Any Tips For Painting Cupboards?

kanadaeh

Hi guys,I'm just wondering if you guys have any tips for painting cupboards with melamine?I have painted a few sets before but this custemer is being ultra fussy.(She's pissed at the general for charging too much $$$ for the reno and he's just painting the cupboards instead of replacing them with new ones)Anyway, now she is picking apart all the trades including poor old me.I already primed and put a couple of coats of melamine on them but she is looking for a factory finish on these cupboards.Before my 2nd coat I sanded,wiped with a rag and paint thinner/tack clothe,strained the paint,used new brush/foam roller, and sealed of the room to keep dust out.There is still particles of dirt/dust when you feel them.Is there any chemical/cloth I can wipe them with after there complete to buff them?Is there anything else I could have done to help with the finish?

jproffer

Yeah there's something you could do....tell her your a painter, not a miracle worker. THEN tell her to go back on the GC. If she want's factory finish, she's gotta pay for it.

OR

Go directly to the GC and tell him "Each time I have to paint those OLD...RE-USED cupboards...again, it's going to cost you $***.XX, with half in advance. Are you SURE you don't want to just replace them?"

Takes it off of your shoulders and puts it on his. Your bid (I assume) was for a fixed # of coats, beyond that # is a change order and should be charged accordingly. Nobody works for free .

__________________
Jim P.

phinsher

I agree, if she wanted a factory finish she should have made that clear from the beginning. It's possible to spray them but usually at a greater cost. If you have to recoat just make sure you sand them with fine grit sandpaper, the tack them. If there are other people working around you it will be impossible to keep some of the dust from settling into the wet finish. Not sure if the cabinet doors are still attached or not, but if you let them dry standing vertically they should collect less dust than letting them dry laying down.

copusbuilder

Sound like you'll never get out of there? When they get bitchy it makes it damned near impossible to satisfy them.
If my painter came to me and asked for more money....I doubt he is getting enough $$ right now! If the lines of communication are blocked the crap will only get deeper. Probably just cost all involved more money.....Perhaps you could try having a talk with her and her husband? But I am guessing he is spinless since he seems like a no show to this point?
Damn I feel like Ann Landers