9 Questions to Ask a Residential Painter
As a business owner and experienced professional painter in the Steamboat area, I want people to have amazing experiences when hiring a house painter. I deeply care about how the house painting industry values customers and with money being tight right now, I want you to get the most bang for your buck. Even if it’s not with Steamboat Painting Company, I want your experience to be awesome. Here’s a list of 9 questions that every homeowner should ask a residential painting contractor to ensure that they are a perfect fit for the job.
Do you offer a warranty?
A warranty provides assurance to homeowners that if there is a product failure or chipping/peeling in the immediate time after the paint job that the painter will do what’s right to fix it. A warranty provides the homeowner peace of mind that their painter will make immediate problems right.
What do you do in bad weather?
This is a big one for Steamboat and the surrounding areas as we constantly have bad or variable weather conditions. I cringe and die inside when I see someone painting in the snow. Yes, that happens! Here’s what you need to know about paint and stain. It’s a given, you don’t paint in the rain, and the surface temp (not outside temp!) needs to be at least 35 degrees or higher for exterior paint. That means that if it’s November, and the outside temperature is still 50 degrees, then there should not be any exterior painting being done because at night it’s cooling down way below 35 and the surface is unlikely to heat up to 35 during the day.
Be careful if a contractor comes back with ‘we’ll tent off the area’. Yes, you can use thick plastic to tent off a section, but they will need to have a solid space heater running around the clock to ensure the surface temperature stays at optimal levels. A painter’s poor planning shouldn’t be your problem. I get it, the exterior painting season is short in Steamboat, but be really careful with guys trying to rush projects around October/November or mid April, early May.
How much will the paint job cost?
We all shop around and you should do the same. Get 3 painting quotes together and compare them. That should give you an accurate estimate on what the paint job should cost. You don’t want to just go with the cheapest option, but with the best value for your dollar.
What products do you use?
Not all paint and stain is created equal. For example, I buy the majority of my paints and stains from Sherwin Williams and they have multiple grades of paint at a variety of price points. You are paying for the grade of paint, not the color. The good news is that since Steamboat has such a crazy climate, I only use high grade exterior paints like Sherwin Williams Latitude and Duration. However, if a contractor can’t give you a product recommendation, then they are most likely figuring it out on the fly and I would question their workmanship. Especially in a place like Steamboat where all of the painters utilize Sherwin Williams as their local paint supplier, they should know the product lines.
When will you start everyday?
Give yourself peace of mind knowing that work is being done at a consistent time during the painting project. You are trusting painters to work on your home and they should be making it as easy as possible for you. Reliability is king so make sure your painting contractor is consistently at the right place at the right time.
What painting prep will be done?
Make sure your painter is a clean worker. They should be familiar with masking and covering surfaces. Furthermore, make sure your quote has prep work built into it like pressure washing, lime washing, filling cracks/holes, etc. You need to know that your painter isn’t just going to show up and start spraying!
How many people will be painting my house?
You shouldn’t have to be the project manager. I’m always honest with my customers about who is painting their home. It’s important for me to have continuity with the paint crew and to make sure customers aren’t seeing new faces every day during the painting process.
How will you communicate during the painting process?
Since starting my painting company, the number one thing that my customers appreciate is communication. Again, it’s a lot of trust that goes into allowing a painter to completely change up the colors of a customer’s home and communication is key to making sure everything is done correctly. Make sure your painter is on top of it and is updating you. If they are hard to get ahold of during the estimate process, then they will be hard to get ahold of during the painting process so keep that in mind when picking the best house painter for your project.
Does your painter have references?
Your painter should be able to provide these. Even if they are new, they should at least be able to provide a reference from a previous painting company that they have worked with. The good news is, Steamboat is very word of mouth driven, so word gets around quickly about who the pros are.
It’s time to paint your home!
I want you to have these questions on your mind when you get ready to work with a residential painter. With exterior painting season coming up it’s going to get busy for house painters, but remember you are the customer and you have control! Hopefully this list helps you feel better prepared for hiring a pro house painter. Even if you don’t choose Steamboat Painting Company, I want you to have the best painting experience in town! If you would like to work with us, contact me for a free quote!
