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contractor NOT using tarps...!

15 years ago

greetings,

we have a guy who will repaint the interior of our ranch-style home, but he's adamant about not using any protective tarps; says he can "see" any paint splatters and immediately wipe them up.

now i'm not a pro but but i always use cloth tarps when i do any painting (especially inside)

we gave this cat $700 as a half payment up front with the balance due upon completion.

now i'm getting a little hesitant to go through with the deal.

any suggestions?

love&peace, steve a.

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Comments (5)

paintguy22
15 years ago
Contractors should use tarps as a professional courtesy in my view and to safeguard against spilling actual paint. There is roller spatter of course, but it will not show up on carpet and if it is over tile or wood flooring, it may be too small for him or most customers to see. He probably needs glasses if he can't see it. The problem is that the homeowners end up seeing it when they are cleaning the floors. And, wiping it up immediately is kind of a pain since the acrylic paint spatters dry in about 8 seconds...what is he doing rolling and wiping, rolling and wiping? Seriously, it would be way more efficient to lay down a drop cloth which takes about 4 seconds to do.

Pros use dropcloths. It's a red flag. It should be reasonable for you to ask him to use tarps for your own peace of mind and you can also tell him that the real painters on the internet said you should.
PRO
Lori A. Sawaya
15 years ago
Did ya give him the $700 before you knew he didn't cover or after? No one in their right mind works like that. Painters cover just about everything including furniture and espeically TVs, exercise equipment, etc. Wonder if he's an older painter. I worked with one older gentleman who didn't see the need to use drop cloths because he really thought there were no splatters -- just because his old eyeballs couldn't see the splatter doesn't mean it wasn't there, kwim? That was challenging -- pointing out something to someone who literally couldn't see it.

The finite statement of he catches the splatters and drips as they happen is a bit of a reach. It's the splatters and drips that they don't see or catch when they happen that's the problem -- obviously not the ones they see happen. Ergo the reason for covering people's stuff.

Tell him you want your stuff competently protected or no deal with money back.
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Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
15 years ago
also tell him that the real painters on the internet said you should.

After getting your $ back and giving him the boot
decorativewalls
15 years ago
just better get your money back now and move on to someone that has some common sense . D***n, I'd hate to see the finished paint job.
pretzel_logic60
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