Sooner or later, your home will need to be painted. Maybe the exterior coat has faded over the years, or the interior walls are beginning to chip away. You might just want to change things up and paint your living room a new color. Whatever the case, if your home is ready for a new coat of paint, there is a lot to consider before hiring just any home painters. Here are some questions you should ask yourself and a potential home painter before getting the job underway.
What Should You Ask Yourself?
Before you ask professional painters anything, you should do some self-reflection. First, ask yourself if you can do the job yourself. If you’re just planning to touch up a small area or apply a new coat to a small room, you can save some money by doing it yourself. However, this does require a bit of work, including purchasing the right materials, preparing the area, using proper technique, etc. But if you feel confident enough, a DIY project can be fun and fulfilling.
Be realistic, though. If your home needs a lot of love, you’re probably better off hiring residential painting services. If that’s the case, ask yourself what your budget is. This will help you in your discussions with potential contractors and narrow your search for the ideal pick.
Questions to Ask a Home Painter
If you decide to hire a painting service to get the job done, you want to make sure you’re getting the best service for the best price. Here are some questions to ask these painting services before hiring one.
1. Are They Licensed and Insured?
This one is a dealbreaker. If a painting service is not licensed and insured, you should take your business elsewhere. You can rely on licensed contractors to have the experience necessary to do a good job. Plus, having insurance means that any injuries or accidents that happen on the job won’t be your financial responsibility. Both documents are key for hiring a painting service.
2. What are Their Hiring and Training Practices?
It’s always wise to look into a company’s hiring practices and training regiment. Knowing the standards by which the business hires and trains its people lets you know a bit about who will be in and around your home, how they conduct themselves, and how qualified they are to do a good job.
3. Do They Have Any Awards or Accolades Under Their Belt?
To save you time, you want to choose a service with a proven track record. If they have stellar reviews, awards, and consistent mentions from trusted sources, your search gets a lot easier. Ask them specifically if they’re on Angie’s List, the Better Business Bureau, or similar organizations locally and nationwide.
4. What Services Do They Offer?
As you look around your home, you may realize that painting is just one item on the list. You may need repairs, replacements, cleaning, and more. Ask your potential home painting provider if they offer additional services. If so, you can save time and money hiring one contractor to handle multiple home improvement projects.
5. What is their Painting Process and What Materials are Used?
Knowing what to expect is always a plus when hiring painting services. Ask them how they go about interior painting, exterior painting, how they prepare, how they clean up after the job, etc. Also be sure to ask about the materials they use. You want your contractor to use high-quality primer and paint. If the service charges less than average, it could be due to lower-quality, cheaper materials. Stay away from these.
6. Is the Job Under Warranty?
Lastly, ask your potential home painting contractor if the job is under warranty, and for how long. Knowing the job is under warranty gives you peace of mind in more ways than one. For one thing, you can rest assured that any mistakes or problems within that time frame will be resolved at no extra charge. More importantly, though, you can better trust the contractor to get the job done right the first time. In this way, a warranty is another measure of quality assurance. The average warranty lasts from 2-3 years.
Cover All the Bases
All American Painting Plus is happy to answer all these questions and more. Our licensed and insured professional contractors specialize in painting, power washing, drywall and carpentry repair, and more. We have been a proud member of Angie’s List for over 10 years and are happy to serve homeowners and businesses in Northern Virginia. To learn more about us and our services, give us a call at 703-620-5563 or email us at info@aapplus.com today!
