The other crafts follow. Or maybe the painters are working alongside the other crafts. Someone sends a cloud of sawdust in the air that settles on a glistening, sticky door. Someone drills new holes and cuts out new squares in a completed wall. He blames other trades for 70 to 80 percent of the punch-list items on his average job.
Painters laugh when it's suggested they remind other craftsmen to be more careful.
Even in the best of situations, damages occur. Toiling in the glow of a few naked light bulbs, painters are bound to make more mistakes. In cold weather, temporary HVAC systems don't heat up surfaces enough to ensure the paint dries to the color it should. Getting a general contractor to agree on reasonable scheduling is anything but easy. However, not all generals are amenable to this arrangement, and the painter must take pains not to damage some other craftsman's handiwork, like new carpeting.