Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of South Charlotte.
Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Ep # 149 A Charlotte Painter Redefines The Trade
Ready for a contractor who shows up on time, keeps a clean site, and treats your home like a heirloom instead of a canvas for chaos? Meet Charlotte native Zach Bowen, the owner of Fine Finishes Custom Painting, whose path from drummer and retail pro to meticulous painting contractor reveals how service, craft, and character can rebuild a trade’s reputation from the ground up.
We explore the roots of his standards—long days learning alongside his firefighter stepfather—and how that early training shaped a company obsessed with prep, communication, and predictable outcomes. Zach explains why “custom” isn’t a buzzword: it’s the discipline that spans residential interiors and exteriors, cabinet refinishing, staining, pressure washing, popcorn ceiling removal, furniture restoration, and even one-off projects like commercial props. Yes, there’s a giant Chiquita banana story, and an oversized recycling can build that tested technique and timing in equal measure.
The standout segment centers on the Mint Hill Historic Village, where Zach balanced preservation with protection. He walks through the hard choices behind historic restoration painting: saving wood where possible, selecting period-appropriate colors and sheens, and delivering a finish that looks authentic without sacrificing durability. We also get practical about choosing the right painter, from red flags to watch for to why fit matters more than the lowest bid. Zach shares the neighborhoods where his team works best, his approach to training and vetting crews, and how he collaborates with a top-tier decorative painter for murals and specialty finishes to ensure clients get the exact skill set their project needs.
If you’ve been burned by missed appointments or messy work, this conversation will recalibrate your expectations. You’ll leave with a sharper eye for quality, a checklist for vetting pros, and a better sense of how thoughtful paint choices can protect, beautify, and even preserve history. If the episode resonated, subscribe, share it with a neighbor planning a project, and leave a quick review so more locals can find trusted help.
Fine Finishes Custom Painting
Zach Bowen
518 Boyce Rd Charlotte, NC 28211
(980) 291-7510
info@finefinishescustompainting.com
finefinishescustompainting.com
Is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together? Here's your host, Regina League.
Regina League:Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. My name is Regina, and I'm the owner of South Charlotte Media Group here in the Charlotte area. And one of my favorite things to do is speak with local business owners. And today I have Zach Bowen, owner of Fine Finishes Custom Painting. Welcome, Zach.
Zach Bowen:Hi, thank you for having me. Appreciate it. Thank you. Glad to be here.
Regina League:Absolutely. Uh you're a Charlotte native, and that means you are a unicorn. You know that though, don't you?
Zach Bowen:Absolutely. That's right. I'm the last of a dying breed for sure.
Regina League:That is true. I come across some unicorns with this job, so I I absolutely love it. So tell us a little bit about your business, find finishes, custom painting, and how you started it and you and your journey.
Zach Bowen:Okay, I'll try to keep this short. So my stepfather was a firefighter uh in the Charlotte area and a painter on his off days, like a lot of firefighters. They work kind of weird days, some off you know, some more often than on during the week. Either way, on those days off, a lot of them have like landscaping businesses and things like that that they can do on the side. This was back in the early 80s, right? So, anyway, um, I would paint with my stepfather during this during the uh the summer times or whenever I was not in school, holidays and such. And it was his way of teaching me how to do something, how to make money, uh, learn the value of a dollar, and also keep an eye on me, too, look just like any parent would want to do. So that's how we got into that. Um, I played sports and I was uh into music and still am. I'm a very accomplished uh drummer in the Charlotte area and have been for nearly 40 years now. So I did that for the most part of my the first half of my life, uh, and did a lot of retail work too. Um, so all these things that I've done in the past, uh sales experience, you know, they've have prepared me to run my own painting business. And it's really, if you believe in the universe and especially our Lord and Jesus Christ, uh our Savior, God has had a plan for me, and I see how it's all working out now. And glory to glory to to God and and Jesus, absolutely, because without this, this path would not have taken place like this. So, um, so that's how we got into fine finishes. Um, I of course I like I said, I painted for my stepdad and I painted for a few other guys uh that were kind of like mutual friends, people that were in the music business, uh, either knew of painter crews that needed painters, things like that. Um wasn't crazy about that type of work. I like stability and I like to know things, and that that was just not stable for me. So I got tired of being tired about all the bad things about being in the painting business. You know, let's just go ahead and talk about the elephant in the room. Painters of all the in-homes trades or whatever um services, we all know that painters have horrible reputations, they're drunks, uh drug addicts, whatever, they're just not dependable people. They don't, you know, they're not very their appearance is usually not that great. Let's just go ahead and address that. So, this is the reason why I started my business. I wanted to go against every bit of that and prove people that no, when you hire me and my company, you're going to get nice up people that look nice, that look bathed, they have manners, they're gonna show up on time, we're gonna do good work, you're gonna want to call us back, and we're gonna want to be your payments for life. So that's where I came from on all this, you know. So if that kind of tells you where I'm at with that, I did purposely start this business to make all these other guys that have been in it the wrong way for years to make them look worse than they already are. So I hate to be that way about it, but yeah, I purposely started this business because of that, you know.
Regina League:So yeah, I I love the name, and I'm just curious, you know, that you didn't call it Zach's painting, you call it fine finishes custom painting. So, what what does that mean, and what does it mean to you?
Zach Bowen:Absolutely. Um, well, you know, it was kind of a prerequisite of sorts. We uh when I started the painting business, I started with a with a person that was uh uh sort of a mentor to me, and they ended up moving pretty quickly once we started the business, right? So so um so it was just fine finishes before, right? Fine finishes painting, and I knew that I wanted to be a little more of that, not just residential, but more some of the commercial stuff, too. And also, I just didn't want to have any limitations. I want to be able to paint whatever somebody called me, want me to paint inside their barn purple, then that's what I would do, right? So, so I I kind of had that was kind of the mindset for that. So being that that's stuck, um, we not only do residential, exterior and interior painting, staining, pressure washing, uh, deck staining, the whole anything that you can think of around the house, right? Uh, garage painting, pop popcorn, ceiling, texture removal, which we don't really like too much. Um, you know, all that kind of stuff that goes into that. Then I started refinishing furniture and been doing that. Only person that does that now. I don't have a team that does that. I do those things personally for my business. Um, there are not a lot of people in town that do that. I think I'm one of three that are even that you can even find on the internet that do it or say that they do it. Um I paint our company vehicles. I have two of my vehicles that I that I've painted. Um, now I don't do that for money. That that part, yeah. I do that to keep our vehicles looking good. So I paint whatever. I've done some some movie sets, some props for some movie sets. I painted a huge banana one time for for uh Chiquita banana, right? Um, and the guy they so I painted it yellow, and the guy came in and did the airbrush, you know.
Regina League:Like yeah, that was amazing.
Zach Bowen:Um, so I've so we do we do whatever that's where the custom part comes in.
Regina League:Yeah, what's the most unique thing you've painted? Is it the banana?
Zach Bowen:Uh that's one that's one of them. Absolutely. Uh the other thing that I did in that same setting uh was it was uh a huge rollout trash can, like the one of the big guard the plastic garbage cans you have. You have a recycling uh can and then the regular trash can. Um, we there was a commercial that was for the recycling uh department of the Charlotte area, and so for whatever reason the trash can had to be like four or five times as big as the regular ones, right? So we they made this huge thing and I had to paint it, right? Like, so that was weird. It was like ever see that movie in the 80s called uh Honey I Blew Up the Kids, or yeah, with Rick Moranis, I believe it was the father. It was like Honey I Blew Up the Trash Can, you know. Yeah, it was very, very, very weird. Anyway, so we did that. Um, but you asked me, well, the most unique thing that I've that I've ever been a part of was very recently this past July of 2025. Um, I'm I live very close to Mint Hill, North Carolina, which is you know just on the other side of Matthews in between Concord. And uh there is a historic village that's tucked away in uptown Mint Hill, if you want to say uptown, so downtown, whatever. It's kind of small, don't call it downtown downtown. So uh, but there's a historic village that's that's tucked away back there. And what it was real quick, uh it's been there for a while, like it's been there for I think 30 or 40 years, uh, you know, better part of my life, and then so when they created 485, the belt loop that goes around Charlotte, uh, to complete that, they had to run through some things and move some buildings and things like that. So a couple of those buildings that were there that are there now were placed there in the past 10 or 20 years because of the they had to be relocated because they couldn't just run through these things, and plus they were historical, the state would not allow, right? They had to be moved. So they put them over here in this little area. There's a cool that's a there's a schoolhouse, it's in mint condition, like from the 19 whatever, like before there was chalk boards, like the means, you know. I mean, there either way, there's a schoolhouse, there's a doctor's office, all this stuff is almost a hundred years old, you know what I mean? Like even the doctor's equipment, this little stirrups and things, yeah. Uh, so there's a country store, very cool. There's like these all kinds of old gas station, uh, you know, um, metal plaques and things with sunaco on them, and you know, different things like that, uh, cheer wine, and you know, things like that. A little country store, very nostalgic. Yeah, so it's very, very much so. Uh, so there's three or four main buildings like that, and the other ones are smaller, more uh featured things. So it's called the Mint Hill Prehistor uh Mint Hill Historic Village. Um, and uh you can take tours of these things, like they have all kinds of uh tours that come through, they take kids on on field trips and things like that. But um, that was a pretty interesting project to be a painter because they're hiring me to to paint these things now. They're they're supposed to look old, right? Like, so you see my point, like freshening them up, right, and taking care of wood rotting and get rid of put some new boards on and make it all aesthetically look fresh without taking away that that old classic look, right? Like that was very challenging, but you know what? We did it perfectly, and I gotta say, I am still amazed to this day there was not one uh hang-up or anything we got hemmed up on on that job. So well, I can tell you're very proud of that. I'm very proud of that, and I'm proud that they asked me to be because that's not just anybody was going to get that job, you know.
Regina League:Yeah, so you know, you mentioned there are painters all over. What are some of the misconceptions you see with your industry?
Zach Bowen:Uh what I mentioned in the beginning about how painters are perceived to be certain stereotype or however you want to say that, right?
Regina League:Yeah. So you've you've taken it up many notches.
Zach Bowen:Yeah, and but it it's true though. I mean, you know, there was a time where I mean, probably even the 80s or 90s were probably the worst where where the painters look the worst that they've ever looked. I know because that's when I was starting it, right? Like uh, but so I guess kind of the thing about this is the bad ones make the good ones look bad too, you know what I mean? Like it's really it's it make it's pretty hard to get away from that that um preconceived notion that people have for painters, I believe. But I think in the past, I think in the past 10 or 15 years, I see a lot more very uh much more having their things together, kind of you know, appearance, running it as a company, yeah. Everything is looks looks way more in tune and and people actually putting forth some effort, it's not just your local guy coming and slapping some paint on your wall, you know what I mean. So I I've seen the the the the turn of that, and I'm probably glad to be a part of that myself, but that that's that's on the upswing, you know.
Regina League:Yeah, so when it comes to what the areas you will go to, you said you live in Mint Hill, how far south and west do you serve Lake Norman, Rock Hill?
Zach Bowen:Ah, very good question. Um, don't have a lot of success past like uh what's that called Steel Creek, uh the Carolyn's area?
Regina League:The 485.
Zach Bowen:Yeah, now there's a particular area that I have some very good customers in. It's the uh it's right there before the bus avoid bridge, and right before you get into uh um River Hills, yeah, yes, and then the Palisades.
Regina League:And the Palisades, yeah.
Zach Bowen:Palisades, that's what I was looking for. Yeah, I've got a good little base of clientele in the in the Palisades, and uh, you know, those those are my those are my my my targeted clientele, really, to be honest with you. Um, you know, um I want to paint for anybody who needs my services, um, but I am not the most expensive guy, you know, on the on the block, nor nor am I the cheapest either. You know, I try very competitive pricing, but I like to paint for people that they're not gonna barter with me over $300, $500 at the end of a job, or you know, let me be careful on what I say. I just want to make sure that not every I'm not for everybody. I'm not for everybody. I do very good, detailed custom painting work, right? So so the the people that paint with me and the paint for me and my teams, they're vetted and they're trained by me pretty pretty intensely too to to the way that I want them to paint. So yeah, there's a particular um clientele that I'm looking to hire looking to hire me and to become their painter. Absolutely. Can you do murals? I do not personally, but I have access to one of the most I would say top three um decorative painters in the Charlotte area, and I've worked with her for many years.
Regina League:Uh that's wonderful.
Zach Bowen:There's things I've calling her for many different things. Uh, and she's she's booked a couple months ahead of time. But if we get in get in with her at the right time, we can get you know some some pretty high-end decorative painting done.
Regina League:That's wonderful. So tell our listeners how to find you. Phone number. I mean, how do you prefer text, phone?
Zach Bowen:Yes. Um, so my personal cell phone number is 704-575-0454. And you can reach me there anytime. That's my cell phone. You can text or call. I have a separate number that I have an AI-assisted bot that takes care of things. Obviously, for guys like me, we're on the ladder or we have pain on our hands or something like that. So I have that number. I don't think that's necessary to give out here. That's for people that find me generically on on Google and on the internet, things like that. That's for those folks that it just stumbled upon me online. Yeah, and just your listeners here. I want them to contact me personally, and I would like to, you know, start off on a more personalized relationship with them. So, again, that number 704-5750454.
Regina League:And it's Zach Bowen, fine finishes custom painting.
Zach Bowen:That's right. What about the website, right? So we go, yeah, it's fine finishes custom painting.com. Perfect.
Regina League:That has been a pleasure. I'd love to see you described the Mint Hill Historic Village beautifully, so might have to be a stop. Thank you for joining us today.
Zach Bowen:Absolutely. Thank you, Regina. Thank you for to your listeners too. Thank you so much.
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