I'm in a bit of a pickle with a painter my mother-in-law recommended. She even covered part of the cost for a $2750 job to paint the ceilings, trim, and walls in four bedrooms, the living room, kitchen, dining room, and two hallways. We're now on day two, and it feels like a complete disaster.
The painter hasn't been properly covering the floors, even though we've told him to be careful since we just refinished our hardwood. There are paint specks everywhere! I've had to use towels to cover the floor more than he does. Plus, on the first day, I noticed paint dripping from a ceiling vent. He's also painted over some vents but missed others entirely. The walls have drips because he's applying too much paint, and although he asked us to buy Frog tape and plastic sheeting, he barely uses them. Our kitchen cabinets, which were supposed to stay clean, now have paint specks and he even got some on the edges due to his careless painting.
There are paint marks on light fixtures and smoke detectors too, and when I pointed that out, he said, 'Just wipe it off with soap and water.' He hasn't cleaned up any of his messes aside from one shoe print on the kitchen floor. He also patched some holes, but the patches are bulging or still caved in.
With everything moved around already, this chaotic painting job is really stressing me out. My mother-in-law insists that even good painters leave some mess, and suggested that we should cover things ourselves, which just doesn't sit right with me since we're paying him for a professional job. My husband has tried talking to the painter, but no changes have happened. Any advice on what to do next?
4 Answers
Stop paying him and don’t let him continue any further. You can try scraping the paint off yourself very carefully with razor blades. This could help reclaim your floors a bit. Just be careful if you do!
It's unfortunate, but messy jobs can happen, and sometimes painters aren’t the best at cleanup. Make sure to set your expectations firmly every day with him. At the very least, do a walkthrough before paying him. If it’s this chaotic now, it’s probably worth discussing stopping further work until he gets these issues sorted. You’re paying for a service, after all!
Yeah, if he can't even clean up properly after each phase, that's a red flag. I’d definitely be worried about the final results!
Honestly, it sounds like you're dealing with a pretty sloppy job! I wouldn't let the painter continue until he addresses all these issues. You deserve a job that meets your expectations, especially for that price! Communicate your concerns clearly, and if it doesn't improve, it might be worth stopping the project entirely. It's better to halt the work now rather than regret it later.
If it's really that bad, I’d consider paying him to just stop and leave. This is not what you signed up for, and you should be able to expect better quality work for your investment. You might have to take matters into your own hands if he can't get it right!
It sounds like it might be worse than I thought... ?