The word does a lot of work and often means very little
Guarantee is the most powerful word on a quote and the least examined. It closes deals. It ends conversations about price. And in most cases the homeowner never reads the document, because there often is no document, only the sentence on the quote.
So before you weigh one guarantee against another, understand that there are two completely different things wearing the same name.
Product guarantee versus workmanship guarantee
| Product guarantee | Workmanship guarantee | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gives it | The manufacturer | The contractor |
| What it covers | That the coating performs as specified when correctly applied | That the application was correct |
| What voids it | Wrong substrate, wrong primer, over-thinning, wrong film thickness, poor preparation | Depends entirely on the wording |
| What it pays for | Usually replacement material only, not labour | Depends entirely on the wording |
| Who you phone | The contractor, who claims from the manufacturer | The contractor |
The seven questions that reveal a real guarantee
- 1Is it a written document, or a sentence on a quote? Ask for the document before you sign.
- 2Does it cover labour, or only material? A guarantee that replaces paint but not the cost of applying it is worth a fraction of what it sounds like.
- 3What exactly is covered? Flaking, peeling, blistering, loss of adhesion, coating failure. Named conditions, not the word workmanship on its own.
- 4What is excluded? Structural movement, new cracks, damp arising after completion, storm damage, and third party work are common and often reasonable exclusions. You want to see them, not discover them.
- 5What voids it? Alterations, pressure washing, other contractors working on the surface, or unpaid final balances.
- 6What is the response process and timeframe? How you report, how long they have to inspect, and how long to remedy.
- 7Is it transferable if you sell? On a repaint, this is a genuine value item and most guarantees are silent on it.
How to keep yours intact
- Keep the quote, the colour schedule and the guarantee document together.
- Photograph the job on completion. It is your baseline.
- Do not pressure wash coated surfaces. It is the most common self-inflicted void in the trade.
- Keep gutters and downpipes clear. Most later failures start as water, not paint.
- Report a problem in writing when you first see it, not a year later once it has spread.
- Do not let another contractor work over the coating without telling the guarantor.
What ours says
Ours is a written document handed over with the final invoice. It states what is covered, what is excluded, what voids it, and how to report a problem. We put it in your hands before you commit, not after.
Ask any contractor for theirs at quote stage. The reaction to that request tells you almost everything you need.
Common questions
No pressure
If you would like a second opinion on your own property, we will come and look.
The inspection is free, you get the findings in writing with photographs, and you are under no obligation to do anything with them.