Bill once again shows us why he is the best paint guy in JOCO.
Paint Warranties; The Real Scoop
We’ve all heard the claims of “lifetime” warranted paint or 25 year guarantees, etc. What does that really mean? Keep reading and find out!
So you think you need Lifetime paint, maybe your painter says you need it. Well, in my opinion most of the time, you don’t. Let me first say that the lifetime offerings from any manufacturer are of better quality than their other paints. You DO get a better paint out of the deal! The problem lies in the warranty. If you ever get the chance to actually READ the warranty, you’ll see that it only covers peeling and blistering caused by the failure of the product.
Here’s a little secret: The product almost NEVER FAILS! With modern manufacturing techniques and quality control, there is almost no chance of defective paint coming from the factory. They are doing a great job! When paint peels, blisters or fails in general, its usually a preparation problem or maybe even a water infiltration issue. These conditions are not covered by any paint warranty whatsoever and who can blame them? There are all sorts of painters out there installing their product. There are no training requirements or licensing needed to be a painter.
If you think you have a warranty claim, you will need to contact the store where the paint was purchased. You may also need to keep the original receipts or get in touch with your painter (if you can still find them!). The paint store will then send out a representative to look over the problem. The will give you their honest opinion of what went wrong. Don’t be surprised if he blames the painter! If you do qualify for a warranty claim, the warranty only covers the replacement of the product, NOT the labor! They will give you some paint, but you are on your own after that.
Also note that paint warranties generally do not cover fading of their product. We all know that paint fades, no matter who puts it on or what they use, it will fade. Fading isn’t considered a “failure” under the warranty. No matter what, you should plan to paint your home every 5-7 years in the Midwest. There’s just no other way around it. If that is the typical paint life, why spend the extra money on the lifetime product? They are banking on people moving every 5 years. The warranty is not transferable!
Lifetime paint generally costs the painter around $42 per gallon. The next step down is usually around $24 per gallon. That’s a difference of $18 per gallon. Take that times the average house needing 32 gallons of paint and you’re looking at a difference of $576! That doesn’t include sales tax or markup for the painter!
The bottom line here is this: do not hesitate to use the next step down from lifetime when it comes to exterior paint. Just make sure you or your painter uses 100% Acrylic Latex. Make sure your painter knows what he is doing when it comes to preparation and product application. Don’t be afraid to pay a higher price to use a reputable painter.
Contact me with questions at: http://billthepainter.blogspot.com/
