About The House Painter’s Encyclopedia
I started painting in Pennsylvania, then spent years working in the Caribbean as a painter and managing large projects, including hospitals, schools, and hotels. After my time in the Cayman Islands, I traveled throughout the United States doing commercial painting work as a subcontractor. In Colorado, an established painting company helped me start my own business. I later continued working throughout the United States before settling in Florida.
Over the years, my commercial clients have included Ritz-Carlton, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Hilton, and many others. But the experience behind this encyclopedia comes as much from the painters I’ve worked alongside as from the projects themselves.
Working in different places taught me that there is more than one way to produce an excellent paint job. Techniques, tools, products, and working habits vary by region. Climate, local materials, and the experience passed from one painter to another all influence how the work gets done.
I began writing an employee handbook for my painting company in Florida. That grew into years of handwritten notebooks and an idea for a book. Along the way, I interviewed dozens of painters, each with decades of experience. I continue those conversations today.
The House Painter’s Encyclopedia has grown beyond that original handbook. Through the SPATE framework—Substrate, Product, Application, Tools, and Execution—it organizes practical knowledge so painters and homeowners can understand what to do, why it matters, and when another approach may be appropriate.
I welcome contributions from other painters. My own methods are part of this reference, alongside lessons shared by others and clearly identified manufacturer guidance. The goal is to preserve what experienced painters have learned, make that knowledge useful on the job, and help train the next generation.