By Exodus Home. Published
Why the walk-through matters
A job is not finished when the last coat goes on. It is finished when you have walked every room with the crew lead and the details you found have been fixed. The final walk-through is where that happens.
Set aside enough time to look properly. Daylight helps, and so do a few lamps turned on, since raking light shows things overhead light hides.
Bring the quote
The quote lists the agreed work: rooms, surfaces, colors, sheens and repairs. Walk the job with it in hand. Check that every listed surface was painted and that the colors and sheens match what you chose.
Walls and ceilings
Look along each wall at an angle, not straight on. Check for even coverage, thin spots, roller marks and drips. Look at patched areas to make sure they blend in and do not flash as dull spots. On ceilings, check the corners and around light fixtures.
Deep colors and accent walls deserve a second look. They show thin coverage and lap marks more than light colors, especially near windows where daylight hits the wall from the side.
Cut lines
Cut lines are where two colors or surfaces meet: wall to ceiling, wall to trim, accent wall to neighbor. They should be straight and clean, without paint on the wrong side. Look closely at corners and above door frames, where lines are hardest to cut.
Trim, doors and caulk
Run your eye along baseboards, casing and crown. Nail holes should be filled, gaps caulked and the finish smooth. Open and close doors to check that they do not stick and that the edges were painted if the quote said so. Look at hinges and hardware for paint that should not be there.
Clean-up and the room itself
Floors should be clean, protection removed and furniture back in place. Outlet and switch covers should be reinstalled. Windows and glass should be free of paint. Check that nothing was left behind in closets or corners.
Exterior walk-throughs
Outside, look at siding coverage, trim lines at windows and doors, and caulked joints. Check walks, plants and the driveway for paint or debris. Look up at soffits and fascia from a few spots around the house.
Questions worth asking at the end
Ask which products were used in each room, so you have the names for future reference. Ask how long to wait before washing walls or hanging pictures, since paint keeps curing after it feels dry. Ask whether leftover paint will be labeled by room and left for you. These small answers make future upkeep easier, and they belong in the hand-off before the crew leaves.
Mark it and finish it
Small pieces of low-tack tape are an easy way to mark spots during the walk. The crew lead notes each one, and the crew finishes them before the job is called done.
That is the standard on every job: the same crew from the first coat to the last mark, and the same standard in every room you walk.