A workmanship warranty covers our side of the job: proper surface preparation, correct product selection for the substrate, and application done to manufacturer specification. If a coating peels, blisters or fails because we skipped a prep step or used the wrong primer, that is on us to fix at no cost.
It does not cover substrate movement. If a wall cracks because the house settles, or siding warps from moisture intrusion unrelated to the paint job, the coating failing there is a symptom of the substrate problem, not a paint problem, and is excluded.
It also does not cover declined prep. If we recommend replacing rotten trim or scraping a failing older coating down to bare wood and the owner asks us to paint over it instead to save cost, we note that in writing and the resulting early failure in that specific area falls outside the warranty. This is the most common source of disputes, which is exactly why we document the recommendation up front.
Sun-facing elevations and normal fading are the last exclusion worth naming. Color fade from UV exposure is expected over five years on a south or west wall and is not a defect; the warranty covers the coating failing to adhere or protect, not the color staying exactly as vivid as the day we finished.
