Time and time again I come in contact with homeowners who’ve had “the painting horror story.”  They found a painter from a friend of a friend who gave them an unbelievable price only to find out that something drastic went wrong.

The most recent story was a homeowner who called me looking for price to have their deck stained.  They got a great price from someone, he finished half the job and asked for payment since he just had a “little more left to stain” and never came back.  He received his money and was gone.  They somehow talked the painter into coming back to simply return the stain, which he did, but never completed the job.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but while painting the interior of a home splattered paint all over the countertops and hardwood floors.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but his exterior paint job which cost $2,500.00 [and was still lower than the other bids] failed within two years costing the homeowner another $2,500.00 just two years later.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but couldn’t make straight lines against the woodwork inside.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price on an exterior, but didn’t clean out the gutters even though he was working right by them, didn’t paint the electric meter, the lintels, valleys, garage doors, shutters, or the dirty downspouts.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but used the cheapest paint and caulk he could find to cut some costs.

Or how about the painter who gave a great price but didn’t carry insurance, workers’ comp., and wasn’t bonded.

Don’t make the mistake of hiring a cheap painter and suffering the consequences of their poor workmanship and lack of professionalism.

Numerous painters I have run into throughout the years have openly admitted to adding water to paint.  For the person who does not know there are big problems with that, frankly, there are.  Primarily, if the paint manufacturers thought there needed to be more water in paint, they would have manufactured it that way.  All paint has a percentage of “solids” and “liquids” in each can.  Your cheaper paint is usually  over 90% liquid and less than 10% solid.  Your top-of-the-line paints are upwards of 53%-55% solid and 45%-47% liquid.  Point being, water in paint is lessening is coverage, lessening it’s durability, and lessening it’s washability.

Most painters I know personally are not using top-of-the-line products.  And then most of them that are using lower grade paints are watering down their paint.  Again, this makes coverage more difficult.  If you have ever painted a room and have it look great only until six months later you could “see through” the paint then you know what I mean about poor coverage.  All paint fades over time, even inside homes.  That’s why you need good coverage.

Or let’s take the durability  factor with watered down paint.  Exteriors are notorious for peeling and fading paint.  Again, that’s why good products are of the necessity.  Adding water to paint rapidly speeds up the peeling and fading factor!

And what about washability.  Every homeowner wants to be able to wash their walls.  Only the best products are washable.  But then most painters are adding water to their paint thus voiding any washability you might have had.

Then why water down paint?  Money!  Painters are trying to cut costs to survive a struggling economy.  How do you know your painter is not watering down his paint?  Ask him.  And press him about the issue.  Keep insisting that no water be added to the paint.

As for GreenWay, we never add water to the paint.  All my painters know that water is to never be added to paint.  So how do I know that my painters are not adding water to their paint?  I’m so glad you asked.  Remember, my workers have been together for four plus years from before GreenWay was ever established.  And three of those six have been with me for ten plus years.  Before I owned a business I worked with these men for years side by side and they never added water to paint.

Ultimately it comes down to a trust factor.  Can you trust your painter to do what he said he would do?  You’ll have no problems with GreenWay, I promise.

Many people are into saving money these days and so am I.

Many people have various projects around the house they are spending money on and so am I.

Many of these projects homeowners decide to hire men and/or women from the service industry to complete these projects and so do I.

In the last six months, I have incurred much spending to various businesses from the service industry.  My cast iron drain going out to the main on the street busted and needed replaced.  My electrical breaker box got soaked from rain for months and I did not know it and it had to be replaced.  My HVAC system breaks quarterly and so I am having it replaced presently.  Perhaps you do not know the costs of those items, but it was very pricey.

I would be unwise to invite these servicemen into my home without showing proper general liability insurance and workers’ compensation.  The liability is this: if they get hurt on my property and they are not covered by their own insurance, guess who pays the bill if they get hurt…ME!

These people who do not carry proper insurance and who work in peoples’ homes are what we call people who “work on the side.”  Meaning they are keeping their labor costs to a minimum because they are not paying for insurance and possibly not paying taxes on the money they earn.  Not only is that causing a major blow to the prosperity of small businesses nationwide who do carry proper insurances, but the liability the homeowners are assuming by hiring people “on the side” is very high.

Suppose a man has a wife and three children, does not carry proper insurance, insists on working “on the side” and he falls and breaks his neck at your house.  What makes any homeowner think that that man will not sue that homeowner, even it he is an acquaintance or friend?  If you need to feed your wife and children and it’s a choice between your family or a stranger/friend, you better believe they’ll be picking family!

In short, the liability of having your house painted on the side is incredibly dangerous and frankly, I’d not be wanting to put my own family in that type of liability and that type of a gamble.  Thank goodness the plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians did not get hurt at my home, but more importantly than that thank goodness they had insurance.  And it was worth the extra several hundred or couple grand to not put my family in that type of liability.

Think twice about having a man climb 25 feet onto the side of your house without insurance.  And check for insurance before you hire anyone!

Are you in the market for the cheapest painter?  Are you in the market for the best price?

Perhaps we ought to word this a little bit differently:

Are you in the market for the painter who declares he paints two coats but only does one?

Are you in the market for the painter who uses cheaper products to save on material costs?

Are you in the market for the painter who neglects to paint all areas that were previously painted?

Are you in the market for the painter who skimps on the prep work on the areas where the homeowner will never see like on top of steep roofs?

Are you in the market for the painter who does not paint the rusted electric meter, the rusted valleys, and the rusted lintels?

Are you in the market for the painter who uses the least durable finishes like flat finishes because he is trying to hide imperfections in his work?

Are you in the market for the painter who splatters paint on your concrete, window sills, and roof?

Are you in the market for the painter who does not clean out your gutters even though he is painting right by them?

Are you in the market for the painter who does not re-caulk your windows where they are cracked out so that he can save time and caulk?

Are you in the market for the painter who does not offer a guarantee that his paint will not peel for two years even in the crazy Cincinnati weather?

Are you in the market for the painter who smokes and leaves his butts in the mulch?

Are you in the market for the painter who leaves trash lying around at the end of the day?

Are you in the market for the painter who spills paint in your lawn?

Are you in the market for the painter who curses like a sailor before your children?

Are you in the market for the painter who recommends one coat because “he wants you to save money” when really he just wants to win the job from the correct painter who recommended two coats?

Are you in the market for the painter who neglects the new EPA lead based paint laws to the possible harm of you and your family?

Check out GreenWay Painting here and see that we’re certified by the EPA, we’re safe for your family, and we’re green for the environment!

The subtitle of this post could be: “15 ways good painters are taken for granted.”

1. Don’t take your painter for granted if he is there when he says he will be there.
2. Don’t take your painter for granted if he thoroughly explains how he will paint your home the professional way.
3. Don’t take your painter for granted if he chooses the accurate paints for your project.
4. Don’t take your painter for granted if he chooses the best and most expensive paints on the market.
5. Don’t take your painter for granted if he and his painters are clean cut.
6. Don’t take your painter for granted if he and his painters are respectful of you, your children, your animals, and your property.
7. Don’t take your painter for granted if he does not leave trash lying around your home at the end of the day.
8. Don’t take your painter for granted if he cleans up his work area before he leaves.
9. Don’t take your painter for granted if he is thorough on his estimate about what is included and what is not.
10. Don’t take your painter for granted if he recommends two coats of top-of-the-line paint for your interior and exterior project.
11. Don’t take your painter for granted if he keeps you updated daily on the progress of the project.
12. Don’t take your painter for granted if he chooses earth friendly paint for the safety of you and your children.
13. Don’t take your painter for granted if completes your job in a timely manner.
14. Don’t take your painter for granted if offers a two year exterior warranty against peeling paint.
15. Don’t take your painter for granted if he offers a one year interior touch up warranty.

It’s sad that there are more “painting horror stories” with homeowners and their “professional painter,” but if you do happen to land a good painter don’t take him for granted!  We’d love to be your good painter so give us a call and ask us about painting your home the GreenWay!  Also, check us out on YouTube!

GreenWay Painting carries a warranty year round that we’ve not seen any painter match.  It’s our two-year warranty against any peeling of paint after we paint the exterior of your home.  And we’ve also yet to see a free warranty on products or service.

For a limited time [thru the end of July 2010], we are offering a THREE year warranty against peeling of paint after we paint the exterior of your home two coats.  We stand behind our work, end of story.  If our service fails within three years, we’ll come back, free of charge.  And this offer is available just for choosing GreenWay Painting as your painting contractor!

Some things you work for, some things are given to you and then there’s everything in between.  GreenWay has worked for a lot.  And a lot has been given to us, but we are up and coming and planning on changing the dynamic of painting contractors in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.

We started out of an very unfortunate circumstance, where the contractor we all worked for suffered great losses at the hands of a bad economy.  Having six of their workers, GreenWay is having a great impact in the beautifying of homes in the Tri-state.  Presently spending none on advertising, we are three months booked and our customers are referring us to their friends.

What is it about GreenWay that sets us apart from our competitors?  I believe it is three things: our products, our service, and our professionalism.

Our products:  They are top-of-the-line only!  A lot of companies boast about this, but few do it.  Ask the painters about the paint they use and the caulk they use!  If it’s not “lifetime” or “60 year” guaranteed, there’s your answer!

Our service:  We are neat, we are clean cut, we are courteous.  Painters have a bad rep and we are changing that by each employee who works for us.  We are experienced in both many years of painting and four years in multi-million dollar homes.  And just for the record, they don’t have any Joe-Smo working in million dollar homes!  And we feature “green” products; if you are concerned about your health [like we are] then you’ll let GreenWay paint your home the GreenWay!

Our professionalism: We are on time, prompt, and quick. We realize you want your home back the way it was before we started so we send enough painters to finish in a timely manner!!  You’ll be glad your had our pro painters working for you!

If you want to experience professionalism at it’s best, give us a call.  You won’t have any regrets!

From the very beginning of GreenWay, we have sought fervently to please our customers.  This is something I have stressed repeatedly with my painters and even with my potential customers.  Oftentimes with potential customers, I tell them we always seek to exceed expectations.  I do believe this is one of the things that sets us apart from other painters and it’s one thing that keeps homeowners referencing GreenWay Painting.

My painters know that when we walk into a home that our job is to go above and beyond the call of duty.  This may look like cleaning up a mess we did not make or even painting a few extra items not in the original contract.  Regardless of what it is, the goal is happy customers and expectations exceeded!  We’d love for you to be our next customer pleased!

My work crew has been working full-time for over a month now and I’ve been working overtime.  This is to be expected at this time of year for painting contractors.  However, I am surprised at the number of jobs that I’ve been going out to bid where the homeowner is sharing how they had a couple of other painting crews out already to give estimates and they are not busy at all.

There is something to be said for promptness and professionalism, which I guarantee you’ll have with GreenWay.  There’s a reason why a lot of painters are not working at the end of March in 2010.  And there is a reason why other painting contractors have work coming out there ears at this time of year.  I talked with a colleague of mine who owns a painting business in the area and he is a couple of months out already with work like we are…because he also does professional work.

You can find a cheap painter right now for sure; they are a dime a dozen.  And then you can find a painter who will give you the durability and professionalism you need that will keep all your neighbors talking.  My advice is: don’t hire someone who you’ll have to go over his work a year or two later.