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TomR
Citizen
Username: Tomr
Post Number: 1066
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 26, 2006 - 2:50 pm: | 
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How frerquently should the exterior of a house need to be painted?
Obviously the length of time will differ depending on whether the shingles are sanded down to bare wood, or only spot scraped or sanded where needed. I'm curious to hear time estimates in both cases.
Thanks for any information.
TomR |
Soparents
Citizen
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 245
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 26, 2006 - 2:54 pm: |
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I was told every 5 years. "Apparently" our house was painted two years before we bought it - it looked more like 10....
We didn't have the house scraped - they said that it would only need sanding etc on bad areas, and a good powerwash elsewhere. Rutgers did ours and made a very nice job, but how long it will be before the house needs doing again is anyones guess, I would like to think we will get more than 5 years!!!!
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mjh
Supporter
Username: Mjh
Post Number: 478
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 27, 2006 - 7:08 am: |
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Ours was sanded to the wood (Rutgers) 5 years ago and still looks very good today. We did have a minor repair done last year ($400), but I'm hoping we get 3 more years out of it.
One thing I learned (the hard way) is to inspect very closely before the warranty runs out (3 years in our case with Rutgers). If you see any peeling, get it repaired under the warranty.
The peeling in one area was probably already there in year 3, but we didn't pay attention, and paid to have it repaired in year 4.
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TomR
Citizen
Username: Tomr
Post Number: 1067
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, April 27, 2006 - 9:57 pm: |
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Thanks to you both for the responses, although I'm surprised that more people didn't chime in.
I can only hope that this paint job holds up as well as the last one did.
Thanks again.
TomR |
Politicalmon
Citizen
Username: Politicalmon
Post Number: 125
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 12:43 pm: |
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TomR
House needs to be painted every 5-8 years. This wasn't always the case in the early 1900 houses were painted every 12-20 years - the main difference is the elimination of lead and linseed oil (binders) from the paint. We also had our house completely stripped by Rutgers. They destroyed much of the wood shingles where you can now see the waves created by their sanders. In addition they did a horrible job in the areas that had to be hand sanded, exposed electrical power lines, left a mess in the yard, broke windows - I could go on for pages on why I would never use Rutgers Painting ever again. I mean they didn't even tape of the windows or chimney before painting. In addition it appears Kevin only hires undocumented illegal immigrants to do his work - no insurance or SS taxes paid - this is why they are usually the lowest quote. He then takes the cash out of the country as he builds his retirement home in Costa Rica.
Beware of Rutgers Painting - someone should call the INS.
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MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3607
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 12:56 pm: |
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Everyone's experience is different. Rutgers did a great job on our house and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. I was under the understanding that a house should be painted every 8 to 10 years.
Politicalmon, how do you know the workers are undocumented? Seems to me Kevin does enough business that he wouldn't be able to squeek in under the radar. I was quite impressed in that it was my understanding that Kevin helps set these guys up with housing, and in the 6 or 8 months they work here, they are able to make more money than most folks dream of making in a lifetime in Costa Rica. The guys are all nice, hard-working, respectful guys and I enjoyed my experience with them immensely. And I think the reason he does so well is because they come in and go like gang busters, working from 8 a.m to 8 p.m and weekends to get the job done. And they all work really hard.
If he sucked so bad I doubt he'd be doing so well.
If you have proof the workers are undocumented and Kevin is doing all the shady things you claim, then why don't you call the INS? |
mjh
Supporter
Username: Mjh
Post Number: 479
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 2:08 pm: |
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Our experience with Rutgers was also good. |
Politicalmon
Citizen
Username: Politicalmon
Post Number: 126
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 2:44 pm: |
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MeAndTheBoys;
When they were painting the house my mother was up for a visit, she speaks fluent Spanish and this is what they expressed to her after she had prepared lunch for them. The reason why Kevin does so well is because he undercuts everyone with their sub par work.
I happen to work locally so I had the opportunity to randomly stop by the house when they were working - more often then not they would be congregating or talking but rarely working. This could explain why it took them so long to paint the house.
On top of this when they painted above the solarium they cracked a number of window panes. I pointed this out to Kevin and told him it would have to come off the price of the job. Instead Kevin submitted false paperwork to his insurance company for ladders and equipment which were allegedly stolen (never happened) to pay for the solarium repairs. I've spoken with many others who will never use Rutgers again - the only reason he gets so much work is because he undercuts everyone on price and cheap labor. If I had it to do all over again I would have used Murphy's Painting. The house was painted 5 years ago, if you would like to see examples of what I'm talking about feel free to email me – I kept the photographs of the shoddy work in addition to problems that still remain 5 years later.
This is not what one would expect from a $16K paint job….Never Again.
In addition it's not my job to call the INS - I would prefer that they become legal citizens then Kevin would have to pay taxes like all honest businessmen. Just because Kevin is a local Maplewood citizen doesn’t make him an fair businessman.
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mjh
Supporter
Username: Mjh
Post Number: 480
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 4:13 pm: |
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Not sure what to say to this except ours was a very different experience, and we were around a lot during the time the work was being done. Also, Rutgers was not the lowest bid (or even close) to the 3 or 4 bids we received, so I can't speak to "undercutting".
I didn't ask and I don't know who among the workers was legal or not, but I saw them work their butts off about 12 hours a day when they were sanding and when the painting was done.
Sorry you had such a rough experience.
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MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3611
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 4:16 pm: |
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Well, when they were painting my house, I was usually home for a better part of the day and NEVER saw them "congregating or talking," except of course during thier brief lunch break. And my husband speaks fluent spanish, as it was his first language, and he became pals with them, as he does with most spanish speaking folks we come in contact with, and they never said word one to him about any of the things you're talking about. Actually, the opposite is true. We got the impression these guys were grateful to Kevin for giving them the opportunity to work hard to make a good living, so their families could live a good life in Costa Rica.
As I've said, they did a wonderful job on my house and I've spoken with many others who have also been very happy with their work. You must have a really big house if you paid $16K 5 years ago. Our job was less than half that 4 years ago.
And why is it not your job to call the INS? Who's job is it then? If you have proof of undocumented workers, why shouldn't you call?
If you have no proof to back up any of your accusations--aside from some evidence of a less-than-perfect paint job, then I say you have no right to come on a public message board and bad mouth a local businessman--totally unprovoked--the way you have here. The initial question wasn't even about reputable local painters, it was asking, simply, how long should a paint job last. |
LilLB
Citizen
Username: Lillb
Post Number: 1623
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 4:35 pm: |
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$16k???? How many times did they paint your house for that amount? I guess you must have a very large house.
Our neighbors used Murphy's recently and couldn't have had a worse experience. The guy abandoned their job in the middle and kept promising he'd come back and finally did and did a half-assed job. They were incredibly rude too -- when the owners noticed spots that didn't get done well, Murphy's response was, well, we give you the remaining paint, so you can do the touch ups... I would never use them based on seeing what they went through. And, they said that they weren't really that much cheaper than Rutgers on their bid, so they really wished they had gone with Rutgers.
We were happy with the job Rutgers did on our house 3 years ago. We had an issue with one area about a year later and they came immediately and remedied it. I would recommend them. I'm sure there are others out there that are just as good and maybe better. |
Soparents
Citizen
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 263
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Friday, April 28, 2006 - 4:45 pm: |
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I will also recommend Rutgers. Their price wasn't the cheapest but I went with them as I had other friends who had used them and sung their praises. Again, 16K? I have a large house to paint, and I was nowhere near that figure. They arrived on time every day. My windows etc were taped. They never stopped except when I took them out cold drinks as it was summer when they were working, and they also stopped for lunch.
It was a very good experience from the initial quote, follow up etc, through to the finished job, and I would use them again in a heartbeart.
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Richard Kessler
Citizen
Username: Richiekess
Post Number: 110
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 8:45 am: |
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We just contracted to Rutgers and I have searched the board numerous times on this issue. I have to say, this was about the first time I have read anything negative about Rutgers and, since we just went to contract, it freaked me out a bit. Rutgers did the house next door and did a wonderful job. I was around for that painting a fair amount of the time as it was during some time I took for vacation and the crew seemed to work hard. So, even after reading a couple of negative comments on Rutgers, the comments seem overwhelmingly in their favor and this is over a number of years. However, we're not going to let them or any other contractor place their sign on our front yard... |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11350
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 3:57 pm: |
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Kevin is a smart businessman. He has built up a nice business here based on service and returning to correct problems. He realizes that there are a finite number of houses in town and he wants your repeat business.
While I love the look of a house after it has been sanded and painted I wonder how much additional time this will provide between paint jobs. Anybody know?
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Lizziecat
Citizen
Username: Lizziecat
Post Number: 1187
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 12:16 am: |
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Rutgers did a fabulous job for us a couple of years ago. The house was sanded, primed, and given two coats of paint. It still looks beautiful. The workers didn't goof off at all, the windows were carefully taped, and the one thing that didn't look perfect was corrected. They even put tarps over my shrubbery to protect it. I would absolutely use Rutgers again. |
meluga
Citizen
Username: Meluga
Post Number: 83
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 10:47 am: |
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Also very pleased w/Rutgers who painted our house 4 years ago. They are great w/ follow-up and we would not hesitate to use them again. |
macman
Citizen
Username: Macman
Post Number: 161
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 6:29 pm: |
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Another vote for Rutgers. They painted my house 8 years ago when I bought it. They came back a couple times for some things. I am pretty close to needing paint again. I plan on using Rutgers, hands down. |
Elgato
Citizen
Username: Elgato
Post Number: 43
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 8:36 pm: |
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I also used Rutgers three years ago and the workers were fantastic. They worked long hours and weekends in 90 degree heat, were pleasant and did a very good job on the peeling mess we had purchased. My family were visiting from Europe and said they'd never seen anyone, anywhere, work so hard. They weren't the cheapest but I'd had lots of recommendations about them have no regrets. I was told it would need redoing in about 8 years and am already planning my color change! Part of the garage needed repainting during the guarantee period and this was done satisfactorily. A couple of windows were also cracked and needed replacing but given the work that had to be done and the fragility of the old glass I think that is understandable. I will definitely use them next time. I notice now that the houses are tarped better in the last couple of year to prevent lead dust from spreading. |
Joe R.
Citizen
Username: Ragnatela
Post Number: 407
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 10:12 pm: |
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You want to tear the neighborhood apart or do you want your house painted? If we start calling INS on our neighbors' painters, landscapers and nannies, there won't be any community left for any of us. |
Rudbekia
Citizen
Username: Rudbekia
Post Number: 165
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, April 30, 2006 - 11:19 pm: |
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Politicalmom,
I wonder if the problem was with the specific crew you had. I also had my house painted by "Rutgers" and had a horrible experience about 5 years ago. I've also been told the same things you've heard about Kevin. I've also heard that all he does is get the job then hand it off to whatever crew bids lowest on it down at Home Depot (I heard this from a contractor friend of mine). I learned that it was my crew's first exterior job after they'd been working on the house for a while. They sanded about 80% to the wood and then afterward would shake the tarps full of lead paint out onto our yard. The health inspector was called out about 8 times by neighbors because they weren't using the vaccuum sanders properly and the dust was just showering all over the place resulting in them having to powerwash my and my neighbor's driveways several times to get rid of lead paint and they had to replace my lawn for the same reason. The color was not what I'd asked for and the crew didn't even know what a fascia board was or why it might be painted the same color as the trim. They failed to screw about 7 storm windows back on, which we found out in the first few storms as they simply blew off the house. Kevin was out on Long Island during all of this, and while we were able to reach him by phone once he was not supervising. Five years later, the paint has totally failed and is peeling so badly that the house looks awful. I look at neighbors' houses that were painted years before mine and there's no peeling at all. It's just a constant reminder of how badly ripped off I was. Sigh. |
Travis
Citizen
Username: Travis
Post Number: 408
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 5:59 am: |
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Quote:If we start calling INS on our neighbors' painters, landscapers and nannies.....
And roofers. |
Richard Kessler
Citizen
Username: Richiekess
Post Number: 114
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 10:52 am: |
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So what are the other options if this is what you may or may not get with Rutgers? One says Murphy is great; another say terrible. Is Pintona any different. And try getting JC to call you back... |
Politicalmon
Citizen
Username: Politicalmon
Post Number: 134
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 12:07 pm: |
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Rudbekia,
It all sounds too familiar, I’ve had other PM me about their complaints it appears since Kevin is local they didn’t want to bad mouth him in a local blog; I had the same horrible experience with our storm windows. They left them on the roof unattached over the weekend and during a storm they were blown off and broken to bits. Then the foreman almost takes his wrist off slipping while descending from the ladder with a broken pane from the roof. They were so incompetent that they had problems putting together the drain pipes that they removed, poor sanding and a paint job that looks like hell 5 years later. I was picking up the bottle caps for the Spanish soda they were drinking in my year for 2 years. I think you’re on to something concerning the crews, I know Kevin will bid the job internally among the different crews and the lowest bid gets the job. So for those of us who had the unfortunate experience to get the group that couldn’t paint straight…better luck next time?
I don’t think so.
For all you who feel they did a GREAT job let's see what your story is after 5-6 years! In 14 years of living in SO, Rutgers Painting was the only contractor I've had issue with.
Also take note that when they scrape the paint off your homes what kind of sanders they are using, the rotary grinding type sands in a circular path (usually used in auto body repair) and goes against the grain of the wood thereby leaving scrapes and gouges in the wood. (This isn't only my opinion but substantiated in the 'Old House Journal') This is covered up by the primer and hopefully by the main coat of paint but in the right light you can see where the waves created by the devices. I questioned Kevin about this after the house was sanded and he just brushed it off, I should have listened to my gut and stopped the job at that point. If they did the right thing and used the right sanders this would not occur but off course this would take longer and time is money - $ chin ching $
Rutgers is fine for people who want a poor to mediocre job and are not quality conscience. I guess PT Barnum was right after all.
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Joe R.
Citizen
Username: Ragnatela
Post Number: 408
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 2:41 pm: |
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Is Kevin of "Rutgers" the same Kevin of "Artists of America" of yesteryear? |
Richard Kessler
Citizen
Username: Richiekess
Post Number: 116
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 3:08 pm: |
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wow, this has become a depressing thread...and we just signed with Rutgers... |
eliz
Supporter
Username: Eliz
Post Number: 1428
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 3:18 pm: |
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Richard - don't stress. You are never going to find someone that 100% of this board is going to rave about. People have different experiences, mistakes happen - that is the nature of home improvement. It would seem most people have a pretty good experience with Rutgers. I read this thread but it didn't stop me from having Rutgers over today for an estimate and it won't stop me from hiring them if their bid is competitive. |
Rudbekia
Citizen
Username: Rudbekia
Post Number: 166
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 4:35 pm: |
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Like I said, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought "Rutgers" (and for that matter any painting business where the person who comes to your house to close the deal is not the painter himself) is just Kevin and his partner and they subcontract work out to various crews who do not work for them. So the job you get isn't a "Rutgers" job, per se, but just the job of whichever crew you are fortunate, or as in my case unfortunate, enough to get. So what I would do is ask about the crew that will be working on your house and maybe have a friend who is fluent in Spanish come over the day the work starts so you can talk to the crew semi directly and not through Kevin to find out more about them and their experience. For instance, if I'd known ahead of time that this was my crew's very first exterior job I would have canceled or asked for another crew. |
Carol Anne
Citizen
Username: Carolanne
Post Number: 11
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, May 6, 2006 - 12:10 pm: |
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Our house was painted in the summer of 2000 and still looks great. There is some minor peeling on the garage that we will fix soon and the bottoms of a couple of the colums on the porch need to be repainted. We had work done on the porch that caused some of the problems with the paint and probably hastened the deterioration. Otherwise the paint still looks great!
It was a Rutgers job btw. |
TomR
Citizen
Username: Tomr
Post Number: 1089
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, May 6, 2006 - 10:53 pm: |
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Thanks to all who responded to my query. I was just curious.
It turns out that it had been 12 years since our home had last been painted, (just before we purchased) and had not been sanded to bare wood at that time. That painting contractor was Artists of America.
The trim was pretty worn, but the main house paint had held up very well and had only a few areas where it had cracked and/or peeled. Because it was, overall, in such good shape, we decided to go with the "scrape where necessary" method.
Both of the bidders we had were pretty surprised that the house had weathered as well as it had over the 12 years. I guess we got lucky.
If anybody cares, we used World of Colors for the job, and the name of the on-site job manager was Dennis. Easy people to work with. The crew was responsive to my various requests and did a good job of cleanup. We encountered one small problem which was resolved to my satisfaction within a reasonably short period.
I look forward to recommending World of Colors twelve years from now.
Thanks again to all who responded with information on how long a paint job should last.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled contractor bashing.
TomR
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