My First renovation

[Katie Fugnetti]

I'm working with a contractor for the first time on a cosmetic renovation from out of state. This is also my first rental, so there are many unknowns at this point. We are almost done and I flew out last weekend to take a look and hoped to sign off on the project and send the final payment. The paint in the kitchen had grease stains and many water marks and looked horrible. I've never seen so many grease stains on walls and so wasn't sure what to think. My contractor is saying it's not something they can remove even after they re-painted over the top. My mom was with me and asked why they did not use semi-gloss paint in the bathroom, kitchen and on the trim. He said it shows all the imperfections. I'm not sure what's worse though...grease stains or wall imperfections! I asked him to re-paint with a semi-gloss paint and he is now wanting to charge me more for this. But, he never asked me what paint or color to use before doing the original work. Is this fair and also, have you ever experienced this grease issue?