Just point out what you have noticed for him to fix. Painters usually are very accommodating as they want good recommendations.

I like the spindles white.

Baseboard? Older house? You can ask him to fill the holes.

Are you refinishing the floors?

I think he painted the underside of the wood rail white to avoid taping each spindle. We have a similar paint combination for our railing (wood railing and white spindles) and our painter left the underside stained wood. The drip marks and holes left unfilled are not acceptable. Hopefully he can correct with a second coat.

the drips are laziness. why is he using a latex (drywall) paint on the wood? He should be using an acrylic latex meant for wood trim. Do you know what kind of paint he used?

The baseboard should have been prepped better. The holes should have been filled, all that glop on top should have been sanded and smoothed, the trim around the window should have smoothed out before painting, etc. I don't know what was agreed upon, but it is somewhat messy. Drips for sure he should fix. Those are his fault.

Yes I like the spindles white too but they were always white, it's the underside of the railing that I was surprised to see all white when it was wood stained previously. I wish he left it the way it was and not sure why he wouldn't ask first. It looks weird to me now but not sure if it would to anyone else. I will bring up the drip marks and holes. We usually don't hire contractors and like to do the work ourselves but we don't have the time lately. We are very particular so wasn't sure what is considered the standard of good work with professional painters. They left the paint and it's Benjamin Moore Regal Select premium interior paint and primer pearl finish. Also this is an old house, should I be concerned he sanded oil paint which may potentially contain lead?

Actually, a water based paint can be put over an oil base. It's the other way around that won't work.

Regal is ok, although I find that Advance is a superior paint for woodwork.

The only way to be sure about the lead paint is to get a lead painter tester. they sell them at the big box stores. If he sanded and cleaned up well enough, it shouldn't be an issue now.

As for the railing, have him come back and paint the underside to your liking. He has to come back and fix the drips anyway.

Was there a discussion about prepping??? All of the baseboards and window trim needed to be sanded and smoothed, and the holes filled.

the picture above is what nicely painted baseboards should look like. The ones you pictured look like a monkey painted them. And I won't even mention the drip splatter on your wood floors. Totally unacceptable. Call him back and have him fix everything.

We talked about sanding the trim and the contract shows "scrape any loose paint, caulk all cracks, patch all holes, sand and prime where needed, 2 coats premium latex finish". Previously he talked about priming with an oil based paint but this morning he came with only one can of primer/paint and said he will prep the surface instead. I asked about the longevity and if one is better than the other. He said it will be fine and will last forever. His agreement was to prep and paint all the trim, doors facing in the room, staircase skirt, risers, and spindles. The cost is $600 if that helps with advice. Thanks so much everyone.

When the paint is dry see if it peels off with your fingernail, bets are it will.

so did he use the oil base primer? or did he use the Regal primer? sand and prime where needed? uh, he missed a lot of those spots. i don't think he properly prepped based on the pics u posted.

First, do NOT pay him anymore until you are happy. That is the only leverage you have to get the job done the way you want. Frankly, I like the white under your handrail. If it was brown with white spindles, it would look like the railing was an add-on. As for the work he did on the trim, He should have not only filled the holes but sanded it better so you don't see the previous chipped paint. If I were you, I'd put small pieces of colored painters tape on the drops you found and the area where the paint pooled. I'd also put pieces of painter's tape on the holes on the trim. He can and should fix those areas. I'd also bring to his attention that he got paint on your wood floors. That is not acceptable and He needs to clean that up without ruining the finish on your floors. You are not being too picky, but you should be home for questions and inspection while the work is being done.

Here is the before pic from another post. It was pretty grungy before and it's cleaner now but I do agree with everyone that I expected it to be prepped better. [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/need-help-for-living-and-dining-room-in-old-victorian-house-dsvw-vd~3534189[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/need-help-for-living-and-dining-room-in-old-victorian-house-dsvw-vd~3534189)

I really expected everything to look smoother. Is it too late for them to do that since they already painted? They didn't do a lot of sanding and the dust is on the floor. They didn't have a vacuum. They talked about coming back this week, possibly tomorrow. The underside of the handrail painted white really erks me. Thank you for confirming I wasn't being overly picky. The floors are getting sanded so I did tell him that so not too worried about some spots. But still.. I just want to take his caulk and paint and redo some of the work. I will talk to him next time I see him. Again thanks everyone. Love hearing everyone's opinion.

Since your agreement stipulated oil based paint, let him know you don't appreciate him making that change without consulting you. Also ask for a refund for the less expensive latex paint!

He initially talked about using oil primer during the quoting process but today only used the Regal. He assured me the that sanding would be enough for the Regal latex to adhere. I will try the fingernail scratch test tomorrow. Wow, everyone is giving such good advice. I will take the painters tape and point to areas of concern. You people are the best!

I agree that since they are professionals they should not have painted the underside of the banister without asking you. I'd ask them to fix the sloppiness too. Good luck.

It is not too late for him to correct the unevenness. He won't like it, cause it involves a lot more sanding, perhaps even down to the bare wood then priming and repainting. But it can and should be done! As for the white under the handrail, be sure to let him know that it really bothers you. Was it discussed beforehand or did each of you just make your own assumptions about it? It's never easy!

FYI, I live in an 1100 sq. ft., two bedroom, one bath house in a medium priced city. I recently received a bid of $3000 to paint my interior doors and windows. The other painting contractors I talked to weren't even interested in bidding the job (I was also bidding exterior painting). Lead paint plus busy contractors jacked the price WAY up, inside and out. Sounds like you got a bargain at $600.

P.S. I'm painting the windows and doors myself, one room at a time. What a pain!

I guess it's not safe to assume. I thought if the handrail was already stained a wood color why would they not leave as is instead of paint the underside white. I didn't even think I would have to point that out. Next time I will point out everything I can possibly think of. I was home when they were painting and should have checked their work. They could have come to the next room to ask me as well. I didn't inspect closely until after they left. They came as a recommendation from someone who used them prior to selling her house so I trusted them. The owner seems like a good guy. I'm hoping it will go over well when I point these things out. I have only paid him for half the job so far. Lesson learned and appreciate everyone's responses. Do you think I got what I paid for? I only got one other estimate but the guy quoted me for items I didn't ask for so just went with this one.

I'm sorry but at $600 you got what you paid for. The paint job you were expecting would cost much more than that.

Ellsworth, how would I have known this beforehand?

Also, the other quote I got from someone a neighbor highly recommended was $1250 for the ceiling, walls, and trim including staircase and doors. I only needed the trim, staircase and doors done which is why I went with my current painter and the other one was in the middle of a job. Painting services in my location could simply be less expensive then yours. I don't live in a big city.

Yup. The job you wanted would be 5/8x what you paid. And the contractor would have been licensed, insured, documented, and would have glowing reviews going back several years at least.

For what you paid, you're owed them cleaning up the drips.

That is a terrible job, I would not be happy with that.

Very amateur job! Was the underside of the railing previously sealed after the stain? If not, the stain will bleed through the paint. Sanding the underside is not enough, in m.h.o., even with an oil based sealer underneath. He should have primed with a special primer made to stop bleeding. It doesn't always happen right away. It can happen months from now. Ask him what he primed it with? I looked it up on the Sherwin Williams site and they said the same thing your painter said. You need to find out how he prepped the area. A professional job has no runs, sagging or pooling. I have never seen the underside of a stained railing painted. He did it that way because it was easier than taping not because it is the correct way of doing it. I'd have him remove it or at least repair the uneven edges. Stop the check before he cashes it and then call him. Most contractor's cash checks immediately following a job. If you didn't get a few quotes for the job before hiring next time do it. I never take take the lowest bid, especially if it is much lower. And always get referrals, check Better Business Bureau, and online. Always make sure you see their insurance before they start the job. If they don't have any you are liable if they get hurt on the job. Also, you can find out how a job is done properly online. If I don't know much about a topic I go to YouTube (make sure the person is a pro) or This Old House or Handyman Magazine websites. Good luck!

I have never seen the underside of a stained stair railing painted. It would bug the heck out of me. I could understand if this were a commonplace option, and he simply erred in not clarifying which look you preferred. But this is not the norm.

I suspect that dotsandstripes 123 may be correct. The painter simply did not want to tape off the spindles. Or, he forgot that you said the stain should remain and remembered halfway through and decided to act like this was normal in hopes you didn't notice. Still...even if you'd actually wanted the underside painted, it's sloppy work with white paint scalloped onto the stained side of the railing.

Yes, $600 is quite a bargain for your project. And there's a degree of "good enough is good enough" we need to prepared to accept with a low bid. Attention to detail takes time and time is money. That said, these Houzz boards are filled with stories of high dollar jobs getting the bargain basement treatment. The amount you pay often does not square with the caliber of work. I'd pick my battles here and stand firm on the sub-par work that are most egregious to you. This is not a case of "good enough is good enough." It's not good, period.

I would expect a better quality job. Seems like a DIY not done very well. Point out the issues to him and tell him your expectations. I don't know where you live and it is based on regional areas but your quote does seem low. The prep can be as much or more time than the actual painting.

Interesting, here in New England, and we live in a historic town on the coast with many 1890 homes, all of the underside of the railings are painted white. (But then we also paint porch ceilings blue to give them a feeling of the outdoor sky) for handrails I think it is because it is easier to paint them white if you have white spindles, very had to paint around a spindle without extensive taping. I like it white since it cleans up so nicely when you do the spindles and looks strikingly clean and crisp against a dark gleaming mahogany bannister. it is all in the contrast.

. the drips he can scrape off with a heavy duty scraper and that needs to be done. It is either too hot, or else he is using far too much paint!

I do not think you are being too critical, hopefully they will fix the problems you have found. If you are in an older home, pre 1978, I would highly recommend using a lead testing kit before you have any sanding done. This is something you can do yourself. Our home was built in 1949 and our contractor was required to do a lead test on the walls and trim. Our interior paint tested negative for lead but unfortunately the exterior trim has tested positive. Good luck.

My home was built in 1916 so likely lead paint but I will check. Now I wonder why he would sand potentially lead paint instead of use oil primer/paint instead. I truly appreciate everyone's comments. The price he quoted me is what I accepted. I didn't negotiate so expected the job to be his normal quality standards. It was also in line with another quote I got. On top of that, one of his workers took the alarm sensor off one door to paint and apparently dropped one half on the floor and left it there so had to spend 10 minutes looking for it because the metal magnet fell out! Not a very professional experience. This person was also sanding so not even sure he did. I will have to check if the latex peels off after it dries. Thank you everyone . I will confront the contractor to let him know my concerns. He seems like a stand up guy so hopefully he will come through. What everyone said about the spindles make sense - it was probably too much work to tape off, but they should have asked me. I was literally sitting in the next room working so he could have come anytime to ask me. Every time I look at the railing and underside painted white, it pisses me off. I'm not sure how he will remove the paint from that. I was able to drag my fingernail across it and it peeled off though. I know they are not done with the room but I expect he will go back over the areas of concern. Thanks again everyone! Everyone is always so helpful here!

Your contract included patch holes and caulk cracks so that part of the baseboard job should be included in the price you paid. In my experience, it is all too common for painters to promise lots of prep work and not live up to the expectations set at the time of initial quote.

Looks like you have an older home. We had all of our woodwork in an 100 year old rental house painted last year. It took three guys two weeks to prep and paint, for a 1,000 sq foot house. We had layers of paint removed, and latex had been painted on top of oil based, a no, no. Latex peals if it is not properly primed if painted over oil based. If they did not sand and prime all of your woodwork first, the water based is going to peal. I would have them redo this. Shame on your painter, he should have known better.
Did you get several bids for this job? Were they in the ballpark of the others or was it a lowball bid?

Okay, just saw how much you paid! How many rooms, did he do? If it was the whole house should have been 10 X that.

I can't see any detail in the before photos, but I don't need to. I can see the mess in the after photos. This painter did nothing to make the trim look better. A 15-year old could have done this job.

You have beautiful trim, $600 isn't enough to do it right. It needed to be really sanded down well, filled, sanded again, primed, taped, then painted. Some of the boards probably needed to be stripped, because some of the paint has been chipped and peeling prior.

And there is. I excuse for the painter to drip paint on his/her own work, or paint the underside of the handrail. That's just lazy sloppy work.

I'd stop right now, fire him, don't pay any more. Then talk to more professionals who can do the job correctly.

If you've done all the work yourself previously, then you should know the correct technique and materials that need to be used. I would put a stop to the payment and complete the work myself, one room at a time. I can't believe people get paid for that level of workmanship. We're there not any reviews or reference to gauge how this would turn out? I'm a DIY'r and this guy's work, makes me look like a Pro.

A quality paint job, with the proper labor intensive prep, sanding, and priming with a stinky shellac based primer, should be in the range of $600-1000 per day, per man on the job, for someone licensed, insured and background checked employees. Not who knows what felon picked up out of the HD parking lot.

The job you wanted, done right, would probably take 3-4 days with 2-3 people on the job. Do the math. Lead based paint abatement, which I'm sure you know you really need, would be more. Trying to avoid doing the job legally and correctly is what landed yourself in this pickle. If you want to save money, spend your own time DIYing dealing with the abatement. But deal with it correctly.

Crappy painter, painted the handrail due to being sloppy. To much paint causing the pooling. Drips due to inexperience and sloppy. I'm a professional painter ,they do bad work.

$600 for the whole job? I don't know the scope of the work but that is through the floor low, no matter where you are. Did you get multiple bids? Did you go with the lowest, check out references, see prior work?

Point the problems out to him and hopefully he will fix them ... if you've DIY'd paint jobs before, you should know how much work is truly involved and should have realized that $600 is way way too low to expect quality work.

Can you have him sand off the white paint under your banister? If it was just one coat of white over wood it should come off easily. Plus you can't cover wood with just one coat of white anyway so it seems like to paint that wood properly it would have taken way more work than just taping it off before doing the spindles. I just finished painting golden oak trim and doors on the second floor of my new house with BM Advance and it is a great product and really what should be used on trim so I am not sure why he wouldn't have used that instead.