Exterior painting punch list
An exterior painting punch list is the list of fixes left on the outside of the house before a painting job is done. An exterior punch list is walked outside and often from a ladder, so the route matters. Go around the house in one direction. Check each side from the top down: soffits and fascia, siding, trim, then the ground. The JobsiteHQ exterior painting punch list below has 12 checks in 4 areas, ready to print.
Siding
- Full coverage, including behind downspouts, shrubs and meters.
- No runs, sags or lap marks visible from the street.
- Joints at trim and penetrations caulked with no open gaps.
Trim, soffits and fascia
- Clean cut lines against the siding and soffits.
- Fascia and rake boards coated all over, including the bottom edges.
- Window and door trim complete, no paint on the glass.
Doors, windows and shutters
- Doors painted on every edge where specified; hardware clean.
- Windows open - no sashes painted shut.
- Shutters back on, level and secure.
Site clean-up
- No overspray or drips on the roof, walks, deck, cars or plants.
- Downspouts, light fixtures, house numbers and hose reels back in place.
- Paint chips and debris cleared from the beds and lawn.
How do you use this checklist?
Print the 12-check exterior painting punch list from JobsiteHQ, or keep the page open on your phone, and walk the job in the order of the sections. Tick each line once you've checked the work. Anything that needs work goes on your own list, with the room and what's wrong. Hand your list to the trade who fixes the items, then walk the fixed items again.
How do you run the final walkthrough?
Go around the house in one direction and check each side from the top down. The 4 areas of the JobsiteHQ checklist above follow the same route.
- Walk the house 2 times: once from the street, then again up close. Coverage problems show from a distance; drips and cut lines show up close.
- Look behind and underneath at the 3 hidden spots: downspouts, gutters and the bottom edge of every board. Hidden edges and strips are the spots that get missed and the first to peel.
- Write each exterior item with 1 of the 4 sides of the house - front, left, back, right - so the painter fixing the item goes straight there.
- Check every exterior door opens and closes fully before you leave. Fresh paint on door edges and stops can make a door stick.
What gets missed on an exterior painting job?
On an exterior painting job, the misses are mostly the spots nobody looks at on the way out. The 6 items below are the ones that come back as a call after the final invoice.
- Bottom edges of boards
- The bottom edge of siding and trim is where water sits and paint fails first. Check every bottom edge is coated.
- Behind gutters and downspouts
- Gutters and downspouts hide unpainted strips of siding and fascia. Look behind every gutter and downspout from the ladder.
- Overspray
- Overspray on shingles and glass shows up in the sun. Check from the ladder and from the street.
- Caulk after the last coat
- Caulk added after the final coat stands out. Joints should be caulked before painting.
- Fixtures put back
- Lights, house numbers and mailboxes come off for painting. Check all 3 are back, level and working.
- Window glazing and sills
- Window sills take the most weather. Check each sill is coated on the 2 surfaces water hits - the top and the front edge - and the glazing isn't painted over.
How do you close out the punch list?
Closing out an exterior painting punch list means finishing every open item, showing the client the finished work, and handing over what the client needs to look after the work. The 3 steps below come before the final invoice.
- Leave labeled paint for each color, with where on the house each color went.
- Note any area the weather stopped in JobsiteHQ, with the side of the house and what's left.
- Walk the house with the client from the street and up close, and record the walk in JobsiteHQ before the final invoice.
Skip the clipboard
Walk the exterior painting job with JobsiteHQ open and say what you see, room by room. JobsiteHQ writes the punch list, sorted by area, for you to check over, then turns the list into a client summary, an estimate and an invoice. JobsiteHQ works with no signal.
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Questions
- Should the walkthrough be done in sun or shade?
- An exterior painting walkthrough is best done 2 ways: in sun and in shade. Full sun shows sheen differences and missed spots; shade shows cut lines. Late-day light raking along a wall is the most honest of all.
- What about work the weather interrupted?
- Put weather-delayed work on the punch list with the side of the house affected, so the work isn't forgotten when the weather turns.
- When can exterior touch-ups be done?
- Exterior touch-ups can be done when the weather and the surface are in the range on the paint can - many exterior latex paints list 50°F and up. Cold, damp mornings are a common reason touch-ups fail.
- Should the client be on the walkthrough?
- The client should be on the exterior walkthrough if the client can be there. Walk the house from the street first and then up close. Agree what's left before the ladders come down.
- How do you note where an item is on the outside?
- Note an exterior item by side of the house and height: 'back, 2nd floor, left window sill'. The painter fixing the item goes straight there.