How to Find Legitimate House Painters Who’ll Do an Incredible Job
According to a Consumer Reports National Research Center survey of over 300 real estate professionals, selectively painting key rooms like the kitchen and bathroom can fetch 1-3% more on your home sale, while enhancing the exterior (including paint touch-ups) can add 2-5%
Aside from adding value, a new paint job freshens the outside and inside of the home, and makes the space feel clean, inviting, and like new. Fresh paint also fares better in listing photos and will hide any old imperfections
I Need Amazing House Painters. Where Do I Start?
The devil’s in the details, and bad painters could leave old, poisonous paint everywhere for your puppy or children to come across. They could do a sloppy job, get paint on your personal belongings, show up late or ghost the job altogether. The key is to find vetted house painters who are popular among people and professionals you trust
Hunt Down a Good House Painter Referral
First, try and get a referral from someone you know and trust. Bug friends and family for the names of painters they’ve used and loved. This is your best bet to get a great painter, as you can go and inspect the work in person and chat with your friend or family member about the quality of the job and level of service.
Harness the Power of the Internet
If you absolutely can’t find a good recommendation from anyone you know, the following are excellent resources for finding trusted professionals
HOW TO FIND A GOOD PAINTER
Painting your house on your own is a ton of work and can take up quite a bit of your time. It also requires expertise, as you’ll need to master at least basic painting skills in order to ensure you end up with a smooth finish. If you’re painting the exterior of your home or even just a single room, it’s worth hiring professional painters
WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR IN A GOOD PAINTER?
When you hire professional painters, you’ll ensure you get a flawless paint job in your home. But once you’ve decided to hire professional painters, how do you make sure you find a good painter? We’ve put together a list of things you should look for when choosing professional painters
LOOK FOR GOOD REFERENCES
When it comes to hiring a painting company, the best source of information is your friends and family! Ask them for recommendations—if they have had a great experience with someone, they’ll be happy to share it with you, and they’ll definitely feel the same way if they’ve had a bad experience with someone.
MEET YOUR PAINTERS IN PERSON
Most painting companies do on-site estimates and you should probably avoid any company that will give you an estimate without seeing your home first. This gives you the chance to meet them in person and get a feel for how they work
ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS
When you meet the estimator in person, it’s your chance to dig a little deeper and learn more about them and the company in general. Ask as many questions as possible in order to get the information you need to make your decision.
Tip of the day: How to hire a painter
Meet the pros. Call in at least three different contractors for your job. (Friends and family are good reference sources.) And be home for the initial meeting with them. That way, you’ll know how much time each contractor took to assess the condition of your home. The longer he takes, the more realistic the estimate you’ll get. Even an experienced painter will need more than a quick walk around your house
State your expectations. The number of coats a painter applies isn’t the only factor in determining the quality—and price—of the project. Preparation is also key. If you want a surface that’s free of unevenness from past paint jobs, tell the contractors—and be prepared to pay extra. But if you can live with some imperfections, agree on what level of prep is acceptable and what isn’t
Get estimates. Seek a written estimate from each contractor. It should include a breakdown of labor, material costs, the number of coats of primer and paint, the brand and model of materials, and a detailed description of the amount of surface preparation that will be done
Check references and past work. Get a list of references from each contractor and call them to find about their experience with the pro. A history of positive references is a good sign. Also examine jobs the painters did several years ago to see how their work is holding up. Use recent projects to check the skill of their current crews.
Consider credentials. Before you hire someone, consider his credentials. Membership in a trade or local business group, for example, isn’t a guarantee of quality work, but it shows a level of commitment and reliability on his part. Also verify whether the pro has the appropriate license(s). (You’ll find the licensing information in your state at the Contractor’s License Reference Site. Also check with the Better Business Bureau, the attorney general’s office in your state, or a local consumer-affairs agency to learn whether the contractor has a history of unresolved complaints.
You’ve Decided to Hire a Painting Contractor. Now What?
Certain home improvement projects require a professional. Not many homeowners are ready to install their HVAC, pour a foundation, or build an addition. Other projects though, like painting, just seem to be begging for the do-it-yourselfer. After all, who isn’t capable of dabbing a brush into paint?
What Is a Painting Contractor?
A painting contractor can work as a sub, or sub-contractor, under a general contractor, or can hire itself out directly to the homeowner. Usually, the painting contractor is a relatively small operation, ranging from the one-man sole proprietor up to 20 or 30 painters working for a small company
How to Find One
Painting contractors tend to be local (as of yet, there are no nationally franchised paint contractors). While paint contractors concentrate on painting, some perform associated tasks such as plaster repairs, minor drywall work, trim and molding, and wallpapering.
What Would a Painting Contractor Do?
Most painting contractors will take on any kind of job, from merely painting your window trim to a full-house paint job
How to Talk to Him
Unlike conversing with an electrician, you do not need to know specialized lingo. Most house painting contractors are good at making things clear to the homeowner.
Tips to Making The Best Choice!
Choosing a painter can be a real challenge. The right painter can make your home look spectacular, a bad painter can be a complete disaster. Before hiring any painter, I always suggest looking for a referral that you trust. Take the time to speak with friends, family, even your local paint store. While online reviews can be helpful, they can also be misleading, or even fake. Here are 5 important tips you definitely should know about before choosing any painter!
How to they prepare the house before painting begins?
Painters will have different ways of preparing the exterior of a home that they will be painting. Will they be sanding down the house? Do you need paint or can you use a stain? Most importantly, how to you protect those who live there, so that no one will be breathing in the dust from the paint that has been removed? In an older home there might be lead in that dust, I certainly don’t want anyone to be breathing that in. Ask your painters what they do to capture the airborne particles. Painting is primarily about changing the color of your home, but your safety is just as important!
Do they tidy up as they go?
When you are painting the interior, professional painters should be mindful of the fact they are in someone’s home. This applies even if you’ve temporarily vacated it for redecoration. As such, they ought to keep mess to a minimum before, during, and after the paint job. I have found the cleaner they are, the more they care about your home and the better the job is once it’s done!
Do they bill for work they have not done?
You may not have the time to supervise the painters’ comings and goings. This means you need to trust them to get to work and stay for the contracted hours. It is so important to see them at work, and to have a detailed list of the work to be done
Are the paint cans labeled?
Always look to see if the paint cans are labeled. If the paint pots used are not labeled the painters might be using a different paint brand than what you contracted for. That could mean that the painters are using a cheaper line of paint. That’s fine if that is what you told them to do. But if you paid for premium paint or a specific brand, you’ll want to see it come out of the name brand paint can and onto your walls.