Waiting for the mist coat
The new plaster in the extension needs a mist coat. The painter does it by eleven and has to wait before the next coat. The lounge is next door, but the customer has not cleared it yet. So the painter sands some doors, then leaves early. The next day he does the second coat on the extension, and the same thing happens.
Across town, another painter is rushing a second coat of eggshell on skirting because the diary says the job finishes tomorrow, and the finish shows it.
Why the diary does not fit the work
Decorating is made of steps with waiting in between: filling and sanding, stain block, primer or mist coat, first coat, second coat, woodwork undercoat and top coat. Drying depends on product, temperature and ventilation. A diary that gives each job a block of days hides all of that.
- Jobs are booked as whole days, not as steps.
- Drying times between steps are not considered in the plan.
- Painters are not given work to fill gaps, like another room or a nearby job.
- The order of rooms is decided on the day.
- Finish dates are guesses that slip.
What the waiting costs
Idle painter hours are paid either way. Rushed coats cause a poor finish, which costs more time on snagging. Jobs overrun and push the next customer back. And customers see painters leaving early and wonder what they are paying for.
Finish quality is the part customers remember. A second coat rolled over a first that has not dried properly, or gloss applied to undercoat that is still soft, gives a finish that marks easily and looks tired quickly. The customer does not know why, only that the paintwork does not look as good as they hoped, and that is what they mention when asked for a review.
The scheduler we build
- Each job is broken into rooms and steps using the quote's survey: prep, primer or mist coat, coats on walls and ceilings, woodwork coats.
- Each step has a duration and a minimum drying time before the next step, taken from your own rules per product and surface.
- The scheduler orders the steps across rooms so a painter works in one room while another dries, and can include a second nearby job to fill a longer gap.
- Painters see today's plan on their phones: which room, which step, and what to do while something dries.
- As steps are ticked off, the plan updates and the finish date moves if needed. The owner is alerted if a job will finish late.
- Customers can be told which rooms are needed which day, so the right room is cleared in time.
| Step | Example of what it needs |
|---|---|
| Filling | Drying time before sanding |
| Mist coat on new plaster | Drying time before next coat |
| Wall coats | Recoat time per product |
| Woodwork undercoat | Drying before top coat |
| Woodwork top coat | Protected until dry |
The drying times in the system are yours, taken from product data sheets and your experience. The scheduler does not decide them.
A decorator's week with it
Painters move to the next room or a nearby job while coats dry, instead of leaving early or rushing. Customers know which room to clear each day. Finish dates are realistic and move early if they are going to move. And the owner can see how many painter days are being lost to waiting across all jobs.
Signs drying times are running your diary
- Painters finish early because they are waiting for something to dry.
- Coats are rushed to meet a finish date.
- The order of rooms is decided on the day.
- Finish dates slip regularly.
- Customers have not cleared the room the painter needs.