Asian rear view of a male painter drawing a wall with paint roller and a separate tank from a large empty space with wooden stairs.
Do the rooms in your house need a fresh lick of paint?
Don’t have the time, tools, skills or desire to do it yourself?
Well, then, you’ll want to hire someone for the job. Unfortunately, hiring a professional painter might cost more than you think.
Expect to pay up to $10,000 for the biggest paint jobs! That’s a lot of money by anyone’s standards.
If you’re going to fork out that amount of cash, then you’ll want to find the right person for the job. You need someone who’s reliable, conscientious, fast-working, punctual, great at communicating, and, of course, good with a brush!
Looking for advice on finding a quality painter for the task at hand? Let us help.
Keep reading for 8 essential tips on hiring the best pro painter possible.
1. Get Referrals from Friends and Family
One of the easiest ways to hire a painter is to seek referrals from friends and family.
Think about anyone you know who’s had recent work done on their home. They might know of someone they can recommend.
Alternatively, put some feelers out on social media. Ask your connections for the details of local painters they’ve used before and for whom they can vouch.
Another perk of this approach is the reliability of the source. Your loved ones will only ever suggest people who’ve done a quality job. You can learn more about the experience of hiring them and settle any nerves you have in advance.
2. Get Multiple Quotes
Think about the process of buying insurance.
The more quotes you get, the more chance you have of choosing the best possible policy, right?
The same goes when hiring a painter.
Avoid settling on the first offer that comes your way (unless that is, your friends/family can guarantee their quality). Speak with multiple painters before deciding which one’s best.
Ask them how long the job would take and how much they’d charge. Weigh up your options and go with the best of them.
We recommend meeting each painter in person too. You’ll get a better sense of their character, trustworthiness, and aptitude.
3. Get Each Estimate in Written Form
This point related to the last.
Remember those pricing estimates? Make sure you get them in written form.
Taking someone at their word is all well and good. But it’s a recipe for trouble! With no agreed-upon written record of price, there’s little you can do if the costs escalate.
Seek as much detail as possible. Ask the painter to breakdown the costs involved to provide an accurate picture of where your money would go. Get them to list everything from the number of coats and the type of primer and paint to the extent of preparation required.
4. Seek References
Finding the right professional painter requires due diligence on your part.
It’s tempting to take a laissez-faire attitude and say ‘yes’ to the first person you meet. Unfortunately, you take a risk in the process. After all, you don’t know how good they are at the job!
We suggest asking for references first.
Speaking with their past customers can be revealing. You’ll learn how happy they were with the service and end result. You may even be able to view the projects in question.
All told, you’ll walk away in greater confidence at their aptitude and delivery.
5. Check for Insurance
Anybody you hire must have appropriate insurance cover.
Get a copy of their liability and workers’ comp certificates to double-check.
You may assume that painting doesn’t come with any health risks. But you’d be wrong! Painters could fall off ladders, come into contact with hazardous lead paint, or get something in their eyes.
In reality, any number of things could go wrong. Without insurance, you’d be liable to pay their medical expense in worst-case scenarios.
Protect yourself from that eventuality by always checking their insurance details.
6. Obtain a Contract
Get a contract too.
You want something that’s legally binding so the painter can’t just up and run away with your money. Likewise, the painter wants to know they’ll get paid for the job.
Check the contract for all the key information. It should have their name, address and contact information, as well as their license number. Of course, the agreed-upon estimate you attained earlier should be in there as well.
Read the small print and double-check for errors/omissions. Don’t sign anything that you’re unsure about!
7. Pick Your Own Paint
Let’s face it, the professional painter is the expert in this field.
They should know the specific paint that’s best for the job. However, that doesn’t mean you have to take their word or recommendation.
Got strong opinions about the finish you’re after? Well, be assertive and make sure that’s the paint that gets used.
On this subject, be sure to tell the painter about any lead paint in your house. This can be toxic upon exposure, so it’s important that they know about it in advance.
8. Be Clever With Cash
It’s important to strike a balance with payment for the paint job.
Pay too much too soon and you risk unscrupulous individuals disappearing with your cash. However, a final payment (i.e. the balance you pay upon completion) that’s too small leaves little incentive to complete the task.
The painter could take the money they’ve earned already and run, leaving the final section of the job incomplete. The money they leave on the table isn’t enough to sting their pockets.
Strike a balance and settle upon a payment schedule that’s mutually beneficial.
Time to Hire a Professional Painter
There’s nothing better than giving the rooms in your house a fresh lick of paint.
It can modernize the space and give it a new lease of life. Unfortunately, it’s a time-consuming task! Hiring a professional painter will be a might help.
Hopefully, this post will help you find the best person for the job.
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