How to Choose a Home Painting Contractor
Make sure the contractor is licensed, insured, and bonded.
- Ask to see the license.
- Call the insurance company to make sure the insurance is up to date. Ask if there have been claims filed. If so, ask the contractor to tell you about the claim. Don't assume the contractor did a poor job - some clients make unreasonable demands and insurance companies may settle just to get a pest out of the way.
- Call the contracting board to see if there have been any complaints filed against the contractor. Again, give the contractor a chance to tell his or her side of the story.
Check references. Ask for at least three references from clients that hired the contractor to do jobs similar to yours. For example, if you want your deck stained, you'll want to talk to someone who has had that done rather than the name of a client who had a bathroom painted. When checking references ask:
- Would you use this contractor again?
- Did he or she stick to the original bid?
- Did the crew show up on time ready to work?
- Did the crew finish the job on time?
- Did the crew clean up every day as well as at the end of the job?
- Could you reach the contractor when there was a problem?
- Was the contractor courteous and professional?
Get a bid and go over it thoroughly with the contractor. Not all bids are created equal - some contractors exclude some costs and later charge these to you as "extras," so find out exactly what the bid includes.
- What kind of paint (insist on high quality so it will last and look good) will he or she use?
- What prep work is included? Will all holes and cracks be repaired? Will surfaces be sanded? Will new wood be primed and sealed?
- How much will you be charged if the contractor encounters unforeseen problems? For example, it's not uncommon to find flaws beneath wall- paper - holes in the walls, damage to sheet rock, etc. What might those charges run?
- How long will the job take? While applying the paint might not take more than a few hours, there's almost always more than one coat applied, and coats may have to dry overnight. Avoid a contractor who is vague. Your house will be disrupted during the process, and you have a right to know how long you can expect to have tarps strewn across your room or yard.
- What hours of the day will the crew be there?
- Does the bid include any advice?
Make sure the contract is signed before any work begins. Go over the contract to make sure it matches the bid you agreed on.
Find out the payment schedule. Most painting contractors want 1/3 down, 1/3 when the job is half-way completed, and the final payment when the job is done. The bid should include the cost of the paint and any materials, so the contractor shouldn't ask you to pay for that separately.