How Often Do Camera Installers Paint Touch-Up?

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Brian Rhodes
Apr 04, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I am curious to know if touch-up painting is common when hanging cameras?

 

In my experience, retrofitted boxes, cable hiders, and filled/ spackled screw holes get covered in matching paint.  Minor drywall patches get taped/mudded and painted too.

This generally means buying a pint (or small amount) of color matched paint, but even when 'professionally' matched, covered repainted spots can be obvious to picky eyes.

How do you handle this?  Or do you?

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Brian Rhodes
Apr 04, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I have learned <the hard way> that even 'stock' colors should be color matched.

Even if the 'color code' of a customer's paint colors are known, the way the paint ages when applied can shift the color.  Even temporary exposure to sunlight or airborne dust can change the color from 'stock' in a few months.

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Ari Erenthal
Apr 04, 2017

Everybody I ever worked for either strongly encouraged their installers to make the smallest holes possible or otherwise hired painters to touch up anything that couldn't be hidden. 

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Jon Dillabaugh
Apr 05, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

We are not in the painting business. We leave that to Picaso.

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Kyle Folger
Apr 05, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I have rarely ever need touch-up because I measure twice and cut once and if I'm making holes I do so carefully. If it's new construction, then I have asked that areas get touched up if necessary but that would be a rare occurrence. When there are the occasions where something unexpected is hiding behind the drywall for instance, then I find a way to make it work. The only time that you would be unable to make it work would generally be if the camera needed to be recessed. Recessed retrofit is a larger risk than surface mount retrofit unless it is known what is behind the drywall.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Apr 05, 2017

Whether I'm doing camera work or alarm work, I never offer or promise to touch up paint.  I explain that small holes, if visible will be patched with joint compound, but the customer would be responsible for touch up painting, either by DIY or by hiring a trade person specific to the repair.

Many years ago, during a residential alarm installation, I drilled into a door jamb for a contact and hit a drywall nail that popped a chunk of drywall out of a wall painted in green.  Patching this with joint compound left a good size white spot on a green wall.  I hadn't discussed who would be responsible for touch up paint.  So, I took the chunk of wall to the paint store, color matched it, and bought the minimum quantity, one gallon, required at the time.    I touched up the wall and the customer was quite happy.

After that I made it a point to discuss, in advance of the install, or in advance of placement of a device when it might be necessary to remove a few sections to route wiring.  If the customer balks at that, I find another path for the wire.  Usually, the customer wants a device in a certain location and they agree that they would see to the repair of the drywall to their liking.

I'm not a drywall installer, with tape and texture experience, or a painter.  If you take on that job and the customer doesn't like the outcome, you'll have some problems.  If it's substantial repair, leave it to those who do it routinely.

 

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Joseph Parker
Apr 05, 2017

First, I'll do anything a client is willing to pay for.  That said, when it comes to patch and painting I'll generally pass that on if it all possible, because someone who specializes in it will do a better job for less money.  We cut a lot of holes, because drywall is easy and cheap to repair and hourly skilled labor is expensive.  

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Jon Dillabaugh
Apr 05, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

It's one thing to help your client by completing the project, but it's another to not sub the work to people who specialize in that line of work. 

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Michael Silva
Apr 05, 2017
Silva Consultants

This issue is something that you should clearly spell out in your proposal or contract with the client.

When writing a specification for a project, I always ask my client how they would like patching and painting handled. No matter how careful the installer is, there is almost always some patching and painting required, particularly on retrofit jobs where old equipment is being removed. About half the time, the customer wants to handle this using their in-house maintenance staff. The other half of the time, they want to make this the integrator's responsibility, primarily so that all project-related costs are captured in the project budget. 

On one recent project, we specified patching and painting by the integrator, but the integrator came back and said he would knock $10,000 off his proposal price if the client did the painting (we had lots of exposed conduits that required painting). The client was glad to take the $10K discount and the integrator was very happy that he didn't have to deal with this aspect of the project.  A win-win.

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Undisclosed End User #2
Apr 10, 2017

Since I have a in house facility's department, I just leave it for them.  I could do it, but that is what the painter is paid for, my time is valuable, I would rather just move on and have his do it.  If I did not have a in house crew, and I was doing this as a contract work, I would do it, if the customer wanted me to do it.  Painting is one of the easiest trades out there, why not do it. 

 

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Jon Dillabaugh
Apr 10, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

In general, painting is easy. But, it isn't always easy to do well. Sometime you will get a layup where the client still has fresh paint on hand. Other times, the client has a faux finish done by the hand of an artist that has to be color matched and textured. I honestly have a few clients that have artists come in and paint their walls. Sometimes even painting murals over large walls. There is zero chance of me fixing that. If it were up to me to fix that, I would simply sub it out to the original artist or painting contractor. I'm no Picasso!

MC
Marty Calhoun
Apr 10, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Whenever we replace some of the older "recessed" box cameras or remove unsightly equipment we hire a specialty contractor to replace Sheetrock and Paint or whatever is necessary to return the clients walls or ceiling to the original condition or better. As a general rule of thumb we demand that all technicians and laborers understand from day one that when you complete a days work the site should look better than when you arrived, no matter who, what or where just CLEAN IT UP.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #3
Apr 10, 2017

We exclude patching and painting in our quotes. We're usually pretty good about not messing up a finished wall or ceiling, but the customer understands that it is not part of our scope of work from the beginning. 

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