Hiring a Painting Contractor
Renovators Place Columnist
Oct 08, 2009
Hiring painters should involve more than just making a few phone calls and picking out colors. After all, these contractors will spend several days or weeks remodeling your house and working around all your prized possessions. It pays to take some time to evaluate who will be doing this type of home improvement project.
Larger painting contractors offer the benefits of having several crews of workers they can send over, often on short notice, if needed. They often have office personnel to deal with questions regarding estimating and scheduling, then a lead contractor on site to handle job-related questions.
Painting is more complicated than it appears on the surface. Before entrusting just anyone to repair your living room walls and paint them, take some time to investigate several area painting contractors.
About the Author
Allison E. Beatty is a syndicated real estate writer who has been writing home improvement columns for 15 years
Large Contractor or Small?
There are some painting contractors who are "one man shows"--they do all the estimating, scheduling and painting. There are benefits to this type of contractor, as it allows you to deal directly with one person. In some cases, the cost is lower. The downside is that, if the contractor gets sick or decides to skip town in the middle of your remodeling project, you have no one else to turn to.Larger painting contractors offer the benefits of having several crews of workers they can send over, often on short notice, if needed. They often have office personnel to deal with questions regarding estimating and scheduling, then a lead contractor on site to handle job-related questions.
Questions to Ask a Painting Contractor
As you interview painting contractors, ask whether:- They have worked in your neighborhood before (be sure to get names of references to call)
- They move furniture to prepare for painting
- They use plastic to seal rooms while sanding and priming
- They routinely repair small areas, such as broken wood around windows
- They repair plaster (if you live in an old house), since this work requires more skill
Look for Extra Contractor Services
Some painting contractors offer other home improvement services, such as carpentry, exterior stucco repair, or even upholstery cleaning. Among the benefits are:- One-stop shopping: Instead of scheduling the painter, the carpenter, and a cleaning company, you work with one home improvement company. It also is hard to find your own carpenter to fix one window.
- Cost savings: It pays to compare prices, but you might find that a contractor who offers several services can be more competitively priced.
- Work is done right: If your exterior window sills need to be replaced, you're better off hiring a painting contractor with a carpenter who can replace them, rather than a contractor who will just paint over it with a "Band-aid" approach.
Painting is more complicated than it appears on the surface. Before entrusting just anyone to repair your living room walls and paint them, take some time to investigate several area painting contractors.
About the Author
Allison E. Beatty is a syndicated real estate writer who has been writing home improvement columns for 15 years
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