Planning to paint your house? The top tips for hiring a painting contractor will help you decide on the best person for the job.
The professional expertise and experience of a contractor offer convenience to the homeowners. Besides, the professional finish that an expert can provide with his painting skills cannot stand on par with a DIY paint job.
In fact, after a professional paint job, you do not have to worry about painting your house again for years to come.
If you’re searching for trustworthy, family-owned Orlando painters, Paisley Painting is the local company you’d want to contact
Without any further delay, let’s dig into the top tips for hiring a painting contractor for your residential painting project.
Do Your Homework: Conduct Thorough Online Search
The most common mistake that homeowners make is by hiring the first person that they come across. Mostly, people do not even make the effort to do some market search.
The best way forward is to talk to at least three different contractors and get quotations from them. This will help you hire a contractor who fits your budget.
However, at the same time, you need to clear out the idea that the cheapest option on the table is not necessarily the best option.
In fact, you should be a little skeptical if the costs are too low. You may end up hiring the contractor again after some time. When something is cheap, it does not last, right?
Do not forget to comb through the web pages of your shortlisted contractors. Hop on Google and read through the customer reviews on top business directories. This will also tell you whether your contractor is listed on business directories or not.
Try to Fetch Customer References
There is no more efficient way to gauge the credibility of a painting contractor than by getting customer references. A credible painter will never hesitate to share the details of their previous completed projects.
They would place their portfolio right in front of you and would ask you to take a look for a better understanding of their work.
You can get customer references in multiple ways. Firstly, you can check the contractor’s website to read online reviews. Or, you can simply reach out to past customers and get to know their experience directly.
An ideal approach is to talk to at least three to four references whose job your contractor did in the past year. This will you a fair idea of how good your selected individual or company is.
Even if the contractor has a few bad reviews, do not judge them instantly, see how they respond to negative feedback and whether they take responsibility for their shortcomings or not.
Pro-Tip
While reading the reviews and testimonials online, get a gist of whether these are written by a real customer or are fake reviews. Focus on the authenticity of the details and timelines. Does it look real or made up?
Check the License and Insurance of the Contractor: Verify it!
Licensed contractors are legit contractors. Not all state laws are the same. For instance, the laws in Arlington MA for residential painting services may be different from the laws in Killeen TX. So, you can stay rest assured that a licensed contractor will abide by the state’s laws and regulations.
Insurance, on the other hand, makes sure that homeowners do not have to pay for worker’s compensation in case of a mishap. You can have peace knowing that your home, family members, and the worker working at your place, all are safe.
Do not forget to check your contractor’s proof of insurance and license certificate before you hire them. Trust us, you will be doing yourself a huge favor.
Get a Guarantee from your Contractor
An average painting contractor will never offer a warranty on their work. Only credible contractors will provide you with a valid warranty. Good contractors not only cater to their short-term reputation but think long-term as well.
There is a huge difference between a written warranty statement and a verbal one. There will be painters who may give you their word of mouth while signing the deal, but you must get it in writing instead.
Usually, the warranty lasts for two to three years and is only applicable to exterior paint jobs. When you get the warranty, make sure you go through the list of items that the warranty will cover. Make sure the company will have your back if the job was poorly done.
Get to know the details of the entire painting project
Every painting contractor has their own style and rules of working. A paint job is not something that is done in a day or so. Hence, when you sign the deal, make sure your contractor goes through in detail all the steps involved in the project with you. You must particularly focus on the timeline!
With that, we conclude our list of the top tips for hiring a painting contractor.