About Delta Painting & Prefinishing
Stephen DeMark, the founder of Delta Painting and Prefinishing, started out as a painter.
After attending Bates Technical College’s then-School of Painting and Decorating, he started Royal D Painting in downtown Tacoma in the 1970’s. Royal D was both a residential and commercial painting company. They did a lot of painting work at Fort Lewis and Trident Submarine Base, as well as many residential homes.
When Steve came up with the idea to focus on the finishing aspect of the painting process, he created a second company within Royal D Painting called Delta Miralac. While Royal D took care of exterior painting, Delta Miralac focused on the interior. Work for Delta Miralac was a lot of doors, cabinets, and millwork – just like Delta Painting and Prefinishing does today.
In 1978, tragedy struck the downtown Tacoma building one morning when a five-alarm fire engulfed the business, destroying client jobs in progress, as well as all of the paint and lacquer supplies. Steve was an avid car enthusiast and actually had a Corvette stored in the building as well! Miraculously, the fiberglass-bodied classic car survived – saved by a common wall.
Steve DeMark was not going to let the fire destroy his business.
He was on the search for a new building. About a year later, Steve found the building in Lakewood where Delta Painting and Prefinishing still resides: 4025 100th St SW, Lakewood, WA 98499. Mr. DeMark was a resilient and stand-up man. Even after being sued over the fire, instead of filing for bankruptcy he chose to pay back all of his customers for their lost and damaged property. The business had a fresh start in a new building, and a new name – Delta Painting and Prefinishing.
Why is it called “Prefinishing?” you may wonder.
Rightfully so; the name should simply say ‘Finishing’ according to the English dictionary. However, the ‘Pre’ came about because of the preliminary nature of the work being done. Instead of being a painting company in general, like Royal D, the business became more of a new phase of Delta Miralac – focusing on all of the preparation that goes into wood products before they are painted and become the final product.
Building contractors used to need a ‘finish shop’ to do the work that Delta Painting does before painting, but we do it all here, in house. Yes, we paint cabinets and doors here, lots of them. Much of the work is brought to us by contractors, lumber yards, etc. We work with a few local businesses so regularly that we consider them partners. Grey Lumber, Fircrest Door, Capital Lumber, Erichsen Cabinets, and Commercial Hardware are a few we highly recommend working with.
The big building boom in the 1990’s secured Delta’s position as Painter and Prefinisher. Things have changed over time, as they always do. Businesses that last are like Delta, who adapt and innovate along the way. Steve, his son Troy (currently Vice President of Operations at Rudd Company, Inc), and Jay – a dedicated longtime employee and technician – even created their own interior lacquer. Before some building upgrades, the spray room was heated by propane and traditional lacquer wouldn’t dry, so they came up with their own formula. It’s a satin finish that dries faster, still used on almost all interior jobs.
Delta remains one of the top finishers in the state
Even with the rise of large-scale industrial painters that paint pallets of doors assembly-line style. Why? Because you can’t mass-produce the quality craftsmanship it takes to apply higher-quality finishes like stains, and custom work. The talented team here sticks to Steve’s way of doing things – quality being #1 and getting it right the first time. He would not send out a product that he wouldn’t have in his own home.
Sadly, and suddenly, Stephen DeMark passed away on January 2nd, 2017. The team was preparing to go back to work after the New Year holiday weekend. Eric DeMark, Steve’s son, had to deliver the news to them that their leader was gone. Knowing that they were concerned about their livelihood, Eric promised he would do everything to make sure they kept their jobs. He left his job in sales of hardwood floors to take over in his father’s stead and run Delta Painting.
Focused 100% on Delta Painting & Prefinishing, Eric tied up the loose ends, refined the team, and improved the building. The business continues to thrive. Work is steady, with the shop having a quick turnaround time of about 2 weeks at most.
Steve would always say “do you want it done right? Or do you want it done right now?” Since we are the final step – just like painting a car – we don’t rush the process.
Eric knows that he’s only as good as his finishers and strives to create a positive work environment for them. Painting is one thing, but finding someone with experience and talent applying stain and lacquer is another. The team has to be able to match colors and be consistent. Stain and lacquer are much less forgiving than paint and require top-notch skills. Lately the trends have gone more towards stain and clear finishes to bring out the beauty of wood like cedar and knotty alder. Of course, if a customer brings in a sample, Delta can do a custom paint match working with local suppliers like Miller Paint, Rudd, Rodda, and Sherwin Williams.
These days you’ll find Eric in the Delta office with his trusted black lab, Luna, keeping the guys in line. She’ll come greet you with a friendly wagging tail and one of her toys to play with, unless it’s snack time and she has a bone. Come pay us a visit if you have any questions about a project or want to see the work we are doing. We look forward to working with you!