Best Bang for Buck

There are many reasons why you may not get what you paid for. Dishonesty is the most obvious, however incompetent and/or inexperienced staff can also cause you to end up with an inferior end product. Here are the reasons why you should pick a competent, reliable company to do your paintwork:

1. Paying a deposit and then having problems getting the contractor to do the work.
2. Quoting on one product and substituting an inferior much cheaper product.
3. Not preparing the surface to be coated properly which means the coats that follow won’t last as long.
4. Applying the paint far too thin, which will affect the longevity of the coating.
5. Not using the correct primers & under coats (or even any at all) which can cause paint to fail or peel.
6. Not repairing cracks properly and therefore they might show as soon as there are basic temperature fluctuations which cause cracks to open up again.
7. Over tinting paint can have a disastrous effect on the end result as it breaks down the quality.
8. Thinning down paint with water / turpentine.
9. Applying paint too thick, specifically enamel paint or varnish can cause very ugly teardrops and streaks which will have to be sanded down completely and redone.
10. Using poor quality pair brushes & rollers which leave hair behind on the painted surface.
11. Using old paint left over from a previously job, specifically if the paint was not sealed properly.
12. Using the wrong grid sandpaper to sand down natural wood surfaces can cause light and dark areas which is very difficult to remedy without virtually stripping the complete surface and doing it over.
13. Applying the second coat before the first coat is dry enough.
14. Applying paint in unfavorable weather conditions (surface to hot, too damp still…).
15. The contractor quoting too low, just to get the job, and then halfway through the job start asking for more money. If you do not pay the extra, he simply does not come back and then you have to ask someone else to finish off , which end up costing you much more that you expected to pay.
16. Even when the owner is honest and supply all the right quality products he quoted for and you lock away all your belongings, dishonest workers  can make a 20 l paint disappear between them and water down the balance of the paint to hide their theft.
17. Making use of inexpensive crack fillers to fill all gaps & cracks where a flexible acrylic sealer would last because of its flexibility, particularly areas like the gaps between cornices & walls or ceilings.

Using the wrong product for the job can cause all kinds of problems as mentioned below:

1. Ceilings should almost always be painted with a matt paint (there are exceptions) as Sheen will highlight any imperfections and can make a ceiling or even a wall look terrible. Where there are down lighters shining on a wall or lights fitted against the wall, it is also better to use a good quality washable matt paint than a product with a Sheen finish.
2. Using an enamel paint where a good quality flexible acrylic would have been better.
3. Using a high quality paint on a wall with semi-permanent rising damp, as the paint will simply cause bubbles and peel.
4. Making use of a pure acrylic (a very good quality product) where a flexible texture coat was needed to cover hairline cracks, cracks will reappear.
5. Using a texture coat (which has a fairly high dirt retention) as finishing coat in an area where an low sheen pure acrylic would stay clean a lot longer.
6. Making use of a varnish when a timber preservative (oil) would last longer or vice versa.

These are the most basic reasons where dishonesty & inexperience can cost you as the client money, however there are other reasons like personal property disappearing because of dishonest staff or even when the staff is honest, damaging irreplaceable personal property or spilling paint on carpets or other expensive furniture, and the owner of the painting company not having any insurance to cover the damage. Taking all the above in consideration you as the client can understand all the factors that can affect the end product. Painting can be a very profitable business for unscrupulous contractors, and that is why some make a small fortune out of the industry. 

Clients hope they get what they pay for, however paying premium is no guarantee that you will get good workmanship, or even the branded product that was quoted for. Contractors know that once the paint is on the wall it is just about impossible for the average client to tell the difference and the industry is rife with unscrupulous contractors who quote for well known branded products and then apply an inferior product costing 30 % less. 

I have to add that paying top dollar for a well known branded product is not always justified as the price often can be 20% to 30 % higher than a lesser known brand but the difference in quality is minuscule. Experienced contractors who know their products can advise clients on alternative products which will mean a saving on the product without making any real sacrifice in quality.