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5 Must-Ask Questions for Painting Companies
Painting Perfection • August 21, 2020
5 Must-Ask Questions for Painting Companies
A bad paint job can cost you dearly. Unfortunately there are many unreliable painters out there. These 5 questions will help you decide who’s best.
Thank you for reading! May your next hiring decision be a wise one! Choose Painting Perfection for a seamless, hassle free project coordination, and quality results.
Again, if you need a solid painting contractor, use us, Painting Perfection. We’re the only painting company that uses in-house employees as painters, provide written 2 year warranty, are insured and bonded, etc.
1. Are you licensed and insured?
This seems pretty basic but is extremely important. You would be amazed how many painting companies say they are licensed and insured but cannot provide the proper documentation.
If a painting company is licensed and insured, it should be pretty easy to send over a copy of insurance or licensing. The last thing you want is a lawsuit on your hands if something goes wrong and there is no insurance to protect you or your home.
2. Can you provide local customer references?
Always ask for references. If a painting company is hesitant to provide real customer references, this is a HUGE red flag. Also, quality companies should be able to provide references for work they’ve done locally (without you even asking). This will give you a chance to call the references and inquire about their experience, or drive by the referenced home and see the quality of work first hand.
3. How do you prepare the home before painting it?
This is a BIG one. This question could make or break the deal for the painter you are choosing. The prep-work required for house painting is EVERYTHING. It’s also where many painters cut corners.
If a painter does not emphasize their step-by-step process on correctly preparing your home, DON’T choose them as your contractor. If a home has failing areas like peeling, fading or chalking, it is imperative that it is prepped well. If not prepped correctly, the paint job will fail within a couple years (if not sooner).
4. What type of paint are you using?
Prep-work and quality of materials: The two most important factors in a paint job that lasts.
Always ask what brand of materials the painting company is going to use on your home. This includes the actual paint, caulking, primer etc.
Do your own research on the brands to make sure they are quality and durable. We actually surveyed 12,000 contractors on what the best exterior house paint, here are the results.
You do not want contractor-grade (AKA Cheap) materials used on your house. The labor is usually the most expensive part of a paint job, so make sure they are using high-end materials. Most painters will let you change the materials used on the house if you request it
5. What kind of guarantee/warranty do I get?
You’ll want to choose a painting company that stands behind their work. This is usually demonstrated with some sort of warranty like a 3-year, 5-year, or 8-year. The warranty should cover BOTH Labor AND Materials should areas of the paint job fail.
Sometimes painting companies will offer a good warranty but not cover the labor or materials should they have to return. This defeats the whole purpose of a warranty. This means YOU’RE STILL PAYING if they have to return.
Make sure they cover all costs should the paint job fail and make sure the company will actually be around for the next 6-8 years so they can cover the warranty.
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Determining which type of paint is most suitable for you and your paint project’s needs is an important step of completing your project. Check out the below information as we break down the difference between water and oil based paints, and help you determine what current coating is used in your house.
Two coats of paint are usually a safe bet, assuming you use primer. But the number of coats you need varies depending on the quality of paint and the color. For example, painting a light shade over a dark one may require extra layers.
Most experts say that you'll need to paint every five to ten years, depending on factors such as where you live, climate and weather, and the previous paint job. Also, keep in mind that every surface will be a little different. For example: Wood siding - every 3-7 years, or every 4 years if it's stained. You don’t need to be a professional painter to know if your house needs painting. Of course, whenever you get an estimate, the painters will always tell you that you should paint. But are they telling the truth? We want to get to the bottom of it in this article so you can decide if you need your house painted. There are 3 common paint problems on homes. Simply take 5-10 minutes to walk around your house to identify any of these problems. Problem #1: Fading Paint You’ll notice the paint on your house fading on the areas that get the most sun…. typically the south and west sides of the house. If you wipe a dry, dark colored rag or towel on the house, you’ll notice some chalking paint come off the house. If your are noticing this happening, your wood is not very well protected any longer. Moisture can get into those boards and cause warping. The solution is to get a new coat of paint on there to protect it! Problem #2: Peeling paint This problem occurs on all parts of the home. The first places to peel are the areas that get the most moisture. Examples of this are window sills, bottom of the garage trim, bottom of the door trim, or other places that snow sits. Once paint peels off, the wood is no longer protected. Moisture gets into the wood and can rot the boards. The solution to peeling paint is to scrape the loose paint off, sand the area down to create a good texture, apply a full coat of primer to protect the wood, and a finish coat. Problem #3: Cracking paint and failing caulking Cracking is a very common problem you’ll notice in the joints of the house where boards meet. Check around door frames, window frames, and anywhere the siding meets the trim. If you notice cracks, this is where water can get behind the boards and rot them from the inside out. The solution to this is simple: recaulk those cracks with fresh caulking. Now that you’ve found problems and identified, do you need to paint? The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. The purpose of paint is to protect the house, and beautify your home. If the house LOOKS bad, and it’s embarrassing, you should paint. If you’ve noticed problems listed above, it doesn’t mean you have to paint. If you choose to wait, you can expect those problems to get worse, you can expect more damage to be done to the wood, you can expect your paint price to go up the next year, and you do risk having to repair boards. Repairing one board on a house could cost up to an extra $50-$100 per board. If this is the first time you are noticing the peeling paint, fading paint, or cracking paint… it’s probably not that urgent. Our recommendation: If you’ve noticed problems on your house, now is a good time to paint. It’s only going to get more expensive. The longer you wait, the lower quality the job will be (because the surface is in poorer condition). Contact Painting Perfection now.
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