After the painters leave: what a warranty covers and how to make paint last

What a painting warranty covers, briefly

A painting warranty covers failures of the coating that come from the painter's work or materials, such as peeling, blistering or flaking of the paint they applied, within the warranty period. It does not cover damage from accidents, structural movement, moisture problems in the building or work done by other trades. Ours is a two-year limited warranty on labor and materials. Beyond the warranty, how long paint lasts depends heavily on simple care: keeping water off the surfaces, cleaning gently and touching up small damage early.

I am Andrey Shelokovskiy, owner of Nomad Painting. Before I started the company I spent six years at PPG Protective and Marine Coatings, and I am a NACE member, so I spend a lot of time thinking about why coatings fail. A warranty is one part of the answer. The rest is what happens on your house in the years after the crew leaves, and that part is mostly in your hands.

Our warranty, term by term

Our published warranty covers labor and materials for two years from the substantial completion of the project. If paint failure appears during that time, we supply the labor and materials to correct the condition at no cost to you. Our responsibility is to correct that condition; the warranty does not extend to other costs. Cabinet painting projects carry the same two-year limited warranty on workmanship, and carpentry tied to removing and reinstalling cabinets carries a separate six-month warranty.

When you compare painters, compare warranties the same way: how long, starting when, covering labor, materials or both, and what the painter will actually do if something fails. A long warranty with vague terms is worth less than a shorter one that says exactly what happens. Whatever the length, ask for it in writing, with the terms attached to your contract.

What falls outside a warranty, and why

Every honest warranty has exclusions, and understanding them up front prevents frustration later. These are the ones listed on our warranty page, with what they mean in practice.

• Accident or abuse: a chair scraped along a wall, a ball hitting fresh siding, a pressure washer held too close
• Design or installation by others: a leaking window, a failed gutter or a roofing problem that sends water behind the paint
• Temperature or humidity changes: movement and condensation caused by conditions in or around the building
• Settlement and moisture: cracks from the house moving or materials expanding and contracting
• Cracks that were properly prepared at the time of the job and reopen later because the structure keeps moving

How to make a claim that gets handled quickly

If you notice peeling, blistering or flaking in an area we painted, contact us in writing before the warranty expires. Our warranty requires written claims, and a written note with dates protects both of us. Include the address, the date of the original job if you have it, where the problem is and a few photos, one close up and one from a distance so we can see the area in context.

Do not wait to see if it gets worse, and do not scrape or repaint the area yourself first, because that makes it harder to see the cause. When we review a claim, we look at what caused the failure. If it is a coating failure covered by the warranty, we correct it. If it is caused by something outside it, such as a leaking gutter, we explain what we found so you can get the right trade to fix the source before the area is repainted.

Keep your estimate, contract and the warranty terms together in one place. Two years goes quickly, and the paperwork is easy to lose in that time.

The first few weeks after painting

Paint feels dry within hours but keeps hardening for some time after that. In the first weeks, treat it gently. Do not scrub walls, and wait before hanging heavy pictures or pushing furniture tight against fresh paint. On cabinets, be careful with doors that close against each other, and avoid harsh cleaners until the finish has fully hardened. Product labels give specific cure guidance, and it is worth reading them.

Outside, keep sprinklers from hitting freshly painted walls and trim, and hold off on pressure washing the house. If a storm arrives soon after painting and you see spotting, tell us rather than trying to clean it off yourself.

Keeping an exterior looking new for years

Our FAQ says a properly prepared exterior painted with our materials should last about 7 to 10 years. Where a job lands in that range depends a lot on maintenance, because most exterior paint failures start with water.

Keep gutters clean and downspouts directing water away from the walls. Adjust sprinkler heads so they water the lawn, not the siding. Trim shrubs and trees back from the house so the walls can dry after rain. Rinse dirt and pollen off gently with a garden hose, not a high-pressure nozzle held close. Once a year, walk around the house and look at the caulked joints around windows, doors and trim, since cracked caulk lets water behind the paint.

The south and west sides always age fastest in North Texas. Touching up those elevations partway through the life of the paint can extend the whole job. If you start to see chalking or peeling, my first guide on what peeling and chalking paint is telling you explains how to read the pattern.

Inside: cleaning and touch-ups that do not show

Interior paint lasts longest when it is cleaned gently. Dust walls occasionally, and wipe marks with a soft sponge and mild soapy water rather than abrasive pads, which can burnish the finish and leave shiny patches. Flat and matte finishes are the most delicate; satin and semi-gloss tolerate more cleaning, which is why they are used on trim, doors and cabinets.

At the end of an exterior job we leave labeled touch-up paint, and on deck and fence work we leave labeled stain cans. Store them tightly sealed, in a place that does not freeze or bake, such as a shelf in a climate-protected storage area rather than a hot attic, and keep them away from living spaces. Before using an old can, stir it thoroughly and test it on a hidden spot. Write the room and date on any can that is not already marked.

For touch-ups, use a small brush or roller and feather the edges, keeping the patch as small as possible. A touch-up on a large flat wall can show as a slightly different sheen, so for a big area it is often better to repaint the wall from corner to corner.

Cabinets, floors and brick have their own habits

Some surfaces need slightly different care. Painted kitchen cabinets take the most handling of anything in the house. Wipe spills and grease off promptly with a soft cloth and a mild cleaner, avoid abrasive pads and harsh degreasers, and keep wet dish towels from hanging over painted doors for hours at a time. If you are still deciding whether to paint cabinets at all, my guide on painting kitchen cabinets yourself or hiring it out explains why the finish is built the way it is.

Garage floor coatings are tough, but they still need time. Our floor coatings page says light foot traffic is usually possible within 24 hours of a residential install; ask your installer when vehicles can go on it, and sweep off grit regularly, since sand under tires acts like sandpaper. Painted or limewashed brick needs the same water management as any exterior wall: working gutters and sprinklers aimed away from the masonry. In Dallas, where summer storms can dump a lot of water at once, a gutter that overflows onto the same patch of wall every time it rains will shorten any finish there.

A simple calendar for the year

You do not need a maintenance program, just a few habits tied to the seasons. In North Texas, these cover most of what a painted house needs.

• Spring: rinse pollen off siding, check caulk, and water-test the deck and fence to see if they still repel water
• Early summer: adjust sprinklers, trim plants back from walls, and touch up any spots on sun-facing trim
• Fall: clean gutters, look at the south and west elevations closely, and book any exterior work for the next good window
• Winter: walk the house after hard freezes and storms, and plan interior touch-ups for the indoor months

When to call someone back

Call if you see peeling, blistering or flaking within the warranty period, if a deck or fence stops repelling water, or if caulked joints open and you are not comfortable resealing them. Decks and fences need attention more often than painted walls; my guide on how to tell when a deck or fence needs stain explains the checks. When it is time for the next exterior repaint, the season matters, and I cover that in when to paint a house exterior in North Texas.

If you are a Nomad Painting client, send your warranty question in writing to our office and we will schedule a visit. If you are planning a new project anywhere in our Dallas–Fort Worth service area, the first step is a free estimate visit, where we walk the house, explain the preparation and products we would use and give you the warranty terms in writing along with an itemized estimate.

Questions people ask me