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• On Demand Episodes           51174          

  Date / Time: 10/7/2009 5:42 PM UTC

  "Mommy was on her Blackberry" !

                                                                                                                                                      When I came across this picture I just had to add my two cents. This portrait of little children "getting into the latex goes on everyday across the nation and around the world.  Sure their "having a blast", from the looks on their faces!" But one has to ask themselves, " where was the adult supervision?  And also who in their right mind would leave an open can of paint around youngsters?  Not only is the room "trashed" what about the thought of the kids ingesting the harmful product?  No doubt the furniture and floor will never be the same and mom and dad have their work cut out for them cleaning this mess up!
  
  • Tags:
  • Mommy wasn't paying
  • kids in paint
  • unsupervised childre
  • kids having fun
  • opened paint
  No Comments

• Date / Time: 9/24/2009 3:00 PM UTC

  "Keep from Freezing " frozen paint is a waste of paint!

   

  

  Frozen paint = wasted $$$$$$$$$$

  KEEP FROM FREEZING is printed on most paint manufacturers labels. Yet through the years as a painting contractor I cannot count the garages/sheds that I have been in where valuable paint is exposed to freezing temperatures. Oils, latex, aerosols, glue, joint compound, etc. are to be stored at room temperature all year round.

   

  Is the typical homeowner not aware of this and if not what can be done to aware them to the fact that they are destroying valuable material? Propylene glycol is one of the materials used in the manufacturing of latex paints. Propylene glycol is the basic ingredient used in anti-freeze for auto and other machinery to keep the block from freezing. However in the form of paint it only helps to a point, and when the temperature hits 32 degrees, paint etc.freezes and is no longer any good.

  Educating the homeowner to keep his or her valuable paints etc. out of the cold is not an easy task. Whether they just don’t know, don’t care, or have no where else to put it is troublesome. That being said, there are thousands if not millions of dollars of use able paints etc. being destroyed every year from freezing temperatures.

  Disposing of this damaged material is another issue. Some homeowners just throw it in the everyday garbage which in turn damages our environment even more. Educating the consumer on the proper disposal of damaged paints and chemicals is very necessary if we are to preserve our environment. The homeowner as well as contractors should properly dispose of paints and chemicals according to their local municipalities disposal requirements.

  Any suggestions on educating consumers on preventing their paints and solvents from freezing would be appreciated.

  Daniel Rowe owner of Rowes Painting and Carpentry Sayreville, NJ

   

  • Tags:
  • destroyed paint
  • freeze
  • Frozen paint
  • waste of money
  • wasted paint
  No Comments

• Date / Time: 9/24/2009 2:56 PM UTC

  A customer with color confusion is a loss of time and money for contractor!

   

  

  Color Confusion

  A customer with COLOR CONFUSION can be a roadblock to the painting contractor from securing the job, let alone completing it. Some people have no idea of selecting colors and this can be an aggravation to the contractor. Especially when a customer finally decides on the color choices. The contractor drives to the store to put in his or her order for the custom colors, which I might add are NON-RETURNABLE.

   

  At last the contractor finally applies the color to the walls, ceiling, etc. only to the dismay of the customer who “thought the color would look different”. The contractor has just wasted valuable time and materials by not communicating effectively with the customer prior to the colors application.

  The contractor could have avoided this awkward situation in several ways. First if the contractor for sees Color Confusion on the behalf of his or her customer it is up to him to paint only a sample wall or ceiling, let it dry and let the customer “sleep on it”. This saves time for the contractor not painting the entire room to the dissatisfaction of the customer. It also saves money in that the contractor only purchased a quart of non-returnable paint as opposed to 5-10 gallons which will probably never be used.

  Secondly the contractor can cover him or herself by stipulating in the contract prior to the commencement of work, that any changes in color after the customers selection will be an addition to the total price. With this being said, when a contractor has a customer with Color Confusion paint only a sample large enough to give a general impression. State that the color will dry a shade darker, and look different as natural light gives it different casts during the day. Let the customer “sleep on it” because the next day they might have changed their mind again!

  Daniel Rowe owner of Rowes Painting and Carpentry Sayreville, NJ

   

  • Tags:
  • color confusion
  • loss of money
  • loss of time
  • customer
  No Comments

• Date / Time: 9/24/2009 2:53 PM UTC

  He who paints in the sun should not be painting!

   

  

  He who Paints in the Sun!

  He who paints in the sun will not get the professional results they are expecting. Paint whether oil or latex, thinned out or not dries or cures from air temperature, slower in the shade and faster in the sun.

   

  The solvents or driers such as ASA (anti skinning agent), cobalt, naptha, mineral spirits, xylene, found in oil based paint evaporate at a much quicker rate when directly exposed to the sun. Whether spraying, brushing, or rolling paint sets up much like frying a egg in a pan when painting in direct sun light. This “setup time” will not allow the applicator to properly spread out or level the paint on the surface. The end result whether on wood, metal, or siding is going to be rough in appearance.

  Before painting the exterior of any structure the painter must scope out the direction of the sun and its relation to the structure at different times of the day. He or she must work away from the sun!
  This is most important when working on the roof painting, the sides of dormers, etc. The heat generated to roofing materials most notably shingles can reach temperatures well over 100 degrees.

  Painting in these extremes is self defeating in that the paint sets up too quickly to properly apply it. In turn making the outcome of the paint job look unprofessional.

  The painters tools react differently under different temperatures and don’t achieve the same results when painting in the hot sun. Brushes cake up, rollers dry out, and spray tips clog faster. The pot life of the paint curdles faster which is detrimental. To obtain the best results of exterior painting is to Paint in the Shade!

  Daniel Rowe owner of Rowes Painting and Carpentry Sayreville, NJ

  exterior painting, painting at high temperatures, painting in the sun, unprofessional painting, wrong way to paint

  • Tags:
  • exterior painting
  • painting at high tem
  • painting in the sun
  • unprofessional paint
  • wrong way to paint
  No Comments

• Date / Time: 9/24/2009 2:50 PM UTC

  Contractor punchlist pressure!

   

  

  Punchlist Pressure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Every experienced contractor whether a painting , building, electric, or plumbing knows the feeling when the job is coming to an end. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up. A lot of little things that need to be done to get the final payment. These “little things” where not over looked they were put on the back burner while the bigger more important items were dealt with.
  From a painting contractors stand point touchups are quite common, as well as skipped nail holes, sagging caulking, over spray etc. The customer is quite keen on what needs to be rectified before they issue the final payment. Often the customer will have several other people look over the job to get various opinions. Recently I experienced comments from other individuals on a job and the punchlist “fix it” list required me to remidy the previous contractors errors.
  These prior errors where not in my contract to remedy and were pointed out near the tail end of the job. Although small things were noted it dawned on me to fix or to disagree and try to get more money. Rather than haggle over who’s mistakes they really were and end the job on a sour note, I proceeded to repair the prior contractors mistakes and gained a happy customer in the end. Sometimes contractors have to swallow their pride and just go along with the customers demands.

   

   

  • Tags:
  • customer
  • fix it
  • painting contractor
  • pressure
  • punch list
  No Comments

• Date / Time: 9/24/2009 2:48 PM UTC

  A glass of water please the ideal customer from a contractors prospective

   

  

  A glass of water please

  Not every customer is the same in regards to their generosity. Enough has been written on the pros and cons of the professional contractor. But what about the pros and cons of the customer the contractor is working for? Although it is best to maintain a professional relationship during the coarse of the job between the two parties offering drink or food to the contractor doesn’t hurt.

   

  Unless of coarse the job is turning into a disaster. From the contractors stand point there is know doubt that they will perform their duties better when the conditions that surround them are comfortable.
  Does the customer need a few pieces of furniture moved around at the end of the job? What about hanging up that new light fixture? These two examples were not included in the contract. However if one treated the contractor and helpers with generosity the contractor will be more than happy to do a couple of “freebies”.

  The ideal customer doesn’t get upset when everything is not going according to plan. Yet with proper communication understands that not all jobs proceed as well as others. The customer should give the contractor the benefit of the doubt. Ninety five percent of the time the situation is rectified and there was no need for all the stress.

  The check is good is one of the best endings to the job besides customer satisfaction. There is nothing more aggravating to the contractor than having to worry about money. These are just a few examples of the ideal customer from a contractors standpoint.

   

  • Tags:
  • customer
  • generosity
  • ideal
  • kind
  • nice
  No Comments

• Date / Time: 9/24/2009 2:43 PM UTC

  Contractor / Customer Win / Win Situation

   

  

  Win Win Situation!

  From a contractors stand point he or she must feel comfortable with the home owner(s) before entering into a contract before making the necessary improvements. This being said the homeowner(s) must know exactly what they want and the procedure that is going to get them to the final result of their project. Homeowner(s) do not like to be surprised in the way of unexpected disruptions to their environment. Furniture and pictures must come down or be covered up. Computers and tvs must be undone etc. Basically the room under improvement is going to be totally in disarray for a certain time period. It is up to the contractor to note this disruption to the homeowner(s) prior to commencement of the project.

   

  As a home owner they must expect a certain amount of disruption to their living quarters so that the improvement will be done in the most professional way. For an entire room to be painted furniture no matter how large or small must be moved away from the walls. Cords, wires, and draperies etc. must come down until the project is complete. This is an uncomfortable situation to the homeowner(s) but it surely provides the contractor to perform the work professionally.

  “DUST” can be a major challenge to both the contractor and homeowner(s). Where the contractor has patched and taped a hole or structural crack requires sanding. If the room contents are not well covered as well as entry ways into other rooms, there will be a “Dust Storm” that is time consuming for the contractor to clean up and a unprofessional situation that it happened in the first place. The homeowner(s) should make sure that the contractor takes every necessary precaution to protect the homeowners valuables from start to finish.

  Getting the cheapest price by the homeowner is usually not a wise decision. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is true. If a contractor feels he or she is not getting the money they deserve they will cut corners on their workmanship and materials. Using a better grade of paints and materials should be spelled out in the beginning. This assure that the contractor does not use commercial grade paint when the homeowner(s) expect name brand quality.

  Daniel Rowe owner of Rowes Painting and Carpentry Sayreville, NJ

  • Tags:
  • win win
  • winning
  • customer and contact
  • dust
  • getting along
  No Comments

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