Overspraying, When a contractor has taken all the steps to prevent an overspray occurrence and a claimant comes forward with the accusation that the contractor oversprayed his/her vehicle and the contractor believes he is not responsible, these are the steps he needs to take.

  1. Observe the color of the overspray and determine if the color is the same as the paint you were spraying.
  2. Check the overspray particulates and view them through a magnifying glass as to whether they are flat or ball like in appearance.  Latex overspray particulates usually appear  flat and epoxy and urethane overspray particulates appear ball like. Roofing foam dots are often clear.  Compare the result to the type of paint you were using.
  3. If you were spraying with a spray gun the overspray should appear as a fine mist of sand like particulates evenly dispersed  on the  vehicle’s surfaces.   If you were rolling the paint on a structure and the wind fanned the droplets, the overspray would be unevenly dispersed  and the overspray dots or splatters would be in a variety of sizes and concentrations.
  4. You need to find out when and where the claimant’s vehicle was parked at the time of the overspray. If the claimant provided a date and time when you were not painting, the overspray would not be your responsibility.  Also, if a claimant shows you where he was parked when the overspray occurred, there could be evidence of your overspray on such items as fences, signs, windows, and other stationary items that never change position and are between his vehicle and where you were painting.  If your overspray is not evidenced on anything between where the claimant’s car was parked and where you were painting, chances are you didn’t  spray the claimant’s vehicle.
  5. It is possible that the claimant received overspray from some other source than your’s; after all, his vehicle has wheels and who knows where his car has been.  Check around the area and look for other structures that have been recently painted.  Samples taken from the structure you painted and from another structure some one else painted and samples taken from the claimant’s vehicle can be sent to a lab for a comparative analysis which can often determine which samples match or don’t match.
  6. Wind direction reports on a specific day are available from the weather department which may help in determining where the overspray came from.
  7. Often a paint can or information from the paint manufacture will provide information as to the distance the paint can travel before it drys.
  8. Overspray Removal Specialists, Inc., having handled an estimated 300,000 vehicles over the last fifty years of business, can assist in all of the above and can offer a cost effective solution to solve your overspray claim.