House Painting Job Done Wrong

by Ginny
(Key West, FL)

I own a two-story home with wood siding in a warm climate. It has been painted many times over the past twenty-five years because I have always had it painted before the paint began to crack or bubble from the weather.

About three years ago I contracted with a new house painting contractor which was recommended to me by a co-worker. I thought she recommended him because he was good, but as it turned out he was related to her. I did not find this out until it was too late.

The painter, with whom I signed the contract and whom I thought was going to be on the premises doing the work, did not but instead sent over two subcontractors to do the work.

Shortly after it was finished, the paint began to bubble and crack in spots. I called the painter and he sent one of the two painters back to patch up the spots. The same spots immediately cracked again and he again sent back the same painter to touch them up. The spots kept bubbling and cracking and then I noticed on the rear of the house the spots they patched were turning black with mold.

I had a house-painter friend check the paint, I had a general contractor friend check the paint, and they both said it was a mystery to them as to why it was doing this. My friend also scraped and re-painted the spots, but they continued to either blacken or crack. The only conclusion we could come to was that the house was not prepared properly for the painting, or the paint was improperly mixed before being applied.

I could not get any satisfaction or rebate from the painter, and I want to say this to other homeowners:

Before contracting with someone to paint your house, make sure you get at least two recommendations from former customers. Ask those people if they had any problems with the contractor and how those problems were resolved.