In the summer-fall of 2004 my house in Fort Wayne, Indiana was painted, and I after the fact discovered that the brand I had contracted for was not applied, but that Smart Coat was instead substituted. This company called itself Advanced Coatings at that time and has subsequently changed its name and currently operates as Lifetyme Exteriors. As Advanced Coatings it was a distributor for Alvis and obviously now is a Lifetyme Exteriors dealer for Smart Coat.
After discovering after the fact that my house was painted with Smart Coat, I wanted to find out exactly what I got for a paint job, as it was not what I had contracted for. After reviewing the Lifetyme Exteriors' web site, I noted a number of discrepancies between the specified application procedures and how my house was painted. Specifically:
The paint specification states to first apply by airless spray, then back-roll' the coating to force it into any cracks or voids. Then immediately back-spray' the coating. The paint was sprayed onto my house and was NOT back-rolled' or back-sprayed'. As a result of poor coverage, I replaced over $9,000 of cedar siding that possibly could have been avoided if the paint had been properly applied. This was in addition to the $16,500 price paid for the paint job.
The paint specification calls for a primer, intermediate and final coat for unpainted and previously painted wood. My house received only a primer and final coat on both the unpainted and previously painted wood. As above, a proper application could have avoided the necessity to replace over $9,000 of siding. The replaced siding likewise did not receive the proper application and the poor coverage quality shows.
As directed by the warranty, I contacted the main Lifetyme Exteriors' office in Boston, Massachusetts. While the warranty references "quality" and "applied... in a professional manner, " the Boston office will only address repair of chipping, flaking or peeling of Smart Coat. They do not accept responsibility for their distributor's performance. Likewise, the local Lifetyme Exteriors office has failed to provide a satisfactory remedy to the identified problems and associated costs.
A complaint is being filed with the Indiana Attorney General's office as well as the local Better Business Bureau. Other actions are also under consideration.
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