You have decided you want to move forward with a painting project for your home and you would like to work with a professional painting company. Now what? It can be difficult to know what the next step is for finding a reputable professional painting company. There are a few steps we recommend to help you find the professional painting company that’s the right fit for your project.
- Research companies in your area
- Narrow your list to a few options
- Call the companies to ask a few questions
- Schedule an estimate
- Compare estimates and answers
- Review the contract
Research Companies in Your Area
The first step in finding a professional painting company is doing a little research. Doing a simple search using a search engine can be a little overwhelming because there will be many options. Including the size or type of painting project you have in your search may be helpful, such as “professional interior home painters” or “professional exterior residential painters”. Reviews from verified customers can also be useful and provide you some insight into what to expect when working with the company.
Using trusted websites that specialize in providing information about contractors can also be useful. Neighborhood apps and local message boards may provide recommendations for a trusted, local painting company.
Regardless of what source you use for researching professional painting companies, remain skeptical of any company that focuses on being the cheapest option. Price is an important consideration for any project, but ensuring the project is done well the first time should be equally important. If the work isn’t quality, you may wind up needing to repaint the space in a year or two.
Narrow Your List to a Few Options
After researching, you may have a lengthy list of painting companies. Before moving forward in the process, it’s a good idea to review the companies on your list and choose a few that seem to be the best fit for your project. We recommend having a list of three or four companies.
Call the Companies to Ask a Few Questions
Before scheduling an estimate with a painting company, you can get to know the company by calling and asking a few key questions. When you call, ask to talk to an estimator. If the employee who answers says that isn’t an option or won’t transfer you to leave a message for an estimator, it’s probably time to move on and remove that company from your list. If an estimator is available to answer a few questions, this shows the company and its employees value prospective customers, which is a great sign.
Here are a few questions you may consider asking the estimator to better understand the professionalism of the company.
- Does the company offer a warranty?
- Do they have general liability insurance?
- Does the company have project managers to oversee the project to ensure it’s on schedule and the work is quality?
- Do they have in-house painters or subcontractors? How do they recruit their subcontractors and train their painting crews?
- Do they always use written contracts and allow customers to review the contract before signing?
- How available are their painters? Do they finish project in one period of time, or do they stop and start the project?
Schedule an Estimate
After talking with the companies and determining which ones may be a good fit for your project, the next step is to schedule an estimate. For more information about what to expect during a professional estimate, you can review our article here about estimates by professional painting companies.
Compare Estimates and Answers
Once your scheduled estimates are complete, it’s time to review the information you have from the estimates and the conversations you had prior to the estimate. Start by considering the type of information the company provided. Did they leave information about the company and provide a paper or email copy of the project estimate? If the company only provided a verbal estimate and other information, you may want to remove them from your list. A professional painting company will make sure their customers at minimum have a copy of the estimate details, so the customer knows what to expect from the project.
When reviewing the estimates you received, see if each estimate includes the cost of labor and materials or if it only includes labor and the materials are a separate charge. It’s important to have both of these costs ironed out so you don’t have unexpected expenses later in the project.
Also look to see if the estimates include the name of the paint product the company intends to use. Some estimates may simply say, “professional grade silicone acrylic paint” which sounds impressive, but it may be a lower-quality product than you would like for your project. If the estimate provides the name of the paint, consider looking it up and contacting the painting company with any questions you have about the product.
Lastly, look for any information on the estimate that indicates the professionalism of the painting company. Does the estimate provide any details of a warranty they offer? Does it note they have insurance coverage?
Review the Contract
At this point in the process, you should have a good idea of which company you would like to work with, and you may move forward and request a contract. Before you sign any contract, make sure you read and understand the entire document.
As part of your contract review, make sure you know the painting company’s payment terms. Most painting companies require a deposit on the project once the contract is signed. This isn’t a concern as long as the requested deposit amount isn’t close to half or more of the project total. It is a red flag if the company asks you to provide the full payment before the project is complete.
If you’re interested in learning more about JMJ Painters as a partner for your next painting project, our estimators are here to answer your questions. You can contact us at (612) 255-3351.