|
The Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) trade association has established industry standards relating to the responsibilities of contractors and their customers and provided definitions for industry related terms and issues (such as “properly painted surface”). These standards serve as objective guidelines for the work we perform and thereby help establish reasonable expectations on the part of our customers. They help to eliminate subjective standards that may vary from person to person (and may or may not be reasonable). For example, the definition of a properly painted surface is: A surface that is uniform in appearance, color and sheen. It is one that is free of foreign material, lumps, skins, runs, sags, holidays, misses, strike-through or insufficient coverage. It is a surface that is free of drips, spatters, spills or overspray, which were caused by the contractor's workforce. Compliance to meeting the criteria of a "properly painted surface" shall be determined when viewed without magnification at a distance of five feet or more under normal lighting conditions and from a normal viewing position. Note: A surface uniform in appearance, color and sheen may not be achieved with a coat of primer or a single coat of topcoat. By utilizing this standard, we can eliminate disputes that might arise because a customer holds a standard that is unreasonable or unknown to us. For example, a customer cannot use flood lights and a magnifying glass to inspect baseboards because doing so would reveal defects that would never be seen under normal conditions. The purpose of industry standards is not to give the painting contractor carte blanche, but rather to provide a third party resource for the contractor and his customer to identify if the contractor has successfully completed his responsibilities. Such standards provide protection to all parties. Our contracts state that we will follow industry standards. Therefore, it is crucial that we know, understand, and adhere to those standards. © Copyright 2008 and in perpetuity PHILADELPHIA-HOUSE-PAINTERS |