Painter looking for more money.

cathalj

Hired a painter to do our kitchen/diner, sitting room and hall strairs & landing. He quoted us a price which we went for. This price was excluding the paint. It now transpires that the kitchen/diner requires three coats and he was obviously assuming it would only take two. As a result he's looking for an extra 100. This was never mentioned to us as a possibility, surely a professional painter would encounter this regularly and thus should flag the possibility at the outset. Do you think he's chancing his arm or am I being unreasonable ?
Any advice appreciated.

magentis

Well if it deserves another coat.That means more paint and more labour.Your options are clear,leave it at 2 coats and pay what he quoted or pay the extra money to have it done properly.Its not possible to tell sometimes how many coats will be needed,regardless of his experience.

Sleeper12

Who provided the paint?
If painter provided the paint and selected brand etc then it's down to him. If you provided paint and selected brand etc then it's down to you.

happywithlife

Could depend on brand of paint- if you used a cheaper paint for example it will need an extra coat. Sometimes quality of paint can vary between batches and you'd end up needing am extra coat. Can you negotiate a compromised price?

cathalj

magentis wrote:

Well if it deserves another coat.That means more paint and more labour.Your options are clear,leave it at 2 coats and pay what he quoted or pay the extra money to have it done properly.Its not possible to tell sometimes how many coats will be needed,regardless of his experience.

As I said the price did not include the paint. We supplied that , so he's not out of pocket there..... I appreciate it means more labour , but he never informed us that three coats was a possibility and when it transpired it needed a third he did it without informing us that it would be any extra. The three coats are already done and only now is he telling us it's gonna cost extra.

cathalj

We provided the paint - Johnstones.

cathalj

We provided the paint - Johnstones.

Donal55

cathalj wrote: »

As I said the price did not include the paint. We supplied that , so he's not out of pocket there..... I appreciate it means more labour , but he never informed us that three coats was a possibility and when it transpired it needed a third he did it without informing us that it would be any extra. The three coats are already done and only now is he telling us it's gonna cost extra.

Well if he did put on the 3 coats and he did a good job, pay the man.

cathalj

Thanks for all the feedback

.

Donal55 wrote:

Well if he did put on the 3 coats and he did a good job, pay the man.

I understand your point , but I wouldn't expect a mechanic or builder etc to carry out extra unforeseen work without clearing the extra cost with me beforehand. Don't wanna be taken for a ride .

njs030

It would have taken him extra time so it's fair that you pay him for the time. If it needed the extra coat it needed it, you'd be unhappy if he'd left it at 2 coats and it was patchy too.

NATLOR

notjustsweet wrote: »

It would have taken him extra time so it's fair that you pay him for the time. If it needed the extra coat it needed it, you'd be unhappy if he'd left it at 2 coats and it was patchy too.

The guy still should have mentioned it before doing the work at least the OP would have had the opportunity to make a decision either way

brendan86

Did you or any family member see him actually put 3 coats on the wall? Im assuming not as you would have discussed this before, What was the color previous and now that it needed 3?

brendan86

If no one witnessed it he's more likely chancing his arm, he did it for a price he should have informed you. I'm not qualified but did fair bit of painting and never used 3 coats unless changing really dark to bright

cathalj

brendan86 wrote:

If no one witnessed it he's more likely chancing his arm, he did it for a price he should have informed you. I'm not qualified but did fair bit of painting and never used 3 coats unless changing really dark to bright

Ah no, in fairness to him he definitely did three coats.

dev100

cathalj wrote:

I understand your point , but I wouldn't expect a mechanic or builder etc to carry out extra unforeseen work without clearing the extra cost with me beforehand. Don't wanna be taken for a ride .

How long did it take him to do the overall job did you base payment on getting job completed and taking X number of days ? Or had he to stay an extra day or anything to do the work ?

Often times a mechanic will find something else that is wrong when working on job and some of the time if the job is a repair and it's internal in the engine he ll only be able to give you a guide price.

If he has done a good job and hasn't charged you an arm and a leg you could split it 50/50

Car99

I'd say it's his misjudgement his problem. Tell him he got the job cause he was 100 cheaper than the other quotes you got.
On the other hand if he did a good job and you had a good experience other than the €100 request maybe you should pay him cause you may use him again.

njs030

NATLOR wrote: »

The guy still should have mentioned it before doing the work at least the OP would have had the opportunity to make a decision either way

That's a fair point. I think if he was chancing his arm he'd say it about the whole house rather than one room though.

How much was the total before op?

hannible the cannible

If you're happy with the job tell him you'll give him a 50 , if he put in extra work he's entitled to it , if he didn't give it a 3rd coat would you pay him for what he done even though it wouldn't be right

clfy39tzve8njq

cathalj wrote:

Ah no, in fairness to him he definitely did three coats.

He's entitled to be paid so in my opinion

Rhaegal

I'm with the OP, it should have been at least discussed before applying the third coat.

former total

I presume you just hired him to do the job, and neither he nor you specified two coats.

You're under no obligation to pay him. You agreed a price, he can't change the terms now.

B.A._Baracus

These things happen, Op.
All too often unforeseen elements can pop up. He thought two coats would do the job. He was incorrect.
For what it's worth it doesn't sound like he is trying to rip you off. A more unscrupulous person would have applied the third coat without asking then claim you owe him the extra money. But he left the choice with you if you want a third coat or not.

Just make a decision about the two rooms. If you are happy with the two coats then pay him the agreed price. If you feel they really could do with the extra coat, well hammer out the extra deal.

Etc

I've had problems with the walls at home, used 2 coats of farrow and ball and due to the nature of the walls, needed an extra coat in some rooms. Likewise, had painters in and whatever the previous owner put on ceilings, the painter had a horrible job to give us a decent finish, it required a huge amount of effort on his part.

It's a regular occurrence and in most cases unforeseen.

cathalj

B.A._Baracus wrote:

These things happen, Op. All too often unforeseen elements can pop up. He thought two coats would do the job. He was incorrect. For what it's worth it doesn't sound like he is trying to rip you off. A more unscrupulous person would have applied the third coat without asking then claim you owe him the extra money. But he left the choice with you if you want a third coat or not.

No , his employee did the third coat today and this evening he texted to say that would cost extra , after the job had been done.

We agreed a price to paint the room , didn't agree a price per day /hour etc.
And we decided to go with him based on that price and our budget etc.

In fairness to him I believe he just misquoted and with that in mind I think it's fair if we meet in the middle, 50/50.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

TheChizler

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

All too often unforeseen elements can pop up. He thought two coats would do the job. He was incorrect.
For what it's worth it doesn't sound like he is trying to rip you off. A more unscrupulous person would have applied the third coat without asking then claim you owe him the extra money.

Isn't that exactly what happened?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

TheChizler wrote: »

Isn't that exactly what happened?

It read to me that the 3rd coat is not done yet.

OP if you want a third coat pay the man. Two coats should usually do and, after all, you picked the make and colour of paint.

Thelomen Toblackai

If he quoted a price for a job, did the job then came back looking for more money because it was more effort than he thought it would be then that's his fault.

I wouldn't be paying extra on top of what was already agreed on for the job.

B.A._Baracus

TheChizler wrote: »

Isn't that exactly what happened?

I know what you mean.
The original first post is very clear and says two coats were applied and the painter was saying it needed a third.

Then op said:

cathalj wrote: »

Ah no, in fairness to him he definitely did three coats.

Which I assume is a mistake (as in they meant to type two) In any case the first post offers the most detail so I just went by that

mad m

In fairness Johnstowns paint is $hite in my opinion, some colours may take that extra coat. But he should of told you before he did 3rd and final coat and agreed the extra.

I was asked one time to paint a sitting room when I was going through my apprenticeship. I told clients that their sitting room would take more than one coat, they disagreed with me. As you can guess it did need 2 coats, I put first coat on and they looked at me with ten heads, I couldn't leave walls like it was so just ran in another coat as it didn't take that long. Still got paid the same.

Sorry I'm rambling, my point is the painter should of told you, agreed the extra cost. Because now he will probably loose return custom over an extra 100 euro.

Etc

cathalj wrote: »

No , his employee did the third coat today and this evening he texted to say that would cost extra , after the job had been done.

We agreed a price to paint the room , didn't agree a price per day /hour etc.
And we decided to go with him based on that price and our budget etc.

In fairness to him I believe he just misquoted and with that in mind I think it's fair if we meet in the middle, 50/50.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

I think that's a bit harsh. Might it not be he case he's conscientious, wanted to get a good job done before he leaves and that's how the job panned out.

It's unfortunate we think the worst of people without understanding fully the circumstances.

uck51js9zml2yt

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I know what you mean.
The original first post is very clear and says two coats were applied and the painter was saying it needed a third.

Then op said:



Which I assume is a mistake (as in they meant to type two) In any case the first post offers the most detail so I just went by that

Post at 22:38 says he did a third coat.

NATLOR

Nathanael Straight Illness wrote: »

It read to me that the 3rd coat is not done yet.

OP if you want a third coat pay the man. Two coats should usually do and, after all, you picked the make and colour of paint.

The third coat was done with no consultation with the OP

Thelomen Toblackai

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I know what you mean.
The original first post is very clear and says two coats were applied and the painter was saying it needed a third.

Then op said:



Which I assume is a mistake (as in they meant to type two) In any case the first post offers the most detail so I just went by that

What exactly are you reading ? The OP doesn't say anywhere that two coats were applied and the painter was saying it needed a third. It only mentions a third coat because the painter is asking more for doing it. And his second post clarifies the painter applied the third coat without telling them:

but he never informed us that three coats was a possibility and when it transpired it needed a third he did it without informing us that it would be any extra.

NATLOR

Regardless of the outcome I think the painter hasn't done himself any favours,its a business,in my experience, that to some extent relies on word of mouth and I imagine the OP would be very reluctant to recommend him to anyone.

Ghekko

100 seems like a lot. Our painter charges that per day so unless you have a massive kitchen/diner which took a few hours to paint, I wouldn't give him the full amount requested.

B.A._Baracus

Roger Helpful Radiologist wrote: »

Post at 22:38 says he did a third coat.

I posted my first comment at 22.26 then I noticed the post by TheChizler (who quoted me) so I got back to that. didn't notice in the mean time the op replied back to my message (before thechizler). No biggie.

Let me look at this again tho

Sleeper12

Ghekko wrote:

100 seems like a lot. Our painter charges that per day so unless you have a massive kitchen/diner which took a few hours to paint, I wouldn't give him the full amount requested.

A qualified painter ( not on the dole) gets around 200 Euro plus vat per day.

NATLOR

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I posted my first comment at 22.26 then I noticed the post by TheChizler (who quoted me) so I got back to that. didn't notice in the mean time the op replied back to my message (before thechizler). No biggie.

Let me look at this again tho

Post 5 is pretty clear

Thelomen Toblackai

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I posted my first comment at 22.26 then I noticed the post by TheChizler (who quoted me) so I got back to that. didn't notice in the mean time the op replied back to my message (before thechizler). No biggie.

Let me look at this again tho

You seem to have missed the entire first page of the discussion....

cathalj wrote: »

Hired a painter to do our kitchen/diner, sitting room and hall strairs & landing. He quoted us a price which we went for. This price was excluding the paint. It now transpires that the kitchen/diner requires three coats and he was obviously assuming it would only take two. As a result he's looking for an extra 100. This was never mentioned to us as a possibility, surely a professional painter would encounter this regularly and thus should flag the possibility at the outset. Do you think he's chancing his arm or am I being unreasonable ?
Any advice appreciated.

cathalj wrote: »

As I said the price did not include the paint. We supplied that , so he's not out of pocket there..... I appreciate it means more labour , but he never informed us that three coats was a possibility and when it transpired it needed a third he did it without informing us that it would be any extra. The three coats are already done and only now is he telling us it's gonna cost extra.

cathalj wrote: »

Thanks for all the feedback

.

I understand your point , but I wouldn't expect a mechanic or builder etc to carry out extra unforeseen work without clearing the extra cost with me beforehand. Don't wanna be taken for a ride .

cathalj wrote: »

Ah no, in fairness to him he definitely did three coats.

B.A._Baracus

cathalj wrote: »

No , his employee did the third coat today and this evening he texted to say that would cost extra , after the job had been done.

We agreed a price to paint the room , didn't agree a price per day /hour etc.
And we decided to go with him based on that price and our budget etc.

In fairness to him I believe he just misquoted and with that in mind I think it's fair if we meet in the middle, 50/50.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Hi op,
Sorry your first post made it sound like the third coat wasn't applied. My bad. But hmm.... yeah I can see your problem. Ironically enough I said it would be unscrupulous of him if he did that :pac:

But knowing what you said.... yeah meet in the middle. Just because he said 100 doesnt make it 100. He really should have ran it by you.

mad m

NATLOR wrote: »

Regardless of the outcome I think the painter hasn't done himself any favours,its a business,in my experience, that to some extent relies on word of mouth and I imagine the OP would be very reluctant to recommend him to anyone.

Agreed with this totally. For sake of 100 euro I doubt he will get a call back for future business.

B.A._Baracus

Thelomen Toblackai wrote: »

You seem to have missed the entire first page of the discussion....

See my post above.

denismc

We recently had our house painted and the job required extra coats/ paint. We were happy to pay the extra to ensure a good job.
I know from doing my own painting it can be hard to estimate how much paint or work will be required.
Like someone else mentioned, the quality of the paint will be a factor in how many coats are required, I always get paint mixed.
If you are not happy ask to split the difference

Juwwi

Unless its a huge kitchen l agree with the poster who said €100 is too much for an extra coat of paint on the walls.

Out of curiosity what colour was originally on the kitchen walls and what colour is the new paint

Pickpocket

happywithlife wrote: »

Could depend on brand of paint- if you used a cheaper paint for example it will need an extra coat.

There are many cheap paints that offer great opacity. Some of the cheap ceiling paints look bulletproof after two coats because they have a filler-like compound mixed through the paint. However that results in a dried surface that will be chalky to the touch and it will have an ugly looking finish.

Compare that to some of the more upmarket paints like Colortrend. That paint has great coverage but it can be tricky getting it to cut into the ceiling with two coats, especially with deeper colours. I've been on my many jobs where I've priced for two coats but the cutting-in let me down. And again, irony of ironies, it's the expensive paint that won't 'touch up' easily. So you have to re-coat entire walls to avoid flashing (a rather ugly defect resulting from the light catching the paint differently).

I'm a qualified painter (although I ultimately switched careers) and you simply would not believe the near endless amount of complications that can arise when painting out a room.

Professional decorating is a very misunderstood profession. To work at the very top of the trade (high-quality refurbs, period work, etc.) you need a lot of knowledge about various substrates and the relevant materials. Things go wrong all the time and it's not necessarily anyone's 'fault'.

Jan Laco

This thread is full of painters by the reading and cowboys at that. If you pay the €100 you are giving away free money. He's no different than those windscreen washers at traffic lights.

Pickpocket

I appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay professional rates, but they still require the services of a 'painter'. However if you're paying €100 a day then you should temper your expectations accordingly.

cathalj

Pickpocket wrote:

I appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay professional rates, but they still require the services of a 'painter'. However if you're paying €100 a day then you should temper your expectations accordingly.

Nowhere in this thread did I say I was paying 100 a day , indeed I have clearly specified that an amount was agreed for the job and not for a daily rate.....maybe you should fully read the thread and amend your comments according

Pickpocket

cathalj wrote: »

Nowhere in this thread did I say I was paying 100 a day , indeed I have clearly specified that an amount was agreed for the job and not for a daily rate.....maybe you should fully read the thread and amend your comments according

I was referring to Ghekko's comment above.

Threads evolve. Not every comment will relate specifically to the OP. Familiarise yourself with how discussion forums work and act accordingly.

Thelomen Toblackai

Pickpocket wrote: »

I was referring to Ghekko's comment above.

Threads evolve. Not every comment will relate specifically to the OP. Familiarise yourself with how discussion forums work and act accordingly.

Usually when referring to a particular comment on a different page of the thread and not the actual topic of the thread people quote it. Otherwise it's just a random off topic post.

But I'm sure you know that, being so familiar with how discussion forums work and all....

mcginty28

pickpocket , sounds like you have an apt name and used to ripping people off! The OP agreed a price that the painter stated and is well within his rights to question a now higher price for the same job that he was quoted. Admiral that he is happy to meet halfway, you don't go in to a shop and pick up a product for a listed price only to be asked for more money at the till ?? Sounds like your one of those cowboys that give a price and then try squeeze more out depending on the customer and how gullible they are!