Do you need to have your house painted but are too busy yourself?
You can’t even fathom spending the time to get the paint, prep the room with tape and materials, prime the walls, accent one of the walls, and then clean it all up. It could take hours and even days.
If that doesn’t seem doable for you, you should be thinking about having a professional painter come out and do it for you. Before you do, though, there are important questions to ask a residential painter before inviting them in to do this huge job.
We’ve compiled a list of the top 11 questions to ask before hiring a painter!
1. How Long Has the Company Been in Business?
One of the first questions you should ask the company you are looking to hire is how long they’ve been running their business. This is to ensure that they have experience painting, they are reputable, and are not scamming you with their services.
2. Do You Offer a Warranty?
Life is unpredictable. You never know when something can happen, especially in your home. When it comes to hiring a painter, you’ll want to ask what they have in regards to warranties.
Most warranties will cover the workmanship and the quality of the contractor’s paint. If it chips or peels in the first few years, you’ll most likely be covered. However, you need to ask to make sure this is the case!
3. Do You Have Customer Testimonials?
When looking for painting services, one of the best things you can do for yourself is ask the company if they have customer reviews or testimonials. If other people are saying they did a great job, they you can rest assured that they are a good company to go with! If there are bad reviews, you may want to keep looking elsewhere.
4. Do You Have a Picture Portfolio of Your Last Job?
Pictures can speak a million words. As much as a company may tell you about their expertise and experience, nothing will tell you how experienced they are until you see the work they can do.
Asking for pictures of previous painting jobs will reassure you that you are making the right decision to hire them.
5. Do You Subcontract?
You may not even know what this means when it comes to painting services. Basically, if a company subcontracts, they’re hiring another company or individual to do the work because they are too busy or can’t do the job.
This means that you did not approve of who is doing the work. Be sure the company you are hiring doesn’t subcontract!
6. How Will You Communicate?
There is nothing worse than working with a company that has poor communication skills. If you want to change a paint color or ask how many hours they’ll be on the job for the day, you’ll want to be able to get ahold of them.
You also want them to communicate openly with you as well when it comes to the progress of the painting job. Check with them to see if they will communicate via phone, text, or email, and tell them your preference.
7. What Brands of Paint Do You Use?
When looking to paint your home, you may have a specific type of paint in mind or a specific brand you’ve used in the past and love.
You also want to ensure that they are using a high-quality paint brand and not a low-quality one. The lower the quality of paint, the duller it will be over time.
8. What Painting Prep Will You Do?
Before you have a crew of painters coming in your home, you should ask what they will do to prep. You’ll want your furniture covered, the floor covered, and the walls taped for even lines.
Although the company should do this for you, you’ll want to have it done before they get there if it is not included in the painting services. If you want the company to do this for you, it’s even more important to check with them before hiring them!
9. What Do You Do in Bad Weather?
If you’re hiring a painter for the outside of your home, you want to ensure that they do not work in bad weather. Whether it’s super windy, rainy, hot, or humid, different environmental factors can affect the quality of the paint job. Make sure they will only paint in optimal conditions.
10. Do You Have Worker’s Compensation for Each Worker?
Many things can go wrong when painting a home, especially when ladders are involved. You want to make sure the company has insurance coverage, or else you’ll be on the hook if someone gets hurt on your property.
To be extra sure they have the right coverage and worker’s compensation, ask for copies of the documents before hiring the company.
11. How Much Will the Job Cost?
It’s always a good idea to ask around and compare prices before hiring a company. If all the above questions are answered similarly, you probably want to save some money and go with the cheaper option!
Knowing how much each company charges will help you make your final decision.
It’s Time to Hire a Residential Painter
Painting can be much more complicated than it looks, and you’ll want the job done well.
Save yourself the time and stress of painting your home, and hire a residential painter for the job. Remember to ask the company these 11 questions to make sure you’re making the best decision!