Subcontracting painters who show up late and half-ass the trim work - I'm DONE

Look, I've been subcontracting out interior jobs for years now, but these guys I got on the last Benjamin Moore repaint gig drove me nuts. One dude shows up an hour late with no drop cloths, spills Emerald urethane all over the hardwood, and then cuts in like a toddler with a crayon. I had to redo half the baseboards myself just to make it right for the client. It's like they don't even watch those Idaho Painter videos on YouTube for basic prep tips. Someone in the Painting Contractors Facebook group was ranting about the same BS last week. How do you all vet these subs without wasting your own time cleaning up their messes? TBH, at this point I'd rather pay more for reliable help than deal with this crap-show every job.

same here man, subs turning good jobs into headaches.

just quoted a full interior with subs, gonna charge extra buffer for their screwups.

we had a sub ghost us mid-job on a cabinet refinish, had to scramble.

train your own crew instead, subs are too flaky.

hate when they don't mask properly, paint everywhere.

exactly, one bad sub and your rep takes the hit.

i use a simple checklist before they start, cuts down issues.

fired a guy last month for rushing the Sherwin-Williams cut-ins.

these PE-backed outfits are scooping up all the good painters, leaving us scraps.

built my sub list from union guys, way more reliable.

proud of my team, no subs needed after 10 years.

subs quoting half my rates but delivering zero quality, BS.

started my own sub company after getting burned too many times.

every damn time with the late arrivals.

join a painters network group, better leads there.

lazy subs killing the trade.

had to eat the cost on redo, client pissed.

one sub botched a whole condo complex job, nightmare.

hahaha, at least they provide job security for us pros.

every job feels like babysitting these days.

don't let them near high-end finishes.

warning: always have backup subs lined up.

sub left paint in the carpet, sued for damages.

don't trust subs with power rollers, accidents waiting.

frustrated with their no-show rates spiking.

use Graco gear only, weeds out the cheapos.

i inspect daily, keeps them on toes.

humor in it: sub thought drop cloth was optional lol.

big corps buying everyone out, no fair play.

SharkBite level laziness in painting subs, fight me.

controversial: some subs are worth the hassle for volume.

pay them per sq ft done right, motivates.

helpful tip: background checks save headaches.

PE vultures circling, hate it.

fire fast, no second chances.

controversial: solo is better than bad subs.

i run tight ship, subs respect that.

clients blame you anyway.

same boat, subs unreliable af.

watched a Tommy Mello vid on hiring, changed my game.

start with small jobs to test them.

echo that, testing saves big time.

document everything for disputes.