Painter's Handbook

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 Cure – 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 everything 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).

Whether you’re an apprentice just learning the trade or a master painter with years of experience, this complete manual will open your eyes to better, faster, more professional ways to make a good living in the paint contracting business.

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’s handles 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.