Whether you have undertaken a paint job yourself or have had someone do it for you, you’re likely to be keen to know whether the job has been completed to a high quality or not.
That means you need to know how to inspect the quality of a paint job. Fortunately, this is possible with the following tips.
Of course, if you prefer you can get your local NACE coating inspector to take a look at the finish and tell you how good, or bad it is. This can be useful if you are having an argument with the contractor regarding what quality the finish should be and what it actually is.
Table of Contents
The Visual Inspection
The most obvious first step in assessing paint quality is to look at the finished job. A well-finished job will have a smooth finish, you can verify this by running your hand over the paint. Alongside this, the colour should be uniform and, ideally, you shouldn’t see any brush strokes. It certainly shouldn’t be possible to see the primer or wall underneath.
If any of these things are visible then you can assume the paint job has been poorly applied It will be best to have it redone.
As a tip, if you’re unsure about how good a painter is then watch them work. They should remove any old coatings, clean the area thoroughly, and then add the primer. They will then be able to paint the wall and apply any sealing coat that is desired or needed.
Don’t forget, when visually inspecting you should look for any runs. These are definite signs of poor-quality work.
Scrape It
If you’re having doubts about the finish then scrape a small inconspicuous area. You should be able to see how thick the paint has been applied, whether there is a primer coat or not, and what the base looks like. This can tell you a lot about how much care has been taken in doing the job. The less care the lower the quality of the job is likely to be.
The Edging
Another important area to check is where the paint finishes and meets another wall or surface. This is where the paint needs to be cut in. A high-quality job will leave a perfect line, aided by masking tape. A poor quality or rushed finish will be obvious as odd bits of paint overlap onto the adjoining surface.
The Finish
Once you’ve looked at everything and felt the wall take a few steps back to assess the overall appearance. This is how most people will see the area and blemishes or undulating colours can be more easily spotted from a distance.
To make sure you’ve spotted everything it can be beneficial to have a friend inspect the paint job as well. This will ensure you are being fair and may even pick up on some additional issues.
You’ll then have to tackle the painter to get the work redone.