You can ask. You did not specify so you may get push back.

Yes call him back

Absolutely call him back. A professional will want to please his customers. It sounds like a misunderstanding and it certainly can’t hurt to give him a call. Do it right away.

any painter worth 10K dollars, should know enough to do trim/doors in a gloss or semi. Even if you didn't specify, he knows better and should have checked with you. You didn't specify flat on the trim work, so he should have done it w/the gloss. It's common knowledge.

Call him back and have it redone.

Crazy job

"We did project management ourselves..."

In this business you pay for your education one learning experience at a time. That's part of the value added by an experienced remodeler or general contractor. That said, even experienced contractors get "educated" on a regular basis.

Live and learn all things need to be in writing when you decide to be your own contractor that is even more to the point. This will cost you and IMO if you did not state what you wanted you get what you get. BTW a semi glass paint is no guarantee for chipping I think if that is already happening 2 days after move in maybe you need to start being a bit more careful too.

"I think if that is already happening 2 days after move in maybe you need to start being a bit more careful too."

Or the prep work was not correct and no sheen paint will adhere.

Trim is best done in Benjamin Moore Impervo or a similar alkyd paint.

While on the one hand, you didn’t specify what the trim and doors should be—which is so basic that I wonder what else is happening with your project that you are GCing—so that you may not be able to have the painter repaint the trim and doors for free but must pay him for the extra time and materials. But on the other hand, it is astounding that the painter did not ask you about it. It’s Painting 101, as in a 17-year-old doing painting as a summer job would have known the trim shouldn’t be flat paint. What kind of painter is this? Part of GCing - a tremendous part - is choosing good contractors.

I would regard this as a lucky red flag that is telling you to put the brakes on other work in your home until you have read more and educated yourself.

On this topic...my painters did use correct sheen on trim and doors, but did not paint the windows. One set of painters in another room did do the windows, so they look good and fresh. The house is not new btw. When you are repainting, is it normal to also paint the windows when you are doing trim and doors?

If the paint is already chipping then it’s possible your “ painter” went over the previously painted trim which was done in an alkyd paint with the flat latex without properly prepping and priming first. Ask if the old paint on that trim was tested first to determine what type of paint it was and if they did the prep work. If not , they need to redo it!

The doors are "filthy"...from what? Ten k for a paint job. Did this include materials? A whole house? WHAT? And you didn't specify beyond flat walls. Did you provide the paint? Was there any trim paint on site? Your post is missing a lot of information...........

And your painter is an idiot with no prep experience and you got what you got, along with a failure to be specific,

"When you are repainting, is it normal to also paint the windows when you are doing trim and doors?"

Condition and color dependent. It is not something you can assume as it would to be spelled out in the contract, what exactly in included.

Sand paper has been and continues to be the most important least utilized tool on 99% of all painting projects. All paint projects need to be sanded and cleaned.

That’s because it takes effort MS Colours !

Uh............YES they do! Ms Colours - Pity so few believe it!!!!!

"We did project management ourselves". Asked for flat, got flat. Wow, not even matte.

"Is it reasonable to ask them to redo...?" At your cost, yes.

I've been doing Eggshell for trim and doors and like it better than semi.

Satin on trim . That is a luster between egg and semi. VERY easy to wash off, no in your face shine. Just a soft luster,

Save "eggshell finishes for walls in High traffic areas needing continual maintenance

Sorry, I meant satin on trim, not eggshell. Satin is very nice.

Most qualified painters know not to use flat on trim. But since you didn't use a competent professional, you got what you asked for. Not specifying everything to the smallest detail, and then not following up to make sure everyone understands what is expected is asking for trouble. Yes you can have them repaint it, but it's on your dime.

We do complete rooms walls ceiling,trim,and walls in matte finish on occasions for a certain look. these rooms take special prep ,priming and paint.

This historic home in NE retains its original wallpaper, murals and woodwork and plasterwork painted in a flat finish. I was amazed at the wonderful condition it was all in after more than a hundred years of use.

Maybe it wasn’t flat 100 years ago...?

I think so. The finish is consistent throughout the whole house; even on all the plasterwork. I was astonished that this was all the original paint! The owners brought artisans from Italy to do all the work. They mixed all their own paints. I can imagine compounded with things not allowed in today’s paints! I was surprised at how lovely the finish looked and how much I liked it! I brought it up only because MS Colours mentioned they sometimes do flat finish trim. We are so accustomed to a sheen of course.

They didn't use latex a hundred years ago., It was undoubtedly a very lead base oil. Latex came on the scene in the 40"s via SW Kem Tone.

This is

a matte finish on our shiplap.

Specifying flat paint, with no other specifics other than the brand, if that is what you did, allows the painter to use even the cheapest grade of paint and still meet your specifications. And flat paint is not at all washable. It is used for ceilings, because typically no one needs to wash a ceiling, and the flatter the paint, the more it hides imperfections. Matte is a washable paint, which has the chalky flat look, but is harder, so you can wash it. Some persons commenting have suggested satin for your trim. Satin is a term which varies by brand. At Sherwin Williams, satin is nearly the same as eggshell. With Benjamin Moore, on the other hand, satin is a trim finish, lower sheen than semi-gloss, but more than eggshell. So you need to look at the brand of paint, and discuss with the store which sells it the relative merits of the paints and finishes, to know what to specify. Benjamin Moore has a trim paint called Advance, which is an "alkyd" paint. An alkyd paint is encapsulated in alcohol, such that it is washable while painting, to clean up spills and clean brushes, but once the alcohol evaporates out of it, it is as hard as an oil based trim paint. Over time, an alkyd paint may yellow a bit. All of these characteristics are separate from color selection, which also may affect the best choice of paint. If you are selecting a deep color, such as you might want in a home theatre room, a better grade of paint might be the best value, if it delivers that color in fewer coats. Those who suggested the paint may be chipping and peeling if the flat paint was painted over an oil based trim paint, without sanding or primer, make a very good point. It may be an expensive lesson to have things repainted, but having this hiccup early may help you learn to do the legwork for future projects, so as to not have lots of expensive redos on other parts of your project. Do the research to educate yourself, or hire some guidance, in the form of a remodeling consultant or designer, which you then could implement on your own. Best of luck to you!