Student painter organization?

[M B Wehr (Bruce)]

For years, I've been aware of an organized group that represents
students looking to earn a little extra by doing house painting. I
think they're called, surprisingly enough, Student Painters. But, now
that I find myself potentially interested in such a service, I find I
have no idea how to contact them, or where to look for more information.

Pointers to such an organization (or, failing that, recommendations
for house painting firms in northern Macomb County [Romeo]) would be
greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

+========================================+==================================+
Bruce Wehr - bw...@ford.com | "The country is never safer than
| when Congress is out of session"
Ford Motor Company - Dearborn, Michigan | -- The Home School Court Report
+========================================+==================================+

[Mike and Joy Hardie]

> Thanks.

I contacted Student Painters for an estimate on my house. They came
in as the highest bid... (Got their name from a sign posted by the
road.) Seems that they really are students. An agency gets them
leads by road signs, then they make bids and provide labor. The
agency provides some (maybe all?) the tools and gets their cut.

I couldn't stomach anyone's bid and ended up doing it ourselves. (If
you go this route don't use Pittsburgh paint.) It is a LOT of work.
I can see why people want a LOT of money.

One note: We brushed - the pros will ONLY spray. I think that a
brushed finish will last longer than a sprayed one.

Mike

[Kent Alverson]

Indeed, there are now at least 6 groups that recruit students for the summer
to run their own painting business. I did this for 2 years while at U of M
for College Pro Painters. It is excellent business experience for the
student but by no means guarantees you'll make money. I ended up with a small
loss my first summer but made up for it my second. Usually, our prices were
at the low end, but even with student labor it is impossible to out-bid the
journeymen who don't pay for insurance or workers comp. The student
businesses are set up as a franschise with no upfront costs and a flat royalty
on sales paid to the franschisor (typcially 25% or so), with reductions for
meeting certain sales targets. This may seem like a lot (and it is) but you
get the name, warranty, knowledge and cheap advertising and most students
otherwise could never had begun such a business.

One caution I will make is be careful about quality. Some of the students
have never painted before. Normally you'll get a good job at a low price, but
if you want to be safe, have them paint towards the end of the summer when
they've had all summer to learn from any mistakes.

For a free estimate from College Pro you can call 800-544-3255. They along
with Triple A Student Painters are the oldest. The other student group signs
I've seen in the Rochester area are Quality Tuition, Colorworks, Student Works
and North American but I don't know anything about them.

Kent

P.S. If you want any pointers about what is most important for a quality job,
just let me know.