What services do you offer?

We do interior and exterior house painting, deck staining and sealing, and pressure washing, plus a range of smaller miscellaneous projects. Everything runs across Rockford and the surrounding stateline area of northern Illinois.

What areas do you serve?

We serve Rockford, Roscoe, Rockton, Machesney Park, and Loves Park, along with several smaller communities south of there. That is the Illinois side of the stateline. If you are nearby and not sure whether you are in range, just ask and we will tell you straight.

Who is actually doing the work on my home?

Corbin leads every project. The crews on site are people he hand-picks and trains himself, so the same prep procedure and the same standards land on every home we touch. You get the capacity of a real crew with the owner still running the job rather than a company that hands you off after the sale.

Are quotes really free?

Yes, and so is the design consultation. A free written quote is fairly standard for contractors around here. What is not standard is that we also design the color scheme for your home at no charge, before you have committed to anything.

Who picks the colors, and do I have to go to a paint store?

You pick the colors, and we design the scheme alongside you, so you never have to set foot inside a Sherwin-Williams store. We walk the property with you and work out how the body, trim, and accents fit together as one look instead of three separate decisions. It is part of the job, not an add-on.

What paint do you use?

We use and recommend Sherwin-Williams products on our paint jobs. They are the easiest to work with and the most durable we have used, which matters a great deal on an exterior that has to sit through an Illinois winter.

How much does deck staining cost around Rockford?

A small deck typically runs $400 to $800 around Rockford. Larger decks scale from there, generally landing between $1,100 and $3,000 for a big one. Prep is the biggest variable in that spread, and the exact figure always comes from a free on-site look with no obligation.

How long does an exterior paint job take?

Most exterior projects take about a week and a half to two weeks from start to finish, counting business days rather than weekends. Size, the condition of the existing paint, and the weather are what move that number. We give you a realistic window when we quote rather than an optimistic one.

How long will my deck stain last?

It depends on the product. A transparent stain generally wants redoing about every 2 years, while a solid body stain typically holds closer to 4. Sun exposure, foot traffic, and how hard the winter hits all move it, and we will tell you which product suits your deck when we look at it.

How soon can I use my deck after you stain it?

You can usually walk on it the next day. Keep furniture off for at least 36 hours, and closer to two days if you can manage it, so the finish cures fully underneath. Putting the patio set back too early is the quickest way to mark a fresh coat.

Do you sand decks down to bare wood?

We can, but it is not our standard procedure. Most decks do not need it, and it adds real cost to the job. If yours is a case where sanding to bare wood genuinely makes a difference, we will say so and price it separately instead of folding it in quietly.

Do you stain composite or PVC decks?

No, composite and PVC decks do not need staining. They are built not to take a coating, so a thorough cleaning is the right call instead. Real wood like cedar, pine, or pressure treated is where staining actually pays off, and we will tell you which camp your deck falls in.

When is the best time of year to stain a deck in Illinois?

May through September is the window. We avoid November through March, because the wood carries too much moisture in those months and a finish cannot cure properly into an oversaturated deck. We also watch the forecast and will not lay down a coat with rain or a hard cold snap coming.

Yes, we take on certain drywall projects. It is not one of our standard listed services, so give us a call and we will talk through what you need and whether it is a good fit.

All stories

Drywall · Davis, IL

Two Days to Save a Four Seasons Room

Four seasons room in Davis with drywall hung and the seams still unfinished — Before

The same four seasons room with the drywall taped, finished and ready for paint — After

Kira lives up in Davis, and she had a four seasons room added onto her house. Another contractor built the room itself, and she had put thousands of dollars into getting it up. That is not a small thing to take on, and by the time we got involved she was close to having something really nice.

The piece that was not there yet was the drywall finish. She had taken the taping and mudding on herself, which we have a lot of respect for. Here is the thing most people do not find out until they are standing in the room with a knife in their hand: finishing is the hardest part of drywall to get right. Hanging board is straightforward work. Making the seams disappear under paint is a feel you build over a lot of repetitions, and almost everybody underestimates it the first time. Kira is not unusual there at all.

The deadline is what made it urgent. Her family was coming in a week to see the room, and paint goes on last. A finish that is not ready holds up everything behind it.

So we came in and worked the whole room over: corrected the taping, brought the seams and the fastener spots flush, and got the walls and ceiling to where a coat of paint would sit down properly instead of telegraphing every joint. Two days start to finish. She got her room back with time to spare, and it was ready for the family to see it the way she had pictured it when she started.

Davis is a bit outside the towns we normally cover, and we made the trip because the timeline mattered to her. If you are near the edge of our area and you are up against a real deadline, it is worth asking.

One last note, because we would rather say it out loud than let people guess. Drywall is not one of our standard listed services, but we do take on certain drywall projects, and jobs like Kira's are how we are building that side up. If you have painting coming and there is drywall work sitting in front of it, mention it when you reach out and we will tell you straight whether it is something we can take on.

Corbin Kuehne, owner · Kuehne Coatings

Two Days to Save a Four Seasons Room

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