Selecting a quality painting contractor is as important decision as choosing paint, and normally more crucial. The highest-quality acrylic or oil cannot make up for sloppy corners, poor surface preparation, drips and over-charging. There are so many painting firms with integrity of workmanship and enterprise practices. This is the right way to find one: ask, study, and verify. Do one, each or all three on the following criteria:
Ask your contractor to show you his license, or to provide his business and contractor license numbers. You possibly can confirm this information on many government websites, or with a call to a licensing bureau. A licensed contractor has met standards of business apply and knowledge. An unlicensed painter can lead to insurance issues, which we will look at in a moment. A man with a truck going door-to-door can quote a lowball price, but you will get costly trouble.
Ask for references. You want names, addresses and phone numbers and also you need to call them. Everybody loves to brag about finding "the very best this" or "probably the most amazing that". Boasting about discovering somebody to do a great paint job is no different. In addition, they already know how troublesome it is to find a solid painter and most are comfortable to let you in on the result of their research.
There may be one different reference that comes highly recommended: the Higher Enterprise Bureau. If they have obtained quite a lot of complaints a few particular contractor, they offer that enterprise a lower rating. "A+" is finest, and there is no "F". "C" does NOT imply this is an average painter. It means there have been a good number of complaints.
Study the quality of work. You might not wish to call up references and ask if you can come over, though many people do. But at very least you can drive by and have a look. If it's interior painting, clearly somebody will have to open their house to you. You want to confirm that the surfaces had been well prepared: no obvious repairs, no uncared for issues, and no sloppy edges and such. Does the paint cover evenly? Is there evidence he used masking to keep colours apart? In addition, there are questions you possibly can ask references for verification. Did the painters arrive on time? Did they move furniture, cover floors or outside plantings, keep a clean job site, and clean up well earlier than leaving? Were they nice? I think an unfriendly individual is commonly unhappy in their work, and bad attitude leads to bad workmanship.
Ask about worth, and ask what factors went in to setting that particular price. You want separate figures for labor, for paint and different supplies, and you need to know in case you are charged for cleanup, furniture moving and travel time. To verify if the value is in a normal range, ask references what they paid, and ask across the neighborhood to see what it value them.
You want all the pricing spelled out in a written contract. You need everything in writing, from start and end dates to daily arrival times. You need the estimated quantity of paint listed. If there may be primer, that ought to be priced out separately, together with labor time for priming (it is normally faster). Have the painting contractor estimate what number of coats it will take, and spell out what you comply with if it is set you need one other coat.
Does he supply a workmanship warranty? How will it work? Will he repaint fully, touch up, and pay for replacement paint? You need the warranty in the contract, too.
Insurance: a professional painting contractor ought to carry both liability insurance and workmen's comp. The first protects you if somebody is damage on the job site. If there is no coverage, you could be sued or your homeowner's insurance might have to cover costs. Workmen's Comp insurance also protects you, as well as the crew. If they're damage, you don't have any liability for his or her misplaced wages.