A page built on the river record
This page doesn't quote weather station figures for Gadsden. What it does use is the river record, because water on lower walls and trim is one of the things a painter in a town on a river has to ask about before pricing a job.
The National Weather Service gauge for the Coosa River at Gadsden sets minor flood stage at 511 feet, moderate at 514 and major at 517. NWS says some residential flooding begins in the Gadsden area at 512 feet, and at 514 feet areas from Lonz Street to Aaron Way in eastern Gadsden are vulnerable.
What the flood stages mean for a paint job
The stages describe the river, not any single address. If your property has taken on water before, or sits where it might, keep these points in mind:
- Ask the painter to look at lower walls, baseboards and door casings for staining, swelling or soft spots before they quote.
- Paint over drywall or wood that hasn't fully dried can blister and trap moisture. An interior repaint after water gets in should wait until materials are dry, and damaged ones have been replaced.
- Exterior surfaces near the ground, such as skirting, lattice, the lowest siding courses and the bottoms of door frames, take the most splash and standing water. Those areas often need extra scraping and priming.
- If the river forecast is rising, it's reasonable to move a start date. Ask how the painter handles postponements.
Our guide to drywall repair and surface preparation explains what has to happen to walls before paint goes back on.
Put the job in writing
A clear written proposal prevents most disagreements. It should name:
- every room or exterior surface included, and anything left out;
- the preparation: washing, scraping, patching, sanding, caulking, priming;
- the products by name, and the number of coats;
- how added repairs are priced if the crew finds rot or damage;
- the start date, how weather delays are handled, and the payment schedule;
- cleanup, and what happens to leftover paint.
Read our pricing guide for why two proposals for the same house can differ, and the interior painting page for what a room repaint involves.
Older paint and lead
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, expect containment and cleanup steps whenever paint is scraped or sanded, and ask the painter whether the firm holds RRP certification.
Those steps take time and materials: covering floors and the ground with plastic, keeping dust inside the work area, misting rather than dry-sanding where possible, and cleaning up carefully at the end of each day. A proposal should say how they're handled.
If something goes wrong
Most problems are settled by talking with the painter, written proposal in hand. Walk the job together, point to the surfaces in question, and agree in writing on what will be fixed and when.
If that doesn't work, the Alabama Attorney General's Consumer Interest Division takes consumer complaints online and by hotline (1-800-392-5658 or 334-242-7335), and each complaint is assigned to a Consumer Specialist. The office says filing a complaint is not a legal action and the division does not give legal advice.
Questions to ask a Gadsden painter
- Will you check for past water damage before you price the inside?
- What preparation is included on lower walls, baseboards and trim?
- Which products, and how many coats?
- How will older paint be handled if the house was built before 1978?
- What is the payment schedule, and what is due at the end?