Start with the paper, not the color
Most disagreements about a paint job aren't about the color. They're about what was included: whether the closets were part of it, whether the trim got two coats, whether rotten sills were the painter's job or yours. This page is about getting those answers on paper before work starts, with the Pennsylvania and federal rules that apply to a paid painting job in State College.
What a useful proposal lists
A one-line quote that says "paint house" leaves almost everything open. A proposal you can compare against another one names:
- Every surface by room or elevation. Walls, ceilings, trim, doors, windows, closets, railings, soffits and fascia, each one in or out.
- The preparation. Washing, scraping, sanding, patching, caulking and spot-priming, and how much of each.
- Products and coats. The primer and finish product by name or line, the sheen, and the number of coats on each surface.
- Repairs. Whether wood or drywall repairs are included, priced separately, or excluded.
- Protection and cleanup. What gets covered, who moves furniture, how debris and paint chips are handled.
- Schedule. A start window, an expected length and what happens on rain days.
Our drywall repair and surface preparation guide explains what each prep step involves, and the sheens guide helps you fill in that line.
When two proposals don't match
If one bid is far lower than another, lay them side by side and look for the missing lines. Often the lower one skips priming, quotes one coat instead of two, or leaves out the trim. Sometimes it's simply a painter with lower overhead. You won't know which until both are written in the same detail.
Pennsylvania's contract rules
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General says the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act's list of home improvements includes painting. The card below gives that office's statement of which contractors must register with it. You can ask the painter whether they're registered under the Act. We don't check any contractor's registration.
The same Act gives you a cooling-off period. Under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, a person signing a home improvement contract may rescind it without penalty within three business days of signing, regardless of where it was signed. If you sign a painting contract at the kitchen table and change your mind the next morning, that's the rule that applies. Keep a copy of what you signed, with the date on it.
Older paint
EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule covers anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978. The card below gives EPA's wording. In practice, a proposal for a pre-1978 house should say how the crew will set up, contain dust and chips, and clean up at the end of each day. If that section is blank, ask about it before you sign.
Changes during the job
Once walls are opened up and old paint is scraped, a painter sometimes finds rot, failed plaster or more peeling than expected. A good proposal says how those finds are handled: a written change order with a price, agreed before the extra work is done. Ask for that in writing.
A short checklist before you sign
- Does the proposal list every surface, the prep, the products and the coats?
- Are repairs in, out or priced separately?
- If the house is older than 1978, does it say how dust and chips will be contained?
- Is the start window written down?
- Do you have a dated copy of what you signed?