Friday, November 16, 2007
Take a moment and imagine with me that you are a painter. You are good looking, of course, and happily employed painting new construction homes. It seems like just yesterday you were crawling on raw plywood filling nail holes in newly installed base trim. But today you find yourself painting the back steps of an existing home with semi-transparent stain.
Sure, you notice there are kids running around the yard, after all, it’s August. And you noticed the missus in the driveway this morning. You even remembered that you could say hi to real people, and you did, you shyly glanced at her and said, “Hi”. Then you patted yourself on the back for communicating such a friendly gesture. And now you are contentedly painting steps. But you don’t see it coming. You don’t see the kids let the dog out the front door. The dog circles the house and bounds up your freshly painted steps. He jumps up and puts his paws on the back door which happens to be black. He is let in by someone, you are not sure who; everything is a blur now. He proceeds to track your oil-based product across the wood floor inside. You put your hands on your head and look to the heavens. Why? Why did this have to happen to you? You never saw it coming. You have entered… (A bass drum bongs somewhere in the background)…THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
When my paint contracting company made a paradigm shift in markets, primarily from all new home construction to all contract remodel and repaint projects, I needed some advice. My painting staff was most at ease when they could walk into a project with their shoes on, plug in a radio and begin to sand taping mud, thereby releasing dust to float throughout the premises. So I turned to my colleagues at the PDCA (Painting and Decorating Contractors of America) Residential Forum to help my painters and I understand how to adapt from new construction to private sector work. My friend John Imhoff of Imhoff Painting in Eagan, Minnesota, was a little skeptical about how this would work for us. He said, “I am intrigued by this issue. I wonder if we could make a list of the similarities between new and re-do because we have quite a task to retrain a new construction person to do repaints. It’s so different that I question - if they liked new would they even enjoy doing redos?”
Good question. I may be fortunate in that we are doing remodeling projects where new substrates, millwork and drywall have been installed. So the transition is not quite as steep as going from all new to all repaint. The change is that we now have homeowners living in the quarters. These are living, breathing creatures who expect some level of communication from the workforce. They also have a myriad of other issues that will be addressed in our Top Ten List.
But first, I thought it would be fun to create a list of things you should know about new construction painting. Imhoff wondered about the similarities, so if you see one, circle it. We’ll call this: The Top Six List for New Home Construction Painting:
- Don't smoke inside the building
- The Tile Guys Rule
- The Hardwood Floor Guys Rule
- It’s safe to ignore anyone who walks in, especially if you don't speak English. (And if you do, pretend you don’t.)
- Expect the carpet layer to trash your work (a.k.a. The Carpet Guy Rules)
- Don’t take your shoes off
The number ten thing you should know about painting in the private sector is:
#10. Hire Right.
In other words, it all begins at the Start Line. Nigel Costolloe with Catchlight, Inc. in Brookline, MA, advises to hire for aptitude, courtesy and diligence.
From this we can deduce that when retraining a new construction person to do repaints, perhaps it’s not about their former market niche so much as their abilities and attitude.
#9. Go the Extra Mile.
Jeremy Brooks with Brooks Painting, Inc. in Davis, CA, says, “Have your painters always look for that 1% extra to do for the customer. You only get one chance to make a first impression, from vehicles to the way you dress. It is not just about paint, in fact in the residential repaint market it is most often not about paint.”
Stephen Gregory with Gregory Dill & Company in Seattle, WA, adds, “If your customer points out an area of concern of most any kind; say that they point out a drop of paint in an area not being serviced, take care of the clean up immediately...that instant. This will tell the customer that everything they want you will do.”
I find a similarity here to new construction work. We emphasize to our painters to find every flaw before the homeowner walks the home with the builder to create the final punchlist. If there is something obvious for them to find, they will begin to examine the entire job with a more critical eye.
#8. Communicate.
Daniel Martucci, President of SPS in Tampa, FL, says it all starts with communication. They have one particular item that they are sticklers about called The 5 Minute Rule. If the painter is going to be five minutes or more late, they must call the customer.
Ken Sisco of Ken Sisco Painting, LLC, in New Port Richey, FL, works the circle of communication by providing a detailed job order for each job with estimated man hours and material for the lead painter before the job begins along with customer contact information and directions to the job.
Stan Wryn with Western Accents, Inc. in Beaverton, OR takes communication full circle by advising that the painter communicate the daily goals for the project with the client either verbally or in writing using a jobsite communication form. This helps keep the client abreast of what is going to happen and the paint crew has committed themselves to achieving their goals.
#7. Mind Your Manners.
Wryn says, “No smoking or profanity allowed when on the client’s property. I have my painters that smoke, do so only on their breaks and at the curb. As for profanity, you never know when someone is listening. Be ever so cautious with the clients flower beds and shrubbery. If one is damaged, the responsible painter is to inform the client. I offer to replace any damaged flowers or shrubs.”
Roger Moyer with Aspen Painting in Aspen, CO, advises us to find out if the owners will be home and to ask what hours you can work. Joel Hamburg with Joel Hamburg Painting, Inc. in Portland, OR, lists the following guidelines for behavior: Never turn on an owner's radio or TV. Never sit on homeowner's furniture, unless invited to do so. Take shoes off or use shoe covers when going back inside a home. Don’t smoke or chew inside or outside the home. And driving home the point about smoking, James Ashe with Beach Painting Contractors, Inc. in Kill Devil Hills, NC, adds: Homeowners hate cigarette butts in their yards.
To sum it up in a sound bite, Sisco says to follow this golden rule: Don’t make yourself at home.
#6. Know Your Job.
The technical side, that is. Moyer says, “Check adhesion of existing coatings and prepare a disclaimer if you are the least bit concerned about the existing coating failing under your new paint. For exterior jobs, shut off the sprinkler system, and look to see if the system is too close to the house and is causing damage.”
And something that a new construction painter is not used to having to do is mentioned by Ashe, “Before painting you must clean grease, dirt, and mildew, whether inside or out.”
Hamberg offers something that could have saved me thousands of dollars on a particular job’s demise: When pressure washing an exterior, check inside the home for leakage.
#5. Protect the Customer’s Assets.
Hamberg’s rules include the following: Never leave doors unlocked or unsecured when leaving a home and use a lockbox.
I would add that if you are going to leave a window open for ventilation, make sure the homeowner knows about it. In our area, summer storms can pass through without much notice.
#4. Protect Your Customer’s Property.
Moyer says they use non-skid drops on hardwood floors. Ashe says when scraping outside, lay down a tarp or some plastic to catch the paint chips. In addition, Hamberg offers this: Never put plastic on bushes, plants or landscaping and use brand new or very clean drops for home interiors.
One thing I’d like to add is to cover openings into rooms not being painted to protect them from dust. How do I know this? Why I learned it from paying drapery and furniture cleaning bills.
Another great tip that I immediately put in our company newsletter comes from Gregory: To prevent fluid marks and associated negatives, never let workers park on a customers paved driveway. If there is no other choice, make sure that they have an old tarp under the car.
#3. Ask For Bathroom Privileges Before It Is Too Late.
Moyer says to ask the customer for an onsite restroom and cleaning sink. Otherwise, order a portable potty.
#2. It’s All about Appearance.
Costolloe fired off these three rules about appearance: Get your vehicles washed and detailed every three months. Buy company polo shirts for your interior crews and for all employees to wear to company events/lunches. Buy your employees their painters’ whites, as often as is needed; and never allow exterior uniforms to be used on an interior project.
#1. Beware Of The Almighty Pet(s)!
In other words, you never want to be asked, “Who let the dogs out?” Woof, woof, woof…oh sorry, wasn’t that a really bad song? Hamburg says, always ask if there are pets and if they can go out, or better yet have the owners take the animals with them out of harm's way. He learned to remove pets from the work area the hard way when two dogs caused a paint spill. The clean-up left a slippery floor and when the homeowners’ mother passed through the area, she fell and broke her arm.
My business partner and husband Larry was a little less polite about the topic when I told him I was asking advice about pets. He said, “Animals are your worst enemy. Get the $@W% things contained.” You’ll have to excuse him; he was still fresh from a phone call about paw prints on a black door.
(Article taken from the 2007 Fall Painter's Rag)
One thing I’d like to add is to cover openings into rooms not being painted to protect them from dust.