roff not painted the color I wanted

[Gatoblanco]

roof painting looks patchy and appears to have no undercoat

I had the roof of my house painted the colour that Irequested was mid grey which is the grey colour next to the black in the colour chart the result is shown on the tile and in the photo of my roof. The painter is saying that he used mid grey I believe there is something wrong it is quite a bit lighter and appears more like light grey (which is the light grey on the colour chart). I confirmed with him verbally and then he checked again with me that I wanted mid grey before he went ahead. before he commenced painting he showed me the paint just as I was leaving for work and said that it would go on darker. I trusted that advice given that we had agreed on a named colour I didn't feel I was in a position to judge whether or not that was the correct grey.
He has offered to do another coat for more money which I disagree with. I have not paid him yet what advice do you have about the situation?

I am going to render and paint the house a light color but having such a light roof limits my options to something too light.

Edit: Agree that swatches are not a good guide. Issue for me is patchiness. Not sure undercoat was applied.

 

[Scott No Mates]

This is the danger of relying on a 2" swatch as your colour sample. Colour appears to be pretty close to the darker one in my book.


Get yourself a bigger sample from your local paint shop not Masters/Bunnies (they do some A4 sheets) and try comparing that one.

 

[Biz]

For a roff there are at least 50 shades of grey..

 

[Terry_w]

I have not paid him yet what advice do you have about the situation?

Pay him and be more careful next time.

 

[pinkboy]

This is the danger of relying on a 2" swatch as your colour sample. Colour appears to be pretty close to the darker one in my book.


Get yourself a bigger sample from your local paint shop not Masters/Bunnies (they do some A4 sheets) and try comparing that one.

Pay him and be more careful next time.

Totally agree with these 2 statements.

Colours can't be relied on from those small swatches. Over a vast, flat surface, and the inclusion of sunlight, that colour will naturally be lighter.

You need to pay the tradesmen for his work.

pinkboy

 

[RPI]

I read that and thought it said Rolf. Was wondering why Rolf had let you paint him.

 

[cu@thetop]

Must be a lawyer thing. That's what I also thought when I read the title.

 

[marg4000]

Always spend a couple of dollars and get a sample pot. A tiny printed square on paper is inadequate. Lots of things affect colour - surroundings, reflected light etc.

If you are truly unhappy, the extra cost of a darker coat is probably a good idea.

Next time, ensure the written quote specifies paint brand and colour.

And pay the painter. If he takes you to court he will win, unless you have a written quote specifying the brand and colour and can prove he used a different paint.
Marg.

 

[WattleIdo]

It's probably the right colour (doesn't look that different from paper swatch) but because it's outdoors it needs to be double or triple or even 4x the strength i.e. intensity.
Those diy websites say this. When painting outdoors, increase the intensity.
Definitely you owe this guy his money. Probably the only the thing he did wrong was say that it would look darker once it went on. Just a dumb remark - not something for which he can be held accountable. You chose the colour and said yes to the open tin.
I quite like the light - mid grey, especially if you're painting the brick. But for the darker colour, pay him again to do it again or give it a go yourself. Since it's just been recently painted, it should be easy enough to put another coat on.

 

[INVSTOR]

It looks like the colour you asked for. We painted our roof a dark grey 12 years ago and it definitely looks lighter when applied to roof. Over that time the colour has faded and flaked so the colour now looks like a brownish grey as the tile was originally brown. I would pay him and consider doing a darker shade when it needs doing again in ten years. Can see my neighbours who had theirs painted grey a year after us is the same, can see old roof colours showing through!

 

[Gatoblanco]

I spoke to some people in the dulux store including a painter who happened to be in there. They thought the color was distinctly different (they were looking at the swatch against against the tile in vivo) but the Dulux technician who I emailed said it was within the parameters so I accept that and lesson learned about swatches.
In regards to the patchiness that was considered an issue by the dulux shop and the technician. They believe it is possible he may not have used an undercoat as with the acratex system, the under coat is thick and evens out the dimples and textures on the tiles. They thought it should have been smoother. Also in the time taken they didn't think it would have been really pushing it to do an under coat and two top coats.

Here are further photos.* I believe that an undercoat hasn't been applied. Parts of concrete tile are visible and the paint layer scratches off too easily back to tile.
The first photo shows where the paint hasn't been applied thick enough and you can see the brown/orange of the tiles visible.* That indicates to me no undercoat. The second photo shows the patchiness across the roof. You can see color/shade variations. The third photo shows how a light scratch with a non sharp car key reveals easily the tile underneath.* No evidence of undercoat and appears thin.* I have been told acratex undercoat is always white and never colored. No evidence of white anywhere.

The quote is for 1 coat Dulux acratex primer and 2 coats roof membrane.
Fresh roof restorations claim:

"As a certified Dulux applicator I can give a 10 year warranty from Dulux, only Dulux certified applicators can provide this warranty."

If that is the case then they must apply the acratex sealer and two top coats as per the requirements. Dulux are checking to see if it is true they are accredited. If they are Dulux will intervene. If not they can't (although I suspect they may deal with him directly about misrepresentation).

If Dulux can't help who do I go to? MBA?
This upsets me because the reason chose him was because I wanted it done properly including 3 coats.

 

[WattleIdo]

It's hard to tell from photos but I can't see any evidence of no undercoat.
Also, it's a good idea to tint the undercoat so that you don't get white showing through.
It actually looks like a good job to me - though I could be wrong.
How long did it take to paint the roof - just one day? Or three?
Did you see a tin of undercoat? Did you only see that one tin of paint that he showed you?

 

[Gatoblanco]

I didn't see all his paints. Just one tin that he opened to show color.
How are bits of tile showing through if there are 3 coats including an undercoat?
I don't see why if he uses the accredited system he would tint the undercoat?

 

[pinkboy]

It's hard to tell from photos but I can't see any evidence of no undercoat.
Also, it's a good idea to tint the undercoat so that you don't get white showing through.
It actually looks like a good job to me - though I could be wrong.
How long did it take to paint the roof - just one day? Or three?
Did you see a tin of undercoat? Did you only see that one tin of paint that he showed you?

Lucky you're not a painter then!

There appears to be major outgassing evident by the bubbles and air pockets. This is a reaction between the first coat and the binding agents in the tile. This will continue to occur in multiple coat systems as it a continuous contamination throughout each coat. This happens due to incorrect sealing of the first coat.

I now wouldn't be concerned with the colour. I would be more concerned about that paint lifting off in less than 12mths!

I would be getting an expert painter opinion (NACE) on DFT, adhesion and coating quality. Dulux would point you in the right direction here and are good to deal with.

I highly doubt these painting operators are experienced. It looks as if it has been whipped on quick. Seek Consumer Affairs or equivalent in your state first before they do regarding non payment.


pinkboy

 

[WattleIdo]

Unlucky - I am a painter.
Don't claim to be an expert though.

 

[pinkboy]

Unlucky - I am a painter.
Don't claim to be an expert though.

So you're a trade qualified painter and you think that standard of finish is acceptable?

pinkboy

 

[Scott No Mates]

So you're a trade qualified painter and you think that standard of finish is acceptable?

pinkboy

Only when you're on the ground and have pretty poor eyesight!

 

[Gatoblanco]

The painter cleaned the roof one day. He did a pretty good job on that it appeared.
About 1.5 weeks later he came back and started painting at 8.30 am. He finished no later than midday. Is that enough time to do an undercoat and 2 top coats add he alledges? It doesn't seem long.
When I asked him about the patchiness he said it was due to some parts of my roof being smooth and others rough but the dulux guy said that is the point of the undercoat to smooth all of that over.
I am a bit worried about this as if dulux can't help in Monday he will probably start chasing his money and I'm not sure who to go to. I am in qld.
Ideally dulux will send out a rep as he is saying he is accredited to use their system. The quote says guaranteed for ten years but I haven't seen any guarantee.
Attached is another photo showing the tile edges which he didn't paint adequately you can see the red of the tile

 

[LarryC]

Wow, I need to get off the liqour. In my half drunk state, I read the Title of the thread as "Rolf Not painted the Color I wanted". Made me think Rolf screwed him over somehow

Note to Self: Don't lurk somersoft while tipsy

 

[womble66]

Attached is another photo showing the tile edges which he didn't paint adequately you can see the red of the tile

As a person who has paid to have their roof painted before (green to red) from my experience, as mine looks the same, is this result occur on the lower few rows of tiles close to the gutter and is less evident the further your go up the row with these factors as the cause:

* poor workmanship
* painting from above not below
* not bending the back enough or not painting low rows from a ladder
* in a rush to get 3 coats on in a day
* light coats in an attempt to save on paint (less/m2)
* did I mention poor workmanship??

Funny thing is my friend had exactly the same issue as you but in reverse being that went for the dark grey as the mid grey in the sample looked a bit light but the end result is a roof that looks nearly black on some days. Also picked from a small "swatch" and they like you had the job assessed and feedback was "within tolerances and normal variations between batches".

It must be "grey" thing?