Is it normal for painters to skip the tops of door frames and paint around the hardware?

National franchise painting crews are notorious for this because the business model relies on low-bid subcontractors who have to fly through jobs to make any profit. If your contract explicitly states two coats and specifies the removal of switch plates, you have every right to hold that final payment until the scope of work is actually met. Painting around outlet covers and skipping the tops of door frames is laziness, plain and simple. While some old-school pros pride themselves on cutting in without tape, that only works if the lines are laser straight. Shaky lines on a seven-grand job are unacceptable.

Don't let them gaslight you about the paint drips on the trim being pre-existing, especially if they managed to get paint on your freshly refinished hardwood floors. That is a major liability. Since you’ve alredy tried the local route and got nowhere, you need to escalate this to their **corporate headquarters** immediately. Franchises are very protective of their brand reputation. Document every single drip on the floor and every unpatched scratch on that bedroom door.

Before you pay a cent, demand that a lead supervisor or a diffrent crew comes out to perform a proper punch list. They need to remove those switch plates, sand down the drips, and actually apply that second coat you paid for. If they refuse to fix the damage to your floors, you might even need to get a quote from your floor refinisher to repair the splatters and tell the painting company you're deducting that cost from their final bill.

In my experience, the 'A-team' usally exists, but they only get sent out when a customer makes enough noise at the corporate level. The fact that they skipped the closets and door tops proves they were just trying to shave hours off the labor. Stick to the literal language of your contract—if it says 'all surfaces,' then the tops of those frames and the closet interiors are included, regardless of whether they think it's visible.

I had a similar nightmare with my hallway doors last year. I learned the hard way that if you don't catch the 'no-prep' thing in the first hour, they'll just bury the damage under fresh latex. I ended up having to strip a door back down because they painted over wood gouges that looked like scars under the light. For the paint on your hardwoods, try a damp microfiber cloth and some Krud Kutter—do not let them scrape it with a putty knife or they'll ruin your new finish. If the contract says two coats and you see the old color peeking through the top edges, don't budge. I held back 20% of the total until the supervisor personally came out to sand those scratches flat.

Man, that sucks. Honestly, check the hinges too. I've seen these rush jobs where they don't even mask the hardware and just get overspray or drips all over the brass. If they can't even be bothered to pull a switch plate, I'd bet your door hinges are a mess. Don't pay 'em til they scrape that off or replace 'em. Also, since you mentioned the door tops weren't done, check the bottom edges too. If they're skipping the top, they definately didn't seal the bottom, wich'll lead to warping later. Total hack job.

The failure to address the top edges of the door leaves the wood fibers susceptible to moisture-induced dimensional instability, wich is a particular grievance given that your contract explicitly mandates comprehensive coverage. I would also suggest you inspect the strike plates and the recessed areas of the door jambs for paint bridging, as a crew that refuses to remove switch plates almost certainly lacked the precision to avoid gumming up the latch hardware. If they utilized a high-build latex without proper sanding of those bedroom door scratches, you are now looking at a surface profile that is permanently compromised unless they perform a full mechanical strip-down and re-prime.

Seen this story a hundred times since these franchises popped up. Back in the day, we’d pull the doors right off the pins, set 'em on horses, and use a linseed-oil based primer to seal the grains before even thinking about a finish coat. Painting around a switch plate is just plain lazy—takes two minutes with a flathead. If they didn't even sand that bedroom door, they prolly didn't use a tack cloth either, so you've likely got dust nibs all over your finish. Check the hinge barrels; I bet they’re caked in latex. Don't give 'em a dime til they break out the scrapers.