Things to Remember When Contracting a Painter

Understand Painting

• Consider learning about the proper painting methods even when you are hiring a painter, since you’ll understand what should be done and you’ll be able to spot painters who know what they’re doing. Read books and magazines on painting.

Experiences

• Ask the painter how many homes she has painted. Determine whether the painter has painted the type of home that you have. Since a paint job may not show problems until years later, ask for references that are several years old. Try to find the homes that had the paint job done so you see the end results.

Worker's Compensation

• Make sure the painting company has a worker’s compensation program so you are not stuck paying for any injuries that occur during the job. Let the painter know whether your house was built before 1978, since it may have older coats of paint that contain lead, a health hazard to the painter. The painter should take extra safety precautions under these circumstances.

Details

• Pay attention to how much time the painter spends looking around your home to assess the paint job. Painters that spend much time assessing the home are able to more accurately assess the time and money required to paint it. Get estimates of the labor, material costs, materials used, the number of coats needed and the procedure used to add the coats. Carefully examine all the details of the contract, including the number of coats of paint required, the tools used, how the paint chips are disposed of, warranties, start and completion dates, penalty fees for not completing the work on time and a payment schedule. Get the painting company’s personal information, including the name of the company, address and phone number.

Your Specifications

• Let the painter know your expectations before the start of the project. For example, if contractors in the past did an uneven paint job and you want this corrected, tell the contractors, because they will likely factor this into the cost.

Gurantees

• Ask the painter to provide a guarantee to repair the paint job within two years of the initial job, whether there is any peeling, blistering, flaking or fading. If the painter says the paint has a warranty, say that you want a warranty on the labor, since the labor costs are higher than the paint cost. Research paints and choose the paint that you want to use on your house.