R H SMITH CO

.

In June 2003 we contracted with R. H. Smith to have our cedar-sided house painted.    R. H. Smith is a siding and general contractor and was the licensed applicator locally for Tex-Cote, manufactured by Textured Coatings of America, advertising a  lifetime-guaranteed vinyl based paint.  The cost of this paint job was approximately double that of a standard job, but with the lifetime guarantee ( applicable only to the original purchaser for as long as he owns the house.)  Labor was not included in the guarantee by the manufacturer, Tex-Cote, but was guaranteed by R. H. Smith's salesman, Rich Smith, and later affirmed by company president Hal Smith.
My wife and I believed them.  But a guarantee is only as good as the willingness and ability of the guarantor to honor his word.
R. H. Smith contracted the job out to Astro Pro Painting, and they did a great job!  It was all that we could have expected.  The house looked beautiful.
By summer 2011,  after about 8 years,  the Tex-Cote on the south and west sides of the house, exposed to the worst of the winter rains and wind here in Seattle, was cracking and peeling.  The north and east sides still looked great.  I called R. H. Smith, and they sent out an employee, Jason, who scraped and repainted the affected areas.  The job looked ok from a distance, but from close in it looked like scarred areas which had be painted over, in contrast to the unscarred surfaces.
By summer 2013 the Tex-Cote on the south and west sides sides was failing in large areas ( north and east sides still look great)  We called R. H. Smith again.  It took multiple calls over several weeks to get anyone to come out.  Hal Smith came out and looked over the house.  He then offered to compute a bid to reside our entire house with HardiePlank and repaint with Sherwin Williams paint and make an allowance for the previous lifetime guarantee.  I reminded that we already had a contract with him for a lifetime guarantee for the paint on the house.  He left and has not returned again nor contacted us.