Bad things can happen if your painter is not a PDCA Accredited Contractor.

Anybody can call himself a painter.

Compared to some of the other building trades, basic painting doesn’t require a lot of expensive tools or equipment to get started.  All too often an inexperienced opportunist will spend a few hundred dollars on some buckets, brushes, rollers and a ladder, slap some magnetic signs on his pickup truck, and bingo, he’s in “business.”

This “Joe the Painter” probably won’t have any problem finding work, because his prices seem low.  He can afford to underbid jobs because  doesn’t have anything invested in his venture – no training, no business infrastructure, no insurance.  He also cuts corners – not because he wants to be a chiseler, but because he doesn’t  know any better.

He underbids jobs because he doesn’t even know what he doesn’t know about being a professional painter.  He doesn’t know what prep work or which primers are required to allow fresh paint to adhere to a variety of surfaces.  His untrained eye doesn’t recognize potential trouble.  He doesn’t know what causes chalking or blistering or checking or alligatoring, or how to fix the underlying problems.  All he knows is how to slap paint on a wall.

His inexperienced eye doesn’t tell him when a particular wall will require more paint than the 350 sq. ft. per gallon the manufacturer specifies for optimum conditions.  So he underestimates the materials for the job, and his customer ends up with too thin a coat of paint.   He misses the shrunken caulking or dried out putty that needs replacing, so his customer isn’t protected from moisture intrusion next winter.

Unfortunately, his shortcuts and mistakes don’t show up right away.  His amateur paint job may look just fine at first, maybe for a season or two.  But what happens when his paint jobs start to fail?  Is he willing and able to stand behind his work?  Is he even still in business?  Or has he faded from the scene, having discovered that there’s more to professional painting than swinging a brush?

What does all this have to do with PDCA Accreditation?

First of all, what is PDCA?

The Painting and Decorating Contractors of America, PDCA, is the only trade association for professional painting contractors across the United States and Canada.  Since 1884 the PDCA has provided technical, safety, business and management education to its members, in an ongoing effort to  raise the level of professionalism in the painting trade.

At a minimum, any contractor who wants to paint your house should be a PDCA member.  If a painter isn’t willing to spend a few hundred dollars a year to be a PDCA member and take advantage of the business, safety and technical expertise PDCA offers, then how serious can they be about their business?  If they care so little for their own business, how can you trust them to care for your home?

What about PDCA Accreditation?

PDCA Accredited Contractors are the All-Stars of the painting profession, the very best of the best.

To attain PDCA Accreditation a painting contractor must complete a series of courses through PDCA’s Contractor College and demonstrate mastery of a wide range of technical, safety and business disciplines.  PDCA Accreditation requires a significant investment of time and money, plus a dedication to the highest standards of professionalism in the painting industry.

For trust, confidence and peace of mind on your next home-painting project, your first choice should be a PDCA Accredited contractor.

Is One Day House Painting PDCA Accredited?

Of course.

One Day House Painting is a service of Luxbrush Painting Company, Inc.  Luxbrush has been a PDCA Accredited contractor since 2003.  Luxbrush was the 54th painting contractor to achieve PDCA Accreditation nationally, and is still the only PDCA Accredited contractor in the entire southern Vermont / eastern New York region.