My Experience With Cheap House Painters

by Shila
(Cherry Hill, NJ)

I usually paint my house every two years. I decided to paint it again last year since the paint looked worn-out and soiled.

When I contacted my regular painting contractor, he said they were overbooked and wouldn’t be available for the next two months. I didn't want to wait, so I decided to call some other local house painters I found in a newspaper.

I asked them whether they could paint my house, they agreed very eagerly and the rates were very reasonable, much lower than my usual painters. They also said they were professionals with many years of experience. I thought, wow their rates are so cheap, I will use only them from now on and save a bunch of money.

I was very excited about finding such a great deal in the beginning, but my mood changed when the actual work began.

It turned out, the painters didn't know how to paint. My whole floor and furniture was ruined and splattered with paint. Every night after they left for the day, I had to clean up their mess.

I think they also diluted the paint with water to save money, because you could almost see through it. When I mentioned it to them, they said that we had agreed on only 1 coat of paint, and I would have to pay more for the second one. I usually need only 1 coat, because I keep the same color, and my regular painters use real paint. I didn't expect to have such a surprise! Maybe they even do it on purpose, use diluted paint so that the customer will ask for the second coat?

Anyway, I paid for the second coat and ended up spending with them even more than with my usual higher priced contractor. And that is not counting all the aggravation, plus the time and energy I spent scrubbing my floors.

I am now very leery of any contractor with cheap rates, I learned my lesson the hard way. I'm going back to my regular painting contractor and sticking with him.

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