Last week, Nolan Painting's Painter for a Day service helped one family with their living room makeover. Nolan's painters (led by Crew Leader Bob True) prepped, spackled, sanded and repainted a sage green room to a cozy, warm mocha color (Benjamin Moore Whitall Brown).

Read the Musings of a Housewife's Blog on the Makeover below

The Living Room Makeover Rages On
January 30, 2012: By Jo-Lynne Shane

Last Thursday, two friendly, well-spoken gentlemen showed up at my house from Nolan Painting to paint my living room.

First, let me explain. This is only the second time in our married lives we have hired out a paint job. My husband is a DIY guy at heart. He actually runs a podcast with his best friend, showing other DIYers how to DIY stuff. Check out their Handyguys Podcast sometime. They’re rocking and rolling over there!

He is actually quite a competent painter, and when we bought our first home back in 2000, he taught me to paint. I loved it, believe it or not! We painted that entire house at least three times over in the five years we lived there. No lie. We can paint. (And also? We are indecisive. HA!)
But three kids later and all the activities that go along with school and church and family life (not to mention our myriad of jobs) and time is our enemy.

Plus, painting is sorta like cooking. I enjoy the process, but clean up is a beast. We have this really bad habit of never thoroughly finishing a project. There are unfinished reminders of our home improvement projects throughout our entire house.

So when Nolan Painting, one of my blog’s current sponsors, offered to gift us with their Painter For A Day service, we joyfully accepted.

The only other time I have had a professional painter work on my home is when we moved into this house. I had a new baby and a new house, and my mom gifted us with a professional painter to do our foyer (which is one of those 2-story cathedral types that I didn’t want my husband messing with) and the connecting hallways and stairwell. While I enjoyed having it done for me, it was tiresome having this guy in our house for days on end, not knowing when he would arrive, when he would leave, and when he would be done. And in the end, his work was so shoddy that I had to go back around and touch up the woodwork. It was not a pleasant experience, and we’ve done our own painting ever since. (I chose the guy, not my mom, just for the record. And I am still VERY appreciative!!! That job would have never gotten done, left up to us.)

But this experience with Nolan Painting couldn’t have been more opposite. These guys were professional and personable. They called and let us know exactly when they would come. (We actually set a specific day with their office, but they still called the day before and confirmed the time of their arrival and everything.)

They arrived promptly at 7:30 AM, confirmed the job situation, and started laying out drop clothes and everything.

I went upstairs with my laptop, and when I came back down for lunch, the first coat of paint was on the walls. They were done by 3:30. They picked up everything. I have no idea where they even washed their brushes and rollers — they didn’t mess up my house doing it — and when they were done, everything was in pristine condition. They even moved the furniture back in place.

And my living room? Painted from head to toe in a gorgeous shade of chocolate brown, no outlet covers left on the dining room table, no last minute spackling jobs left for another day, no dabs of brown paint on white ceiling . . . everything was perfectly and completely and 100% COMPLETE.

I am now sold on professional painters. At least, I am sold on THESE professional painters. (Sorry, hon. It’s not you. It’s our busy life!!)

(Dontcha luv the sneakers on the stairs? Note they’ve been there since last Thursday.)

So now that my living room is painted, the fun part begins!!!

I need pillows and curtains and perhaps a new sofa slipcover. I am not so thrilled with the leaves now that the room is all put back together. I think I need something bolder. Take a look at the window I’m working with. I’m thinking of floor-length panels, but I’m not sure about color and pattern.

With all the natural light we get, it doesn’t seem quite this dark in person. I have seen a LOT of throw pillows in recent weeks that I like. I’m going to go back through my iPhone pictures and see if I find anything I want to take a second look at.

As far as curtains, the sky’s the limit. I don’t have a clue where to begin. I’m wide open to suggestions!

Disclosure: Nolan Painting is advertising on my blog for three months. They offered me the Painter for a Day service with no strings attached. I chose to blog about it because I was thrilled with them and because I need decorating help, yo!

January 16, 2012: The Upper Darby School District partnered with Synagogues of Lower Merion and Christ Lutheran Church for a productive Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Monday at the high school. Twelve bathrooms were painted in the high school with a contribution of paint from Nolan Painting of Havertown.

Click here to read the full article.

I am about to become Chairman of the Main Line Chamber of Commerce.

This is a big moment in my life. I started Nolan Painting while studying undergrad at Villanova University. I am originally from Long Island, NY and when I first came to the Main Line I worked at Wawa for a few weeks. One day I met someone and he asked me if I wanted to do some handy work and painting at his house in Berwyn, PA.  I finished the work and his neighbor asked me to paint his house. Within a few weeks I hired a few fellow students and we had a bunch of jobs lined up.

At first I just thought it was just a good way to make a few bucks. When I graduated in 1981 the economy was pretty bad, so I continued painting with my business. By 1990 I stopped painting and became a businessman. I was actually using my liberal arts degree that involved reading, writing and communicating. You know, things you learn in college. Nolan Painting grew as I focused like any good business. And we slowly became skilled in marketing, sales, HR, finance, and customer service. We were serious about doing great work and taking care of our customers. We found business along the Main Line to be excellent. We had started in Malvern, moved to Ardmore and in 2000, bought an office building in Havertown, PA.

Somewhere along the way I joined the Main Line Chamber. I attended events and joined a committee. In 2002 we were nominated by a friend to be the Chamber business of the year. We were runner up that year, but in 2003, we won! At that time Nolan Painting had 50 employees and we were the (large) category Business of the Year.

This was incredibly exciting to us. It validated everything we were doing: Our peers recognized our reputation, mission, promise and vision as being first rate.

No good deed goes unpunished, so when I was asked to serve on the Board, I graciously accepted.

I am usually passionate about the things I am involved in and my Chamber experience is no exception. I have been the Chair of the Main Line Run for the last 6 years and served on the business education committee, The Main Line Chamber Foundation, Board Development, Leadership Main Line, Strategic Planning, CEO Search and other committees. The experience has been wonderful. Great people make up the Chamber and I have made many friends and learned much.

I am very lucky to be Chairman now. The health of the Chamber is excellent. We have an excellent staff and Board. The programs are first rate and we are growing. The Business of the Chamber has become like my own. I will serve two years as Chairman of the Board and fulfill my two terms.

My agenda is pretty simple: don't screw it up. Seriously, I want to continue in the tradition of excellence that has been the history of the Chamber. I want to use my skills I have learned as a leader and help it grow.

Please consider coming to one of our events like the Make More Save More series or the inspirational Breakfast, Society of Professional Women, Red Carpet Dinner or any of the other first class events. Check out the website www.mlcc.org

I am proud of Nolan Painting and of The Main Line Chamber. I love living and working here and I want to give back. That's why I am the new Chairman.

Havertown, PA (January, 2012) – Nolan Painting, Inc. has been awarded the coveted 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award for the 6th consecutive year. Angie’s List is a website that collects consumer reviews on local contractors and doctors in more than 500 service categories. There you’ll find thousands of unbiased reports and reviews about service companies in specific areas.

The criteria for the award included receiving a minimum number of outstanding reports from Angie’s List members, maintaining an A average on both the reports for 2011 as well as on their overall reports and not being in poor standing with the Better Business Bureau.

“Our Super Service Award winners are the cream of the crop when it comes to providing consistently high quality customer service, as judged by the customers who hired them,” said Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List. Jim Falk, lead salesman from Nolan Painting, expressed much gratitude when receiving this award. “We are once again thrilled to have this honor bestowed upon us! We have always been a company that puts customer service above all else, and it is with great thanks that we accept this award.”

Below is a recent review received on Nolan’s website regarding its outstanding reputation: “We recently purchased a home in Malvern. I found Nolan Painting through Angie’s list and they had great reviews. The estimator was very professional and courteous. The job came in exactly as quoted. No hidden charges. The painting crew was prompt, tidy and very efficient. They did not take long breaks or rush through the project. Their work looks great and they completed the painting of our entire interior in less than a week. I give them my highest recommendation.”

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Exceptional quality, honesty and customer service have made Nolan Painting, Inc. a national leader in the residential painting industry for 33 years. Committed to supporting the local community, we deliver the very best value in painting, color consulting, faux finishes, wallcovering, plaster and stucco repair and wood replacement services to residents in Montgomery, Chester, Philadelphia and Delaware Counties. For more information, please visit: www.nolanpainting.com

Nolan Painting is one of the recipients to receive the 2011 Main Line Gives Back Award in the mid-size company category. The awards are sponsored by The Main Line Chamber of Commerce, which Nolan Painting is a member of, and will be given out at the Chamber’s Red Carpet Dinner on October 26.

The Chamber created this awards program for its members to inspire others to add value to the community.

The nomination form asked its members to nominate themselves by stating: “Your company makes a difference in the community. Make sure your customers and employees know, while providing an example for other companies that want to give back.”

Nolan has sponsored, donated and supported community based events for over 30 years. Kevin is committed to giving back to the community because it is the community that supports him.

Kevin will be speaking about Social Entrepreneurnism at Wharton Business School on October 22 at 12pm. His business beliefs are founded on doing well by doing good.

Watch how we are dedicated to serving the community.

Read about us and other winners by visiting The Philadelphia Inquirer and Main Line Media News.

If interested, read our essay for the award below.

In 2010, Nolan Painting sponsored 76 community events including 30 races, supported 50 organizations, donated 700 hours of volunteer service and invested $56,000 towards sponsorships. As Race Director of the Haverford Twilight Run, the Main Line Run, and the Reindeer Romp, Kevin Nolan helps annually raise $200,000 for the causes these three races support.

Nolan attends, sends volunteers to and sponsors road races, concerts in the park, festivals, silent auctions, shows and sporting events throughout the Main Line and surrounding areas. We also support booster ads and directories for local nonprofits.

We travel to events with a trailer loaded with a tent, tables, coolers, a popcorn machine, bins, bags, cups, promotional giveaways, banners and signs. In 2010, we gave away over 5,000 water bottles and running gloves. We also gave away hundreds of pounds of popcorn and hundreds of gallons of Gatorade and water.

Employees are strongly encouraged to participate and volunteers receive comp time toward vacation time.

Nolan donates certificates for a free Nolan Painting Painter for The Day™ as prizes and awards for silent auctions (a $525 value).

When choosing what to support, we consider the causes important to our employees and customers, as well as other worthy causes.

Nolan has been the presenting sponsor of the Reindeer Romp since 2000. The Reindeer Romp 5K Race is held every December in Havertown in memory of Brandon Lake, a Havertown boy who lost his fight against cancer. Over the years, the Reindeer Romp has raised over $20,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Every 12 people participating in the Romp means:

: 1 child with cancer will go to “Camp Can Do”

: 10 Cancer patients will be transported for treatment through Road to Recovery

: 50 men with prostate cancer will receive information and support through the Man to Man Program

: 60 first graders will learn about good nutrition

: 8 women with breast cancer will receive one-on-one support and materials through Reach to Recovery

: 6 cancer patients will receive help paying for medication bills.

Below is a sample of the types of events Nolan sponsors, donates and supports:

: Kevin Cain Make My Day 5K Run

It provides assistance to families coping with the financial burden of fighting cancer.

: Narberth Run

It helps raise money to fulfill the wishes and dreams of children living with Cystic Fibrosis.

: Turkey Trot Face to Face

It benefits Face to Face Germantown, a human services organization which provides free meals, nurse-managed health care, legal and social services, computer training, creative arts studios, and children’s after school and summer programming.

: Haverford Education Foundation Twilight 5K Run & Walk

: The Kiwanis Club of the Main Line - improves communities and healthy development of youth through education and guidance.

: Relay For Life, The American Cancer Society

: Alex’s Lemonade

: Main Line Antique Show for Surry Senior Services

: Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts

: Upper Merion Concerts

: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

: Devon Elementary School

: Radnor High School

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