Loaded with "how-to" information you'll use everyday to get professional results on any job:
- The best way to prepare a surface for painting or repainting;
- Selecting and using the right materials and tools (including airless spray);
- Tips for repainting kitchens, bathrooms, cabinets, eaves and porches;
- How to match and blend colors;
- How to apply cement products and textures; and
- Why coatings fail and what to do about it.
Lists 30 profitable niche specialty areas in the painting business and how you can get started in them. How to keep track of your business, estimate, sell and succeed.
This complete guide explains what painters and paint contractors need to know to thrive in the paint contracting business. It's loaded with practical "how-to" information you'll use every day when preparing surfaces for coating, applying paints, bidding jobs and running your paint contracting company:
Doing Professional Quality Work—Selecting the right tools (including power equipment). Preparing all types of surfaces. Tips for repainting kitchens, bathrooms, cabinets, eaves and porches (whether wood, drywall, plaster or metal). Handling new construction (what to insist on and what to avoid). Getting good results from your airless spray rig (with a troubleshooting guide). How to apply every common type of paint, coating, texture and wall cover, including paper, plastics, laminates and fiberglass.
Paint Problems and Their Cures—Why coatings fail. Testing for blisters, chalking, poor adhesion and condensation. Recipes for removing all types of stains. What to do about voids, skips, holidays, pulls, wrinkles, color changes, gloss spots, streaks, yellowing, peeling, alligatoring, powdering, chipping, checking, cracking, crazing, fisheyes, graining, roller stipple, water stains and fire damage.
Using the Right Paint and Color—Avoiding paint oxidation, chalking, and fading. Creating special effects (cobweb, crackle and splatter). Using stains, varnishes, lacquer, shellac, plastics, preservatives and primers. Avoiding customer complaints about color match. Tried and true color schemes for every job. Cutting costs by mixing your own colors. Making touch-ups blend in perfectly.
Setting Up Your Business—Selecting your area and specialty. Where to get start-up cash and how much you need. Protecting yourself with insurance. Controlling expenses. Staying legal (taxes and licenses). Getting top value for your advertising dollar. Typical budgets for paint contractors. Keeping your paperwork straight (including blank forms your should use). Tracking job expenses.
Finding Your Gravy Train—Over 30 profitable specialty painting businesses you should consider. How to sell the job (at your price). Estimating areas, material quantities and labor costs for walls, overhangs, gables, molding, trim, doors, and windows (including worksheets you can use).
About the Author
Bill McElroy started painting homes, offices, and apartments in the 1960's. He soon found that being able to swing a brush didn't guarantee success as a painter—far from it. He had to learn to supervise painters, keep books and records, and sell jobs before his business was consistently profitable. Over the last 20 years Bill McElroy mastered the art of paint contracting. He's learned the tricks of the trade—how to do professional-quality work in the shortest possible time. He has handled every type of work, applied every type of coating, and kept notes on his work and the manufacturers and master painters. In this book he's recorded the wisdom collected in his career as a paint contractor.
Now operating in Southern California, Mr. McElroy's paint and construction company specializes in shopping centers and larger homes in the Malibu area. A recognized expert in the field, he is a consultant to a number of California corporations. His articles about how color affects perception have appeared in several trade journals.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: An Intro to Painting; Chapter 2: Creating a Profitable Paint Contracting Company; Chapter 3: An Accounting System for Your Business; Chapter 4: Accounting, Inventory, and Management Control; Chapter 5: Finding Your Gravy Train; Chapter 6: Selling; Chapter 7: Estimating; Chapter 8: Painting Safety; Chapter 9: Choosing Paint; Chapter 10: Color; Chapter 11: Surface Cleaning and Preparation; Chapter 12: Common Paint Problems: Prevention and Cure; Chapter 13: Water and Fire Damage; Chapter 14: Selecting and Using the Right Tools; Chapter 15: Surface Prep and Painting; Chapter 16: Painting New Construction; Chapter 17: Spray Painting; Chapter 18: Cement Products and Texturizing; Chapter 19: Alternate Wall Coverings; Appendix: Paint Chemistry; Glossary: Index. |
