All Painters are not Alike

A wise painter, Wayne Mayo once told me, ” My job, as a painter, is to make YOUR work look great!”  This “Mayo Credo” is so true that I can’t emphasize it enough. Any painter that thinks otherwise is in the wrong business. I refuse to let a homeowner give me anything but praise for the fantastic paint job.

A homeowner recently told me that if that was the quality of workmanship he received…he  would have rather painted it himself. That painter no longer works for me. I just had to rip out and replace perfectly good trim work because of a poor paint job. That painter no longer works for me. Seven scratched windows. That painter doesn’t work for me. What the hell else can go wrong?

There are so many variables that go into painting that I just don’t do it in house any longer. We use the top of the line paint from whichever vendor we use, always specify top of the line primer as well, then two coats of finish color.

Should we spray? Or roll? Or both? This is part of the painter’s domain. I expect them to know this stuff. I don’t want to get involved with how the sausage is made! I want great results for a fair price in a timely fashion. Safety and cleanliness are also part of the painter’s purview.  A messy painter is like a sloppy surgeon: useless to me, sadly they do exist.

In my opinion, there are two types of painters, those that love to paint, are continuously learning and practicing their art. Conversely, there are those that paint because they can’t do anything else.

The goofy thing is that until you get experience with both of them and see what they produce, you can’t tell the difference. This is because they all boast about how hard they work, how great they are, bla… bla… bla. Unfortunately, trial and error is the only method I know of that works.

The hand holding factor drives me crazy. Can I get an advance on my paint? I don’t have credit at the paint store, can I use your account? I’m done, can I come by and get my check? Can you write it now?  My wife needs… my truck needs a … I have to go to the dentist… ENOUGH.

The painting industry has flipped on its ear since the RRP rule went into effect. The lead paint rules have split the industry into three distinct groups.

1. Those that work on older homes ( pre – 1978)
2. Those that can’t legally. ( Not RRP certified or certified firm)
3. Those that aren’t allowed to but still do. ( They pretend the RRP rule isn’t for them).

I Love My Painter

Levco takes the RRP rule seriously. That being said, the painting parts make sense and we understand that there are parts that are onerous as well as painful to follow. It doesn’t matter,  we expect everyone to follow the rules. The sad part is that I have found that leaded work is done at a premium. The sky is the limit, as far as I can tell. The fear of being caught has caused some certified RRP firms to go crazy and balloon prices.

Frustration and aggravation were driving me to desperate measures until I got a great referral.

To my amazement, I just located the perfect fit. I say that because I now have the right guy for the job. He gets the “Mayo Credo” He understands that his job is to make my work look great! You win my admiration and everlasting praise. Mess with it, and you are going down.

WA-HOO! Finally a painter that does “Levco quality” work. You would think that I had ridiculously high expectations. well perhaps I do, why shouldn’t I? The value of a great paint job is hard to put a price tag on. It is a huge component of a lasting impression. Let the other contractors use the other guys, I love my painter.

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, email me directly or visit our contact page.

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