How To Choose A Paint Contractor

Choosing the right paint contractor for your painting project is crucial for a few reasons. First, you want to ensure that you get the work done in a timely manner. How then do you choose a good contractor? Below are some tips on how to go about choosing the right one:

Ask around

This may seem like common sense, but it’s important to get as much information as possible on a potential contractor. Visit sites like Angie’s List or Home Advisor to see if there are any reviews or customer feedback on your prospective painter. If there is customer feedback available, check it out and read through comments left by other customers. You can also ask friends and family if they have any experience with local contractors who they can recommend.

Check their license and insurance coverage

Ensure that the contractor has all of their required licenses and permits from whatever government entity is responsible for issuing them in your area (i.e., city hall, county courthouse, or state bureaucracy). Then, make sure that they carry sufficient insurance for their line of work (even if it’s only in case of accidental damage).

Check out their license and certification

The state of Texas doesn’t require its contractors to be licensed, but some cities do have their own certification requirements. It takes time and money to get this certification so most reputable contractors will have it.

Check for insurance coverage

A contractor that’s fully insured means that he or she has professional liability coverage in case anything does go wrong while they’re working on your house. This is very important and should not be taken lightly as liability cases have been known to make millionaires out of plaintiffs.

Have A Look Around

Visit a few homes that were painted by the contractor they recommend. Look at their work carefully and consider if this is someone you’d trust with your home? Would you invite them in for coffee? Would you let them park their car in your driveway? You get the idea…

Workmanship

You should expect only high-quality workmanship from your paint contractor; otherwise, there will likely be problems down the line. Even if they do great work initially, shoddy workmanship is something that will come back to haunt you down the road when things start to fall.

Experience

It’s important to hire someone who knows what they’re doing. Check references and find out how long they have been in business. Ask them how many similar projects they have done and if there were any problems. If they are not a member of a professional organization like the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA), then be suspicious.

Talk To The Contractor

Don’t just hire anyone! If you have found someone that seems like they would be a good fit for your project, call them up for an initial consultation or meeting so that you can get a feel for them as a person before you hire them.