Preventing some painting frustrations for managers and maintenance in the coming months

Hello everyone! I wanted to hopefully prevent some potential frustrating situations that managers and maintenance supervisors may experience in the upcoming months.

1) there is a substantial shortage on paint. Lowes, home depot, Sherwin Williams, Porter, everyone everywhere. It's all made from the same materials. We are getting what we can when we can, pretty much whatever is available. This is a ripple effect from the water losses in Texas this past winter.

2) Different paint products can be matched CLOSE but never PERFECT. You can't match Porter's Speedhide flat to Sherwin Williams' Property Solutions flat. Cannot be done, period. Put them next to each other and you will see a difference. If your expectations are that they can be matched close enough for an apartment re paint, prepare for disappointment

3) Most of the time you are paying for an apartment to be repainted, basically cleaning up the areas that get the most abuse with the paint that matches exactly. That's how we are able to give you good prices, and why a single painter can do two or three units in a day. If all of the walls need to be painted corner to corner, then that is a "color change" and it is a significantly longer process and therfore more expensive.

4) There is a more of a demand for good apartment painters than there are apartment painters in many markets. If a painter is put in a situation where they are going to be forced to do color changes at a re paint price, they will more than likely end the relationship. One or two is a cost of doing business, but every single one going forward is not sustainable.

I don't work directly for a painting company, nor do I work for a management company or owner, I am just a person that wants to see us all get through these upcoming challenges with the shirts still on our backs. Enjoy your weekend

I have no dog in this hunt, but this, sir, is a great and valuable post.

Don't forgot the appliances on back order!

and parts

Yes. 4 months for 18 CuFt refrigerator in Austin/San Antonio area. 3 mos for microwave

And, metal bi-fold doors are also on backorder. Ugh

No doors. Or paint. Or screens. Or chlorine. 

Our paint rep at sherwin William's told us it isnt the paint, but buckets. Nothing to put the paint in, because the main manufacturer of buckets got hit really bad with covid.

Great post Jonathon. I’m not a painter but I was in the apartment business for over 30 years and painters seem like they are treated worse than any other vendor. The price they charge for a 2br apt is 1/4 of what you would pay for a 2br condo.

Definitely food for thought!!!

Great post. Thanks Jonathan.