Common Questions to Ask Whenever Choosing a Residential House Painting Contractor

Painting the interior or outside of your property is probably the most cost-effective renovation that anyone can undertake. The initial question you need to ask is, have you got the knowledge and skillsets to undertake the task by yourself and have it still look professional?

Once you begin painting your house on your own you must be committed to finishing in a reasonable period of time, you can not drag it on for several weeks. So contemplate can I commit to a few weekends of hard work, climbing down and up scaffold boards and staying out in the incredibly hot sun? Assuming you have went into a rental unit and observed the countless inferior paint jobs done by owners or unskilled workers, you completely understand.

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

Seek Out Referrals

The most effective way is to seek out testimonials and referrals. Talk to relatives, associates or neighborhood friends and find out if they've had recent experience with a painting contractor. Find out if they were reputable, neat, clean and on time. I believe personal experience is the best recommendation.

If you're unable to find personal referrals, the other choice is to browse the Telephone Book, internet. Or seek the advice of the paint retailers locally. The paint stores deal with general contractors every single day and might be able to suggest a respectable one. An advantage of employing a contractor that has a excellent 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 steer clear of the big box retailers as they generally endorse contractors that pay 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 handyman will only have five numbers on their license and a painting contractor has six numbers. The lower the number on the license the longer they have been operating. A State licensed contractor has to carry a $12,500 bond to protect their clients.

Should you employ a State licensed contractor for residential house painting, you should also check to make sure that their license is active. You should check with the contractors license board online. All you need to do is enter in the license number and it'll clearly show the standing and the name of the workers comp carrier. I looked at a job not too long ago and was underbid by a contractor that does not have workers comp. He says he will do the work himself, nevertheless his web-site shows he has employees. If his employee hurts himself on the job, you, the property owner, will be liable for his hospital expense and treatment. Most homeowners don't know this.

Years of Experience

Be wary of boasts of "years of experience". Check up on years of experience as a contractor, as opposed to as a painter, or "in the industry". When you are on the state license board website under the license number, it tells you when the company was began. In my experience, painting at 10 years old is not going to count as years of experience. It is relatively simple to start a painting business, however much more difficult to stay in business.

Price

Please do not hire on price alone. If an estimation is very low, there's typically a reason for it. There are numerous ways to cut price; cut corners on the prep work, number of coats of paint, and quality of paint used; go without insurance, don't pay workers compensation (illegal if you have employees), use undocumented workers.

Oftentimes what seems like the most affordable bid winds up costing far more in both time and money - in addition to frustration. The issue with a bad paint job is it usually lasts the life your house until you remove the paint or change the area which has been improperly painted.

Are You Comfortable With Them?

Any contractor worthy of employing ought to be in a position to consult with the owner. Don't be afraid to ask for help with paint colors. I've discovered spending some time determining exactly what my customers are looking for works out for both of us over the long haul. Nothing is more complicated 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 as the daylight changes.

Hire a company you are satisfied with. The contractor and his employees will be performing around and inside your household. A lot of my clientele feel comfortable enough with my workers to leave us in their home while they go to work. Some even prefer to have us work when they are on holiday.