Beckley, by the encyclopedia
e-WV, The West Virginia Encyclopedia, describes Beckley as the county seat and largest town of Raleigh County, on a high plateau at about 2,400 feet; mining of the county's bituminous coal began in the 1890s, and a branch of the C&O railroad reached Beckley in 1901. That is the city's setting as the encyclopedia gives it. This page is about something more immediate: the paper you sign before a painter starts.
West Virginia's code on painting
West Virginia's Contractor Licensing Act says the term contractor does not include a person who performs landscaping or painting services for commercial or residential customers. That is West Virginia Code 30-42-3, quoted as worded. What you control, whoever you hire, is the written proposal.
Anatomy of a proposal
A painting proposal doesn't need to run long, but it should answer each of the questions below in writing.
What is being painted
Each room or side of the house, and each surface in it: walls, ceilings, trim, doors, windows, siding, soffits, railings. Just as important is what's left out. Closets, garage interiors and the backs of doors are common gaps between two bids.
How it will be prepared
Washing, scraping, sanding, patching, caulking and priming, surface by surface. Preparation decides how long a finish lasts, and it's the easiest part to trim from a low bid. The drywall repair and surface preparation guide explains what good prep involves.
What goes on
Primer where it's needed, the number of finish coats, and the products named by maker, line and sheen. A vague phrase such as "top-grade paint" is not a product name.
Repairs
Which repairs are included, and how any extra repairs found during the job will be priced and approved before the work goes ahead. Rot behind old paint is common enough to plan for.
Protection and cleanup
How floors, furniture, plants, roofs and walkways will be protected; what happens with drips and overspray; how the site is cleaned each day and at the end; and what becomes of leftover paint.
Older paint
Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. If your home was built before 1978, the proposal should describe how disturbed paint will be contained and cleaned up, and you can ask whether the firm holds RRP certification.
Schedule and weather
A start date, an expected length, and how weather delays will be handled for outside work. Paint labels set the conditions; the proposal should say what happens when a day doesn't meet them.
Payment
What is due and when. A deposit, a progress payment and a final payment after your walk-through are a common pattern. Tying the last payment to a finished walk-through protects both sides.
Any warranty
If the painter offers a workmanship warranty, what it covers and for how long, written down rather than spoken.
Reading two proposals side by side
Put two proposals next to each other and go line by line. Where one lists a step the other doesn't, ask the second painter about it. Price gaps are usually scope gaps: one includes washing, scraping, priming and two coats, the other one coat over light prep. The pricing guide explains why bids differ, and exterior painting covers the outside job in detail.
Before you sign
- Is every surface listed, along with every exclusion?
- Are prep steps described for each surface?
- Are the products named?
- Is there a written process for added repairs?
- Is payment tied to progress and a final walk-through?