by HJ HOLTZ | May 13, 2026 | Client Work, Commercial Painting
Every project is important to H.J. Holtz & Son team members. But some touch the soul more than others. That was the case for Holtz craftspeople participating in the creation of a new chapel on the campus of Saint Gertrude High School in Goochland County.
“A lot of folks who work here are faithful people, and we take working in a church very seriously,” says Kelly Kutchey, Holtz production manager. “A project like this definitely adds a little weight to the work.”
Saint Gertrude relocated from its original home in the city of Richmond to its current campus in 2023. After a period of fundraising, the school turned to finishing its worship space in 2025. Named the Sullivan Chapel in honor of donors, the focal point of the space is the high altar, where hand-applied gold leaf provides a glowing backdrop for the school’s original wood crucifix and flanking angels.
Holtz team members painstakingly applied each piece of 23.5-karat gold leaf in the chapel – covering the front sanctuary wall and edging arches and wall elements. Gold leaf was also applied to the alcoves holding statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.
Kutchey says the project required 4,228 linear feet of gold leaf, each piece 4.25” wide. Laid side by side, that quantity of gold leaf would span the length of 14 football fields. “[Applying] that amount of gold leafing is not something we do all the time,” he says.
Applying gold leaf is challenging, Kutchey says, because it is so delicate. But even before the work could begin, the Holtz team had to source the material. “We had to find a supplier who could provide the amount we needed,” he says.
The company found SeppLeaf Products in New York City and developed a relationship that went beyond a simple purchase. “Lauren Sepp was extremely helpful,” Kutchey says. “We had experience with gold leaf, but because of the size of the job, we had to train more people. Lauren helped with that.”
Part of the training included how to handle the leaf. “It’s incredibly thin,” Kutchey notes. “A cross breeze through the space would blow it to pieces. You have to handle it with tools, not bare fingers, because it’s so delicate and will tarnish just like solid gold.”
In addition to applying the gold leaf, H.J. Holtz & Son team members installed six murals, painted, and stained a door. The scope of the project meant that Holtz often had half a dozen workers in the space daily for months.
A fall 2025 article in a school magazine notes a goal of the chapel’s design was for it to be beautiful, to reflect the glory of God. That’s a goal that Holtz team members strive for every time, Kutchey says.
“We always try to make everything look beautiful, whether it’s running white trim or adding wallpaper,” he says. “We want crisp, straight lines – clean and beautiful. Whatever we do, we want it to look the best.”
by HJ HOLTZ | May 7, 2026 | Client Work, Residential Painting
When Matt and Meg purchased their first home last year, they loved the visual interest found on the first floor but felt let down by the more austere bedrooms, which didn’t have the same details and character. The couple turned to artificial intelligence to help them imagine something different and then enlisted H.J. Holtz & Son to bring their vision to life.
“We didn’t have an unlimited budget, but we really wanted to make the home ours,” Meg says.
Meg uploaded pictures of the home’s interior to an AI program and “played around” with ideas she and Matt contemplated, like carpentry features, paint color, light fixtures, and furniture placement. “We were able to make sure everything would fit and look the way we wanted,” she says. “What I came up with wasn’t perfect by any means, but it gave us a general sense [of the finished room]. The process was very affirming that what I envisioned would look okay.”
With a plan in mind, the couple found H.J. Holtz & Son – “probably via AI,” Meg laughs. “We looked for a highly rated local business that offers painting, wallpapering, and carpentry,” she says. “Holtz was one of the first that popped up. We liked that the company had been in business for a long time and can offer all those services at once.”
That’s just what happened. Holtz team members worked in the family’s three occupied bedrooms, reflecting the couple’s daughters’ personalities in their rooms and transforming the primary bedroom into a relaxing retreat.
“We wanted to make each of our children’s rooms feel safe and special,” Meg says. In one bedroom, the carpentry team added tongue-and groove wall panels with a scalloped edge chair rail. That room also features Benjamin Moore New Born’s Eyes paint and Green Planet x Jill Delavan wallpaper. The other daughter’s bedroom now includes picture molding, Laura Ashley wallpaper, and Benjamin Moore’s Strawberry Freeze paint. Crown molding finishes both rooms.
For the primary bedroom – the couple’s oasis – the Holtz team called in electrical partners to replace sconces and an overhead light, then added crown and picture molding before painting the room Benjamin Moore Hunter Green. “The primary bedroom is really tall,” Meg says. “The picture molding makes it feel less cavernous.”
In a final touch, the couple had Holtz paint the dining room Benjamin Moore Washington Blue and add a medallion around the ceiling light. The team also refinished the home’s double front doors.
Meg and Matt are delighted with the changes.
“We plan to be here for a long time,” she says. “We wanted high-quality workmanship from a business that could manage all of the things we wanted to be done. Their craftsmanship is amazing, and we loved that it’s all collated.”
by HJ HOLTZ | Apr 21, 2026 | Employees
For Gary Benton, life is about family. Family at home, and family at work.
Benton joined H.J. Holtz & Son in 2006 after his former employer wouldn’t allow him the time needed to care for a loved one who needed surgery. Years later, when Benton had an accident outside of work and had operations on both wrists, he was given the time he needed to recover. Now, at 68, Benton is making small adjustments to how he does his job, but it’s okay with management.
“It’s not like you’re working for somebody trying to use you to death,” he says. “If I need time off, for an appointment or something, it’s easy. They’re very understanding. Other companies are about production. They understand there’s living, too.”
Benton has always preferred exterior painting to indoor, noting that indoor jobs are complicated by décor and furniture. He still enjoys being outside, and his experience over the years with angles and difficult-to-reach spots is something he shares with team members. One change, however, is that he’s ready to cede the highest tasks to younger painters.
“Going up the 40-foot ladders is getting harder,” he laughs. “Medium heights are good, and I run around on the ground, but those tall ladders are something else.”
Benton is also more relaxed these days; he doesn’t feel pressure to work at breakneck speed. “I can take my time, pay more attention to what I’m doing,” he says.
Benton’s work family includes the half dozen foreman – all still with the company – who trained as painters under him. He anticipates his current partner will also soon make the leap, creating an opportunity for Benton to bring someone new along. “[My current partner] asked me recently if I thought he was ready. I said, ‘You’ve been ready; you just need to do it.’
“It will be a big change for me,” he adds, “but I can’t sit there and worry about something I don’t have control over.”
Yet Benton’s influence continues: His family welcomed grandson David earlier this year. The baby isn’t wielding a brush yet, but give it time.
Congratulations, Gary!
by HJ HOLTZ | Apr 9, 2026 | About Our Company
Spring’s arrival is heralded by blooming tulips, dogwoods, and other flowering plants. Another marker: Historic Garden Week, the annual April event sponsored by the Garden Club of Virginia.
H.J. Holtz & Son is proud to be a part of the 2026 tour in Richmond, with two client homes featured on Thursday, April 23.
In 513 Henri Road, the Holtz wallpaper team previously installed grasscloth behind bookshelves, for added impact. At 6004 York Road, to prepare the home for this year’s tour, Holtz decorative artists covered walls in Venetian plaster, installed fresh wallpaper on a ceiling, and painted trim and woodwork in the family room.
“We’re often called in by clients who want to freshen their spaces before [Historic Garden Week],” says company president Rick Holtz. “This is a big deal, and they want their homes to shine. We’re glad to help.”
Historic Garden Week gives ticket-holders access to spectacular homes and gardens typically only available to the owners’ family and friends. The tours showcase private spaces and also floral arrangements crafted and donated by Garden Club members from across the state.
The tour was initiated in 1929 as a way to raise money for historic Kenmore, the Fredericksburg home of Betty Washington Lewis, George Washington’s sister. Since then, the tour has been canceled only twice: once during World War II and in 2020, due to the COVID pandemic. Proceeds support the ongoing restoration and preservation of Virginia’s historic public gardens and landscapes across the state as well as a research fellowship program in landscape architecture.
Scheduled this year for April 18-25, Historic Garden Week encompasses 33 tours located in towns and counties, as well as specific properties, including Morven Farm – a research property operated by the University of Virginia – and Little Oak Spring, part of the Mellon estate in Upperville. Tour guides stationed at each property offer insights and information.
Richmond has three tours: South Gaskins Road on Tuesday, April 21; Church Hill, hosted by the Council of Historic Richmond, on Wednesday, April 22; and Westhampton on Thursday, April 23. Tickets are sold for morning or afternoon sessions.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit gcvirginia.org/historic-garden-week.
by HJ HOLTZ | Feb 17, 2026 | INTERIOR PAINTING
When Allan and his wife moved into their home several years ago, their designer connected them with H.J. Holtz & Son. The home, built in the 1940s, needed updating, so Holtz craftspeople helped with painting, wallpapering, installing drywall, and light carpentry. The team even converted a storage closet into a wet bar.
But it was time for a new project.
The couple knew the basement could be a great multiuse space for their girls, now 7 and 9, so they returned to their designer and the Holtz team to create an area that is flexible enough for different activities and can grow with their daughters.
“It’s great,” Allan says. “Holtz almost served as a general contractor by helping to manage other vendors and make sure everything was working well together. There was a lot of electrical and HVAC work, and they helped us manage that, too.”
The basement was originally open with drywall and unfinished flooring. Now, there are two rooms, one with couches, television, and fireplace; the other with a large table for art projects. The Holtz team framed the rooms, added insulation and new drywall, and replaced the ceiling. The team also worked with Cardinal Electric and Siewers Lumber and Millwork to fabricate three new windows that sit at the ceiling line.
Holtz carpenter Josh Hastings built a walnut mantel to go above the new gas insert fireplace in the TV room. In the art room, the team added built-in storage cabinets for art supplies, so there’s no loss of floor space. The project was painted in Benjamin Moore Seapearl, with Eggshell finish on the walls and Satin trim.
“It’s a clean white,” Allan says. “Overall, it’s a very cozy space.”
Allan says the family couldn’t be happier with the completed project. “I could tell the Holtz team really cared,” he says. “They really wanted to get it right; they were very communicative.”
