Homeowners compare paint brands. Painters compare prep. If you take one thing away from this post, make it this: the finish coat is the easy part, and it is almost never why a paint job fails.
Paint fails for three reasons — it was applied to a dirty surface, it was applied to a glossy surface, or it was applied over something already loose. All three are prep problems, and all three are invisible the day the job is finished. That's what makes cheap bids so tempting and so expensive.
Cleaning comes first. Exteriors get washed to remove chalking, pollen, and mildew — and mildew has to be killed, not just rinsed, or it grows straight back through the new coat. Interiors need degreasing anywhere near a kitchen, and bathrooms and mudrooms hold more residue than people expect.
Then comes sanding and profiling. Paint bonds mechanically, so it needs something to grip. A glossy trim board or an old oil-based finish has to be scuff-sanded to give the new coat texture to key into. Skip it and you get a coat that looks perfect until the first time something bumps it.
Repair and caulk next. Nail pops, cracks, dents, failed caulk lines at trim and windows — all of it gets fixed before painting, not covered by it. Fresh paint magnifies surface flaws rather than hiding them; a wall that looked passable in flat beige will show every dent once it's a fresh satin.
Priming is the last step, and it's the one most often skipped. Bare wood, patched drywall, stains, and dramatic color changes all need the right primer. Spot-priming repairs also prevents flashing — those dull patches that show through the finish coat wherever the substrate absorbed differently.
On a typical L&R Painting job, prep is the majority of the labor. It's also the reason our work still looks right years later. When you're comparing quotes, ask each contractor exactly what their prep process includes — the answer tells you more than the price does.
Ready for a job done the right way? Call L&R Painting at (612) 702-9379 for a free estimate in Minneapolis and the west metro.