At least he asked "where" first! At least that's somethin'. :-D Oh gosh, I've had painters fill the bath tub, wash rollers & brushes, drain the water and leave it. I've had them commandeer kitchen sinks, entire bathroom vanties to be used as "staging areas". Loose rule of thumb for me is if it's warm enough to paint outside, then it's warm enough to clean up outside -- or take your tools with you and deal with them off site. I'm pretty much all for nippin' things in the bud. The sooner the better. It's not so much "when" you address it, it's "how". If you approach it the right way, you should have no worries about getting the quality job you expect. Just be honest and matter of fact and keep on with genuinely wanting to help where and how you can -- if all you have as a solution is outside, then that's simply all there is and they need to rely on other means to clean up their tools if they don't want to use what you have available. Kind of in line with the topic: It is nice to provide a space for a painter to work. Having them use their truck and keep running back and forth is not productive. If you have a utility sink, it's really nice to offer it as a place for them to set up and work. They are working in your house and need some accommodations. It's funny because some painters are intuitive and strive to have good manners as part of their pride of service, other guys just don't get it and it never crosses their mind that everyone isn't as interested in taking good care of their brushes as they are -- as in what makes you think your kitchen sink is good enough for their brushes? :D If you have special requirements it's a good idea to simply write it in the contract so everyone knows where everyone else stands -- get it all out on the table. Like if the job will run several days and really can't let them leave stuff behind -- from large stuff to the smaller stuff. I had one client who expected that even the paint would go with the painter every night. It was January and the garage really wasn't the best option - for a couple reasons. Basement was two flights down and I really thought that was unnecessary as well. Protected floors and an out of the way corner was what they needed to get okay with -- and they did. Bathroom accommodations are another issue. I personally think it's ridiculous when homeowners state they don't want painters using their bathrooms. Actually, it makes me mad and I have to breathe really deeply to help them rethink that *requirement*. I had one woman tell me and the painters that there was a McDonald's right at the end of the street and that's where they need to go on breaks and to use the facilities. She didn't even want them sitting in their trucks in her drive way to grab a drink, eat lunch or smoke. Josh, the painter, just picked up all of his paperwork, looked at me and said, "talk to you later, Lori" and quietly left. I told the woman I thought she might be better off DIYing, good luck with everything, and it was nice to meet her. Oh lord, I could go on and on... People are funny.

I found someone who will spray my kitchen cabinets. What are the right questions to ask to end up with a good result. I'll be painting cherry stained maple cabinets a white or off white color. He already told me he does 3 coats. 1 oil base primer and 2 top coats of oil base paint. Thanks - Priscilla

Six inch on all drawers and doors except for the large drawers. Would use one 8" centered on drawer. I am advising that because of having just redoing my small kitchen. Was going to put two small pulls on big drawers, but a professional cabinet guy advised to use the larger handle; he said that normally when people are opening a drawer with two pulls, they will use only one pull because they have something in one hand and can't use both hands. He advised that this type opening with one hand would eventually cause a "warp" in the drawer. So your husband is right about that. I considered using knobs, but decided I like the look of all pulls the best. Pulls on doors are in vertical position, pulls on drawers are in horizontal position. It really looks good. Would post a pic, but the kitchen is still in a mess.

Those areas are never factory finished. They are the internal box color finish, which is usually a natural maple. From the factory, it’s an upgrade to finish them to a matching finish. It would be standard to just finish the same factory finished portions and to not finish those areas. Just like the factory cabinets are currently finished. And, just like the original purchase, finishing those areas would be possible as an upgrade for additional cost. The biggest obstacle to coating them is that they usually are melamine coated, which takes specialty treatment and extra work to allow them to be coated.