How to choose a painting contractor

Published On: October 18, 201726 Comments on How to choose a painting contractorCategories: Painting tipsLast Updated: November 7, 20243.7 min read

Painting can be quite a chore, not to mention a challenge if you are not keen on the job. It takes a great deal of time and attention to detail to do a good job which is the reason why most people hire out the task to a professional. It is often worth it to spend the money on a professional painting service such as Pete’s Professional Painting & Powerwashing to do the job right the first time around with no mistakes. While it may be best to hire out the job, it can be a challenge to find a reputable painting contractor in your area. The following guide will help you choose a painting contractor that best suits your needs.

How to choose painting contractor

This article will provide some tips to help you find a professional painting contractor in your vicinity so that you can get the project hired out and completed as soon as possible.

Specify the details

Describe the job in detail, including specific products or colors you want, a desired time frame, and possible obstacles (drywall needs repair, etc.). This becomes the job description for your specific painting job. The details should consist of  type and amount of surface preparation, priming (including type and brand), caulking (type and where it will be used), drywall patching, the brand of paint (should reference the manufacturer’s product line), how many coats will be used and estimated cost by your guess or compared to a similar job.

Look for experience

When selecting a painting contractor, you will want to consider how long the painter has been on the job. Experience matters and time on the job can make a big difference. While trade-type jobs can have a high turnover rate because the pay is not stellar, you will want to choose a painting contractor regardless of the price.

Cost

The cost of the project can be a typical concern and something that you should budget appropriately for. It is not appropriate to expect to pay very little for a professional job done. You should expect to pay a good deal of money per room or square footage. To get someone who is highly qualified, licensed, and insured, you will have to pay a decent sum. In addition, be sure to ask what is included in the cost estimate you receive. You should also check out the staff needed to get the job done. You do not want 10 people painting a 1,000 square feet if you have a smaller house. Also, you don’t want just two people painting a beachfront estate.

Get multiple bids before you choose a painting contractor

Getting multiple bids will help you in making the best decision for your home or your company. When asking for a bid, be sure to share the same details and ask the same questions with each bidder. This way, you can be sure that you are getting a detailed estimate from each contractor and you can weigh the pros and cons of each. Multiple bids means more variety for you.

color palette and paint brushes

Check for licensing and proper paperwork before you choose a painting contractor

It is always a good idea to hire someone who is licensed and has the proper bonds or paperwork needed to perform the job. Insurance is important as it protects the workers on site as well as your home should something go wrong during the job. By law, all contractors doing home improvement are required to have a valid contractor’s license. To get this license, applicants must verify their experience and must pass an exam testing their knowledge of the trade. If a person does not have a contractor’s license, it can be an indication that they lack the necessary expertise.

Inquire about a warranty or work guarantee

Some painters will offer a warranty or a paint guarantee for the job they completed. Be sure to ask about this when researching potential contractors. This can make a difference in your ultimate decision as to which bid you choose. If one contractor offers a guarantee or a warranty for a period of time after the job and others do not, it may be worth it to spend a few extra dollars to have the warranty.

If you feel that your’re up to the task you can try to DIY paint your home simply by following our Painting tutorial.

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  1. Olivia Smart June 8, 2022 at 7:50 pm

    Thank you for explaining that you should get multiple bids to help make the best decision. We’re thinking about hiring a painter to help us with our living space’s renovation. I’ll be sure to try this out so we can get someone in our budget and can provide the kind of work we’re looking for.

  2. Olivia Smart December 8, 2021 at 4:29 pm

    My friend has been talking about getting her main level painted since she’s redesigned a few things and wants everything to look a little fresh. I liked your suggestion to get multiple bids and make sure you share the same details and ask the same questions to each bidder so that you can have a good variety of accurate and detailed bids to choose from. I’ll be sure to pass this on to her so that she can choose the best painter for the job that will get her the look she really wants.

  3. Ava Murphy November 26, 2021 at 11:43 pm

    I like that you suggested checking how long the painter has been in business to ensure that you will choose an experienced one. This is something that I will surely do because I am planning to have our exterior house repainted. I am planning to sell our house next month, so I need to find a contractor that can efficiently paint the house. Thanks for sharing this.

  4. Kia Netherland September 28, 2021 at 9:10 am

    I loved that you pointed out that experience matters when choosing a painting contractor, so you must consider how long a company has been on the job. My husband and I are planning to have both the interior and exterior of our house repainted to give them a new, fresh look. It is important for us to achieve our desired results since we are preparing to sell the house, and it is crucial for us to boost its resale value. We will do your tips on choosing the right painter.

  5. Faye A August 18, 2021 at 10:24 pm

    It made sense to me when you said that a licensed contractor must have the right level of expertise. As you said, they must be experienced to be licensed. My husband and I are planning to have the walls of our house repainted. The bold color of the walls makes our house look smaller than it really is, so we want a fresh paint for our home. We will do your tips to find the best painter.

  6. Ceiclle c July 1, 2021 at 6:34 am

    It sure was nice when you said that getting multiple detailed bids could help you to get a detailed estimate from each contractor. As you said, multiple bids mean more variety for you. My husband and I are planning to sell our house in November so we are preparing to stage it. We want to have both the interior and exterior of the house repainted to make it look new and for us to sell it faster. We will do your tips since we want to be charged right, and we have a restricted budget due to our medications.

  7. Shammy Peterson May 1, 2021 at 6:30 am

    It sure was nice that you said that experience matters and time on the job can make a difference, so you may want to consider how long a painter has been on the job. We’re planning to have our house painted with new colors that would make our house look cozy and festive at the same time. Since we’d like to achieve what’s on our mind for our house, we will consider your tips on hiring a professional.

  8. Melissa Hull December 1, 2020 at 1:56 am

    It is tough to find a painting contractor you can trust especially if you are new to the neighborhood. I never knew that paint contractors had to be certified. This makes it less worrisome to hire help.

  9. james jason September 21, 2020 at 8:18 am

    This is very good information for those who plan to get a professional contractor for painting services, It’s a must that every contractor has a legal license and proper paperwork. In other words, we need to check every detail of the services who want to work with us. Thanks for the tips!

  10. Victoria Addington July 2, 2020 at 12:48 am

    Thanks for your helpful tips on how to choose an exterior residential painting contractor. I’ve been planning to get my house repainted after the color started to fade, I am just finding the best time to do the work so it wouldn’t cause any delays. Now that summer is still around, I shall then find a painter and make sure to ask about details such as the type and quality of paint to be used, time frame, type of surface preparation, and etc. Besides, I must also ask about the experience of the professional in the field to make sure that I’m getting the right service.

  11. Thomas Clarence June 17, 2020 at 7:38 pm

    Thank you for helping me to understand that it is important to explain the desired timeframe to a painting contractor when you are looking to hire them. My wife and I are looking to hire a contractor to help us paint the exterior of our home. We don’t have the necessary equipment to do it ourselves, so we are thinking that hiring a professional would be best. This information you shared will help us find the right person to hire for this job.

  12. Victoria Addington June 3, 2020 at 5:27 am

    Thanks for helping me find a painting contractor for the exterior of my home. Now that the construction of the foundation is almost done, I’d like to hire professional painters right away so the job would be easier. You made a valid point about having to pay a decent price in order to get one who’s qualified, licensed, and insured.

  13. Victoria Addington April 15, 2020 at 8:34 pm

    I am currently looking for painting services here in Jackson. I personally want to do a major revamp to the color scheme of my house, which is why I’d like to begin first with the wall painting. With that, I will take your advice on finding a service that has proven years of experience as a reputable company to ensure that I’ll be getting the best service.

  14. britt wall April 13, 2020 at 5:44 pm

    We heard recently that we could benefit from sandblasting with our painting project, so we are on the search for a contractor who could do that for us. It will be helpful for us to follow the tip that you gave to choose a contractor who is experienced in our needs. To be sure that they will be a good hiring option, I will be sure to consider their experience with sandblasting.

  15. Gorage February 24, 2020 at 9:46 am

    Thanks for sharing the tips for choosing painting contractor I have just moved into an apartment that is all white. I would like to give it a new look with some attractive colors. You saved my lot of time by sharing this information. I would appreciate it.

  16. Jeff Wilcox June 18, 2019 at 5:50 pm

    I like the tip that you gave to choose a contractor who is properly licensed. My wife and I have been talking about finding a contractor to help us paint our home before we put it up for sale, and it would be important for us to know that we could find one who we could be confident in hiring. If we decide to find a contractor, I will be sure to check their licenses beforehand.

  17. easton May 6, 2019 at 6:50 pm

    I like the tip that you gave to choose a painting contractor who has a cost that will work with your budget. My wife and I have been talking about finding a contractor to paint our home before we decide to sell it, and it would be important for us to know that we could afford the one that we choose to hire. If we decide to find a painting contractor, I will be sure to check their pricing beforehand.

  18. easton April 24, 2019 at 3:38 pm

    I like the tip that you gave to choose a painting contractor who’s cost is one you can afford. My wife and I have been talking about painting our home before we put it up for sale, and it would be important for us to know that we could find one who we would be able to trust. If we decide to find a painting contractor, I will be sure to check their cost beforehand.

  19. easton April 17, 2019 at 5:11 pm

    I like the tip that you gave to ask about what will go in to a cost estimate before you decide to get it. My wife and I have been talking about getting our home painted, and it would be important for us to know that we could find one that we would be able to trust in the price. If we decide to hire a contractor, I will be sure to ask about what goes in to a cost estimate.

  20. Sharon Wilson-Smith February 2, 2019 at 1:44 am

    I like that you said that it’s best to hire a painting contractor that’s licensed to make sure that they have the right expertise. I will remember this because I’m planning to have our house painted soon. What I want is for our house to look new and spacious because we’re planning to sell it soon. We want it to be sold quickly. Thanks!

  21. Rhianna Hawk January 25, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    I’m considering getting a painter to help paint my living room. It’s good to know that I should get multiple bids to compare prices, and I appreciate your tip on that. You’re right that I should expect to budget well for a professional job, and I’ll be sure to do that.

  22. Ridley Fitzgerald July 25, 2018 at 8:01 pm

    It’s good to know how to find a painting contractor. I like how you said that you need to find someone who has a lot of experience because it can make a big difference. We want our home’s exterior repainted, so I’ll remember to check for that.

  23. Marcus December 15, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    It helped a lot when you mentioned how when getting multiple bids to find the best painter, you should ask the same questions to make a proper comparison. I understand that understanding your own needs and assessing the type of surfaces you want to paint can help you get the best results. We are thinking about repainting our house before we sell it and need to find a good professional that can help us out, so I’m glad I found your article.

  24. Sam Solo December 12, 2017 at 11:51 pm

    I didn’t know you had to pass a license exam to be able to paint other people’s houses. The licensing probably ensures higher quality work that is performed. I’ll have to remember to check whether or not the contractors have the proper licensing.

  25. Marcus November 30, 2017 at 2:32 am

    We are planning on touching up on the paint of our house and want to make sure we find the best professional to help. It helped a lot when you mentioned how you should consider how long the painter you want to choose has been in business before choosing them. I understand that doing this can help you find the best painter that has enough experience for the job.

  26. Jordan November 17, 2017 at 3:41 am

    You mentioned that you want to have painting services who have the right paperwork. I think that being able to get some good painting services for our home would help us a lot with our remodeling project. I’m going to have to see if we can find the right company and hopefully get some quality painting done!