The Paint Professional: We are here to assist you!
Here at The Paint Professional we do our best to answer any questions you might have, review products for you, explain techniques, and give friendly advice. Our staff has over 20 years of expertise in the paint field, including: working in commercial and residential paint sales settings, owning and managing our own residential/commercial painting companies, and being representatives for various paint related products. We realize that many people are confused about the proper way to paint and what products work and which ones are a waste of money. We are here to clear up any misconceptions and confusion that people have about painting. We provide our expert opinions, articles, and tips free of charge in order to assist you in doing the best paint job possible. Please, browse our site and read the various sections that pertain to you. Should you still have any questions, please feel free to contact us via our form on the Contact Us page. Please remember that this is very general information to be viewed as a general guide to interior and exterior painting. If you have a detailed question or concern please contact us. Also, stop by often as this site will continually grow and expand. Some of the things you can expect in the future are: short video clips demonstrating different techniques and equipment, articles written from guest contractors, many more product reviews, and a forum where you can share your thoughts!
Some of our current articles!
How to start a profitable painting company!
How to epoxy your garage floor!
How to fix damaged drywall!
How to properly clean up spilled latex paint!
How to epoxy your garage floor!
How to fix damaged drywall!
How to properly clean up spilled latex paint!
How to choose a paint contractor!
The overall purpose of this site is to explain techniques and tools necessary to do a good job in painting your home, and you will find the information to answer your questions on the following pages. However, if you simply don't want to do the painting yourself and choose to hire a professional, then follow these tips to ensure you hire a good contractor:
1. The best place to get referrals for a painter is either from friends and family or by going to your local paint store and requesting names of reputable contractors. Make sure to call at least 3-5 painters for bids.
2. When calling a painter to come give you a bid, make sure to request that they bring along a list of at least 2-3 references and proof of liability insurance. Also, any bid should always be free. If a contractor charges at all for a bid then you don't want them.
3. When the contractor arrives, make sure that he/she is courteous, respectful of your home, and has a pleasant attitude. The actual amount of time a contractor takes doing a bid is not that important. However, a contractor normally will take measurements, inspect any problem areas, and ask relevant questions. If a contractor does not do at least 2 of these 3 things, then a warning flag should be raised. When I was a painting contractor I would rarely take more than 10 or 15 minutes for a bid. If a contractor spends an hour giving you a bid for one room, that should also raise a warning flag, as they will likely take much longer than usual on the room or sit around and chat to you instead of doing the work. Also, do not expect a contractor to give you a price on the spot. Most contractors prefer to take the information back to their office and work out a price. It is better that the contractor give you a definite price then just a quick estimate. During the bid be sure to make your desires known for the job. Make sure they are clear on what is being painted, how many coats of paint you want applied, what order you want rooms painted in (example:kitchen, then living room), how long the job will take, and any other concerns or questions you may have. It is not abnormal for a contractor to ask you to sign a simple term contract, this is fine, just read it thoroughly first.
4. When you receive the bids, remember that the lowest bid is not always the best to go with, the same is true for the highest priced bid. You need to look at the cost of each of the bids you receive and weigh that against how comfortable you felt with each contractor behind each bid. Usually, but not always, the middle bid is a good idea to go with. When you choose the contractor to go with, make sure you spell out the terms of payment for the job. Many times a painter will request 50% up front for the job and the rest when they are finished. Also, make sure both parties are clear on who is going to pick up the paint and supplies for the job. Sometimes you the customer will prefer to pick up the supplies, but many times the contractor will want to pick the supplies up.
5. When the contractor arrives, do not hover around them. This distracts the contractor and I can say from personal experience that a client who hovers is a real irritation on the job site and tends to get in the way. However, don't hesitate to stop in and check out the progress once in a while. If you see something that you don't like make sure to say something right away, before it's too late to fix. Remember, the contractor does work for you, and since you are paying the bill you deserve to get the job in the way that you agreed upon. When the contractor is finished, make sure that they clean up behind themselves. Lastly, make sure to walk around and inspect the job before you give them final payment and they leave.
6. If you find problems after the contractor leaves then contact them immediately. Any reputable contractor will stop by to correct the problem. If you have problems with a contractor doing a shoddy job and not fixing major mistakes, then you are well within your rights to call the Better Business Bureau and threaten a small claims lawsuit. If you take all of the steps listed above, then you will most likely never have to worry about this unpleasant situation.
1. The best place to get referrals for a painter is either from friends and family or by going to your local paint store and requesting names of reputable contractors. Make sure to call at least 3-5 painters for bids.
2. When calling a painter to come give you a bid, make sure to request that they bring along a list of at least 2-3 references and proof of liability insurance. Also, any bid should always be free. If a contractor charges at all for a bid then you don't want them.
3. When the contractor arrives, make sure that he/she is courteous, respectful of your home, and has a pleasant attitude. The actual amount of time a contractor takes doing a bid is not that important. However, a contractor normally will take measurements, inspect any problem areas, and ask relevant questions. If a contractor does not do at least 2 of these 3 things, then a warning flag should be raised. When I was a painting contractor I would rarely take more than 10 or 15 minutes for a bid. If a contractor spends an hour giving you a bid for one room, that should also raise a warning flag, as they will likely take much longer than usual on the room or sit around and chat to you instead of doing the work. Also, do not expect a contractor to give you a price on the spot. Most contractors prefer to take the information back to their office and work out a price. It is better that the contractor give you a definite price then just a quick estimate. During the bid be sure to make your desires known for the job. Make sure they are clear on what is being painted, how many coats of paint you want applied, what order you want rooms painted in (example:kitchen, then living room), how long the job will take, and any other concerns or questions you may have. It is not abnormal for a contractor to ask you to sign a simple term contract, this is fine, just read it thoroughly first.
4. When you receive the bids, remember that the lowest bid is not always the best to go with, the same is true for the highest priced bid. You need to look at the cost of each of the bids you receive and weigh that against how comfortable you felt with each contractor behind each bid. Usually, but not always, the middle bid is a good idea to go with. When you choose the contractor to go with, make sure you spell out the terms of payment for the job. Many times a painter will request 50% up front for the job and the rest when they are finished. Also, make sure both parties are clear on who is going to pick up the paint and supplies for the job. Sometimes you the customer will prefer to pick up the supplies, but many times the contractor will want to pick the supplies up.
5. When the contractor arrives, do not hover around them. This distracts the contractor and I can say from personal experience that a client who hovers is a real irritation on the job site and tends to get in the way. However, don't hesitate to stop in and check out the progress once in a while. If you see something that you don't like make sure to say something right away, before it's too late to fix. Remember, the contractor does work for you, and since you are paying the bill you deserve to get the job in the way that you agreed upon. When the contractor is finished, make sure that they clean up behind themselves. Lastly, make sure to walk around and inspect the job before you give them final payment and they leave.
6. If you find problems after the contractor leaves then contact them immediately. Any reputable contractor will stop by to correct the problem. If you have problems with a contractor doing a shoddy job and not fixing major mistakes, then you are well within your rights to call the Better Business Bureau and threaten a small claims lawsuit. If you take all of the steps listed above, then you will most likely never have to worry about this unpleasant situation.
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