renovate their basement.
You should call him to have him check out the job. I don't think he does plumbing, but I'm not sure. I am certain he will NOT say he can do something that he doesn't have experience with just to get a job. He is very proud of the work he does and is hoping for a lot of word-of-mouth business - he wouldn't blow it by trying to do something out of his depth. I'm certain he can do sheetrock, plaster repair, anything with paint. The wooden stair repair and sink install I'm not sure about. I know he told me he has a contractor friend who does things like hardwood floors and renovations, but I haven't followed up with that at all b/c I wanted HIM based on his good referrals from MOL.
For me, he removed old and new wallpaper from a med. sized BR and bathroom, cleaned the walls perfectly, repaired cracks so they couldn't be seen. Painted with primer and two coats of paint. He knew enough to buy, without being asked, a paint meant for use in bathrooms and only uses quality products. He provided detailed receipts for all materials and left me the partial cans. He and is one helper were very polite, neat and prompt. They worked long hours without an obvious break for anything. They hauled away all the garbage from the job when they were done, too.
In my bathroom, there were some tiny splatters of paint dots on some tiles that I was easily able to get up. But overall, they left clean, well painted rooms with well-defined edges where there were color changes, when they were finished.
I paid him in cash and I don't know what other methods he is currently able to accept.
FYI, he was just here with his wife and translated for her to clean my house weekly from 9-5 for $100. They are a very pleasant, young, hardworking couple trying to get a living together and I've come to like Albaro and want to help them.
He just told me he misplaced his cell phone. Here are the two numbers I have for him in case one isn't answered. 973-573-5586 973-280-5185.
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Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 454
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 1:28 pm: |
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BTW, Marsh - I showed him that you had posted his before and after pics for your basement and he proudly pointed to them and spoke to his wife - he was proud for her to see his good work. He is really happy and grateful for the help he is getting on MOL. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 10652
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 1:30 pm: |
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Uhm, Marsh, I gotta ask. Do you folks use the toilet? |
marsh_online
Citizen
Username: Marshonline
Post Number: 76
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 1:41 pm: |
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Bob K, I can't believe you'd think we we'd use that toilet. But the answer is yes, but only for numero uno. We only have one other toilet in our upstairs bathroom and when you have a lot family staying over, it's good to have the extra. I'm thinking of using those square glass tiles to build a small wall for some seclusion. |
marsh_online
Citizen
Username: Marshonline
Post Number: 77
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 2:47 pm: |
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PGD,
I'm glad, although not surprised to hear that you guys are happy with his work. He and his wife are great people, and at this point we really consider them to be our friends.
BTW, for any guys thinking about sprucing up their basements, my wife, who thought I was crazy for wanting to fix up the basement (I guess she didn't have the vision), has now recanted and thinks it was a great decision. And the before and afters pretty much show why; now I have my work shop and she has her laundry room.
But PGD, maybe we shouldn't keep recommending him as he may get too busy, and then we'll have to get on his waiting list. |
Dave
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 8618
Registered: 4-1997
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 3:10 pm: |
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You can only reply to a private line by clicking the appropriate link in the message.
The donotreply @ southorangevillage.com is not the sender's address. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 10654
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 3:11 pm: |
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Marsh, the little bath mat in front of the comode was a dead giveaway.
Does he have a crew or does he work alone?
Do you supply the paint or does he buy it?
Will he work outside of MW/SO within a ten mile radius?
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Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 455
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 3:34 pm: |
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Thanks Dave - I'll try to reply with a link.
Marsh - I told him I'd only refer him to friends and on MOL if he promised to always do our jobs first priority! (I did say that to him, but I was just kidding. Sort of.)
In any event, it's not an issue since his schedule is wide open. I need him for another job in about 10 days, after our new carpet comes in for the BR he painted. Need to move that BR's furniture out of the attic guest room and have him paint up there next.
Bob K. - he gives a quote for labor on a job and says "plus materials" and he guesses what materials would cost. He buys top quality products and will leave the leftovers for you if you want. He provides receipts for all the materials.
He had one helper, who did as good a job but who I think understood English less well. I think he'd be willing to travel for work. I actually just recommended him to a friend who lives in Morristown.
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jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 1028
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 11:06 am: |
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Marsh, you have another # for Albaro besides the ones posted . He went off the radar yesterday . Thanks . |
Euclidious
Citizen
Username: Euclidious
Post Number: 4
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2006 - 11:29 am: |
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I'm very interested in contacting Albaro, but none of the following numbers work. Anyone have a current number?
973 280-5185 (not in service)
973 573-5586 (not in service)
973 986-2968 Is not Albaro's and the person who's number it is doesn't want anymore of his calls |
mjh
Supporter
Username: Mjh
Post Number: 374
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2006 - 1:00 pm: |
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He is having phone problems (he came by my house yesterday for follow up on an estimate).
I will be seeing him tonight because I'm going to go view some of his previous work (probably someone house who posted to this thread!). If anyone wants to PL me with a phone number (before about 5 pm), I will ask him to call you. |
marsh_online
Citizen
Username: Marshonline
Post Number: 78
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 15, 2006 - 9:04 pm: |
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(971) 219-0342 is the temporary number he gave my wife when he stopped by today. And yes, it's a (971) area code. |
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