Friday, May 29, 2009

Praise of Downtown Expertise in a time of Recession: Stone Depot and National Paint


Like many people this month, I am making repairs on my house. In my case I am replacing a number of cedar shingles that have been eaten by squirrels. I am also painting a bathroom, a deck, and adding baseboards to a couple of rooms that did not have them. This last project was horribly frustrating until I finally spoke to the right people.

Given that I was doing several projects I went to the large unnamed home improvement center on Washington Street. There I purchased what was supposed to be stain grade boards for the baseboards. I then went over to the paint area and was advised rather quickly what to purchase.

Result: disaster. The boards absorbed stain in a very uneven fashion; they looked positively splotched, downright piebald. After 5 hours of labor, I had 70 feet of pine which I will reuse because I am stubborn, but that I cannot put down as baseboard. I then decided to consult the local experts.

My first stop: the former Middletown Builders (now Stone Depot) on North Main Street. What a different experience; I was escorted to the perfect baseboard wood and given specific advice about the liabilities of the much better quality pine I was buying (I was trying to match the cedar baseboards throughout the house). Clearly, all the people working there had years of deep wood knowledge (as opposed to deep woods knowledge).

I then went to National Paint, at the very bottom of Washington Street. Here too, I spoke at length with real experts: Mike, Chris, and Dave. After doing ten minutes of experiments, it was determined by Chris that to make a beautiful finish on my quite porous baseboards, I would need a “spit” coat of shellac followed by my stain. The result is perfect: it looks just like the cedar.

I also have another National Paint story. The following day, National mixed four gallons of custom stain for me for the aforementioned deck project. At five o’clock I went into the store and told them I needed more stain. I was informed that they had had a run on this particular base blend that day and were out. They knew I was in the middle of the project, however, and volunteered to get some immediately and deliver it to my house. 90 minutes later, one of the guys dropped off the stain on his way home. Although I suspect that they are not in the habit of making house calls, this is service.

Is there a moral to this story? Perhaps. As I contemplate my faultless baseboards, it occurred to me that, during a time of recession, we need to support these local merchants. It is not only good for the community and good for our downtown; it is almost always the most cost effective way of undertaking a project.

Note: I have no affiliation with either of these stores.

6 comments:

Jen Alexander said...

Dear V:

Love this story - National Paint is my favorite local supplier for all the painting we do at Kidcity - and a great problem-solver when things get complex.

Thanks for spreading the word!

-Jen Alexander

Eye M said...

I too can only sing the praises of National Paint and I am happy to be reminded of Stone Depot. I'll try them for my next project.

Thanks for writing this. I love good service at fair price that supports or local economy.

Eye M said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I have also been very happy with the service and expertise at National Paint and appreciate the information about Stone Depot. Many think that you will spend more money at the local non-chain places, but in reality, the time you save not having to hunt around the store and wait for service is worth it, and the results speak for themselves - results that would not be possible with the poor quality choices available at the big boxes.

I do have to take exception to use of the term "disaster" to describe an unsatisfactory house project result. Result: dissapointment. Maybe waste of time, waste of money. Inconvenience maybe. NOT a disaster! If you are able to do such a project you are fortunate.

Judy Konopka said...

I always support National Paint. They are so knowledgeable and helpful. Last time I was there, they carried out my paint to the car. Awesome people!

Catherine Johnson said...

National Paint is the finest living store today. All my painting needs have been met there since 1984 (I began my painting career when still an infant). They can match ANY paint. I had them mix up some paint from a piece of sandpaper once.

Regarding staining and shellacking, etc, there is an art to it, especially if anyone out there is thinking of doing something to a vintage handrail or piece of furniture. You would always do best to ask someone at NPW to see what's what before starting. In fact, it would be nice to have a "this old house" series here in Middletown where people are re-introduced to shellac (a natural material) and learning how to identify different kinds of woods etc.