Read This Before You Hire a Painting Contractor

How To Hire A Painting Contractor

With spring here it's a great time to inspect the exterior of your home to see what work needs to be done to improve and preserve your home! Below are 12 tips on what to look for before you hire a painting contractor:

1. Home improvement contractor license number, when you get the number go to the Department of Consumer Protection on the internet and you can easily punch in his license number to make sure that it is current.
2. Ask for several references for similar work that you are requesting, be sure to get full name and phone number of references, two should be fine.
3. Make sure that when they come to look at your home, they are checking thoroughly to give you a full professional evaluation, not just an estimate. They should be able to point out if there is rotted wood that might need replace, maybe the gutters need a good cleaning. If they don't take care of these items, they should be able to recommend a good reputable contractor that does. It is easier to get a contractor that does all these things.
4. Make sure they tell you what products they use and why, good quality products make all the difference.
5. When you receive your estimate it should be clear and detailed about what they are pricing and what the prep work involved will be, how many coats of primer? How many finish coats of paint? If there is carpentry work, what is the budget for that in the price? It's ok to get a small range of pricing, but make sure they clearly outline that in the estimate.
6. Make sure they have proper insurance, it is not enough just to have liability, they should also have workers compensation insurance.
7. On the estimate there should be a start and finish date, of course if it's outside work, the weather can cause a delay which is normal, but shouldn't make the job drag on endlessly.
8. Ask how often the owner or manager checks the job.
9. Clear payment terms should also be outlined in the estimate.
10. How long they guarantee the work.
11. There should be a signature from an authorized estimator on the estimate guaranteeing the terms, conditions and pricing of the estimate, not just your signature.

Hope this helps serve as a useful guide!

Source : Ezinearticles