Clearwater's Hometown Paint StorePhoto/text by Renee Burrell
It's the way they roll . . . Ron Bortolini (not pictured) and other family members at Durable Coatings offer more than good customer service. They, like Greg Brewer (shown here) at the Clearwater location are former painting contractors with 30 years of experience who offer expert advice as well. Durable Coatings has served the Clearwater-St Pete area since 1993, providing quality paint products and supplies for homeowners, decorators, designers and contractors. Unlike the mega home supply stores, they are independently owned and always provide not just 'knowledgeable' customer service, but 'expert' customer service. Greg Brewer is owner Ron Bortolini's nephew. He runs the Clearwater store. He worked for Bortolini as a painting contractor before Bortolini opened his retail stores. "All of us have had hands on experience. That's really our specialty . . . customers call or come in daily, bouncing their paint job questions and concerns off of us. There's not a question or job that we can't answer or understand." Customer Sylvia Dewall gave Durable Coatings a great testimonial when she said, "I'm proud to say I've been working with Ron and his efficient staff for more than six years. They understand that time is money-I never have to wait for my orders-they're filled quickly and accurately. I don't have to worry about remembering who ordered what-everything I need to know is in their database. They know exactly what product to use on whatever surface I'm dealing with, and if by some slim chance they don't have what I need, they go out of their way to track it down and place a special order so I can finish my project on time. My customers are always impressed by how friendly, courteous and knowledgeable everyone is. It's obvious they care about my business as much as I do by the way they treat me and my customers every day." The Durable Coatings staff's past experience in the field combined with the ability to color match and tint over 3,000 colors makes all of their customer's jobs and projects easier. They carry the complete line of Benjamin Moore paint, which Bortolini and crew feel makes all other paint brands pale in comparison. If you've always wanted to try a tricky paint job like refinishing cabinets or applying a faux finish but were intimidated by the task, Durable Coatings have got your back. Says Brewer, "We've got all the specialty applications, including Studio Finishes and Modern Masters for special applications and faux effects like glaze, glitter, glow in the dark and chalk board paint, Waterborne Satin ImpervoŽ Enamels for a rich Latex look and for high traffic areas that can withstand a lot of scrubbing, we carry RegalŽ Matte Finish." To offer an environmentally friendly and safe interior paint, Durable Coatings carries Benjamin Moore's Natura high-performance, zero voc (volatile organic compounds) paint. BuildingGreen, Inc., publisher of the GreenSpec Directory and Environmental Building News, named Natura one of the year's Top 10 Green Building Products. Said Brewer, "Benjamin Moore leads the way in earth friendly paint. Natura is available in any color and remains Zero VOC even after adding colorant unlike other zero vocs paints that increase vocs if color is added." Durable Coatings' Clearwater store is at 706 16th Avenue N.W. They're open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. - 1 p.m. Closed Sundays. (727) 586-6972. Other locations are at 8615 S. Seminole Boulevard in Seminole and at 3055 1st Ave. South in St. Petersburg.
|