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(650) 648-3925

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Dean Knecht Painting, Inc.

(650) 648-3925

Contact
Diamond Certified Company Report

Dean Knecht Painting, Inc.

(650) 648-3925

Contact
Diamond certified ratings dashboard
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION i
Customer LOYALTY i
Helpful Expertise i
Company Credentials i
  • Workers Compensation
  • Liability Insurance
  • License Verification
  • Business Practices
  • Current Complaint File
  • Legal & Finance
Phone SURVEY RESPONSES FROM 155 VERIFIED CUSTOMERS i

Kathleen A.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

1 of 155

Quality 10
10 10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

They are thorough, their clean-up is excellent, they are very precise, and their work is always perfect. I am always extremely satisfied with their work and performance.

Dean and his crew do what they say they're going to do. They are very dependable and accommodating. I also completely trust them in my house, which is very important to me.

Lynda W.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

2 of 155

Quality 10
10 10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

I think he's very professional, very honest, and he does a fantastic job. He doesn't just paint over things. I was so impressed with the fact that he took a blowtorch and stripped down the old paint. He goes the extra mile.

I found his crew to be very friendly. I had him work for me on several jobs. It's kind of like a family feel. I like that aspect of him and his crew. They're just a bunch of nice guys, doing a really professional job.

Bob C.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

3 of 155

Quality 10
10 10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

My experience with him was superior. He will work with you and work with the type of color and paint that you want. He'll test out the colors, so you can see before he does the job. I think that's very professional.

He did what I requested and he was very clean. He cleaned everything up and that's extremely vital. Afterwards there were still a couple of things that needed to be done, and he came back, took care of it, and did a good job. He followed up and made sure things were done correctly, and responded to questions and concerns. He did an excellent job.
Read All 155 Survey Responses at Ratings View
Diamond certified VIDEO PROFILE
Diamond certified company PROFILE

Dean Knecht, Owner

Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. offers exterior and interior painting services to customers in San Mateo County and San Francisco. It specializes in faux finishes and sponging and ragging (painting techniques that use sponges and rags to add depth and texture).

Owner Dean Knecht is a sixth-generation painter—he grew up learning the trade from his father and grandfather, who taught him about old, classic techniques. Mr. Knecht says he combines extensive knowledge of the painting industry's latest products and techniques with a long-standing family tradition of providing excellent service.

According to Mr. Knecht, Dean Knecht Painting is known for its meticulous preparation. "The finish is only as good as the preparation," he explains. "For example, we strip-peel wood areas the traditional way—with a heat gun. This makes for a smooth finish and a longer lasting job."

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DIAMOND CERTIFIED RESEARCHED CAPABILITIES ON Dean Knecht Painting, Inc.

COMPANY CONTACT
Service AREA

San Mateo County
San Francisco

SERVICES PERFORMED

Exterior & Interior Painting
Faux Finishes
Sponging & Ragging

DIAMOND CERTIFIED RESEARCHED ARTICLES ON Dean Knecht Painting, Inc.

Company Profile

Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. offers exterior and interior painting services to customers in San Mateo County and San Francisco. It specializes in faux finishes and sponging and ragging (painting techniques that use sponges and rags to add depth and texture).

Owner Dean Knecht is a sixth-generation painter—he grew up learning the trade from his father and grandfather, who taught him about old, classic techniques. Mr. Knecht says he combines extensive knowledge of the painting industry's latest products and techniques with a long-standing family tradition of providing excellent service.

According to Mr. Knecht, Dean Knecht Painting is known for its meticulous preparation. "The finish is only as good as the preparation," he explains. "For example, we strip-peel wood areas the traditional way—with a heat gun. This makes for a smooth finish and a longer lasting job."

Read moreRead Less
Company Philosophy

“I’m continuing a family trade that has been passed down over six generations, and I take that responsibility very seriously. I strive to give my customers a truly unique painting experience by merging my old-world technical expertise with my knowledge of new products and technologies.”

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Comparative Summary

Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it’s even more important for painting contractors that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Dean Knecht Painting, Inc., the key to achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is simple: apply its 40-plus years of industry experience on every job, regardless of its size. “A lot of my customers are surprised that I’ve been painting for that long, but I think it ultimately gives them more reassurance in regard to the quality of workmanship and customer service they’re going to receive,” says owner Dean Knecht. “By combining my extensive industry knowledge with a longstanding family tradition of customer service, I’m able to ensure consistently positive results.”

Dean Knecht Painting provides a wide range of interior and exterior painting services for clients in San Mateo County and San Francisco. The company specializes in faux finishes and sponging and ragging (painting techniques that use sponges and rags to add depth and texture), but it has the training and equipment to take on any type of painting project.

Unlike less experienced painting contractors that strive to reduce their operating costs by using time-saving and cost-cutting methods, Dean Knecht Painting ensures high levels of quality by adhering to industry-best practices. “Some painting companies will just spot-prime and then apply a spray-on coat, which is a cheap method that allows them to offer lower prices,” explains Mr. Knecht. “I use the old-fashioned brush-and-roll technique because it provides long-lasting durability and guarantees that each customer gets two complete coats.”

Another distinguishing feature of Dean Knecht Painting is its emphasis on thorough preparation in every aspect of its work. “I go above and beyond to make sure each house is properly prepared before I paint,” affirms Mr. Knecht. “A lot of my customers have expressed their amazement at the amount of effort and detail I put into my prep work, but to me, it’s just another part of doing the best possible job.”

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Industry Info

Before starting an outdoor painting project, take the weather into account. Preparing for an exterior paint job involves just a few simple steps—pressure washing, sanding, spackling and priming—but many people neglect to account for outdoor conditions before they begin the process. For example, taking on a large painting job during winter poses a lot of risks. Primarily, it takes longer for wood or paint to dry in cold temperatures. Also, when you pressure wash a house, you introduce moisture into the wood that needs to be completely dried out before a coat of primer can be applied. While it only takes 24 hours for wood to dry during the summer, it can take up to 72 hours in winter weather. For these and other reasons, painting the exterior of your home is best left for the spring, summer or early fall.

Many homeowners save the paint that’s left over from an exterior project in anticipation of future touch-up work. Proper storage is vital when it comes to saving paint, and the best procedure involves only two steps: Ensure the paint is sealed in an airtight container and store it in an area that’s impervious to extreme temperatures (a garage is usually OK). If paint is properly stored, it’s usually good for two or three years after it’s been used.

When it comes to determining the durability of a specific type of exterior paint, one of the biggest factors to look for is also the simplest: color. The durability of modern paints is a bit of an unknown because they haven’t been around long enough to provide any sort of guarantee, but generally, the lighter the color, the longer the paint will last.

Dealing with uneven sun exposure
A common issue that homeowners experience is when one side of their home (or more) receives an excessive amount of sunlight exposure, which can cause the paint to fade at an accelerated rate. Rather than repainting your entire house, a more economical option in this instance is to have your painter apply a single “maintenance coat” to the affected areas. Doing this every two years will help the paint on your home maintain a consistent look and delay the need for more expensive repainting in high-exposure areas.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do you power wash before you paint?

A: Yes, I always power wash before performing an exterior paint job.

Q: Can you help me select paint colors?

A: Yes, I can refer you to my color consultant, who can help you choose the right colors for your project.

Q: Do you provide any warranties on your work?

A: I provide a three-year warranty on every exterior paint job and a one-year warranty on every interior paint job.

Q: My home was painted a couple years ago, but I’m planning to sell it and want to make sure it’s looking its best. Can you provide me with an economical option?

A: Yes, I can apply a single ‘maintenance coat’ to spruce up your home’s existing paint job and give it some additional longevity.

Q: I have young children. Is there an interior paint option that’s easier to clean than others?

A: I recommend using an HL finish like eggshell satin, semi-gloss or gloss, all of which are low-maintenance and can be scrubbed without damaging the paint.

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SELECTED PHOTOS FROM Dean Knecht Painting, Inc.

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DIAMOND CERTIFIED EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR ADVICE & TIPS FROM Dean Knecht

Expert CONTRIBUTOR PROFILE

  • Dean Knecht is owner of Dean Knecht Painting, Inc., a Diamond Certified company since 2008. He can be reached at (650) 648-3925 or by email.

Dean Knecht: Painting Heritage

By James Florence, Diamond Certified Resource Reporter

MILLBRAE — Few professionals can trace their professional legacy back six generations, but Dean Knecht is one of them. “I’m a sixth-generation painter,” he affirms. “My family’s painting legacy began in Hamburg, Germany, and was carried over to the United States by my great-grandfather. His son—my grandfather—was a painting contractor, as was my father after him. I started working for my dad when I was 15 and later became his business partner. After about 18 years with my dad, I started my own business, which I’ve been running for almost 30 years.”

Today, as owner of Dean Knecht Painting, Inc., Dean says his favorite part of his job is the same as it was when he started. “From the beginning, I enjoyed the process of making houses look better. These days, I no longer do the actual painting, but I still enjoy seeing the results of our work, as well as meeting and talking with our customers.”

A resident of San Mateo County (where he lives with his wife, Deborah), Dean spends his time outside of work engaged in a variety of pastimes. “I enjoy working out at the gym and going hiking,” he details. “My wife and I own a cabin in the Sierras, so we like spending time up there as well.” Additionally, Dean enjoys following and supporting his favorite local sports teams. “I have season tickets for the 49ers, and I’m also a fan of the San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors.” Furthermore, Dean likes keeping up with his and Deborah’s son and daughter, both of whom are grown up and pursuing their own professional paths.

When asked the secret to his success in business, Dean says he just keeps it simple. “Growing up, my dad taught me the basics: show up on time, do a good job, clean up after yourself and follow through with what you promised. Simple stuff, but important. Overall, I just try to provide exactly what I’d expect of someone who was doing work for me.”

When asked what he’d do if he were to retire tomorrow, Dean says he would spend more time in the mountains. “Right now, with running the business, my wife and I are limited in how much time we can spend at the cabin. If I was retired, I could stay there more than three or four days at a time. I’d stay for a couple of weeks and just relax, hike, and fish.”

Ask Me Anything!

Q: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
A: Original Joe’s Westlake in Daly City.

Q: Music or talk radio?
A: I’ve always preferred music, but as I’m getting older, I’m enjoying talk radio more.

Q: If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future?
A: As someone who’s very passionate about the environment, I’d go to the past so I could see what the forests and natural landscape looked like before civilization changed everything.

Q: Pancakes or waffles?
A: Pancakes.

Q: Did you play any sports in high school?
A: I played football—I was a quarterback.

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Expert articles
  • How to Avoid Security Concerns When Painting Your Front Door

    By Dean Knecht of
    Dean Knecht Painting, Inc.

    MILLBRAE — Painting your front door may seem like a simple task, but it can get surprisingly complicated. One complicating factor is the fact that you have to remain at home until the paint is completely dry, as you won’t have a functioning door to ensure security in your absence. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to work around this issue.

    Before painting your front door, you’ll typically remove the doorknob. You don’t have to do this—you could just brush around it, but you’ll have a difficult time achieving the appearance of a consistent, vertical brush stroke. The problem is that removing your doorknob brings a security concern, particularly if you need to leave your home at any point before the paint is dry. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to this issue. After painting, use a hairdryer to target the area of the door where the knob goes. Within 20 minutes or so, it should be dry enough to re-install the knob.

    However, even if your door has a functional lock, you’ll still have a security issue if you can’t close it. New paint takes a long time to fully dry—even when it’s dry to the touch, it can still have a stickiness to it, and if you close the door prematurely, the paint around the edges can get ruined. If you need to leave your house before your door is fully dry, use this simple trick: rub Vaseline® along the edges of the door frame and weather stripping. When you close the door, this will keep the paint from sticking to these areas.

    Read moreRead less
Expert video tip

  • Video: Helpful Hints for Painting Your Front Door

    With Dean Knecht of
    Dean Knecht Painting

    Complete Video Transcription

    MILLBRAE — Host, Sarah Rutan: Painting your front door may seem like a simple task, but the security risks involved can complicate matters. Today we’re in Millbrae with Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Dean Knecht of Dean Knecht Painting to learn some helpful tips.

    Diamond Certified Expert Contributor, Dean Knecht: Here is my tip of the day for a homeowner when painting the front door on your house. Back in the ’50s and ’60s, they had metal interlocking weather systems, and they’ve come a long way over the years with the vinyl weather stripping now. But either case, this system still works.

    When you paint your front door, you always need to have a little bit of drying time, and the paint usually dries in about two hours, the latex paints. You can touch it and it’s still not wet, so you figure that it’s okay to close the doors.

    But when one of the biggest problems you have is when you close your door, right where the hinge side is, it puts a lot of pressure at this end. So, what’ll happen is latex paint stays very sticky even though it’s dry to touch, and when you close the door, it forms an adhesion. So, the next morning, you open the door, and you say, “Why did my paint pull?” And that’s because it still wasn’t cured all the way through while it was closed.

    So, to help remedy that problem, everyone probably has in their medicine cabinet a bottle of Vaseline. And what you do is you grab the Vaseline, take it out on your finger, and you rub it along the whole edge of the weather stripping, or in the case in the ’50s and ’60s, the metal interlocking system, you rub it on the wood. So, what that happens is the Vaseline forms a lubrication there so when you close the door, it’ll stop it from adhering to the surface that it’s touching, and then it won’t peel like that when you open it up in the morning.

    Host, Sarah Rutan: To learn more from local, top rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified Expert Reports at experts.diamondcertified.info.

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Diamond Certified RATINGS ON Dean Knecht Painting, Inc.
Diamond certified ratings dashboard
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION i
Customer LOYALTY i
Helpful Expertise i

Each surveyed customer was asked, “If you needed any helpful expertise, did this company provide that expertise?” To calculate this score, total “Yes” responses were divided by total responses (excluding those that stated they hadn’t needed any expertise).

Company Credentials i
  • Workers Compensation
  • Liability Insurance
  • License Verification
  • Business Practices
  • Current Complaint File
  • Legal & Finance
Phone SURVEY RESPONSES FROM 155 VERIFIED CUSTOMERS i

Kathleen A.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

1 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

They are thorough, their clean-up is excellent, they are very precise, and their work is always perfect. I am always extremely satisfied with their work and performance.

Dean and his crew do what they say they're going to do. They are very dependable and accommodating. I also completely trust them in my house, which is very important to me.

Lynda W.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

2 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

I think he's very professional, very honest, and he does a fantastic job. He doesn't just paint over things. I was so impressed with the fact that he took a blowtorch and stripped down the old paint. He goes the extra mile.

I found his crew to be very friendly. I had him work for me on several jobs. It's kind of like a family feel. I like that aspect of him and his crew. They're just a bunch of nice guys, doing a really professional job.

Bob C.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

3 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

My experience with him was superior. He will work with you and work with the type of color and paint that you want. He'll test out the colors, so you can see before he does the job. I think that's very professional.

He did what I requested and he was very clean. He cleaned everything up and that's extremely vital. Afterwards there were still a couple of things that needed to be done, and he came back, took care of it, and did a good job. He followed up and made sure things were done correctly, and responded to questions and concerns. He did an excellent job.

Bill G.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

4 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

Great company and great work

They were very professional, reliable and punctual.

Leslie G.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

5 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

He is a superb painter and I would hire him again to paint inside or outside of the house.

I wanted a bunch of different colors and he was just agreeable. He was there with a short lead time and he was able to do whatever we wanted.

Nancy S.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

6 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

He is excellent, helpful and on time.

The attentiveness and the quality

Bob B.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

7 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

I would say that they are the most honest painters out there right now. They will let you know what they think and what their professional opinion is, and I appreciated that.

I was able to have an open conversation with them about the project.

Nancy S.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

8 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

I think he did great work, very happy with the results.

The end results

John L.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

9 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

He is very professional and trustworthy.

Quality job

Janet R.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

10 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

I think he is a very honest and trustworthy person and the quality of his work is outstanding.

I thought the quality was best.

Sandy P.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

11 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

They are extremely talented and pay close attention to detail.

I think Dean was very honest and straightforward, very easy to work with.

Dan M.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

12 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

He is a very knowledgeable and dependable painter. You can count on a job well done.

Easy and quick

Joan K.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

13 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

Professional and experienced, we had used them once before and found them out of the Diamond Certified booklet.

Efficiency and speed, very neat work

Robert L.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

14 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

I think they are professional and skilled. They do a very good job.

They were efficient.

Marilyn A.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

15 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

They were very professional and really helpful.

They were very honest about color and other placement of colors, really helpful.

Tom K.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

16 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

I think he is a great painter, very talented.

The expertise

Bill G.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

17 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

He did a great job.

The painting, it looks great.

Roger V.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

18 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

Use him. He is a good painter.

The consistency and the reliability

Donna M.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

19 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

They are reliable, they did a really good job on schedule. He has a great crew.

Really what I said before, reliability and dependability

Amanda A.

VERIFIED Dean Knecht Painting, Inc. CUSTOMER

20 of 155

Quality 10
10
Loyalty Yes
CRITIQUE

I have recommended him to many people. I tell them, he took care of our home like it was his own.

I saw him fairly regularly. Since we bought the house we have had a lot of contractors out. I liked that I saw him on site on a regular basis.
Read All 155 Survey Responses at Ratings View
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Contact Info

  • (650) 648-3925
  • dean@deanknecht.com