Eric Nadoban - Anyone used him?
We’re looking for a great painter and someone who really understands how to fix-up pre-war buildings: Make the painted over-and-over moldings look fresh and new; Sharpen the edges and corners of walls; Nice detailing, etc. It’s a 1000 sq ft. place – 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. Our broker recommended Eric Nadoban and said he does…
We’re looking for a great painter and someone who really understands how to fix-up pre-war buildings: Make the painted over-and-over moldings look fresh and new; Sharpen the edges and corners of walls; Nice detailing, etc. It’s a 1000 sq ft. place – 2 bedrooms, 1 bath.
Our broker recommended Eric Nadoban and said he does great work – in fact, he has done a few places in our Co-Op before.
The problem is that I can’t find any reviews of his company’s work online and I think other people’s reviews and recommendations are key to finding good people. He quoted me anywhere from 5-20K (depending on the job, of course), but after we spoke for about 20 minutes he guessed about 5-7K (he knew the actual layout and tile work in the apartment, which was a good indicator that he had worked in our building before).
Here is his site: http://nadobanpainting.com/
Has anyone had experience with them before?
Can you recommend some other people (before and after pics would be great) so we can do a comparison?
John,
Thank you. We went ahead and hired him and so far the work is amazing. We are also in a Co-Op on Prospect Park West (44). He is great to work with.
I’ll post back with some pics.
Dear gyrlapple:
I have known Erik Nadoban for many years and I highly recommend him. Nadoban painting is an excellent company with a sterling reputation.
Erik has done several painting jobs for me personally, and as a past president of the board of our coop, I introduced him to my fellow board members. We subsequently hired his company for several jobs in our Prospect Park West building. His work was first-rate, his workers were polite and clean, and his insurance papers were always in order.
Once our neighbors saw Erik’s work and work ethic, several of them hired him to work in their apartments. He has painted perhaps seven or eight apartments in our building over the past decade. Additionally, after we replaced the windows in our building, many residents hired Erik to repair the resulting damage to surrounding walls. Nadoban Painting’s rates are competitive with other high-end painting companies.
As to your specific question, Erik can definitely make old look new again. His usual method of dealing with, for example, doors with years of layered paint, is to remove the doors, strip them offsite, and then cleanly remove all the old paint from the frames. When he reinstalls the doors, they really do look like new.
For walls and ceilings, Erik uses a technique called skimming to make uneven or cracked plaster walls look like new. I watched his process for this once and it was fascinating. He prepares the old plaster walls before applying a very fine screen mesh material to the entire surface, onto which he applies the new plaster. After plastering, he sands the wall smooth, then primes and paints. The result is stunning — a perfectly smooth and flat wall with corners and edges that are crisp and sharp.
In one neighbor’s apartment, they agreed that the most effective method for dealing with painted wood moldings that were unsalvageable was to replace them with new moldings that he was able to match. His carpenter (the one who actually installs the new moulding) is marvelous.
Everyone who I know who has hired Nadoban Painting is very happy that they did. One last telling detail: Erik’s workers are very loyal to him and most have been with him for many years.
John
Hi,
I have over 20 years experience doing painting and plastering, working with homeowners, architects, and contractors on a wide variety of projects including townhouses, lofts, apartments, restaurants, retail stores, and galleries. Along with painting and plastering I have experience doing antique faux finishing, wood stain and varnishing, brick glazing, etc. I’m extremely detail-oriented and thoroughly reliable.
A couple of people have written about my work in Brownstoner forum. See “painters” monthly archive on 4/13/08 “Great Painter!!” and 2/3/07 “Painter to recommend”.
I’m happy to give you 3 Brooklyn references with phone numbers and of course I can come over to do a free estimate.
Best,
Gordon
917-576-6747
gvoisey@nyc.rr.com
Thank you both!
Worked on several projects with Eric and he does a beautiful job!! Very neat, pays attention to detail and will come back to touch up if needed.(not that it will need it!!).
If he has done a few places in your co-op before, you should definitely talk to those neighbors and see what they think. Don’t trust a broker’s recommendation, but in my opinion, the best way to check someone’s references is the work they’ve done for someone you are acquainted with (not an anonymous forum). Neighbors/friends don’t have any incentive to hype someone’s work, and will probably tell you both the good and bad points of a painter. I’m sorry I don’t have any recommendations for painters, but hopefully your neighbors will.