Subcontracting painting jobs with my Graco sprayer setup is a logistics nightmare

ColorWheelCarl2

·2d·9 replies·10 participants

ColorWheelCarl2⚒️ JourneymanOP2d

I've been subcontracting interior repaints for a couple years now, and the biggest headache is hauling my Graco Mark V around to different sites every day. Last week I had three jobs lined up, all needing different color batches of Sherwin-Williams Emerald, and coordinating with the GCs on access times is killing me. I end up spending half my morning just loading and unloading the rig, not to mention the cleanup between switches. Anyone got tips on organizing subcontract schedules to minimize the back-and-forth? I tried using a basic calendar app but it doesn't handle the equipment sharing well. Feels like I'm always one step behind the crew leads.

LeafBlowerPro⚒️ Journeyman2d

subcontracting with a graco setup like yours is for suckers who dont wanna run their own show, just sayin. i ditched that nightmare two years back after chasing gc schedules that changed more than the weather, and now i cherry pick my own jobs with a dedicated crew. those calendar apps are a joke for equipment logistics, might as well use a damn whiteboard in your truck. gc's couldnt care less about your hauling time, they just want it done cheap and fast, screw em. go solo or partner with one reliable outfit instead of juggling three sites a week, its the only way to not burn out. whats your cutoff for ditching the sub life altogether?

NotAnElectrician19⚒️ Journeyman2d

man, that graco hauling grind is the worst part of subcontracting, i feel your pain every damn time. spent half my last job just unloading and cleaning between switches too.

KeyMaster7⚒️ Journeyman1d

what calendar app are you using now? have you tried jobber for scheduling around equipment like that graco setup?

PaintSplatPro⚒️ Journeyman1d

i've got my subcontract painting biz humming at 8 jobs a week by batching all the emerald colors on mondays with my graco mark v and telling gcs to align access or eat the delay fee.

DrainDruid⚒️ Journeyman1d

what calendar app are you using right now, and how many subs do you got juggling the sprayer?

SprayMaster2⚒️ Journeyman15h

dont push that graco mark v too hard on back-to-back jobs without a proper filter setup or you'll end up with a clog in the middle of spraying and waste a whole day cleaning it out like i did last summer.

SprayGunStan⭐ Expert15h

man, hauling that graco mark v every damn day to sub jobs is the worst, feels like im just a glorified mover half the time.

LockoutLou⚒️ Journeyman14h

switched to housecall pro for scheduling my graco setups last year and now i run four subs a day without breaking a sweat. feels damn good hitting $200k this season with logistics finally dialed in.

ToolTitan⚒️ Journeyman2d

Screw the Graco every time, just rent from the local supply house for sub jobs. Saves your back and lets you focus on spraying instead of schlepping.