What Should I Look For When Choosing A Painter?

Are you in need of a painter for a painting project, but you have problems picking the right painter for the job? If yes is your answer to this, then you are on the right page. Here will provide you with all the steps involved in making sure the painting contractor you have selected is a professional one like Surepaint.

Plan Your Budget

Your budget is one of the most important factors to consider when deciding on which painting contractors to hire. The budget is what will determine the kind and quality of materials which will be used, the amount of prep work needed as well as the scale of the project. It will also determine the quality of contractors you will be hiring for the project.

Generally, it is important to find contractors who charge reasonable fees. You shouldn’t hire a contractor with an extremely low fee or one that charges a high fee. Going for a contractor that charges a low price may lead to a poorly done paint job. At the same time, an overly expensive one may leave a huge dent in your account balance.

Ideally, you should hire a company that makes use of quality paints and is well experienced. It would help if you also made inquiries about their painting techniques. Avoid companies that use lightning-fast painting techniques, as they generally don’t always do a good job.

To have an idea about the right amount to budget for your painting work, you could ask people who have recently painted their space for the current prices of painting materials. You could also consult with 3-5 painting companies. They should be able to provide you with a quote. This way, you will have an idea of how much you will need to complete your painting project.

Look For Options

When searching for painting contractors, there is really no shortage of available resources online, especially if you live in a big city. Google, Yelp, and Yellow Pages are just a few of the online resources you can use to find painting contractors close to you.  To aid you with your choice, it is best to list the strengths and weaknesses of the companies you’d like to work with. This could be their proximity to you, their pricing, response rate and time, ratings and reviews, or their online presence.

Importantly, you shouldn’t make the common mistake of selecting the first company that appears on your Google search. You must do comprehensive due diligence on all companies on your list. Referrals are another great way to find good contractors. Has one of your neighbours or friends hired a painter recently? If yes, you may go ahead to ask them for the painters’ information and their overall experience working with the painter.

You can also read the reviews and comments left by past clients for more insight into how a painting contractor operates. The more positive reviews a contractor has, the better.

Ask The Right Questions

Once you have a list of painting contractors you’d like to hire, the next step is to interview them. This interview doesn’t necessarily have to be in person. You can do it over the phone or by sending them an email. Here are some questions you may want to ask a painting contractor before you hire them:

• How long have you been in operation?
• Can you provide me with the information of at least three recent clients for reference purposes?
• Do you have insurance? If yes, does it cover general liability or worker’s comp?
• What kind of paint is perfect for this type of project? Can you recommend affordable options?
• Will you be buying the paint, or will you be the one to provide it?

Get Estimates

The next step after interviewing the potential contractors is to ask them for an estimate. You should try your best to have at least three estimates. Once you have these estimates, you can then go ahead to compare them carefully. You should examine every aspect of the estimate given and be sure to ask questions whenever you are confused about anything. Ensure everything stated in the estimate is crystal clear and well broken down.

A typical estimate should include the labour cost, materials needed and their cost, time of completion. You should also make sure to ask about indirect costs. These are costs that are indirectly tied to your painting job. Examples include; utilities, travel or lodging expenses, overhead costs, etc.

Sign A Contract

Making sure every agreement between you and the painter hired is written down protects you legally in the long run. In case your painter fails to provide an expected service during the course of the projects, instead of having to go back and forth over what was agreed on during the hiring process, you only need to bring out the contract signed.