- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Arana Residential and Commercial Painting
Category: Home Services Painters Painters [Edit]
2646 Cole StOakland, CA 94610
Serving Oakland and surrounding area
Neighborhood: East Oakland
(510) 567-9559
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 5 pm
Oliver G. said: "Aurora Painting painted my first house maybe ten years ago now, I'm in my second house now, but the last of I've seen of it, it still looks great. There are many painting contractors to choose from, but the nice thing about working…" read more »
20 reviews for Arana Residential and Commercial Painting
20 reviews in English
-
Review from Scott M.
Berkeley, CA
2/23/2012
I'm an architect adding onto my own house, and I chose Arana to paint it. I'm glad I did. They've done a great job and have been a pleasure to work with. I'll send all my painting referrals their way.
-
Review from K. N.
Emeryville, CA
12/17/2011
Catherine and Ernesto work wonders, they helped me turn my tabula-rosa condo into an elegantly coloured world.
Being a little hesitant working with bold colours, I really appreciated the patience and help in picking and testing colours that Ernesto and his team provided. After a few hits and misses and some trial and error, in the end everything turned out better than I could have hoped, and both Catherine and Ernesto made sure that that was the case before parting ways. As such, I would strongly recommend them to anyone looking to brighten up their home in the Bay area! -
Review from Anita W.
Oakland, CA
8/31/2010
Arana Painting painted my house 12/09. They did an excellent job, clean, neat and completed on time. They even used the power washer to clean the concrete steps and planters in the back.
Ernesto added to my chosen colors, to suggest a contrast and I ended up going with his choice! Best of all, they were willing to negotiate the rate if I was willing to wait until rainy season. Sure enough, we had to wait a day or two from scheduled start, but it all worked out fine. Catherine was quick to answer all of my questions via email.
I highly recommend Arana Painting. They are professionals. Eight months later, my house looks great!Comment from Catherine B. of Arana Residential and Commercial Painting 1/5/2011
Thank You Anita and to all of our clients who have given us… More » -
Review from Anastasia F.
San Francisco, CA
8/24/2010
I recently worked with Arana Painting on a painting project of an entire loft unit. We where going fast on color selections and so they where very patient with myself (the designer) and also very gracious with the home owner.
They did a great job! I would definitely work with them on future projects.
Anastasia, Faiella Design -
Review from Diane R.
San Leandro, CA
5/13/2011
I absolutely love Arana. They took excellent care of my historic 1867 Victorian and paid great attention to detail. Because my home is historic I have to be very careful anytime that work is done. I highly recommend Arana.
Price: Very fair. Not the least expensive but by far not the highest.
Communication: Very good. No surprises.
Completion Time: It took longer than expected but only because we had an extremely heavy rain season which caused delays that were out of Arana's control. Generally speaking, they finished on time.
Quality: Very high. They took the time to do it right. We painted our Victorian 6 different colors and Arana paid great attention to detail. They also fixed quite a bit of wood damage and no charge.
Follow up: Excellent. They made sure that I was happy and let me know that I could call them with any questions. When I noticed a gutter that was not quite attached properly, Ernesto was here the next morning. -
Review from Eugene B.
Oakland, CA
3/1/2011
Arana painted the interior of my house and it was like they were never there only the house was transformed! They left the place spotless at the end of each work day and made my living room functional so that I could be there in the evening and not feel too displaced during the project. Ernesto helped us so much with color, which would have been almost impossible without his help. Both Catherine and Ernesto were always accessible and helpful. Great Company!
-
Review from Robert S.
Santa Cruz, CA
12/19/2010
This is a very difficult review to write. I believe that Ernesto and Catherine are people of integrity, yet they did terrible work at my home. Their prices are top dollar, but still I chose Ernesto because of both Yelp reviews and the references that Arana provided me. Their references were impeccable.
I had carefully arranged to have the painting done while my tenants were away on vacation. Arana called me to tell me that the work was completed. When I arrived I was nearly in tears when I saw the quality of the work. Ernesto seemed surprised too for he had not inspected the work prior to telling me the work was done and apparently did not supervise his crew. When I arrived to finalized payment, I saw the french doors hinges were not firmly attached, there were areas that were not painted, yet even worse was the painters destroyed the beautiful details of the original 1916 windows in my home. I had spent years restoring my home. I was heart broken. Ernesto became very defensive.
Catherine stated they wanted to have the opportunity to correct the work. To their credit, they did come back and tried to remedy the work, but the damage had already been done to the character of the windows. And to make matters worse, they started work one day and then they left the job for several days. No communication.
Again, when they said they were done, there still was some windows not painted and their were handprints left on the exterior of the french doors.
Catherine asked me not to post a review on yelp, but given the fact that there are only five star ratings I think people should know that they are not perfect. I would think twice about leaving them to work on your house while you are on vacation.
I really do not doubt that Arana is a good company, and my experience was probably was an anomly. I frankly am confused by my experience with Arana in contrast to the overwhelming positive reviews. All these 5 star reviews cannot be fiction. Just make sure you are home to supervise and check on the quality on a daily basis.Comment from Catherine B. of Arana Residential and Commercial Painting 4/29/2011
We appreciate and value Robert's feedback and have used it… More » -
Review from Jeff C.
Burlingame, CA
2/1/2011
The pictures posted tell the story. Ernesto and Catherine take such pride in their work and it shows. The prices are fair and the work product is outstanding. Ernesto and Catherine are responsive to all questions concerns, and give great attention to detail. What more could you expect (other than doing it for free)?
-
Review from Aviva I.
Richmond, CA
3/19/2011
ARC painted the exterior of my house last year. Their price was competitive and their service impeccable. They did a fantastic job within the timeframe promised, even though the work was done during the rainy season. Their work was of high quality and they have a warranty in case anything is not up to scratch. Ernesto checked over the work of his crew and made sure that it was of high quality, so I'm surprised by the negative review on this page.
Highly recommended! -
Review from Meg P.
Berkeley, CA
2/14/2011
Holy Moly!
These guys are so detailed oriented, and are so on their game that it makes me actually have faith in hiring contractors again.
Catherine and Ernesto l-i-s-t-e-n to you. Their crews are professional, polite, kind and were a pleasure to have hanging off and around the house. (And a special shout out to the guy who climbed up the ladder and through the window that day, took off his shoes, walked through the living room, and let me in my own front door when I locked myself out. Thank you...thank you..).
I'm kinda sad I won't be getting the daily weather reports from Catherine at 6:00am letting me know if the crew would be coming by that day. Why was she doing this? Because we decided to paint our house in the middle of winter. You know? When it's wet and cold and raining which makes priming and painting a little difficult. But you wouldn't know it. Our house looks amazing and we have no concern. (And they offer a warranty - if you needed to know.)
And finally, on the days when my husband and I couldn't decide on colors and I was ready to paint a big black line down half the house with His and Hers under each of our selections, they gently offered up a little advice to help us make a decision.
Easy Breezy. You would be a fool not to hire them.
Catherine and Ernesto - you set the bar high. A million thanks. It was a pleasure to work with you. Period. -
Review from Katt S.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2011
It's rare to meet two people who are so completely dedicated to their work and the quality of service that they provide. Catherine and Ernesto will not only go the distance, but go beyond the call of duty to make sure the job is done right. They are outstanding and I would recommend them 110%!
-
Review from Not I.
Bay Area
3/12/2011
We don't think we would use Arana again nor recommend them
They worked too fast for their own good as they had errors in their work that needed fixing. Some errors they did fix afterwards but only after we pointed them out. Some errors still remain and we will need to hire another paint contractor to actually fix Arana's work since they have chosen to ignore our contact now. Do they not actually stand behind their work? We guess not.
There are areas (such as corners and near baseboards) where they didn't even bother to paint with a brush, thinking we wouldn't notice. The old paint can be seen when looking up in the corners. We have high ceilings and they didn't bother to get a high enough ladder to reach these areas with a brush! This is just plain lazy.
Arana seems to have great pre-sales communication but horrible follow-up customer service. Ernesto got defensive when we began pointing out errors in the work and then didn't want to deal with us any more. We really should have not paid the final balance until all issues were taken care of-our mistake.
The price we paid was quite high as well. We feel like Arana charges premium pricing but delivers more of a budget type service. They'd like to think of themselves as a premium paint contractor, but they do not seem to deliver that at all in our opinion.
UPDATE 4/29/11:
Catherine's claim below that we are not a real client is case in point. Her trying to divert, is just plain laughable and serves to exemplify that Arana doesn't care about actually taking responsibility for their own faulty work.Comment from Catherine B. of Arana Residential and Commercial Painting 6/14/2011
Dear John - We have been unable to identify you as a client… More » -
Review from Kevin T.
Oakland, CA
10/6/2008
I used Arana to paint my house, and I am happy to report they did a really fantastic job.
My house is surrounded by shrubs and other vegetation. I had gotten a bid from another paint contractor that was contingent upon my removing most of the vegetation.
Ernesto (the owner of Arana) looked at my house and told me that they could do their work without disturbing any of the vegetation. For that reason alone, I was happy.
Arana sent a crew of 2 people to work on my house. They completed the job on schedule in about 7 days. The crew did great work. They were meticulous about the prep work (the most important part of painting any house). They cleaned up after themselves everyday. They were hard-working. And, the end result is that my house looks REALLY TERRIFIC.
I recommend these guys and I will use them again in the future. (As a bonus, they also cleaned all my screens and windows) They do excellent work for a reasonable price. -
Review from Anne M.
Charlotte, VT
3/2/2010
Best painters you will ever, ever work with. Mid-range prices with high-end quality work. Ernesto is a perfectionist, and his crew is alway polite, hard-working, and tidy. He hires painters to apprentice with him, people who later want to go on to have their own business -- so they are deeply interested in mastering the craft, taking Ernesto's advice and criticisms, and doing the best job possible. And if they miss something, or something is not to your liking, you'll get prompt resolution with no fuss.
Unlike other painters I've used, ARC gives very accurate estimates, shows up on time, and completes the work on schedule. Catherine, who manages the scheduling, paperwork, and contracts is very organized and responsive to any needs.
They are warm, funny, wonderful people running a top-notch business. Again and again, I get compliments on the quality paint job we received. You won't regret working with them! -
Review from Brandi B.
San Francisco, CA
1/2/2008
These people are such Professionals and at the same time really nice people to work with. They painted the exterior of our two unit building and they came in on budget exactly and shaved off 3 days from the time they estimated. We were so happy. The owner came to give us an estimate and he was so thorough and concerned, making sure he understood exactly what we wanted. He wasn't the cheapest bid, but I got to see first hand what the cheapest bid looked like when our neighbors down the street had their painters run off half way through their job, and took all the paint with them! Their price was very competitive and they included some extra repair work that was uncovered at no extra charge. The crew picked up after themselves every day and were very polite to us and to our neighbors. Even our three year old was waving to them and calling them by first names. But most of all we loved their attention to detail, the super fine job they did (all the neighbors are jealous) and how careful their were with our landscaping, our outdoor furniture and our things.
We are so satisfied...I think the rest of our neighborhood has them in their speedial! -
Review from M R.
Oakland, CA
1/4/2011
I had my kitchen painted by ARC and found their professionalism to be very impressive. Both Catherine and Ernesto bent over backward to meet our needs and expectations. I was particularly impressed by their ability to meet the deadline of the work to be completed....plus their service is always with a smile. I REALLY enjoyed working with both Catherine and Ernesto.
-
Review from pamela b.
Emeryville, CA
1/10/2008
ARC did an amazing job on our 100+ Victorian. They were incredibly knowledgeable and skilled in not only the painting but the very labor intensive preparation that our old, neglected wood siding and trim needed. After talking with a few other contractors, we felt the most comfortable with Ernesto and felt that his bid was the most realistic and fair. The quality of work was excellent and I simply can't recommend them enough!
-
Review from Greg M.
Berkeley, CA
1/21/2008
ARC is a licensed, family owned business run by Ernesto Arana and Catherine Baldi. Ernesto painted our two-story frame house in West Berkeley during the summer of 2007. Both Ernesto and Catherine were very personable and enjoyable to work with. They really bent over backward to make sure we were pleased with their work at every step of the process. And we were very much pleased. The cost was reasonable, the crew was tidy, the prep work extensive and thorough, and the painting very carefully done. They happily came back after the job was completed to correct some spots where bubbles had developed, and encouraged us to call again if we noticed anything else. They were intent upon finishing well. We would hire them again in a minute, and most definitely will be using them in the future.
-
Review from Ellen S.
Berkeley, CA
Updated - 2/9/2008
We have had Arana Residential and Commercial Painting do several paint jobs for us. In each case, they were reliable, friendly, did quality work, and cleaned up completely when they left. They also stayed within the estimated budget. I recommend them very highly. Ellen S.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/29/2008
We have had ARC Painting do several jobs for us, the most recent being painting a basement storeroom… Read more »
-
-
Review from Krista G.
Oakland, CA
2/1/2009
I invited Arana Commercial Painting out to do a bid on a living room that I wanted to have repainted from a very, very dark color to a light color. Their pricing was very reasonable and Ernesto's professionalism was apparent. The day of went very smoothly and within one day they had repaired my lath and plaster walls, fixed gaps in the moulding with caulking and repainted the entire living room. The work was very professional and the cleanup, awesome! I would highly recommend them over and over again.
