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This is the first in a series NAP provides to protect the consumer when contracting to hire a painter. 

When you’re shopping around for a painter or paint company to do work on your house or business, there’s more to the process than just picking colors and accepting the bid for the job.

Is their insurance up to date?

Every reputable paint company will have a current general liability and worker’s compensation policy, so that if an unforeseen accident should occur or someone gets hurt, you aren’t stuck with paying for the damages yourself.

However, buyer beware, certain paint companies and individual painters who “cut corners” will pay the first premium, then let the policy lapse to save money. It also allows them to offer a lower bid price. Their assumption is that you, the consumer, won’t know the difference, when they show you the certificate.

“As soon as you accept a painter’s bid, you should first get a copy of their insurance certificate, then take the extra step to call that insurance carrier to see if the policy is still current,” said Peter Berke, owner of NAP. “If something should happen, say a ladder falls on your car or one of the painters injures himself on the job, the insurance company covers the liability, not the customer.”

Terms:

General liability: A standard insurance policy issued to business organizations to protect them against liability claims for bodily injury (BI) and property damage (PD) arising out of premises, operations, products, and completed operations; and advertising and personal injury (PI) liability.

Workers’ Compensation: Workers’ compensation is a publicly-sponsored system that pays monetary benefits to workers who become injured or disabled in the course of their employment.

North Atlantic Painting is always up-to-date on our insurance and we invite you to call us to show proof. We will be happy to send you a copy of our certificate and provide you with the phone number to follow up with our insurance carrier. Please call us at 207-236-0703 (ask for Peter) or email us at napainting@gmail.com (Maine).

Most new homeowners and renters are not even aware that the home they are about to purchase or rent may contain lead paint, particularly if it was built before 1978.

The problem is: Lead is known to cause damage to your brain and nervous system, particularly in pregnant women and children under six years old.  Even small amounts can be dangerous, as lead builds up in your body over time.

More than half of Maine homes may have lead paint. Exposure to lead is most common in buildings built before 1950 (when paint contained up to 50% lead), and in buildings built before 1978 when repainting or remodeling is done.

In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a rule for home improvement contractors and maintenance professionals who renovate or repair pre-1978 housing, child care facilities or schools. The rule required that by April, 2010, contractors and maintenance professionals be certified, that their employees be trained, and that they follow protective lead-safe work practice standards.

However, a 2015 investigation by the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, found that the law had rarely been enforced by painting companies. “This law has been in place for seven years, yet the problem is the state only has three or four agents to oversee all of the painting contractors in Maine,” said Peter Berke, owner of North Atlantic Painting. “That’s just not enough oversight to enforce it.”

That, of course, leads to abuses in the industry, where painting companies don’t adhere to the strict lead removal practices.

So why does North Atlantic Painting follow the regulations then?

“We bother with the law because it directly affects our kids and our future,” said Berke, a father of two.

“Toddlers who are teething and learning how to walk, might come across a windowsill and bite it, because lead is sweet. Children are attracted to sweet things, and it’s the easiest way to ingest it,” said Berke. “Kids in lead-exposed homes are susceptible to being poisoned, which may affect their cognitive abilities in early childhood development. It may affect their capacity to learn and grow.”

Lead removal is not something crews can just “wing it,” yet untrained ones do. When a person has been properly trained through a lead removal course and certified, he or she has to work through an extensive punch list in lead removal and it requires meticulous attention to each item on the list.  Our crew has been trained to follow every item of lead removal on that list to the best of their ability.

“We have a copy of my paint certification, my federal certification as well as a sample contract on file for anyone interested in hiring us,” said Berke.

This is just one more way North Atlantic Painting has been working to educate the public to protect your best interests.

Contact us with any questions at 207-236-0703 (ask for Peter) or email us at napainting@gmail.com (Maine).

See related:

NAP Consumer Tip: Is your painter’s insurance up to date? 

NAP Consumer Tip: Make sure you have a contract before any work starts! 

Winter is the time to take stock of all of those pesky interior projects you didn’t have time to get to this fall and were too busy to get to over the holidays. Now, North Atlantic Painting Company is making it easier for you to tackle small residential or commercial painting projects without committing to a huge budget or extended contract.

“This is ideal for homeowners, small businesses, restaurants, retail businesses, and doctor’s offices,” said NAPC owner Peter Berke. “Unlike with an individual house painter who is a one-man operation, with us, you know you’re getting years of professional experience and training. You know we will show up when we say we will. We’re fully insured and lead-certified (check our credentials here) and with that comes our practice of leaving a home or business in meticulous shape after we are through.”

NAPC Painter For A Day

Knock your to-do list down with the help of a NAPC Painter For A Day. Paint a room, a door, touch up worn areas, or just freshen up a couple of spots. We know it’s difficult to get to those small projects that don’t require a full painting crew, but may take more time and experience than you have. That’s why we now offer the NAPC Painter For A Day.

With our NAPC Painter For A Day, you get one (or more) of our professional painters to come to your house or place of business for a day. We’ll bring all the tools and supplies, even the paint if necessary. We’ll stay up to eight hours, working on your priority list of painting-related jobs. We’ll do the prep work, painting and cleanup. You can work along with us or we’ll tackle the job ourselves.

Hire A NAPC Painter For A Day To:

• Paint a room
• Touch up trim
• Paint a door, shutters, almost everything
• Perform minor repairs such as water stains or plaster patches
• Any combination of paint-related jobs for up to eight hours.

For $350 You Can…

Hire A NAPC Painter For A Day

To find out more visit us online and check out our offer.

West Bay Rotary Chili Challenge on February 11, 2017

The event has historically taken place at the Camden Snow Bowl under a tent as this photo depicts from several years shows.

It may be chilly outside, but it’s chili inside…at The Sea Dog, this year for West Bay Rotary’s Annual “Chili Challenge” to be held on Saturday, February 11 after the Toboggan heats are done.

West Bay Rotarian Mark Masterson said, “Rotary is a world-wide organization whose basic tenet is to improve the lives of people both around the world and in local communities. The Chili Challenge is one of our many activities that support Rotary’s goals. This is our way of giving back to our community. All of our net profits that come from this event will go back to support the Camden Snow Bowl and the Midcoast community at large. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have all of these great events going on in town.”

The hungry public gets to sample their gastronomic endeavors for the ‘Best of the Best’ for 2017. Chili samples will be served up from 4 p.m. on until the “pots are empty.” Judging will be by popular secret ballot cast by the tasters. Shameless promotion by the chefs is strongly encouraged! Look forward to the culinary creations from the Sea Dog Brewing Co. and Restaurant, Waterfront Restaurant, Marriner’s Restaurant, Waterworks Restaurant & Pub, Quarry Hill, the student chefs at Midcoast School of Technology, Camden Hills Regional High School’s ‘Wave’ Cafeteria and numerous others!

In the past, the event has taken place at the Camden Snow Bowl, but the organizers wanted it to be inside and downtown where everything else is happening that weekend, so The Sea Dog very graciously offered to host the event in their warm rooms upstairs.

“That way, you can have a beer with your chili, or if you want something else, you can order from the Sea Dog menu,” said Masterson.

There is a donation of $10 (at the door) for adults and $6 for kids 12 and under…… and you will get a lot of food!

All proceeds go to help West Bay Rotary support local civic non-profit and charitable activities.

Every year, interior decorators across the nation discuss what’s on trend for the coming year in home design and year after year, one trend does not fall off the list.

Kerrie Kelly, a Zillow Digs home design expert, said in the latest Home Trends Forecast for 2017, “From hidden appliances to beautifully painted cabinets in complementing colors, homeowners want their kitchen to be stylish enough for entertaining, yet welcoming and functional for everyday use.”

It’s not widely known, but small upgrades in areas such as the kitchen or bathroom can help a home sell faster.

The Average Kitchen Cabinetry Repaint Is Between $2,500-$3,500.

The Average Cost To Change Out The Cabinetry Altogether Is $20,000+

“Painting kitchen cabinetry or bookshelves is the quickest, most inexpensive way of upgrading your home,” said NAP owner, Peter Berke. “There’s no construction, no demolition. Not even a mess in your kitchen. The way we do it, we remove the cabinetry and shelves and bring it to our shop. With the superior products we use, there is no need for stripping either.”

Our crew is experienced. We have one crew member in our shop dedicated to the project, lightly sanding the cabinet, applying two coats of bonding primer and two finish coats. Then we’ll have one or two other crew members at your home painting the built-in part of the cabinetry that can’t be removed. That is the least amount of investment and the biggest bang for your buck.”

For a typical house, NAP can usually turn them around in one week. All you have to do is update with a new color and new hardware. Hinges and knobs are easy to replace and you can always change the location of the knobs. If you do buy new hardware (depending on whether it is going in the exact same spot as the old hardware) we can do that for you—for no additional cost.

Check out our Project Gallery on Cabinets and let us know what we can do for you.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_youtube id=”https://youtu.be/ChGgP8rbdfo” alignment=”center” width=”560″ height=”315″ autoplay=”false” api_params=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” /][fusion_global id=”804″][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” class=”” id=””]Thank you to our community! We’re honored to have been rated number 1 in the Painter (Commercial/Contractor) category in Camden Herald’s 2016 Best of The Best contest as well as in Residential Painting.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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“Be A Gift To The World”

That’s what we believe in and that’s what we strive to do. This past year, 2016 was a strong year for giving back.

“I’m half way into my presidency at West Bay Rotary and really enjoying it,” said North Atlantic Painting founder Peter Berke. “We’re ending the season of giving and reflecting and what better way to do that than to participate with an organization that’s known globally and locally for being generous and giving back?”

This past year, West Bay Rotary made physical and financial contributions to worthy projects and organizations giving out nearly $30,000.

These funds were entirely from net proceeds from our various fundraisers through the year, like the Duck Derby and Christmas tree sales, our two biggest events. We also park cars for the Toboggan Championships, do admission for the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Festival, ran a beer tent for the Maine Lobster Ride, host a chili challenge during Winterfest and a chowder challenge during Windjammer Weekend, and run an eWaste program.

Of that $30,000, most of it was direct giving, but $7,500 of it was to our West Bay Charitable Foundation, a separate but associated organization.

The rest of the funds we gave went to college scholarships to five or six local students, Rotary International’s Polio Plus program, our Rotary district’s Governor’s project, scholarships to support five students to attend the Camden Conference, various international projects in Lesotho, Guatemala, and Peru (designated by our International Committee), and various local projects. In addition, we supported an exchange student from Iceland, Berglind Sigurbjornsdottir. (This year we’re supporting a young man from Thailand, Jay Klaipong.)

In addition to this, we also collect pocket change from members every week. It usually totals between $50-$100/week, which we donate to various organizations and causes. About 90% of our members also individually give $100 or more a year to Rotary International’s Every Rotarian Every Year program, which supports grant programs in our local district and around the world.

Click to see a list of community organizations Rotary has donated to.

Thank you for working with us this year, giving your contributions and time. Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you!

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[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_gallery image_ids=”851,852,853″ layout=”grid” picture_size=”fixed” columns=”” column_spacing=”10″ gallery_masonry_grid_ratio=”” gallery_masonry_width_double=”” hover_type=”” lightbox=”yes” lightbox_content=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” /][fusion_global id=”804″][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” class=”” id=””]We got double the power last Dec. 3 & 4 when West Bay Rotary and Knox County Homeless Coalition/Hospitality House teamed up for Make A Difference weekend. West Bay Rotary was busy selling Christmas trees in the parking lot of Maine Sport when we welcomed the folks from Hospitality House to bring their handmade tree ornaments and sell them along with the exclusive art from artist and Rotarian T. A. Allen (recognized not only for his paintings but also for the 2008 White House Christmas card.)

Every ornament was unique and sold for $15 each or two for $20. The tree sales supported local charities. The ornament sales benefited the families at Hospitality House….so it was a win-win for everyone!

Dawna Hilton, assistant to the Executive Director of Holiday House told us: “I was there this past weekend and they are getting close to selling completely out of ornaments. When they sell out of trees, we’ll be done selling ornaments, but so far, we’ve sold more than 80 ornaments with more than $500 in sales and counting. And all of that directly benefits our clients at Hospitality House.”

Every single weekday from noon to 6 p.m. and on the weekend from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Christmas, the Rotarians are going to be out there at Maine Sport’s parking lot giving it all they’ve got.

West Bay Rotary President Peter Berke said: “This time of the year and being involved with Rotary, it kind of brings it all home for us here, with the proceeds from tree, wreath and holiday card sales all go back to the nonprofits our community.”

To see the final count (when all is said and done) stay tuned the West Bay Rotary Facebook page as well as the Hospitality House Facebook page.

Happy holidays everyone![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Every year, we support the West Bay Rotary Club in their annual Duck Derby fundraiser and this year we broke the record!

On May 28, 3,500 plastic ducks (each paid for by a ticket holder) were released at the Camden Maine footbridge and traveled over the falls into the harbor where the lucky winners of big prizes happened to be the first ducks who crossed the finish line.

As president elect of the West Bay Rotary Club and owner of North Atlantic Painting, I can tell you this year, we netted over $11,000 in ticket sales. The numbers have steadily grown year after year. We had a good turnout with the public, good turnout with everybody who volunteered–it was really good.

The money is going to The Hospitality House, Meals on Wheels, the food pantries, and scholarships at the Camden Hills Regional High School. North Atlantic Painting is serious about helping our communities.