So we're gonna talk about warranties today. The good, the bad and yup the ugly. I've been around this painting business for a long time. So warranties there always a hot topic, but I didn't know. How hot until we got involved in the epoxy floor business.
And then you start to see some really crazy things with warranties. So I want to jump right into that. We're gonna talk about long term warranty, short term warranties, no warranties.
And you know what's best for your company? What's not best for your company. And we'd love to hear some feedback on whatever what everybody else is offering out there. So, um, we'll go right into it for our painting company.
It's pretty basic, and I bet you the warranties are probably the same. We offer a one year warranty off of labor. Just saying that we've we've applied the products correctly as per the manufacturer.
If if it required two coats, we put two coats on. If it was one cut, we put one coat on. If it was a bear service and be primes, we primed it accordingly.
And as per the specifications of the topcoat. So it's important guys to make sure that you're applying the products correctly because what will happen is if you have a paint failure. Obviously the customer's gonna call your first because they don't want to pay for it to be fixed.
But the paint manufacturer is gonna come out, and they have the means to figure out what you did. So if you're out there trying to cut corners and skimp on materials or prep, just know that, yeah, you may get away with it one time two times three times, but eventually somebody's gonna call you out on it, and they're gonna come out and take some samples of the paint chips and send it back to their to their lab.
I mean, I know sure when williams does this, and I know benjamin moore does it. I'm sure all the other companies do it as well. They can take a look at things and know if you sanded properly.
If you primed what other coatings were on there? So they're gonna know right away. There's no lying about it. So do the right thing and make sure everything's good. Typically, most warranty issues aren't gonna be because of the labor. Anyway, it's gonna be other issues moisture expansion and contraction on the outside the buildings.
So don't worry. You're not gonna have the huge run on people claiming warranties against you, even for us. We've only had a few over the years, and some of them we don't even question. We just go out and fix them. It's not worth it.
It's not worth having to go out. Take a look at it. Take your paint manufacturer out there. By the time you're going back and forth, you've spent 34 hours trying to figure it out and the touch ups only an hour.
So just do the touch up. Now there's other companies. I know that offer. Um, you know, free touch ups for life. They offer lifetime warranties. They offer three year warranties seven year warranties for commercial painting. Typically, you're going to get a one year warranty, and that's it.
And I know sherwin williams in many cases, doesn't warranty commercial work or the commercial coating, so just keep that in mind. But what we really want to talk to you today about are the epoxy floors and the craziness that I see doing epoxy floor estimates.
So i'll be honest. I wasn't aware that other people were offering these astronomically long warranties on floors, and the reason I never even considered it is because they're they're absolutely ridiculous.
Anybody who does coatings in general, especially concrete coatings, knows that again, as long as you did the proper preparation. Most issues that are going toe happen on concrete are not gonna be covered under a warranty.
So let me say that again. Most issues that happened to concrete will not be covered under a warranty unless you messed up on the preparation. So when I started doing estimates for epoxy floors and people would say, oh, what your warranty and would say, oh, it's, you know, one year, whatever it was one year, three years and they say, boy, I just had another company out here who who's national, and they're offering a lifetime warranty on their coding.
Well off. Of course, they're offering a lifetime warranty on the coding because it's not going to be the coatings fault. When the floor fails, it's gonna be your concrete.
So they're gonna find every way to not warranty that floor for you. Trust me, there's going to be moisture issues. Warranties don't cover moisture issues.
There's going to be, ah, adhesion issues because of moisture. Again, there could be other vapers pushing up through the concrete there. There's most certainly can be movement of concrete.
What happens with epoxy floors is the epoxy is not flexible, like a typical acrylic paint that you use on your house and the epoxy cracks. And there you have a failure. And guess what?
It's not covered under warranty, so it's a big, huge sales pitch. Guys, you're going to see lifetime warranties number one, these companies air coming in from out of the area.
I would hope that everybody would try to use a local business, um, whether you they use you or they use me or they use somebody, you want to keep that money local.
So it's going and flowing through the local economy. There's no reason in our area or in most areas, unless you're very rural, that you need to use a nationwide company to do almost any service.
There's no need. So, you know, if a company's traveling 60 miles away to come do your epoxy floor, i'm sure you have another company locally that can do it, because think about it again. Guys. There six through an hour away.
Something happens to your floor. Do you think they're coming back out? Honestly, because I can answer it for you. They might eventually get out there to you, but they're not coming out any time soon.
So again, back to the warranties. It's all a sales picture. They're gonna come out there with their fancy binders and samples and show you all these different beautiful floors they've done. No matter what type of floor you're looking for, they're going to show you all their nice little samples.
They're going to give you a price right on the spot. They're gonna try to give you a discount if you sign up right away. It's very much like a used car sales person they're gonna show this this great, wonderful warranty that if anything ever happens to this floor, they're gonna take care of it for you.
And you sign on the dotted lines because you want this great deal. They they set you up. They come in with the beautiful vehicles. The job's done in one day and they're out so that hopefully nothing happens to the floor because i'm telling you the warranties air bullshit.
The warranties are not going to cover what you think they're going to cover. But let's say that it does cover. Let's say they didn't prepare the floor correctly.
I don't know how they're never going to admit that, but you have a spot on your floor that the tire sits on that maybe failed. So look at the warranty again.
It doesn't say they're going to redo the floor for you. They're going to, and this is the same for us. They're not going to redo the whole floor for your they're going to fix the area of failure only so if that area is a circle you know the size of maybe a hockey puck, that's the area they're going to fix on the floor, not the whole floor.
So, yes, it's possible that you could get a fix. But again, not the whole floor. You're never gonna have a whole floor fail. I don't know if i've ever i've seen one i'm looking at right now. It was a commercial floor that the contractor never grinded properly or grind it at all. So that means higher coating had to be pulled up.
But guess what? It wasn't a warranty claim. They hired us to come in and do it. We just had another one. It was a puppy. Daycare, beautiful building.
Just had the floor done three years ago. As soon as I got there and pulled up the piece that's peeling up, I could see the floor wasn't grinded again. So but guess what?
It wasn't a warranty claim again. It was pay for the whole floor again from a different company. I see it all the time. I see people who use the products that are from home depot and lowe's thea pox ease the poxy kits. There really nice and fancy boxes.
He open him up. Everything's in there. Probably some gloves and everything. An applicator and guess what they don't last when something seems too good to be true. It certainly is usually so remember, with all these warranties, you have to open up your eyes. I have thinks it's it's very much like going to buy a car, the's sales person or professional that are better than I am.
They're coming out there to sell you something. That's all they do all day long, and they're getting bonus for it. They're getting commissions for trust me, they're not the local business who may be the owners on site doing the flora's well, who is not getting commission, who's just trying to make his little business run properly and be successful with all these hard times that everybody's going through the's air? Very large corporations and companies who who have trained professional salespeople looking to just get you to sign that contract and get you into a long term warranty that means nothing.
So I appreciate you guys listening. Remember, it's ryan amato, d amato podcast. Www dot amato podcast dot com.
Check us out on youtube at Ryan Amato Painting l l c. We have a ton of information on there. I appreciate it
