Global Courant
Choosing a quality painting company is as important a decision as choosing paint, and usually more important. The highest quality acrylic or oil cannot make up for sloppy corners, poor surface preparation, drips, and overloading. There are so many painting companies with integrity of workmanship and business practices. Here’s how to find one: ask, research, and verify. Perform one, both, or all three based on the following criteria:
Ask your contractor to show you his license, or to provide his business and contractor license numbers. You can verify this information on many government websites or by calling a licensing agency. A licensed contractor has met the standards of business practice and knowledge. An unlicensed painter can lead to insurance issues, which we’ll explore in a moment. A man with a door-to-door truck may quote a low price, but you will get expensive problems.
Ask for references. You want names, addresses and phone numbers and you want to call them. Everyone likes to brag about finding “the best this” or “the most amazing that”. Bragging about finding someone to do a great paint job is no different. In addition, they already know how difficult it is to find a decent painter and most of them are happy to introduce you to the result of their research.
There is another reference that comes highly recommended: the Better Business Bureau. If they have received a lot of complaints about a particular contractor, they will give that company a lower rating. “A+” is best, and there is no “F”. “C” does NOT mean this is an average painter. That means that quite a few complaints have been received.
Examine the quality of the work. You may not want to get references and ask if you can come over, although many people do. But at least you can drive past it and have a look. If it’s interior painting, someone will of course have to open their house for you. You want to check that the surfaces are properly prepared: no obvious repairs, no neglected issues, and no sloppy edges and the like. Does the paint cover evenly? Is there evidence that he used masks to tell the colors apart? In addition, there are questions you can ask references for verification. Did the painters arrive on time? Have they moved furniture, covered floors or outdoor landscaping, cleared the work area and cleaned up well before departure? Were they pleasant? I think an unfriendly person is often unhappy in his job, and a bad attitude leads to bad workmanship.
Ask about the price and ask what factors went into setting that particular price. You want separate figures for labor, for paint and other materials and you want to know whether you charge costs for cleaning up, moving furniture and travel time. To check if the price is in a normal range, ask references what they paid and ask around what it cost them.
You want all prices to be set out in a written contract. You want everything in writing, from start and end dates to daily arrival times. You want the approximate amount of paint listed. If there is primer, that must be priced separately, including labor time for priming (it is usually faster). Let the painting contractor estimate how many coats are needed and indicate what you agree to if it is determined that you need another coat.
Does it offer a factory warranty? How will it work? Will he completely repaint, touch up and pay for replacement paint? You also want the guarantee in the contract.
Insurance: A professional painting contractor must have both liability insurance and workman’s insurance. The first protects you if someone is injured on the job site. If there’s no coverage, you could be sued or your homeowner’s insurance policy must cover the cost. Workmen’s Comp insurance also protects you and the crew. If they get hurt, you are not liable for their lost wages.
Too much work for you? Ask yourself: Can I live 7 years with a bad painting job? Most last that long.
How to choose a professional painting contractor
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