Are you looking to improve your home in a way that enhances its style and makes it worth more money in the long run? Well, you should contact painting contractors to get support with a high-quality upgrade to your house’s exterior or interior paint job. Before hiring a contractor, it’s important that you research your options and carefully choose a professional that fits your needs. Ask the following 10 questions to ensure that you have picked a contractor that you can trust for your project.
1. How Much Experience Do You Have?
Sit down with your painters and ask them about their experiences. For example, have they worked on jobs like yours in the past? Do they feel comfortable doing whatever it takes to improve your home? The goal of these questions is to give you more information about what they do and to give them the opportunity to show off their skills. If you find they’re a little cagey about sharing information or don’t have a lot of experience, it might be best to work with a different painting professional.
2. What Insurance Coverage Do You Have?
Any contractor worth your time should have good insurance that protects you from serious problems. For example, they should have a policy that protects against damage caused by their work. Talk to them about what policy protection they possess, who provides the payouts when things go wrong, and what they do to ensure that you are protected. If you find that they either lack insurance or don’t want to talk about it at all, it’s time to move on to another expert who better suits you.
3. Do You Use High-Quality Paints?
Not all paints are made equal, and some might not provide the coverage or quality that you’re looking for. That doesn’t mean that the paints are necessarily bad but that some might not hold up and maintain their shine as long as others. Make sure you talk to the painters about the brand of paint they use and how long they’ve worked with that brand. You can also ask about the quality of their other materials, such as their paint rollers and brushes.
4. Will Your Painters Be Subcontractors?
When working with contractors, there’s always the potential that they’ll hire subcontractors to handle many of their tasks. That’s not to say that subcontractors are a bad thing because many provide high-quality work, it’s more that you deserve to know who you’re paying and what kind of oversight the subcontractors have, if any. Again, if they’re not willing to tell you or can’t give adequate information about the subcontractors that suit your curiosity, try working with a different professional.
5. Can I Get a Free Estimate?
Do you know how many painters there are currently working in the United States? According to IBIS World, there are nearly 250,000 painting firms in the country now, many of whom take extra steps to satisfy their customers. For example, you should find a company that’s willing to provide a free estimate for your job. If they’re uncomfortable doing that, ask why and if the answer doesn’t satisfy you, try to find a team that is willing to let you know what you’re likely to pay. Getting an estimate in advance can be helpful as you continue to plan your home renovations.
6. How Do You Train Your Employees?
All painting contractors should have specific training techniques they use to prepare their employees for their job. Make sure that you ask how they train their employees to handle things like painting high areas, how they prepare for potential mistakes, and what kind of screening processes they use to find the best employees. You want to hire a team that takes extra steps to ensure that you get an experience that comfortably takes care of your needs without any complications.
7. What Safety Techniques Do You Use?
Painting isn’t necessarily a dangerous job but can be a problem in certain situations, such as when painting in higher areas. As a result, it’s critical to ask painters how they keep their employees safe, as well as protect your home from various damage problems. When they provide your estimate, ask them to include any safety gear they may want to use, as well as any other information that better explains their service. Doing so will ensure that you’re all on the same page for safety issues.
8. Are You Sure You Can Handle My Job?
This question is likely to throw your painting contractor for a loop because they likely rarely get asked whether they feel comfortable with a job. Pay attention to how they answer this question. Do they seem a little confused or even defensive that you would ask them so boldly to justify hiring them? Or are they game to answer the question and give a reasonable and well-thought-out answer? Typically, you want a painter that is comfortable explaining their value as a professional.
9. How Will You Help Me If You Make a Mistake?
Contractors may make mistakes. However, the worst thing that can happen is when they make a serious error on your paint job and do little or nothing to address it. Make sure that you ask them well in advance how they fix their errors. For example, are they willing to provide free repairs, or will they bill you for their time? You can also tie this question in when asking about insurance because most will likely turn to their provider to pay for obvious mistakes that they shouldn’t have made.
10. Can You Describe How You’ll Handle My Job?
Here’s another question that will give your painters a chance to show off a little by letting them go in-depth with their job explanations and highlight their skills and abilities for you. You want to work with a team that’s willing to give you a full understanding of what they do, including all the steps necessary for your painting. They should walk you through how they set up for the day, their methods for checking for errors, and how they take down equipment when done. These details will give you a great idea of how they operate and make it easier to choose a team that understands what it is doing. Furthermore, it helps you better understand what they’re going to do and simplifies your communication if they have to make adjustments to their painting processes at any time.
When you ask questions like these to painting contractors, you give them the opportunity to showcase their skills, discuss how they’ll help you, and provide more context for your job. Don’t be afraid to ask these and many more questions to get the better understanding that you deserve for your project. Just as importantly, you can gauge whether they’re worth your time or if you need another expert instead.
If you’re looking for a painter that can confidently answer all of the questions above, then look no further. Total Pro Painters is the team to trust for all your painting needs in Ashland, MA and the surrounding areas. Contact us and ask any questions you want, and we’ll gladly answer them for you! We look forward to working with you soon.