Final Touch Painting and the work that they perform has had opportunity to be reviewed by several publications, both public and professional.  Following are a few examples of what these publications had to say about FTP.

"Rhode Island Charm"

By Sandra Taylor
Faux Effects World; Vol XI., p62.

Paul Schroeder’s introduction to “professional painting” came by doing prep work for a large, mostly commercial painting and wallpaper company in Boston, MA. Day after day of caulking windows in a large hotel hardly seemed his idea of a lifelong career path. How he progressed to own his own company, Final Touch Painting, is the rest of the story.

Growing up in rural Oregon, Paul was always interested in painting and drawing. He inherited his creative skill from his father who, although it was not his occupation, was an amazing fine artist and cartoonist. Paul developed his skill and love for the arts through various courses and studies throughout high school and a year of college. At 20, Paul’s religious faith spurred him to move to New York to volunteer at a facility that printed Bibles and Bible literature. Eight years later, Paul met his future wife, Jessica, in Providence, RI. They married and settled in Taunton, MA, where he began various construction jobs.

Watching his father labor in a sawmill despite so much talent, and remembering the saying “find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life,” often caused Paul to wonder what he could do to provide for his family and still enjoy his vocation. Working for a paint contractor exposed him to the possibilities of what could be done with paints and glazes. Paul began to notice decorative painting, including marbleizing, wood graining and murals. He began reading and practicing his own finishes with some success. Finally, at his wife’s urging, they began their business, Final Touch Painting, in the winter of 2002.

With a trunk weighted down with sample boards (3/8” sheetrock; he hadn’t yet discovered polystyrene), Paul sold his first major decorative finish job ‒ a bridal store that was expanding to include a salon and spa, where Tuscan-inspired, old world wall finishes were desired. All were thrilled with the end result. Emboldened by this effort, Paul wanted to expand his portfolio. Searching the internet to find further instruction, he attended the Designer Walls One class at The Finishing School in Long Island, NY, taught by Bob Marx. “This truly opened my eyes to the endless creative possibilities by using Faux Effects®products,” Paul explains. Now with a legitimate and lighter portfolio, Paul’s business took off. Since then, he has broadened his skills by taking more classes at The Finishing School, including a mural class from Sean Crosby and Pascal Amblard.

At a booth at a home show in Providence, RI, Paul met with the clients for the featured Barrington RI, residential project. The owners of the 6,600 square-foot home wanted to incorporate the style of Napa Valley in California, a region where they formerly resided. They chose decorative finishes for eight areas of the home, including a two-tone Lusterstone® harlequin pattern for a barrel-truss foyer ceiling, and a faux copper range hood for an indoor grilling area.

Although the business has grown, Paul hasn’t strayed away from his humble roots. Final Touch Painting provides clients with a full-service paint company, including prep work, base coats, and yes, even caulking windows.

A Deft Touch

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Jenna Pelletier – Special to the Herald News
September 15, 2007.

Painter’s decorative work transparently transforms painting: Designer leaves no clues behind.

Paul Schroeder’s motto: Life’s too short for white walls.

Schroeder, who owns Taunton-based Final Touch Painting, is an interior painter who specializes in decorative painting and murals.  He says just painting a wall or two can completely change the feel of a room.

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“People can spend two thousand dollars on a chair or a couch but spending less to add color to walls provides a backdrop and makes so much more of an impact,” Schroeder said.

One of his most popular services is faux finish, a growing trend in home decoration.  Using paint layering and various tool, Schroeder creates walls that look like materials such as marble, stone, wood, granite, leather and brick.

Paul Schroeder, of Final Touch Painting examines a sky mural he painted on the ceiling of a room with an indoor pool in South Dartmouth.  Schroeder specializes in decorative painting, including faux finishes and touches that can liven up a room or, in the case of the pool room above, open a room up.

Not only is faux finish generally less expensive than the substance it mimics, but it looks better and is easier to change than wallpaper.

"It’s got benefits over wall paper because there are no seams or corners that come up," Schroeder said, "And its just paint, so it can be changed, it's a lot harder to tear down wallpaper and repair walls."

Schroeder and his team work closely with the homeowner or interior designer to create the right look. He often calls his wife, Jessica, who has an eye for design, to help with color consultation.

"Right now I’m working on a project where the clients just gave me a color on a pillow, and from that we’re creating a custom color for two accent walls in the master bedroom," Schroeder said,

Don't confuse his technique with the DIY wall sponging trend, Schroeder said, adding that sponging more often distracts than adds to a room,

"I don't want anybody to look at a wall that I've done and tell how it was done," he said,

Clients often ask him to mimic looks from magazines. A photograph torn from a magazine is what Herb and Irma Mershon started with when they called him to tackle the kitchen they were renovating In their Cumberland, R.I., condo.

Even though they wanted a fresh look, the Mershons decided to keep the top-quality cabinets they already had, Schroeder painted the cabinets to match the photo they showed him, which, along with painting the kitchen and pantry walls, helped trans form the kitchen.

“We feel like we have a new house," said Irma Mershon, “Just doing your kitchen over makes the whole house feel more beautiful, and we plan to have him back to do our living room, too.” Schroeder kind of stumbled into this business, He had been working off and on as a general painter for a big company, but was unfulfilled by the work. After taking a few classes in interior painting, he realized he had the talent for more artistic work. Five years ago, he found them was a growing market for his skills, and all it took was a little push from his wife to create the business.

“I inherited a lot of my artistic ability from my father, but he didn't use it for work like he could have," Schroeder said, "I wanted to do something I enjoyed for work,"

But Schroeder's background as a straight painter still comes in handy. He’s able to do all the prep work necessary to prepare the walls, like filling cracks and applying base coats, before he delves into the more creative work.

“That’s part of what separates us," Schroeder said, “We’re not only artists, so people don’t have to hire a contractor to do that work first."

His favorite projects are murals, which show off his artistic ability the most. Schroeder has transformed a finished basement into a Celtics court, a baby girl’s room into an enchanted forest and a boys room Into the deep sea (with even a caricature of the boy as a scuba diver painted onto the wall). Other projects, such as a mural of a cherub, hearken back to Italian Renaissance paintings.

At a South Dartmouth home, Schroeder recently blended the outside and inside by painting a mural of a sky on the ceiling of a room with an indoor pool. This lifted up the space, making the ceiling appear higher. In the same room, the ceiling’s metal beams were transformed into wood beams.

In addition to residential jobs, Final Touch does commercial work. It can be seen in many area businesses, including several Sherwin-Williams stores (where he also sometimes does faux finish demonstrations), Stoneforge restaurant in Raynham, Desert Sun Tanning in New Bedford and New York Lace bridal salon in Taunton

"Final Touch Painting Has the Right Touch"

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By Dick Sherman

CORRESPONDENT, The Call Newspapers
Taunton Call, Jan 31, 2007.

You know you're visiting an extraordinary home when you glance at the ceiling of its "grand room" and see artwork that evokes images of the Sistine Chapel.

This spectacular dwelling, located at 71 Francis St. in Rehoboth, is the home of Mansfield Atty. and Mrs. Clifford Hochman. The ceiling image is the work of Paul Schroeder, owner of Final Touch Painting in Taunton, which specializes in interior decorative painting, including faux finishes, marbleizing, wood graining, murals, and the like.

The "grand room" artwork in the Hochman home, Schroeder explained, is a reproduction of an old master's painting on canvas. Working from a 12-foot scaffold, Schroeder added the blue sky and fleecy clouds that cradle the painting's cherubic central images.

While that's the signature work of the 36-year-old artist, his talent is evident elsewhere in the Hochmans' 11-room Georgian colonial mansion. The walls of the dining room, for example, are finished in rich, metallic burgundy, and the ceilings in the den - once cloaked in an "overpowering" shade of white - is now softened by a mantle of earth-toned green/ beige.

The Hochmans discovered Schroeder two years ago at a home show in Boston, where the artist was manning a booth.

"He had a beautiful display," Terry Hochman recalled. "I knew that was what I wanted for our grand room."

That primary image soon morphed into additional work at the Hochman home, where. Ms. Hochman disclosed, Schroeder's company will eventually apply his talents to an upstairs hallway, bathrooms, and a new guest room.

Schroeder's work is hardly limited to residential decoration. In the five years since he launched his business in Taunton, he has applied specialty finishes at a number of business establishments, including the New York Lace Store in Taunton, the StoneForge Tavern and Publick House in Raynham, an Ethan Allen furniture store in Swansea, and a number of Sherwin Williams paint stores in the region.

He has also handled some unconventional projects, such as a current job in Raynham, where a sports-loving client wants to decorate his basement with iconic symbols from the Boston sports scene - a replica of Fenway Park's Green Monster on a wall and Bruins and Celtics logos on the floor.

Other projects on the Schroeder resume include a room in Naples, Fla., featuring a sky-on-canvas with tropical trees; and an indoor swimming pool in South Dartmouth.

Not all of his work is that exotic, Schroeder said.

"My company does straight painting as well," he pointed out

Understandably, the specialty work can be pricey. Schroeder observed, for example, that the additives in certain paint products can boost the cost to as much as $100 per gallon.

Final Touch currently employs five painters, not counting Schroeder's wife, Jessica, a hair colorist by profession who, her husband said, brings "an excellent eye for color" to the Final Touch operation.

The whole Schroeder family, in fact, has a stake in the business, directly or otherwise. Schroeder credits his artist father for his early inspiration, and daughter Savanah's room is enlivened by some of her dad's artwork.

The young artist is currently preparing for a planned appear- on Boston television in a project celebrating a New England “Dream Home.” When that happens, Cliff and Terry Hochman will surely be among the most avid viewers.

After all, said Terry Hochman, “I like things that are unique.”

On that count, Paul Schroeder has certainly delivered the goods.

"Interior painter: Life’s too short for white walls"

BY JENNA PELLETIER
GateHouse News Service
The Patriot Ledger, Sept 29, 2007.

Paul Schroeder’s motto: Life’s too short for white walls. Schroeder, who owns Taunton-based Final Touch Painting, is an interior painter who specializes in decorative painting and murals. He says just painting a wall or two can completely change the feel of a room.

‘‘People can spend $2,000 on a chair or a couch, but spending less to add color to walls provides a backdrop and makes so much more of an impact,’’ Schroeder said.

One of his most popular services is faux finish, a growing trend in home decoration. Using paint layering and various tools, Schroeder creates walls that that look like materials such as marble, stone, wood, granite, leather and brick.

Not only is faux finish generally less expensive than the substance it mimics, but it looks better and is easier to change than wallpaper.

‘‘It’s got benefits over wallpaper because there are no seams or corners that come up,’’ Schroeder said. ‘‘And it’s just paint, so it can be changed. It’s a lot harder to tear down wallpaper and repair walls.’’

Schroeder and his team work closely with the homeowner or interior designer to create the right look. He often calls his wife, Jessica, who has an eye for design, to help with color consultation.

‘‘Right now I’m working on a project where the clients just gave me a color on a pillow, and from that we’re creating a custom color for two accent walls in the master bedroom,’’ Schroeder said.

Don’t confuse his technique with the do-it-yourself wall sponging trend, Schroeder said, adding that sponging more often distracts than adds to a room.

‘‘I don’t want anybody to look at a wall that I’ve done and tell how it was done,’’ he said.

Clients often ask him to mimic looks from magazines. A photograph torn from a magazine is what Herb and Irma Mershon started with when they called him in to tackle the kitchen they were renovating in their Cumberland, R.I., condo.

Even though they wanted a fresh look, the Mershons decided to keep the top-quality cabinets they already had. Schroeder painted the cabinets to match the photo they showed him, which, along with painting the kitchen and pantry walls, helped transform the kitchen.

‘‘We feel like we have a new house,’’ said Irma Mershon. ‘‘Just doing your kitchen over makes the whole house feel more beautiful, and we plan to have him back to do our living room, too.’’

Schroeder kind of stumbled into this business. He had been working, off and on, as a general painter for a big company but was unfulfilled by the work. After taking a few classes in interior painting, he realized he had the talent for more artistic work. Five years ago, he found there was a growing market for his skills, and all it took was a little push from his wife to create the business.

‘‘I inherited a lot of my artistic ability from my father, but he didn’t use it for work like he could have,’’ Schroeder said. ‘‘I wanted to do something I enjoyed for work.’’

But Schroeder’s background as a straight painter still comes in handy. He’s able to do all the work necessary to prepare the walls, like filling cracks and applying base coats, before he delves into the more creative work.

‘‘That’s part of what separates us,’’ Schroeder said. ‘‘We’re not only artists, so people don’t have to hire a contractor to do that work first.’’

His favorite projects are murals, which show off his artistic ability the most. Schroeder has transformed a finished basement into a Celtics court, a baby girl’s room into an enchanted forest and a boy’s room into the deep sea (with even a caricature of the boy as a scuba diver painted onto the wall). Other projects, such as a mural of a cherub, hearken back to Italian Renaissance paintings.

At a South Dartmouth home, Schroeder recently blended the outside and inside by painting a mural of the sky on an indoor pool room ceiling. This made the ceiling appear higher. In the same room, the ceiling’s metal beams were transformed into wood beams.

Final Touch also does commercial work. It can be seen in many area businesses, including several Sherwin-Williams stores (where he also sometimes does faux finish demonstrations), Stoneforge restaurant in Raynham, Desert Sun Tanning in New Bedford and New York Lace bridal salon in Taunton.

© Final Touch Painting 2018