So, you’ve decided that some part of your home needs a fresh coat of paint, or maybe you’d like to change up the paint colors. No matter whether it is an interior or exterior paint job, working with an experienced and qualified professional painter will ensure that you’ll get a high-quality paint job. However, there are so many professional painters around, and if you haven’t done a project like this before, you may be concerned about hiring the right painter or making sure that you don’t overpay. To help you decide what you should focus on when hiring a professional painter, we’ve created our own hiring a painter checklist down below.
Hiring a Painter
Here’s our checklist for hiring a painter.
Considering all the options that we’ve listed below will help you know what to expect. It will also help you ask the right questions when choosing to hire a professional painter – either for your commercial or residential needs.
Read Online Reviews and Asking Friends
The first step in our hiring a painter checklist is compiling a relatively small shortlist of painters that you’d consider working with. A general rule of thumb is to have about 3-4 painters or painting companies you’d be willing to work with.
There are a variety of ways to conduct research to figure out which professional painters are best for you and your project.
One great way is to ask any friends or neighbors that have had a paint job done recently for who they worked with and if they recommend that company. Getting a positive recommendation from somebody you trust can be a very helpful way to help you to decide which painter to hire.
Another way is to utilize search engines such as Google, Better Business Bureau, Facebook, or Angie’s List. It’s important to read customer reviews, as these are a lot more honest than a company’s description of their services. A good thing to keep track of when reading customer reviews is if there are any recurring things, either positive or negative. If many customers say that this painter is unprofessional, lazy, and did a poor quality job, that’s probably pretty accurate. On the other hand, if there are a bunch of five-star reviews describing the painter’s professionalism, quality, and communication, you can feel confident they’d be a pretty good option.
Obtain Estimates & Meet the Pros
Now that you’ve narrowed down your options to a couple of professionals, it’s time to reach out to them to schedule estimates. Most painting contractors will want to meet in person so they can see the project and use that to give you a proper estimate. Additionally, meeting your potential painters will help you get a good feel for who they are and how they communicate. Both of these factors are things that you should also consider when deciding who to hire.
A quality estimate should contain the following things:
- Labor
- Materials
- Explanation of prep work
- Total number of coats to apply
- Time frame of the project
- Brand and model of paint to be used (if you’re not going to buy your own paint)
A good estimator will take the time to learn your needs, will want to walk the entire area and get a full understanding of the project, and will also make thoughtful suggestions.
Communicate Your Expectations
The third part of our hiring a painter checklist may be the most important. We know it’s cliche, but the saying “communication is key” is completely accurate. It’s very important to be upfront and honest with your potential painters about your expectations. This is especially true for issues or expectations such as if you’ve got a tight deadline, want to use a certain type of paint or go for a specific look, or have specific physical issues like uneven surfaces or sensitive materials.
Since you’re the one who’s paying for their services, there genuinely isn’t a question too stupid or detail too small. A good painter should take the time to listen to your desires, thoughtfully answer any questions you may have, and do so in a way that doesn’t belittle or embarrass you.
Don’t Hire on Price Alone
Obviously, the price will ultimately be a factor in your decision on which painter to hire. However, it shouldn’t be the only thing you consider when making your final decision. On one hand, going with the cheapest company might be a poor decision if they’re going to do less coats than you were hoping for, use worse paint quality, or if the cheapest company isn’t properly licensed and insured. On the flip side, going with the most expensive company doesn’t always mean that you’ll be getting the best product- in fact, sometimes the cheapest option might be the highest quality!
Ultimately, your decision on who to hire should be based on a few different things. Online reviews, friend/family recommendations, quality of work, communication, and the thoroughness of the company should all play into your final decision. Additionally, it’s ok to consider your emotions and who you enjoyed getting to meet and communicate with.
Failing to consider the above options and choosing to hire based on price alone is a risky strategy. You should want to consider multiple aspects to ensure you’re going with the professional painter you trust to meet your desires for your project.
Obtain a Complete & Accurate Contract
Congratulations, you’ve made your decision on which painter you’re going to use!
You did your research, got estimates, communicated your expectations, and weighed a variety of factors to make your final decision.
Now, there’s just one more step: obtaining a complete and accurate contract.
Before work starts, you will want to get a complete contract from your chosen professional painter.
We’ve highlighted the most important things to make sure are in a contract below:
- Contractor’s basic information, including name, address, email, phone numbers, and license information
- All of the information included in the estimate
- Copy of painter’s insurance
- Working with an insured painter is extremely important. Otherwise, if a painter falls and injures themself while painting your home, you could be liable for their injuries.
- The contract should always provide a guarantee and warranty on their work
And that’s it – that’s our official hiring a painter checklist!
Looking for a quality, licensed, insured painting company in the Denver area?
Here at Colorado Painting, we’d be honored to earn your business and work with you on either your residential or commercial painting project.
We’ve been Denver’s best painting contractors for almost 40 years. We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality work, being locally owned and operated, having a great reputation, and having a high level of experience.
We also include an automatic service guarantee for every project we do.
Please feel free to reach out to get a free estimate today!
