# Most memorable paint spills-tell your story



## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

Paint spills. Happens to the best of us. Anyone got any good stories? :jester:


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Mine is pretty tame. I was on a 24 on a driveway with a little under half a gallon of paint and was just finishing when my pot hook broke and down went the white semi-gloss. I had to scramble to get it right since it was August around 3:00 in Alabama. I cleaned it up with no one the wiser other than myself that is.


----------



## PatsPainting (Mar 4, 2010)

This really wasn't a spill but it still sucked, One job we had several rollers and brushes we had to clean, the back yard had some real nice grass. It was getting close to the end of the day. We sat there cleaning all our stuff, after we were done, I made sure the grass was clean. So every thing looked good and we decided to call it a day. when we went to the front of the house I noticed freaking green paint running down the curb. I was like wtf is going on. Turned out this house had some sort of drainage system, and all the water would go right out into the street. I sat there as it seemed like hours just running the hose on it to dilute the water. It was amazing, it just kept coming and coming. It finally stopped and I got to go home. 

Pat


----------



## Scottclarkpainting (Jul 17, 2010)

Mine happened last week haha When I was painting the scout den.
I had my pot with oil based undercoat and brush ready to go and I got a call, so I put the paint pot on the back of the truck on top of the tool box. Suddenly I remembered I needed to go and pick up a ladder and the first roundabout I came across it was gone. There was paint from asshole to breakfast and many many cars driving through it. Oh boy!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Several years ago, one of our employees was unloading a truckload of TWP sealer. While putting the pallets away with the forklift, he placed a pallet of 5's ( 44 buckets to a pallet ) on the upper shelving in the warehouse. Not liking the position on the shelf he started to adjust it, and knocked the entire pallet off the back of the shelf, dropping the entire thing about 10' to the concrete floor. It was a complete disaster. We destroyed at least 3 wet/dry vacs, and countless gallons of thinner, and rags.

The employee who did it, didnt get fired, and no other spill by anyone at the shop has yet to top his.


----------



## M.Pillow (Jul 7, 2010)

We had just moved into a new store location, and for some reason (lol FAIL) the new industrial shelving was never anchored to the walls. One run of shelving, full of 600 shiny new MoorGuard cans, collapsed first thing in the morning, with a store full of contractors, dogs, cats, and a squawking macaw. 

So much paint, so many animal tracks! 

We had an old five shaker in the back garage that was missing a lid. Someone had dropped in a five of dark brown stain while I was standing close by with my back turned on the phone with a customer. I had no idea the bung had popped out and the stain was just spraying all over everything, including my back. The whole time I thought it was one of my coworkers being a brat swatting my hair or throwing something at me. (we always horsed around) I wouldn't turn around because I was trying to concentrate on my conversation with my customer...that five emptied all over me and the garage. 

Those are the two most memorable in all of my 20 years in this industry. I think I got off pretty easy, lol.


----------



## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

We were painting the ext of Sun City Center outside Tampa (where they shot the swimming pool scene in Cocoon) Someone had opened a new gallon of Safety Yellow and then just set the lid on the can. I picked it up and shook it. I was wearing Safety Yellow from head to toe. Best one was in New Jersey though. We were spraying "Thoro-Coat" on a 750,000 sq ft tilt-up. We had a gas pump and a 33 gal trash can (full) in the back of an enclosed trailer. We had hired a local kid to pull the trailer and box paint. I was driving the lift around the back side of the building and he was following me. I looked back behind me just in time to see the trailer come loose and stand straight up.  I was quite aways in front of him and turned around. I saw the kid jump out of his truck and throw his arms up in a panic. :no: Then he pulls the front of the trailer down to get in level and disapears inside. I keep driving the lift towards him. About 30 seconds later he comes back out completely covered in paint. He had slipped on the floor. He was wearing a better part of 30 gallons of paint. All you could see was his eyes. He was actually crying and I couldnt stop laughing. :jester:I was just glad we hadnt gotten onto the skirt yet and were still on dirt. :yes:


----------



## Wallpaper Gypsy (Feb 22, 2010)

The day I learned to always hold the lid and shake sideways. It wasn't that bad. The bad part was that when I pressure washed that part of the driveway, it left a clean spot. The homeowner didn't like the clean spot, 8 hours later and 10 gallons of gas... he had a clean driveway.


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

The worst I have ever done. Was a 5er fell over in the back of my truck. The paint slowly spilled out of the tint hole. I was going to a job at the PGA in the Palm Springs area. I made it to my job and as I was doing my Uturn. I thought "boy some one phucked up" then I realized I didn't see that coming in. It was about a mile long. I traced it all the way back to the guard shack where it started lightly spilling out and got worse as I drove in.


----------



## TheRogueBristle (Mar 19, 2010)

A partner of mine had opened a brand new gallon of coverstain and left the lid just barely on, but not seated, unbeknownst to me. I didn't have it shaken so I flipped the gallon over to redistribute the solids from the bottom as I'm accustomed to doing and dumped three quarters of it all over a client's porch. The worst thing was my partner just stood there and looked on as I scrambled for rags and thinner for the next ten minutes. :icon_mad: Needless to say this guy isn't with us anymore. And we have a policy to completely seal all cans after you're finished getting paint.


----------



## Rick the painter (Mar 30, 2009)

Back in the day we used ext. oil constantly,so we kept a full fiver of dirty thinner in the truck.After finishing a job it was loaded in the truck by the sliding door.Apon arriving at the new job,i opened the van door and the full five dumped in the driveway right in front of the customer who was greeting us!


----------



## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

One of my guys was on a small roof three stories up, and the handle broke on his work pot. Down came the bucket hitting another roof and landing on the deck. 

Fortunately it was green and latex, we were on the beach and started grabbing sand and getting it up. Glad it wasn't oil primer. It was NC and the contractor took care of getting the roofer to replace the few shingles.


----------



## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Had a pot hook break on 5er while I was two stories up once. It landed dead square on its bottom. When it hit the ground, the paint shot straight up, and it all came back down in the bucket. I could not belive my eyes...........

Talk about luck.


----------



## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

But my worst was when I was working on a fully extended 60' lift. The controls were a little touchy and it wanted to jerk a lot. Well, 60' up that problem was compounded as it turns out. Went to drive it a few feet, it jerks and my cut pot on the floor of the wire mesh basket tips over spraying paint all over a parking lot..........


----------



## premierpainter (Apr 17, 2007)

Painting a massive Bar in NJ and had only 3 hours before opening for the night. One of my guys kicks over a five of Satin Impervo down about 5 stairs. We poured a couple of gallons of thinner on them and then used a shopvac to suck it up. Worked out for us without anyone even knowing. We also stepped on a paint tray with dark pink and it flipped all over a creme carpet.


----------



## premierpainter (Apr 17, 2007)

Another one was spraying an Oil primer outside with our big SpeeFlo....center line broke and sprayed oil like a zero tip on a power washer. All over the new mulch, lawn furniture and grill. Bad, really bad.


----------



## Rick the painter (Mar 30, 2009)

I was pumping a garden sprayer up while clear coating a house with timber oil and the line blew off.Holy safety glasses batman!


----------



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

All this raises my heat beat.I did get to a job the other day and opened the side door and out came a gallon of water base and lost about a pint on the concrete. Lucky the drain was right there.


----------



## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

johnpaint said:


> All this raises my heat beat.I did get to a job the other day and opened the side door and out came a gallon of water base and lost about a pint on the concrete. Lucky the drain was right there.


I had a small one today in front of the customers house. Was to lazy to put the 16' on top of the van so I decided to put it inside. As I'm pushing it in from the back, (with the side doors open) I knocked over a stack of empty 5s that knocked over a gallon out the door.  Lost just under a quart in the gutter.......


----------



## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

premierpainter said:


> Another one was spraying an Oil primer outside with our big SpeeFlo....center line broke and sprayed oil like a zero tip on a power washer. All over the new mulch, lawn furniture and grill. Bad, really bad.


My guys did this last month but shut it down fast and wrapped the line. Dam belts!


----------



## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

A few years ago we were painting a exterior on a NC site. We were finished and packing up the truck when I saw a corner board about 10 feet up that needed to be touched up. Not thinking that they had just spread new loam and it had rained the day before, I grabbed a new gallon of paint and a 6 foot step to touch up the spot. I climbed the step and I must of hit a air pocket because that thing sunk 3 feet, I fell and the can went straight up in the air and landed on top of my head upside down. A full gallon fo paint poured down my head, splashed on the driveway, the siding and my truck. My guys laughed for weeks.


----------



## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

There really is nothing that can set the pace for a day by doing something like this.
I remember the first job helping a construction co in west Palm beach FL back in 71,I poured a gallon of white paint on a new red tile roof. I went down to the carpenters shed and found a gallon of red chalk line chalk and spread it all over the paint then went down as if nothing happen.


----------



## vermontpainter (Dec 24, 2007)

NEPS.US said:


> A few years ago we were painting a exterior on a NC site. We were finished and packing up the truck when I saw a corner board about 10 feet up that needed to be touched up. Not thinking that they had just spead new loam and it had rained the day before, I grabbed a new gallon of paint and a 6 foot step to touch up the spot. I climbed the step and I must of hit a air pocket because that thing sunk 3 feet, I fell and the can went straight up in the air and landed on top of my head upside down. A full gallon fo paint poured down my head, splashed on the driveway, the siding and my truck. My guys laughed for weeks.


Ahahahahaha :thumbup:


----------



## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

NEPS.US said:


> A few years ago we were painting a exterior on a NC site. We were finished and packing up the truck when I saw a corner board about 10 feet up that needed to be touched up. Not thinking that they had just spead new loam and it had rained the day before, I grabbed a new gallon of paint and a 6 foot step to touch up the spot. I climbed the step and I must of hit a air pocket because that thing sunk 3 feet, I fell and the can went straight up in the air and landed on top of my head upside down. A full gallon fo paint poured down my head, splashed on the driveway, the siding and my truck. My guys laughed for weeks.


Thanks for the laugh NEPS! I can totally picture it..........


----------



## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

vermontpainter said:


> Ahahahahaha :thumbup:


The real bitch of it was I hired one of my unemployed buddies for the summer and he had to tell everyone we knew about it. Sucked.


----------



## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> Had a pot hook break on 5er while I was two stories up once. It landed dead square on its bottom. When it hit the ground, the paint shot straight up, and it all came back down in the bucket. I could not belive my eyes...........
> 
> Talk about luck.


LOL That just would not have worked out like that for me :no:


----------



## dvp (Jun 21, 2010)

we were painting the outside of the commisary on a navy base, and one of my co workers yanked on the airless line and dumped a 5 of white paint water on the newly coated and striped black parking lot, right on the commanding admirals private parking spot. Of course the parking lot was about 200' wide with a gentle slope designed to channel all water diagnally across the parking lot away from the building.We only had one 20' hose and adding water only made more white paint water. We ended up calling a water truck and wire brushing the parking lot for hours. This was the longest day of my life.


----------



## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Woodland said:


> LOL That just would not have worked out like that for me :no:


I swear to god, I couldn't belive it. I was up on the ladder, and it looked like it shot up 3-4 feet. I will admit, a _couple _of drops spilled out, took me all of 30 seconds to clean them up. :thumbup:


----------



## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Isn't it funny when your spill is in action, it seems its in slow mo until it makes it crash landing. like the Matrix


----------



## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Oh I have another one that is all me. I was staining trim in a carpeted house, and I only had about 3 inches in my work pot. Well I had drops out, but was in a doorway where they meet, and blop I knock it over and there is a nice dark walnut spot on the berber. 

I kept pouring thinner on it and mopping with rags till it disappeared, but when they take that carpet up it will for sure be in the padding and sub floor. Lucky for me it was berber, but it was brand new guys installed it the day before while I was working downstairs.


----------



## Metro M & L (Jul 21, 2009)

I was rolling over newly refinished hardwood floors my first year in business. Using a cheap roller cover with spotty drop coverage. I didn't kick over a five or anything but the roller cover sprayed micro dots everywhere. The weather was super hot and the stuff dried like it had been there for twenty years. Took six hours with a razor blade to pick each individual spot off the floor.


----------



## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

Scottclarkpainting said:


> Mine happened last week haha When I was painting the scout den.
> I had my pot with oil based undercoat and brush ready to go and I got a call, so I put the paint pot on the back of the truck on top of the tool box. Suddenly I remembered I needed to go and pick up a ladder and the first roundabout I came across it was gone. There was paint from asshole to breakfast and many many cars driving through it. Oh boy!!!!!!!!!!!



I know I would pay $70 and hour for that!

:whistling2:


----------



## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

When I first started painting, I had a cut bucket filled with close to a half gallon of paint hanging from a hook off of a gutter. I was standing on a steep pitch using one hand to brush and the other to hold on to the house.

The foreman was spraying down at the other end of the gable, and he grabbed the gutter to move around a corner.

He pulled the gutter down, and when he released it it shot up a couple inches, dislodging the bucket hook (and the half gallon of paint), which then fell down onto the cedar shakes, bounced/rolled down the roof, fell down to the new exposed aggregate driveway, splashed on the house when it hit, then then the bucket proceeded to bounce/roll half way down the new exposed aggregate driveway.

It took me and 2 other greenhorns with a box of rags, wire brushes, and the foreman with an airless paintsprayer filled with water an hour or so to clean up.

Of course it was oil paint back then and was a total PITA. Back then we didn't think twice about rinsing it into the storm drain. 

--------

What did I learn?

Only carry as much paint as you need in your cut-bucket.

A lot of times if I am going into a finished house, to touch up little areas, I put less than a half inch of paint in the bucket.

This has saved me a few times when I accidentally tipped the bucket over and the paint didn't have enough time to run out, or very little made it onto the drop/carpet creating a mess.


----------



## 4ThGeneration (Apr 17, 2007)

Was spraying an exterior on the back of a house when we lost pressure, but the motor was still kicking like I had it going all out, so I thought the bucket was empty. Nope!!! The line busted and a water fall of Navajo White was coating the roof from the busted hose.


----------



## timalpha1 (Mar 20, 2012)

half gallon of beige paint on white carpet, funny thing is...cleaned it up with a wet-vac,
couldn't tell it even happened!


----------



## champer71 (Mar 12, 2012)

Scottclarkpainting said:


> Mine happened last week haha When I was painting the scout den.
> I had my pot with oil based undercoat and brush ready to go and I got a call, so I put the paint pot on the back of the truck on top of the tool box. Suddenly I remembered I needed to go and pick up a ladder and the first roundabout I came across it was gone. There was paint from asshole to breakfast and many many cars driving through it. Oh boy!!!!!!!!!!!


 hope u stopped & got ur brush!?


----------



## Zoomer (Dec 17, 2011)

Was working with dad and spilled white latex into black carpet. It was a lawyers office. We spent half a day rinsing and cleaning until it all came up. Dad saved my ass that day. Many of my guys have had similar incidents. Always best to stay calm and clean it up.


----------



## KEEGS (Nov 26, 2009)

While working on a NC job I asked my son (17, in training) to grab me the 5 out of the other room. Being that he was still a bit green, thought he might be smart by grabbing the 5 and throwing it up on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes...one small problem...the five had been opened (by someone :whistling2 and the lid was just sitting on the five. Well, before I could open my mouth and yell, up and onto his shoulder went the 5, and down and behind his back went about 4and 3/4 gallons of wall paint. Oh, and right onto the unfinished oak floors. BTW, his new cell phone was clipped to his belt, on his back-side. He has received training on the proper way to carry a five. Oddly enough, both the cell phone and the oak survived the catastrophe (my son received supplemental training on the removal of latex from unfinished oak floors).


----------



## Ramsden Painting (Jul 17, 2011)

Newbie dropped a gallon of deep purple paint outside while exiting the truck. The paint slowly ran around the tire and down the hill. He came into the house and calmly asked how to get paint off the driveway. I flipped, ran down to the truck. It was so hot out it was almost instantly drying on the driveway. Not a good day.

Sent from my iPad using PaintTalk


----------



## HQP2005 (Feb 14, 2012)

I'll join this necro party :thumbup:

Not a spill but a save.

Was putting dark green on trim just after new carpet was installed (this is how you do things at a private school - floors first then work your way up) anyway, the carpet guys were installing the cove base and I dropped a 2 1/2 down a stairwell and it landed perfectly on a 4 in x 4ft piece of cove laying on the floor, not a speck on the carpet.


----------



## READY TO ROLL (Dec 12, 2011)

I mixed up a gallon of white oil base and put it in my milk crate and didn't secure the lid. Came back 20 minutes later and picked up the crate and carried it one handed at an angle from one end of the house to the other (interior). When I got to the back bedroom I noticed my screw up, and had left a trail of paint from one end of the house to the other. Took a few hours to clean it up with thinner. Later that evening the homeowner calls me up and said they are getting sick from paint thinner fumes.


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

About half a gallon of white oil paint on brand new carpet.


----------



## READY TO ROLL (Dec 12, 2011)

Another time I was doing the interior of a new home and spilled 1/2 of a fiver of orange water base on the carpet of the master bedroom. I was using drop cloths along the walls, but none in the middle, and thats where the paint ended up. Cost me $600.00 to replace the carpet.


----------



## HQP2005 (Feb 14, 2012)

Did'nt actually see this one, but it is paint related.

I spent a summer working for a highway marking company. Someone forgot to strap down the barrels on the flat bed, and the first time the driver punched it to make it up a hill, 3 55 gals of traffic yellow rolled right though the gate and on to the road. EPA had to come for that one.


----------



## ejs (Nov 4, 2011)

Great post. 
In my 20's i painted at a textile mill in Yarmouth, N.S. One weekend the handle on a gallon of oil paint broke and dumped on the office cement step. I painted the step same color and no one ever said anything. In future years it was always painted.


----------



## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

First posted here.
*
How to clean a gallon of spilled gardz from a concrete driveway:*

1) use your favorite expletive, acknowledging your disbelief that there is a gallon of high adhesion, fast drying primer in direct sun and on the concrete. 

2) After the shock, which lasts a couple seconds, the fight or flight mechanism in your hypothalamus area of the brain should kick in, if not, you've used high voc paint too long and probably can't read an entire sentence anyway. 

3) Assess what items you have available that will aid in the cleanup. If you have a brand new box of wiping rags, you'll just have to bite the bullet here. And, a couple bucks on rags is a lot cheaper than letting that stuff dry too long. Do you have access to water? A hose? A bucket to contain and carry water? Its no time to be picky, grab that old 5er and get some water in it. 

4) Ok, get the excess primer soaked up with your rags, or a dirty shirt, towels, your socks, something. This is crucial. You can't have all that runoff going all over the place. Containment is the name of the game. 

5) Once you're left with the primer slowly bonding to the concrete, get water on that stuff. This will help slow down the drying and bonding process, and will buy you some valuable time. 

6) If you made it to this point, you're a survivor, and true paint warrior. But you're not done. Nope. This last step is what separates pros from wannabes. If you stopped now, your're left with a big horrible spot on your customers beautiful driveway. 

7) Here you must make a judgment call, based on the existing concrete and its condition. If its brand new or coated with a stain product you might be screwed, or at the least, you may be paying for a refinishing. If you are lucky and what is more typical is that the condition is decent, but has weathered a bit and probably has some rust, oil, or other stains that will help you out considerably. 

8) You need something to rub that primer out of the grooves of the concrete. A deck cleaning brush might work, but I've found they don't perform too well. Some jerk told me to try a pressure washer, but then would have to take over an hour to get it and by that time the coating would be dried too much. I'd suggest a wire brush. Nothing will work as good to get in there and work that coating out of the concrete. And, if you keep the surface wet as you should, you won't create too many scratch marks. Scrubbing with the grain of the concrete will also help. 

9) Hopefully after all this, you will have the driveway fully cleaned up to where the customer will never know what horror occurred. If they are home at the time and they discover the situation while you are cleaning it up and feeling stupid, well, godspeed. Try to blame it on your helper if possible. 

10) Never set a gallon of gardz or other coating on top of boxes high up in your extended cab so when you open the door it falls out.


----------



## mudbone (Dec 26, 2011)

Was redoing a high end home for a client who was putting his mothers house up for sale.Had carpet covered and was coming down off of ladder and stepped off backward onto the high end of the lip of a deep well paint pan fully loaded with paint,it flipped up and emptied the whole pan on me! Luckily at that moment no one was around.Had to remove my soaked shoes and pants,wrap a plasic garage bag around me and took off for home hoping the law wasn't doing speed checks or whatever.Made it to the house looked around to make sure no one was looking and made a mad dash for the door with just a bag around my waist.Got back cleaned up rest of mess and cleaned carpet.I was just glad homeowner wasnt there and I didnt get pulled over trying to have to explain all of that.The mess we painters get into.


----------



## Museum_Fab_Omaha (Mar 14, 2012)

*Lace up those boots!*

I hired a young guy who was a little down on his luck, one of those who seems like a magnet for bad luck. At our shop I asked "Jeremy" to grap me a can of black Satin Impervo from the back shelf. After what seemed like an eternity he finally came strutting back to the mixing table with a mostly empty gallon of paint. He had managed to pull the can off the shelf and dumped it on himself from the waist down. it was a hot summer day in an un-airconditioned shop. He was wearing shorts and unlaced combat boots! I looked at him and could see that much of this oil based paint had poured into his boots. I asked him what he was going to do, and he replied that he was fine and he would just deal with it untill he got home (several hours later) I tried to explain the hazards of oil paint leaching into to your blood stream, but he did not what to hear any of it... I think he thought he was going to get fired. Can you imagine working on a hot summer day with with a pint of oil base paint squishing around in your boots??? his feet must have been black for weeks! Ultimately he was fired for an unrelated incident, poor dude...


----------



## Museum_Fab_Omaha (Mar 14, 2012)

mudbone said:


> Was redoing a high end home for a client who was putting his mothers house up for sale.Had carpet covered and was coming down off of ladder and stepped off backward onto the high end of the lip of a deep well paint pan fully loaded with paint,it flipped up and emptied the whole pan on me! Luckily at that moment no one was around.Had to remove my soaked shoes and pants,wrap a plasic garage bag around me and took off for home hoping the law wasn't doing speed checks or whatever.Made it to the house looked around to make sure no one was looking and made a mad dash for the door with just a bag around my waist.Got back cleaned up rest of mess and cleaned carpet.I was just glad homeowner wasnt there and I didnt get pulled over trying to have to explain all of that.The mess we painters get into.


That is good stuff right there, thanks for the chuckle!


----------



## jdr0411 (Mar 18, 2012)

About a month ago I was finishing up a job for an older woman that had maybe 30 cats her in home. I told her that they need to stay out of the area I was working. (A given but also because I hate cats!). 

She did a good job of doing that for the most part. My last day on the job the woman comes into the room to check on the progress and a cat followed her in. I was rolling the last section. I stopped to do a little edge work. I have a lanyard on the end of my roller arm so it can hang freely off the edge of the ladder. 

Next thing I know, the cat had jumped on the couch I had covered and started rubbing up against the roller cover! 

After having a near heartache the woman replies, "Well, you've successfully turned my cat into a skunk." Then turned around and walked out. 

(I didn't get paid for the work on the cat)


----------



## KEEGS (Nov 26, 2009)

This "Born-Again" Necro thread rules. This light reading is a freakin' riot!


----------



## eews (Apr 18, 2007)

not paint, but paint remover! standing next to the pump when the hose connection broke and spewed about a gallon of it- on me, mostly at the crotch area.
ripped off my pants and used the pressure wash to rinse it off. 
Ya know- that stuff burns!


----------



## kdpaint (Aug 14, 2010)

Imagine... a looong time ago: 100 degree 11 hour day, packing up exterior job at the top of a hill. Me: watching 1 gallon of the whitest white Alkyd modified urethane Larcoloid hit the sidewalk, and flow down it onto the steep graded street. 5 sunfried and heat stroked :jesteraintmonkeys :jester: watching and doing jack about it. :thumbsup: By the time anyone stepped up, a white trail was streaming down the 2 day old new asphalt, nailing the driver's side tires of a bunch of cars.
I run to the locked garage to grab the hose that had just been put away- oh yeah, key went in the mail slot 5 minutes ago! A 5 gallon bucket brigade pouring soapy water (yeah yeah, no handy 55 gallon drum of thinner, right?) down a hill with gawking neighbors is just sooo wrong, while yours truly is push brooming it down to a storm drain. I was young and dumb and would never do that now...but then... 
Finally, after scrubbing about 20 car tires clean (kinda) of REALLY good paint, the old lady with a million dollar house in front of the storm drain stands there and says, "you had better clean that all up young man!" No calling the EPA/DEP, City or anyone. She over saw 5 guys spend 2 hours scrubbing asphalt with me hoping dish soap and that night's rain was gonna do it. :no: Someone in her family HAD to have been a painter.....:notworthy:


----------



## prototype66 (Mar 13, 2008)

My one and only was as I was pulling into the office complex in Maitland where the GC I did a bunch of work had their office! from the mid block off Horacio all the way to my parking spot! white exterior......a 5er! That sucked! lid wasn't put on all the way!
the dude only lasted about a week! One of may mistakes! I almost told him to box the 5s together on a job then thought twice!


----------



## Laz (Nov 14, 2010)

Remodel job of painting a whole wall fireplace and mantel in the master bedroom. Carpeting was pulled back just enough by the remodeler to do the work. All the furniture was still in the room. I walled off everything with plastic. Everything done, plastic down and cleaned up. Only thing to do was pick up the Titan 440 sprayer sitting on cardboard.

Their wasn't much paint left so I ran water just enough to get the majority of the paint out of the line and I would clean up the sprayer the rest of the way at the shop.

Grabbed the sprayer and hit the trigger on the gun. I forgot to release all pressure from the sprayer and it shot all over a vary ornate dresser. The homeowner worked from home and his office was though my work area. He had come though a number of times already.

I tried washing the paint water off but I couldn't get it out of all the grooves and detail work. I had a brass brush in the van that saved the day. It was able to get in everywhere but not damage the finish. The whole time I'm cleaning I'm just saying to myself "don't come up to your office" over and over! When I was done know body was the wiser.

Learned my lesson-always make sure theres no pressure in the line.:thumbsup:


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Here is one of PT's memorable paint spill threads for me. http://www.painttalk.com/f2/arggh-5839/

Necro activate.


----------



## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Workaholic said:


> Here is one of PT's memorable paint spill threads for me. http://www.painttalk.com/f2/arggh-5839/
> 
> Necro activate.


I totally forgot about that PT classic. :thumbsup:


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> I totally forgot about that PT classic. :thumbsup:


Doh! I forgot it was bumped not that long ago. 

Was a funny thread during a time of some tension. I had suspected a few but no way to prove it.


----------



## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

Classic!


----------



## WisePainter (Dec 27, 2008)

tooled up 
that man accepted his fate with a nod, and a see you all on the other side.

my friggin hero!!!

:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

WisePainter said:


> tooled up
> that man accepted his fate with a nod, and a see you all on the other side.
> 
> my friggin hero!!!
> ...


:thumbup:

Pete was one of the good ones. R.I.P


----------



## UpandComing (Mar 21, 2012)

This Isn't paint, Even Worse.... Tar, I was Taring a Garage Roof when I did not notice the roof was built wrong and the tar was seeping through in-between the shingles!!! Gets even worse!!!! DUN DUN DUN, The tar spilled all over the customers Car. (white car at that) lol, Luckly I waas working for my bosses Uncle, and he was pretty cool. Went to the nearest paint store, Picked up some denatured and I was able to get it up. What a bad day. lol


----------



## pacificpainters.com (May 5, 2011)

Workaholic said:


> Here is one of PT's memorable paint spill threads for me. http://www.painttalk.com/f2/arggh-5839/
> 
> Necro activate.


I remember that,it was hilarious. :lol:


----------



## luap2011 (Aug 26, 2011)

We were doing a Ralph Lauren metallic paint finish in a bedroom with a small bathroom attached (pain in the butt). He was in the bedroom pulling tape while I was doing some finishing touches in the small bathroom. Just a boneheaded moment, I put the roller tray directly below where I step off the stepladder. Needless to say metallic paint was all over the tile floor, a drop cloth and the white cabinet. I almost had a heat attack because the homeowner was home and wasn't sure if the grout was sealed. Everything cleaned up fine thank god, and she thought we were so good we will be doing the rest of her house lol.


----------



## StripandCaulk (Dec 30, 2011)

Necro much haha

I was a the end of a job, did the kitchen, hallways, bedrooms and last room was the sunroom. sunroom was loaded with wicker furniture, enamel coated tongue and groove flooring. I ended up priming all the walls with smart prime before painting. Well the lid on the gallon of smart prime is plastic and of crap design..really doesnt like to get put back on apparently

went to pick up the gallon and the handle busted, gallon (about half full went down) cap flew off now i have lime green primer (very quick drying) all over wicker and flooring. F!#k. Dumped water on everything, started moping up with paper towels, pulled out my beach towel (thank god i always keep on in my van) ran all the wicker outside and hosed it down. kept running back and forth to keep water on the floor, scrubbing to make sure it didnt bond up anywhere. run back outside to keep spraying the wicker. 

after about 25 minutes it was all good, and i havent bought another gallon of smart prime since


----------



## paintguy86 (Aug 6, 2011)

I was in a paint production facility and saw a 800gl tank blow...wow!


----------



## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

pacificpainters.com said:


> I remember that,it was hilarious. :lol:


It was a funny day.


----------



## HQP2005 (Feb 14, 2012)

Workaholic said:


> Here is one of PT's memorable paint spill threads for me. http://www.painttalk.com/f2/arggh-5839/
> 
> Necro activate.


This is a classic. :thumbsup:


----------



## delusional (Oct 14, 2013)

*not a spill*

This seemed like a good place for a first post. 

My first year painting I was in a company with three crews. I had heard a lot of stories about the boss of another crew who nobody liked, he'd jump down people's throat for no reason... There was another story about him breathing lacquer, jumping in his car and tearing up a golf course... 
Anyway, one Monday for the first time they send me to the jobsite where he is. It's a church, and they send me, and the guy who got me the job, up inside the steeple. We are on scaffold stacked six levels high. I set a roll of tape on the edge of a plank, and when my friend moves, the roll is off on a plinko journey. It bounces, plink, plink. plink, lands flat on a plank and almost stops but flips on the edge and rolls again, meanwhile the boss has walked thru the door, and he looks up just in time for the tape to hit him right in the middle of the forehead.
What a way to meet the new boss!

My friend took the blame, otherwise I would have found some other job.


----------



## aroplate (Aug 21, 2013)

I hired my brother to help me, he was 17 and we were painting with deep royal blue oil enamel on trim for some commercial project, all I remember was coming into one of the rooms and seeing my brother standing there with the owner if the project and the GC and a gallon of this deep blue enamel spilled on pure white carpet. 

I wanted to disappear......

I think I did.

Also, do you know that blue oil enamel does not come out of white carpet? Just thought you should know.


----------



## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

aroplate said:


> I hired my brother to help me, he was 17 and we were painting with deep royal blue oil enamel on trim for some commercial project, all I remember was coming into one of the rooms and seeing my brother standing there with the owner if the project and the GC and a gallon of this deep blue enamel spilled on pure white carpet.
> 
> I wanted to disappear......
> 
> ...


Dropclothes rock


----------



## ces (Jul 18, 2013)

Guy that used to help me worked with his Dad when he was younger and said they were painting a room for a lady and her poodle kept coming in getting paint on its paws and tracking it so the dog is in the room and the Dad knocks over a gallon of paint and grabs the dog threw it in the paint and hollered for the lady to come in that the dog had knocked over a gallon of paint and got it everywhere!


----------



## Neese's Painting (Nov 21, 2012)

Woodland said:


> Paint spills. Happens to the best of us. Anyone got any good stories? :jester:


Back in 2005 we were working on a big hospital job north of us.I was wheeling a cart full of oil base DTM thru the basement,I made it up the elevator to the 3rd floor pulled out the elevator and slam!The cart tipped over.3 gallons busted open.My boss at the time watched me clean it all up as I was hoping I had a job still.Then he tells me the carpet was being replaced.I always take it slow when moving paint thru anywhere now.


----------



## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

Im painting in a place with new thailand rubber wood floors. Have i spilled any? Not yet gosh darn it.


----------



## Zoomer (Dec 17, 2011)

As a kid helping out dad one summer, spilled white paint on black shag carpet. This took place in the 70s. Took my dad and I nearly half a day to get it out. To boot it was in a law firms office in a major hallway.


----------



## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

I've posted this before ? of one of my old friends/partners, Peter S. 









I saw him at a funeral the other week, and we had another laugh about it.

This was a self inflicted bath. He dropped his bucket, it landed FLAT on the ground, and the contents "geysered" up


----------



## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

there's bee so many by now

One time we laid this guy off and like two days later come to the job there were like two skids of paint, you know like 300 gallons. Well all the fives had a hole drilled in them on the side but at the bottom. It wasn't technically a spill but a slow drip.
if the dude had showed that kind of a initiative and work ethic on the job he wouldn't have got laid off in the first place.


----------



## ces (Jul 18, 2013)

I got another one, a guy that used to work for us fell off a roof while working for another contractor with an open five of aluminum roof paint, broke both legs and the five landed on him also. Told us he had that paint on him for about a month and looked like the tin man.


----------



## mudbone (Dec 26, 2011)

ces said:


> Guy that used to help me worked with his Dad when he was younger and said they were painting a room for a lady and her poodle kept coming in getting paint on its paws and tracking it so the dog is in the room and the Dad knocks over a gallon of paint and grabs the dog threw it in the paint and hollered for the lady to come in that the dog had knocked over a gallon of paint and got it everywhere!


I basically did the same thing knocked over a gallon on to a carpet but for me I grapped a nearby toddler and sat him down in it and called for his parents who were downstairs.It actually bothered me for awhile afterwards seeing that kid get beat every inch of his life.


----------



## ces (Jul 18, 2013)

mudbone said:


> I basically did the same thing knocked over a gallon on to a carpet but for me I grapped a nearby toddler and sat him down in it and called for his parents who were downstairs.It actually bothered me for awhile afterwards seeing that kid get beat every inch of his life.


I remember the guys DAD, he was a trip. Todd (the son) told me when he was younger that he and his siblings were sitting around the Christmas tree fussing about what they were gonna get and the old man picked up the tree threw it out in the front yard and told em to get outside and argue.


----------



## benthepainter (Jun 17, 2011)

One i remember i was maybe 17 so one year in the trade and yeah one year throwing up the ladders with the old guys : ) 30 footers up to 60 footer triple exstension ladders painting apartments all oil based you had three pots guters facia's and eaves and months on end exstension ladder work you go up slam your hook on the rung but one day i climbed up normaly have my paint hook through all three handles lol plus it was the days when i would over fill my paint pot 

So i hooked my pot hook on the rung and let go 
But out of all the colours oops i didnt hook Brunswick Green a dark heritage green on 

I let go and in slow motion my pot falls three floors lands on its ass i don't know how but like 
Bills pic shot back up like a volcano 

All over bare brick lucky it was government housing


----------



## SouthFloridaPainter (Jan 27, 2011)

Here's mine....

I was young, maybe 20 or so driving the work van driving south on one of the main strips in Miami Beach. Radio blastin' on my way to a work site.

Out of nowhere...sirens, red and blue lights, pissed off cop screaming at my window to PULL OVER!!!

What the hell??? Now on this street, there is no where to pull over, it was a residential area and you can only turn into homeowners driveways. So I did.

So I sit patiently and wait for the cop to walk around...he still ticked off saying " You don't like to stop for police officers?", " I'm sorry sir, I didn't hear you", "I've been trying to stop you, now get out."

Got out walked around the van, a knocked over 5 gallon had been leaving a trail down the street for who knows how long, and now its creating a puddle of white paint on black asphalt driveway belonging to some unlucky homeowner.

I quickly do my best to stop, contain, and start picking up this paint.

He gave me a ticket for littering. Came back next day to paint the driveway back to black.

No lie..that trail was there for several years. Kinda proud of it...whoever I was with, I was like "Hey, take a look at this" as we drove down that street " Yeah, I did that."....Yeah, young and stupid.

I got a couple more spill stories, too lazy right now, will share later. Involving releasing the pressure on the sprayer and the return line whipping around like a unmanned fire hose on a cartoon. Paint everywhere, another unlucky homeowner. Young and stupid.
​


----------



## propainterJ (Jan 31, 2011)

Pulled a five off the side of my truck,set it down in the road too fast and on the edge a little too much I guess.

I just remember hearing a weird crack sound and looking on in disbelief as a whole five of paint drained out the bottom of the five in about 5 seconds.

That was a bad afternoon,of course it was Summertime,my helper and I spent most of it cleaning up that mess.

Or the time I was put in charge of a crew for the 1st time,we were working on a TU at a tract home,I put my 2 gal pot down on the carpet while I was giving instructions to my new crew,then took two steps to my right forgetting about the deuce there and half a quart right on the carpet.

That one cost me some money,about $75 bucks to clean that carpet my Boss made me pay.


----------



## Painter-Aaron (Jan 17, 2013)

This is a story an old co worker was telling me of what happened to him on another job he was on

He was working on the top of a stairwell that had just gotten new carpets installed a week earler 

He filled up his cut can a half gallon. Thinking it was too much but he was like I will use it anyways

So he places it on the tray and starts climbing the step ladder where it tips over and all the paint falls all the way down a section of these stairs 

He gets water and a wet vac cleans it all up nicely. Looking new again.. 

Goes and refills his cut can to yet another half gallon. Puts it back on the tray and starts to climb the ladder one more time. It tips over again 

So he gets more water and vacuums it all up making it look new once again. As he is carrying the vacuum back up the stairs the top comes off and the dirty paint water goes back down the stairs


----------



## propainterJ (Jan 31, 2011)

Another good one that didn't really involve me 

My former boss had bought a big Titan gas rig in 02,he was haulin it down to me in his old flatbed truck and decided that a couple bungees would be enough to secure it.

He lives in the foothills east of town so I guess he took a corner too fast and the thing broke the bungees,took a header into the road and then rolled down a twelve ft hill.

It still worked only the handlebars were kinda tweaked,I used it it worked fine.

Well a couple weeks later he did it again,this time the frame was destroyed and he paid a guy to fabricate him new ones.

And it still works,he sold it to me with the business a couple years ago and I still use it,although it is my 3rd string latex rig.

Another one was a long time ago,was working for my boss in laws,they lived in an ugly round house,two stories with a deck all the way around upstairs.

Was bringing some doors inside through a slider door,there was a bunch of us bringing these doors back inside after spraying them outside and there were a lot of doors so I was hustling

Well while I was inside dropping off a door,someone had closed the screen on the slider we were going in n out of.

So I put my door down and headed back out and I was moving fast,so fast I didn't notice the screen was closed,next thing I know I'm walking thru a screen door,ripping it out of its slot and tripping over it at the same time and I'm almost falling over the railing on the outside of the deck,everyone thought that was just hilarious,I didn't.

I wanted to know who had shut that screen when I had made at least 5 trips through it wide open


----------



## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

The tailgate on my truck came open, probably had too much stuff in there, and a five of primer blew out on to the pavement in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in the town where I lived. Cheap primer lasted a long time on that pavement.


----------



## ExcelPaintingCo (Apr 16, 2011)

I was talking to a very nice looking lady HO out in her back yard. I went to move a six foot step and a cut pot fell on my head. Both my employee who left it there and the HO lol'ed. I however was not amused.


----------



## bodean614 (May 31, 2011)

One of my guys just had SW do delivery to hospital. Loading dock guys hit it with forklift and knocked 40 gallons including 5 gal. Oil primer off dock. Spilled everywhere. The hospital maintainence guys proceed to was down drain with fire hose. EPA got the and spent 2 days and 2 semi loads of material from near by creek that the drains run to. 50 k. The SW guy ask permission to leave and was told to put where he did. Who's at fault ??


----------



## bbair (Nov 18, 2012)

bodean614 said:


> One of my guys just had SW do delivery to hospital. Loading dock guys hit it with forklift and knocked 40 gallons including 5 gal. Oil primer off dock. Spilled everywhere. The hospital maintainence guys proceed to was down drain with fire hose. EPA got the and spent 2 days and 2 semi loads of material from near by creek that the drains run to. 50 k. The SW guy ask permission to leave and was told to put where he did. Who's at fault ??


Now that sucks!

Sent from my iPhone using PaintTalk


----------



## bodean614 (May 31, 2011)

Yea on a 9k job. Lol


----------



## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

bodean614 said:


> Yea on a 9k job. Lol


Liability insurance cover that?


----------



## bodean614 (May 31, 2011)

Not sure who they are blaming yet. So haven't inquired.


----------



## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

bodean614 said:


> One of my guys just had SW do delivery to hospital. Loading dock guys hit it with forklift and knocked 40 gallons including 5 gal. Oil primer off dock. Spilled everywhere. The hospital maintainence guys proceed to was down drain with fire hose. EPA got the and spent 2 days and 2 semi loads of material from near by creek that the drains run to. 50 k. The SW guy ask permission to leave and was told to put where he did. Who's at fault ??


Whoever hit it with the forklift is to blame. But I still wouldn't want to be the painter running the job.


----------



## bodean614 (May 31, 2011)

That or the maint. Men who washed it down the drain. I'm sure it will go to litigation.


----------



## Rbriggs82 (Jul 9, 2012)

50k paint spill!! You win


----------



## aroplate (Aug 21, 2013)

Another time when I was a sprayman doing tract painting, I used to leave my tailgate down and spray right off the back of my truck, I had the rig in the back with the stinger in a five of oil enamel and I was doing a spread of 8 houses, 4 at the end of the block and the other four around the corner,
So I had to drive out onto the main road to get to the other four houses, I turned the corner and saw the five fly off the back of my tailgate, I pulled over just as one car after another drive right through all that white oil enamel.


----------

