10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Painter for Your Home

In order to maintain the beauty and looks of a house it needs to be painted internally as well as externally from time to time. Some people who know how to paint a house can use DIY tricks for this purpose whereas others who neither have knowledge nor time to paint their home usually hire a painter for this purpose. But it is not easy to choose a good painter in any city in this world as every city has a number of painters offering professional painting services.

With the intention of finding the best painter in your area, for painting their home, the homeowners will have to consider certain things. Some tips are provided here under to help you in this respect.

1. Find the professional painters: You can search online and offline to find the appropriate painters for your job. Your friends and family members can also be a good source to get references of some good painters, if they have hired one in recent past. After short listing some of them you can call 3-4 top painting contractors to discuss your painting project at your home in the initial meeting. It will help you to know the time taken by each contractor to inspect your home and assess its condition. You can get a reasonable estimate for your house if the contractor spends more time on it. Even a quick walk around your home may need enough time even if the painter has enough experience. At this level you can also ask about the experience and number of their crew members from each painting contractor to ensure the completion of work on time.

2. Discuss your expectations: While assessing the capabilities and price of a painter you should also know how he will prepare your home for painting along with how many coats he will apply to give it final touch. You should tell him what you expect from him. If you want an even surface free from the affects of previous paint then you should be prepared to pay some extra money so that he can prepare your home as per your expectations. But if you agree with the level of preparation done by the painter then you may have to compromise with some of the imperfections.

3. Get quotes in writing: After discussing your expectations you should ask written quotations from all the painters you have met with. The estimate should include the cost of labour along with the cost of materials and the number of coats of paint and primer. It should also include the model and brand of materials to be used as well as the detailed information about the surface preparation to be done in your house.

4. Ask for references: While choosing a painter for your home you should ensure about the quality of work done by him. For this purpose you can ask for the references from each painter about their previous clients so that you can check their work on the spot or talk them on phone to know about their experiences. In order to be sure about the quality of work of your short listed painters you can also check the works done by them few years back. It will help you to know the durability of their work. Recent works completed by them can help you to know about their skills.

5. Check their credentials: Before making a final decision to hire a painter you should check his credentials. Though his membership with some local business or trade group cannot guarantee for the quality of his services still you can know about the level of his reliability and commitment for his work. You should also ask whether the painter has license to work as painter in this area or not. You can verify the information provided by the painter from the website of local licensing authority. In order to know the history of unsettled complaints against the painter you can also check with the office of attorney general, local agency of consumer affairs or Better Business Bureau.

6. Get complete contract in writing: After finally hiring a painter you should get a written contract with complete information about his name, address, phone numbers and license number along with the details of the estimate. The contract should also include detailed information about the item included and excluded in your home painting job. You should also ask for the copy of insurance certificates of worker’s compensation and painter’s liability from the painter you have hired. You will have to bear additional cost in case of any property loss or injury to the painter’s crew while working on your project, if he does not have such coverage.

7. Ask for a guarantee: The painter you hire for painting your home should guarantee to correct the faults like peeling, chipping, flaking, blistering, chalking or unnecessary fading of the paint free or at nominal cost within 2 years of completion of the work. You should ask for this guarantee even if a warranty is provided by the paint manufacturer as that warranty does not include labour cost which can be higher than the cost of material.

8. Select paint yourself: Though you can take advice of your painter about the quality of paint that can give the finish you want but you should select the paint yourself instead of depending upon him. He can prefer a low quality paint which cannot give finish as desired by you.

9. Be careful about lead based paints: The old coats of paint on your house may contain lead if it is painted several years earlier. A lead based paint can be hazardous for the painter while preparing your home for painting. So the painter will have to take more care to avoid any danger caused by the old lead based paint.

10: Hold payment: Instead of making large down payment you should hold back at least 10-15 percent payment of your painter, before making him final payment. It will help you to know whether he has done satisfactory work or not.

The tips provided in this write-up can help you to choose a painter for you home as per your expectations.