Preventing Surprises
Our list below includes information about what you can expect when our team comes to paint your interior or exterior.
INTERIOR PAINTING BASICS
SCHEDULING
Once you have signed and accepted the proposal, either in person/email/Docusign, our office assistant will contact you to schedule your job on our fist available opening. Please keep in mind, some jobs are weather dependent and others require crews that have specialized skills. We will always do our best to match the right crew to your 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. The goal is to be as efficient as possible and you get your house back in order sooner. We try to give you our best guess as to how long a job will take, but with every crew being different, it’s not always possible to give an exact number of days it will take to complete a job. Your Job Site Supervisor should keep you informed with daily updates to give you a good idea as the job is progressing.
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.
PREP LEVELS
Please be sure you have chosen the level of preparation you will be happy with when the job is completed. Review the interior preparation information on your proposal if you haven’t already. We have found that this is the area where expectations are the most important – if you expect more preparation than the level you have chosen, you will probably be disappointed in the final job.
PREPARING ROOMS
Before we arrive the first day please prepare 2-3 rooms: 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 windows treatments. We are happy to do this work for you if you like at our hourly rate of $55/hr.
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 he knows to leave the brackets, or if he should remove and spackle behind. Let your crew leader know if you are keeping the switch plates, or replacing them – occasionally we paint them if they were previously. If you provide the new plates, our crew will be glad to put the new ones up in place of the old ones at the end of the job.
PETS
Please be sure that your pets do not have access to the rooms 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. And, we want your pet to remain safe.
JOB START
Please be prepared to do a pre-job walk through with the supervisor to review the color and space we are painting. Although we have reviewed your contract thoroughly, we like to take this time to confirm we are all on the same page prior to starting your project. Your job site supervisor will give you progress updates throughout the job.
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
If you apply color samples directly to your walls, it may require additional work to cover the areas you’ve coated. Please consider using the sample boards that can be purchased at Sherwin Williams to apply your samples to. They can be moved from room to room and won’t damage your walls. They are a great alternative to applying paint directly to the walls. If mudding or additional coats are required to cover the samples, additional charges may incur.
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.
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.
ACCENT WALLS
If you want more than one color on the walls, you will need to pay for accent walls (typically $75/wall).
TRIM/MOULDING
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). If you have natural wood trim that you wish to change to white, it will require oil primer plus two coats of paint after a light scuff sand. If you have oil paint on your trim currently and wish to repaint with latex, we must oil prime and paint with one to two coats. Please advise your estimator of your preference and notify him/her if you suspect the trim is currently coated with oil paint. If painting begins and oil is identified, an additional charge will incur to allow for the additional coats needed. The only time one coat is sufficient is when color and sheen is staying the same.
DIFFERENT PAINT BRANDS
There are many different paints available on the market. We have a relationship with Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore and trust their products to provide the best paint job for you. However, if you choose a paint manufactured by a different company, we cannot guarantee the long-term quality of the paint.
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.
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), whatever might be the best option for your particular job. If additional layers of older wallpaper are found, there may also be additional charges.
CARPENTRY
Carpentry is not typically included in our bids – but many of our crew chiefs can quote additional work for you. Most of our customers appreciate the convenience of having the work done in a streamlined fashion. However, if the repairs are beyond the supervisors’ skill set, we will recommend a carpenter and have him/her come out to give you an estimate separate from ours.
Any carpentry work to be done by anyone other than CertaPro must be 100% complete before CertaPro can begin the painting work.
BATHROOMS & KITCHENS
Our standard for bathrooms and kitchens is to apply paint with a sheen (Eg-shel or Satin is most common). If you choose to go with 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 $55 per man hour plus 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, Eg-Shel, 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.
VISIBILITY OF IMPERFECTIONS AS IT RELATES TO SHEEN
If walls have been specified as being Flat, the pricing includes wall preparation based on what is visible under Flat conditions (nail pops, wall indentations, etc.). If you choose to go with a higher sheen, such as Matte finish, Low Luster, Eg-Shel, or Satin, it is likely that additional wall imperfections may 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 only need one finish coat, however there are times when additional coats are needed. Your estimator will do his/her best to determine how many coats will be necessary for ideal coverage and may offer a second coat option. If you find you would like to add the optional coat, with your ok, we will apply that second coat and adjust the pricing to include the option.
NAIL HOLES
If you would like the nail hole to remain, please leave the nail in place when you take pictures off the wall. If you want the hole filled, please take the nail out.
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 may be covered.
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 them painted and we can add that to the job.
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.IL 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.
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.
HARDWARE AND FIXTURES
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.
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 several 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.
PRIDE WALK
Once our JSS has done his/her wet walk, they will invite you to see their finished work. Our painters take great pride in the jobs they do and are excited to show you your transformed home. We will still have materials out and available in case you see something that requires a touch up. At this time, the JSS will provide you with a “Completion Packet” that includes two copies of the proposal, one for your records and one for ours. Please be sure to sign the one that comes back to us on the right-hand side of the final page.
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 – I trust my employees 100% with collecting checks. If you would prefer to pay by credit card, please call our office (757) 223-7063. If it is after regular office hours, you may also pay online at https://virginiapeninsula.certapro.com/. Look for “PAY YOUR INVOICE ONLINE” to pay securely through TransAct.
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.
EXTERIOR PAINTING BASICS
SCHEDULING
Once you have signed and accepted the proposal, either in person/email/Docusign, our office assistant will contact you to schedule your job on our fist available opening. Please keep in mind, some jobs are weather dependent and others require crews that have specialized skills. We will always do our best to match the right crew to your 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. The goal is to be as efficient as possible and you get your house back in order sooner. We try to give you our best guess as to how long a job will take, but with every crew being different, it’s not always possible to give an exact number of days it will take to complete a job. Your Job Site Supervisor should keep you informed with daily updates to give you a good idea as the job is progressing.
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.
JOB START
Please be prepared to do a pre-job walk through with the supervisor to review the color and areas we are painting. Please make us aware of any delicate items, such as plants, that we need to be aware of. Although we have reviewed your contract thoroughly, we like to take this time to confirm we are all on the same page prior to starting your project. Your job site supervisor will give you progress updates throughout the job.
DAY ONE
The start date is typically going to be your power wash day (unless otherwise specified). Please make sure your water is turned on for the outside spigots. We use homeowner water unless alternate arrangements have been made. Please make sure all doors and windows are securely closed.
PETS
For the safety of your pets, please keep them inside or contained in an area away from where painting is taking place. Keep in mind, the painters will be moving around the exterior of your home and this can be stressful for some pets.
EXTRA PAINTING
It is fairly common to find more painting to be done while we are there. It is highly encouraged to have us take care of these areas while we are already there. Our Crew leaders are more than happy to put together a change form and give you prices for anything you want to add to the job. We should be able to complete it before we leave!
BUSHES
Please take time to check bushes and shrubs surrounding your house to see if they may inhibit the painters. If you can prune these bushes before the painters arrive it would be very helpful. Our painters typically need a clearance of one to two feet.
CLOSE HOMES
If your neighbor is very close to you (property line within 15 feet of your house) please make arrangements for us to be able to place the feet of our ladders on their property. If you prefer that we use a lift or scaffolding, the additional cost would be on you.
PREP LEVELS
Please be sure you have chosen the level of preparation you will be happy with when the job is completed. Review the exterior preparation information on your proposal if you haven’t already. We have found that this is the area where expectations are the most important – if you expect more preparation than the level you have chosen, you will probably be disappointed in the final job.
WINDOWS
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 several days or else THEY WILL STICK!
DOORS
On the day we are painting your door(s), they will need to remain open for several hours. This is often one of the last things to be done on an exterior job. Please plan to have someone home so we can have access to the entire door and so proper drying can take place. The longer they can stay open (even slightly), the better. To prevent doors from sticking, apply a small amount of Vaseline or liquid dove soap to the stripping before closing.
DECKS & STEPS NOT UNDER WARRANTY
Horizontal surfaces take a beating from foot traffic, rain, ice, and snow and will show wear before anything else. Decks constructed close to the ground or in damp areas also hold moisture. Many people choose to maintain them bi-annually or annually.
DECK STAINING
Our cleaning methods vary depending on the age, location and condition of the deck. We may power wash, but we may use a product such as Sherwin Williams Revive or Deck Wash combined with a light rinse for the cleaning.
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.
If you have a can of the previous stain used on your deck, please share it with your foreman. It is very helpful for us to know the exact product that was previously used. It’s also helpful in matching the previous color.
SEMI-TRANSPARENT STAINS
These stains do not result in uniform coloring of stained surfaces; some areas will be lighter and others darker. Any existing colors/imperfections will still be visible after application of a semi-transparent stain.
POWERWASHING 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 recommend not to power wash old Aluminum siding without painting it, as the chalked paint would 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.
HOUSE ALARMS
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.
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 and this is not included in the painting bid.)
MASONRY POINTING AROUND WINDOW FRAMES
We do NOT repair or repoint the masonry around wood windows that are set into stone or brick. Pointing is a specific trade and is best left to pointing experts.
COLORS
By this stage you should be fairly certain of the final color selections. Have your foreman apply a sample patch the first day if you’re not 100% certain of the colors you’ve chosen. If colors are changed mid-stream, we do need to charge for any lost time and product purchased.
CARPENTRY
If you are interested in any carpentry work, please let us know. If we find any rotten wood during the washing or preparation stages, we will point it out to you and offer to give you a bid to replace. If we are unable to perform the work needed, we will refer a reliable and skilled carpenter to provide you with a separate bid.
WINDOW WASHING
We recommend having your windows professionally washed after the painting is completed. If you are interested in a proposal, let us know and we will recommend a local window cleaning service to come out and give you a quote.
CLEAN UP
Your crew leader will be performing a daily clean-up so your property is presentable, and a full clean-up upon completion. Although our final clean-up is thorough, there are often many very small chips that give a “salt and pepper” look to your mulch until the first rain comes and they disintegrate.
PRIDE WALK
Once our JSS has done his/her wet walk, they will invite you to see their finished work. Our painters take great pride in the jobs they do and are excited to show you your transformed home. We will still have materials out and available in case you see something that requires a touch up. At this time, the JSS will provide you with a “Completion Packet” that includes two copies of the proposal, one for your records and one for ours. Please be sure to sign the one that comes back to us on the right-hand side of the final page.
PAYMENT
We occasionally ask for partial payments based on progress. 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 – I trust my employees 100% with collecting checks. If you would prefer to pay by credit card, please call our office (757) 223-7063. If it is after regular office hours, you may also pay online at https://virginiapeninsula.certapro.com/. Look for “PAY YOUR INVOICE ONLINE” to pay securely through TransAct.
