Preventing Surprises

With this many years in the business you would think that at CertaPro we’ve seen just about everything that can happen on a paint job . . . but still – we are surprised every once-in-awhile! We know that our clients don’t like surprises – but we also understand that they don’t want a ten page contract and/or an hour long session on what could happen on their job.

For clients who want to be best prepared, this list is for you!

WINDOWS AND DOORS
Important – Although the windows will dry to the touch in several hours, they will not completely cure for 30 days or so. Please open and close all windows every few days or else THEY WILL STICK! Also, to prevent doors from sticking apply a small amount of Vaseline or liquid dove soap to the stripping before closing.

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 the color, sheen etc. with you 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.

ACCENT WALLS
If you want more than one color on the walls, you will need to pay for accent walls (typically $80/wall).

DIFFERENT PAINTS
If you want to use paint other than Sherwin Williams Cashmere or Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec expect to pay an additional cost/gallon.

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 a few days.

CHANGING COLOR ON TRIM
If you change the trim color from its current color even slightly, expect that a 2nd coat will be necessary and there will be a charge for that (most often outlined on the proposal)

WALLPAPER STRIPPING
Wallpaper stripping and restoration of the wall to a paint ready condition is unpredictable – our assumption is that it may be hard to remove, but not near-impossible – 90% of the time we are correct. Occasionally it is MUCH harder to get off. In this instance, we would discuss options including more hours being charged to strip and restore, or possibly painting over (and charging less). In order to lock in any of the old wallpaper adhesive we almost always have to oil prime the walls prior to applying the finish coats of paint. You should be aware that the oil prime, unlike the low VOC paint which we use, does give off an odor which may linger for a few days.

CARPENTRY
Carpentry is not typically included in our bids. Our Job Site Supervisors can usually 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 someone other than CertaPro must be 100% complete before CertaPro can begin the painting work.

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

BATHROOMS & POWDER ROOMS
Our standard for bathrooms and powder rooms is to apply Sherwin Williams Lo-lustre or Egg-shell 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 humidity or 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 $55 per man 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), which 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 -although 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 necessary.

WALL PREP AND SHEEN
Your proposal initially specifies all walls in this proposal as flat. The pricing includes wall preparation, based on what is visible under flat conditions (nail pops, wall dents, imperfections, etc.). If you choose to go with a higher sheen, such as Matte finish, Low Lustre or Egg-Shell, it is more than likely that other wall imperfections will become visible.
Wall repair of these imperfections is out of scope of this contract and we would propose to do this work at $55 / man hour under a time and materials addendum to this contract.

CEILINGS
Ceilings often need two finish coats (which is included under our “Full Coverage” definition).

NAIL HOLES
Please leave the nail or hanger in the wall when you take pictures off of the walls and want to return the picture back to the same place after painting. We will paint around it. If you want the hole filled, please remove the nail completely.

BASEBOARD HEATERS
For baseboard heaters that are attached to the wall, we typically do not unscrew them and paint behind them. Let us know if you want that painted and we can add that to the job.

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 in order for you to get your home back sooner.

ACCESS TO YOUR STUFF
You will want to remove anything from the rooms we are painting BEFORE we arrive as you may not have access to it until the room is painted because it likely will be covered.

INTERIOR PEELING
Keep in mind that we typically are not stripping off ALL old paint prior to painting. Because of this we are painting over often times MANY previous layers of paint. There is always a chance that a layer of paint several layers down fails and causes our paint to peel off. While this is technically not under warranty, please reach out to us. We often fix it no charge or for a nominal fee at our discretion. The only way to be 100% sure areas do not peel is if you strip all old paint back to the bare substrate.

OIL PRODUCTS
While we prefer latex paints and products that are better for the environment, there are specific instances where oil primers and paints are options that last much longer: very shiny surfaces, after wallpaper removal, kitchen cabinets, ceiling stains. If you have strong reactions to oil products, you may want to consider being out of the house for several days. A slight odor may linger for much longer. While we can use a latex product instead, we do not offer a warranty in that case.

DUST & 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 perform the aggressive spackling and sanding job that good quality dictates, we will create a fair amount of dust. You may want to consider contacting your security firm if they have central monitoring of their smoke alarm and put your system on “test” during the work period. The dry wall sanding does set off smoke alarms occasionally. 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.

AIR FILTER
You might want to check your air filter after we’ve completed your interior painting project. The drywall dust can fill up the filter.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We typically do not remove hardware, door knobs, light fixtures, etc. to paint around, but of course we can discuss an additional charge for this if this is your preference

ITEMIZED ITEMS ON THE PROPOSAL
Note whether these options are marked “Included” meaning they are included in the Grand Total or “Optional” which means they are not included in the grand total but shown as a separate item with an optional price.

DECKS & STEPS NOT UNDER WARRANTY
Horizontal surfaces take a beating from foot traffic, rain, ice, and snow and will show wear before anything else. Many people choose to maintain them biannually or annually.

POWER WASHING DETAILS
Power washing as preparation for painting is a preparation step that we do to remove dirt and debris. We water down the plants around the home and under low pressure wet down the building with a mixture of water and cleaner.
Afterwards we wash off the cleaner under high pressure. This will not always result in a uniform cleanliness, but will make the house ready for painting. If we are power washing a home that is not being painted, we power wash much more aggressively and therefore spend more time. Cedar is a soft wood that cannot always be aggressively cleaned.
We do not recommend power washing old Aluminum siding without painting it, as the chalked paint would likely be removed with the power wash.
Certain types of molds, such as target mold (little black dots) cannot be power washed off. Sanding will remove it temporarily, but more than likely it will come back very quickly. Removing mildew off of siding aggressively can also result in a stained look where the siding is a slightly different color in the areas where we cleaned.

CLAPBOARD SIDING FAILURES
If the clapboards on your home’s exterior siding were installed too snugly, they have the potential to trap moisture within the siding construction. Over time, this moisture can weaken the wood, rust the nails, and cause exterior paint to crack and peel. You can stop the damage before it is too late, though, by ventilating the siding. Not ventilating the siding will void any painting warranty.

SEMI-TRANSPARENT STAINS
These stains do not result in uniform coloring of stained surfaces; some areas will be lighter and others, darker.

WINDOW FRAMES
If the previous paint job has overlapped from the window frame onto the masonry or brick – we typically prefer to paint a nice clean line where it should be. Note this may leave some of the old paint on the brick or masonry (most likely this can only be removed through sand blasting which is not included in the painting bid.)

DECK STAINING
We apply stain to decks using a combination of these three methods: spraying, brushing and rolling depending on the deck and conditions. We have found all to be effective.

LAWN SIGNS
We typically place a lawn sign prior to starting your job or during the job. If you do not want a sign up, please let us know when you accept the job.