On the cover of this issue is Heath Peterson. Heath and his wife Ashley are the subjects of this month’s Lifestyles feature. They’ve shared an epic journey from painting contractors to paint retailers. Theirs is a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever taken the leap to chase a dream.

There was just one problem: pants.

You may have noticed that Heath is wearing jeans on the cover. Traditionally that wasn’t attire embraced by painters on the job. (I should note that Heath was painting his then-girlfriend’s new house, not a customer’s.)

“Many painters feel strongly that painter’s pants are core to professionalism,” a friend advised.

Was this still true? I turned to Facebook for answers.

“Would you let an employee wear jeans, or are painter’s whites mandatory?” I asked.

The responses showed that this indeed was once a contentious issue.

“I personally wear whites and used to require everyone on the job to as well,” said Carina Mac. “Over the last decade or so, I’ve met and worked with many excellent painters who don’t wear them so I’ve changed my thinking.”

“I used to be a stickler on this and made everyone wear whites,” said Steve Lockwood. “I have recently changed my mind on that.”

Others were much stricter in their dress code.

“Only whites with very little paint on them,” said Tim Kenney. “We have standards and our image is very important. … Plus we pay for all their pants.”

From this nonscientific poll, it does appear the industry trend is shifting away from a strict adherence to the painter’s traditional uniform.

“Jeans, khakis, whites, whatever the employee prefers,” said Rob Lenzen.

“I allow them to wear whatever they like,” said Chris Bott. “If necessary, I will provide overalls on certain jobs.”

“Painter’s whites are not mandatory,” said Kimberly Gilleland. “Clothes should fit, no rips, and no offensive content. Shorts are allowed when it is hot. You can wear yoga or stretchy pants, jeans, or khakis.”

Khakis seemed to be a popular choice to replace the white pants of yore.

“Whites or khakis,” said Roger D. Carroll. “60/40 in our company, 60% wear whites.”

There is no wrong answer, of course. This is about individual preference and what kind of brand you want to create for your employees and customers.

Nevertheless, it was fascinating to hear the different viewpoints. This month APC launched a new group on Facebook for contract painters. Search for “APC l Painting Contractors” to join the discussion.

Who knows? You could be quoted in a future edition of this column.