If you’re looking to hire a professional painting contractor, here are 10 painting contractor FAQs you should ask him.
- Are your painters fully insured?
Painters in the San Francisco Bay area must have Liability Insurance and proof of Workers Compensation coverage. Whatever damage occurs due to the painting job, whether a window gets broken or your patio cover gets splashed with paint is covered, this can easily be claimed against your painting contractor’s insurance.
- Do you have references?
Painting contractors will have references you can call to find out how their work turned out, how they go about their painting job, and how they performed while on the job. It would be best if you ask for both newer and older clients that had a similar job as yours will be for better comparison. If it’s possible, you can even check out their work for yourself to see the quality of the paint job they’ve done and if it stands the test of time.
- Do you use eco-friendly “green” paints?
Green paints or paints with low volatile organic compounds (VOC) use water-based solvents to lessen the chemical emission these paints have. Due to fewer emissions, it poses less health risk to the painter’s health.
- Do you source the paints yourself or can I buy them myself?
Most painting contractors will include the paint in their painting job estimate but if a client wants to buy their own paint, they should tell their painting contractor early on so that the painting estimate won’t include price estimates for paint.
- Can you help me with my paint colors?
Most painting contractors have a palette guide and will definitely help you with your paint palette. They can also advise you on the right paint finish and
- Do you have a warranty for your painting job?
If the paint peels away faster than expected, establish with your painting contractor who will be responsible for the touch-up. If they can give you a guarantee their painting job will last for a number of years with a clause in the contract stipulating who will be responsible for touch-ups within that warranty period, the better.
- Can you work after hours or on weekends?
This is another one of those crucial painting contractor FAQs one should ask so painters can avoid disturbing the client’s routine. Working hours should also be established early on so that the painting contractors can do their painting job without disrupting the normal operating schedule of the business or disturbing the residential routine.
- Who will move the furniture?
Whether it’s an exterior or interior painting job, there is usually some furniture to move around. It can be potted plants, sculptures or statues, or cabinets and seats. This clearing out of the workspace can take almost a day if an indoor room has a lot of items to be moved, especially if the painting contractor will only have a limited number of people in his team. So be sure to ask your contractor lest you waste a day having your painting contractors moving furniture instead of prepping and painting the work area.
- How will you protect the work area from splashes and splatters?
Most painting contractors will have their own way of protecting their work area from splashes and splatters. Whether it’s masking outlets with a painter’s tape or having a painter’s fabric cover the floors and other architectural details, it helps to know how a contractor will ensure you won’t be left with extra paint on odd surfaces.
- Do you do the cleanup after a painting job or do I?
More than just taking the protective covering away from the work area, most painting contractors will take care of the cleanup after a painting job. But clear this up with your painting contractor lest you get left with paint splotches all around the area that is not part of the project.
These are just some painting contractor FAQs wise clients ask their painting contractors. Have other questions in mind? Leave it in the comments below and we’ll answer it in the next blog!