Anybody can call himself an exterior house painter. While most states provide contractor licenses to various professionals, there’s no “seal of approval” that says a company is good at residential and commercial panting.
So what do you do when looking to hire a paint pro? Here are six important steps toward finding the right company for the job.
- Ask around. Do you know people who’ve used painting contractors for exterior work? Listen to what they have to say and make note of any glowing references you hear.
- Initial call. Your first call to paint contractors you’re interested in should be primarily to set up a face-to-face meeting. You can ask a few questions on the phone – Do you have crews available in August? How long have you been in business? – things like that, but save the important questions for the meeting.
- The meeting. Here you should make several evaluations. First, does the person who shows up seem to take his business seriously and demonstrate that your job is important to him? Initial impressions are often quite important in hiring an exterior paint contractor. However, don’t only go by how you “feel” about the person. Listen to what he says in answer to your questions and what he explains to you about the painting process. A solid professional will make you feel comfortable in the discussion while demonstrating experience and knowledge. Remember – you’re hiring a person (or team) to paint your house, not to attend your cocktail party.
- References. During the initial meeting, you should be provided with references from other customers in your general area for whom the painter has worked. The contractor’s website may also have some past-customer feedback. Follow up with these people.
- The estimate. You probably can get a general painting estimate over the phone, but getting a specific price for your specific job may not happen in just a few seconds. The contractor will want to look over the work areas, and you’ll likely have to answer a few questions before getting some numbers. Make sure you clearly understand what will be done for the price you’ll pay.
- Warranty and guarantee. Before agreeing to or signing anything, understand exactly what the painter promises to do and what your obligations will be during the process. Know what you’re getting and how any defects or damages will be compensated.
In addition, if you’re not familiar with exterior home painting, you should do a little research to find out what all this kind of job entails before speaking with a contractor. This way you’ll have a working knowledge of the process and can ask intelligent questions and better understand the answers you get.
Exterior painting is a serious project that should only be performed by licensed, experienced painting contractors.
In Connecticut, homeowners have relied on Franklin Painting since 1986 for outstanding interior and exterior painting jobs. Call the pros who know at (877) 646-7774.
