Making homes out of houses

McKinsey returns to Moses Lake to open decorative business

MOSES LAKE — Scott McKinsey freely admits it.

His house needs to be painted. Perhaps he is not unique in this regard.

But he is unique in that he is a homeowner who also paints houses.

"I don't have enough time yet," he said with a small chuckle.

McKinsey's house is used more often as a sample for the things he offers in his recently opened business, McKinsey Painting, Inc., which opened several months ago.

"My house is basically my sample house when I need to make a sample or something, or I can practice on it," he said. "I'm still pretty new into the decorative faux finishes, so I like to make sure — I do it to my own wall before I go over to my customer's house and do their wall."

McKinsey grew up in Moses Lake, and recently returned from Yakima to be close to family and friends and open a business for higher-end painting and decorative faux finishes.

"My skills range from regular wall painting to nice finishes to cabinets and distressed cabinets, decorative faux finishes on walls and floors," McKinsey explained. "Pretty much, if it can be painted, I can paint it, or match something to the faux. It's just a really nice look. A good quality finish."

Looking to the school district for a summer job, he got his start painting when he got out of high school, and began working for his father's fabrication shop. He was spotted by a union worker who asked him to come to work with the union.

His experience includes painting casinos and multi-million dollar homes.

"(I've) pretty much painted a little bit of everything," McKinsey said, noting he attends a special school each year to learn the latest in his trade.

Business has been steady since opening, McKinsey said. There's more calls for standard painting than the decorative side, he added.

"During the summer you're busiest doing exteriors," he said. "That keeps you going throughout the years. But the reason I got into the decorative, faux finishes and cabinet finishes is something else I can offer to my customer. I can offer more than doing the exterior of their house and their decks, I can make their house into a home or something really nice looking …"

McKinsey enjoys the challenge and how happy he can make his customers.

"It's fast gratification, you see it right now," he said. "So you can change a house that doesn't look very nice in a week and make it look beautiful. So that's what I like about it."

McKinsey works with two decorators in town, and is looking to eventually add a "good, quality" person to his operation. He has also volunteered his time throughout town, recently helping with the Jon Lane mural at the Boys and Girls Club in downtown Moses Lake.

And the future?

"I'm not too nervous about it, really," he said. "There's always a need for good painting to be done, quality work, and since I can give a variety to my customers of different things I can do, I think it's not going to be a problem."