Interior Painting Basics + Winter Savings!

Winter is almost upon us, making it the perfect season to update the interior of your Main Line home. And starting Thanksgiving, we are offering 10% off all interior painting projects completed by January 31, 2024!* 

With more than 30 years in this business, you would think we’ve seen everything that can happen on a paint job . . . but we are still surprised ourselves!  We know that our customers don’t like surprises – but we also know that they don’t want ten page contracts and/or a whole hour session on what could happen on their job.

For customers that want to be better prepared and want to think through different scenarios, this list of interior painting basics is for you!

INTERIOR PAINTING BASICS

PREPARING ROOMS:  Before we arrive the first day, please whatever rooms we are painting by doing the following:

• Remove all pictures and paintings (leave nails if you plan to re-hang pictures in the same spot)
• Remove unwanted nails so the holes can be filled
• Remove all small and fragile objects (tables, shelves and floors should be empty)
• Clean out all closets/cabinets/etc. that we are painting, and remove all window treatments. We are happy to do this work for you if you like at our hourly rate of $44/hr.

PAYMENT: We occasionally ask for partial payments based on progress and final payment is due the day your job is complete.  Please have a check ready for your foreman to collect when they finish the job. If you would prefer to pay by credit card please call our credit card hotline 484-380-5612.

CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS: There is a 2% surcharge to all credit card transactions to partly cover the costs. You can always pay by check.

WINDOW TREATMENTS / SWITCHPLATES:  Let your crew leader know if you are planning to rehang the window treatments, or if you are replacing them. This way they know to leave the brackets, or if they should remove and spackle behind them. Let your crew leader know if you are keeping the switch plates, or replacing them.

PETS: Please be sure that your pets do not have access to the rooms that we are painting. It is very easy to bump into a recently painted wall or kick up dust and ruin several hours of trim painting.

CLEAN-UP: We will do a surface clean-up each day, and a full clean-up upon completion of the job. Be aware that to do the aggressive spackling and sanding job that we prefer, we will create a fair amount of dust. We will get most of this up before we leave, but you should still plan to have a cleaning service come through your house after we have finished your job.

SCHEDULING:
Reminder we rarely commit to “hard starts;” rather, we focus on letting you know which week we will be starting – and your crew leader will work out the details with you as they know how their current jobs are progressing. You can contact your crew leader directly from OUR TEAM page.

PAINT:
We typically do not arrive with the tinted paint the first day – even if you’ve chosen your colors prior. We like to confirm with you the color, sheen etc. before making the final purchase.

CHANGING YOUR MIND ON COLORS ONCE WE START:
If you change your mind on colors we will need to charge you for the additional paint we need to purchase and any time spent repainting the areas that were already painted.

COLOR SAMPLES:
We are happy to purchase and apply samples for your project. Beyond the complimentary samples, we do charge $45 per sample.
Projects under $2000:  up to 2 complimentary samples
Projects $2,100 – $10,000: up to 5 samples
Projects over $10,000: up to 7 samples

ACCENT WALLS:
If you want more than one color on the walls, you will need to pay for accent walls (typically $75/wall).

HOW LONG WILL YOU BE OUT OF A ROOM WE ARE PAINTING:
Depending on the size of the room, it will take between one and three days. We may be able to make arrangements for you to use the room in the meantime (say to sleep in the bed at night), but it is best to prepare to not have access for several days.

CHANGING COLOR ON TRIM:
If you change the trim color from its current color even slightly, expect that a second coat will be necessarily and there will be a charge for that (most often outlined on the proposal)

WALLPAPER STRIPPING:
Wallpaper stripping is a bit unpredictable –  our assumption is that it may be hard to remove, but not near-impossible – 95% of the time we are correct. Occasionally it is MUCH harder to get off. In this instance would discuss options including charging more to strip, or painting over (and charging less).

CARPENTRY:
Carpentry is not typically included in our bids – but our crew chiefs can quote additional work for you and we are considered very fair – 95%+ of our clients say “that sounds great, please go ahead.”

Any carpentry work to be done by anyone other than our crews must be 100% complete before we can begin the painting work.

NUMBERS OF COLORS:
Our typical proposal assumes you will choose one wall color per room, and no more than five wall colors in total, unless otherwise indicated in your proposal. There will be an upcharge of $50 per additional color chosen above five wall colors.

BATHROOMS & POWDER ROOMS:
Our standard for bathrooms and powder rooms is to apply Sherwin Williams Satin Bath paint for best mildew and moisture resistance. Some people also choose to use this paint in their kitchens. If you choose to go with another paint, especially a flat paint, please be aware that water marks and stains may occur due to water being splashed on the walls. If this occurs in the future, it is not considered a warranty issue.

DEEP BASE COLORS:
On rare occasions, certain deep base colors (such as dark reds) may require more than two coats for proper coverage or depth of tone. If after two coats, you are not satisfied with the look, we will fill out a change order and proceed to apply additional coats at $42 per hour and materials (if needed) to achieve your desired outcome.

WALLS WITH EXISTING SHEEN HIGHER THAN FLAT:
Walls that currently have a sheen higher than flat (such as Matte, Low Luster, Satin, Egg-Shell, Semi-gloss, Gloss), that require wall repair (spackling, sanding and spot priming) will also require a full primer coat UNLESS the new top coat paint is flat. Anything other than flat (without a full primer coat) will show flashing in the areas the walls have been repaired and spot primed. This would make the re-worked areas look patchy.

COLOR MATCHING:
If you are choosing to have a color matched from an existing sample, we cannot ensure 100% accuracy. Color Matching though accurate is not an exact science, and human/mechanical error does come into play. If additional coatings are necessary to ensure your satisfaction, a charge for the additional paint and labor may be applied to your final bill.

WALL PREP AND SHEEN:
We have specified all walls in our proposal as flat and the pricing includes wall preparation, based on what is visible under flat conditions (nail pops, wall indents). If you choose to go with a higher sheen, such as Matte finish, Low Luster or Egg Shell, it is more than likely that other wall imperfections become visible. Wall repair of these imperfections is out of scope of our contract and we would propose to do this work at $75/hour under a time and materials addendum to your contract.

CEILINGS:
Ceilings often only need one finish coat (which is included under our “Full Coverage” definition).

NAIL HOLES:
Please leave the nail in when you take pictures off walls and want to put it back in the same place after painting. If you want the hole filled, please take the nail out.

PAINTING CREWS:
Be aware we have different size painting crews – we try to match the best crew (many factors) to YOUR job. Typically you will want to get several rooms ready for us, but several of our crews have the capability to get much more done faster and they may ask you to get more rooms ready so they can be efficient and you get your house back sooner.

OTHER HOME IMPROVEMENT SERVICES WE PROVIDE:
We are a full service painting and paperhanging company that can help you make your home yours. Other interior services we provide include decorative and faux finishes, wallpaper hanging, moulding and trim installation, staining, garage and basement floors, and more!

Ready to Make a Change?
Schedule a FREE Painting Estimate Today!

*Offer applies to residential interior painting projects only. Work must be completed by January 31, 2024. Offer must be presented at time of estimate. Not valid with other offers. Not valid on current estimates or proposals. Offer only valid at CertaPro Painters® of the Main Line. Expires 1/31/2024.