Residential House Painting - What Questions to Ask When Hiring A Painting Contractor

Painting the inside or exterior of your home is probably the most cost-effective home improvements that you can take on. Prior to when you paint you need to determine if this is actually a do-it-yourself project or do you want to engage a professional painter to do it for you.

Once you commence painting your property on your own it's essential to be focused on finishing in a reasonable period of time, you can't drag it on for weeks. So ask yourself can I dedicate to several week-ends of hard work, climbing down and up ladders and staying out in the hot sun? The reason why you want it to appear professionally painted is, maybe you have walked in to a rental house and assumed a fifth grader painted it? You don't want other people believing the same thing.

Okay so you decided you are having a painting contractor paint your residence, ok now what?

Search Out Testimonials and Referrals

The most effective way is to seek out recommendations. Talk to family, buddies or neighborhood friends to see if they've had recent knowledge of a painting professional. Find out if these people were reliable, neat, clean and on time. I believe personal experience is the ideal recommendation.

If you can't obtain personal references, your next choice is to search the Telephone Book, internet. Or check with the paint merchants in your area. Local paint stores are also helpful when it comes to referrals. An advantage of hiring a paint contractor that has a very good long-term relationship with a paint store is that if there's a issue with a product or color, the store will back the contractor for labor and material not just a few gallons of paint. I would stay away from the big box retailers as they traditionally recommend contractors who pay them 20+% of the total bill to be a recommended contractor.

Are They Licensed?

Don't be tempted to hire a neighbor or handyman to paint your home. If a handyman or neighbor accidentally destroys your home you are out of luck as they have no insurance. One hint is a handy-man will only have five numbers on the license and a painting contractor will have six numbers. The lower the number on the license the longer they have been operating a business. A State licensed contractor has to carry a $12,500 bond to protect their clients.

If you use a State licensed contractor for residential house painting, you should also check to make sure that their license is active. You should check using the contractors license board online. All you have to do is enter in the license number and it'll clearly show the standing and the name of the workers compensation carrier. I looked at a job recently and was underbid by a contractor that does not have workers comp. He says he will carry out the work on his own, however his web-site shows he has employees. If his worker hurts himself on the job, you, the homeowner, will be liable for his medical bills and treatment. Most homeowners don't know this.

Years of Experience

Be wary of boasts of "years of experience". Check on years of experience as a contractor, as opposed to as a painter, or "in the industry". If you are at the state license board website beneath license number, it informs you when the business was began. In my experience, painting at 10 years old doesn't count as years of experience. It is actually relatively simple to start a painting company, however a lot more difficult to stay in business.

Price

Please do not choose a contractor on price alone. If an appraisal is very cheap, there is typically a reason behind it. There are numerous ways to cut price; scrimp on the prep work, number of coats of paint, and quality of paint used; forgo insurance, never pay workers comp (illegal if you have employees), use undocumented laborers.

Quite often what seems like the lowest priced bid ends up costing far more in both time and money - not to mention aggravation. The issue with a lousy paint job is it lasts the life your house until you strip the paint or replace the area that's been improperly painted.

Are You Comfortable With Them?

Any contractor worthy of employing ought to be pleased to talk with the property owner. Don't be frightened to ask for help with paint colors. I've discovered spending a little time figuring out exactly what my customers are looking for works out for both of us over the long haul. There's nothing more difficult than looking through a color deck and picturing what it will look like on the wall. Your licensed contractor ought to be prepared to do a paint out for you on a 8x11 card that you can move around the room from shade to sun. You will be astonished how it transforms when the daylight changes.

Find someone you are comfortable with. The contractor and his workforce will be working around and within your home. A lot of my customers feel at ease enough with my workers to leave us in their home as they go to work. Some even plan to have us work when they are away.