When are they available to perform the work?

The availability of a contractor can tell you a lot about how healthy their business is. If they ask you to start tomorrow, you know they may be hard up for work. Especially in the busiest part of the painting season (Spring through Summer), you should expect a solid contractor to have other work.

Is exterior painting a common service they provide?

Painting has lots of specialties--interior, exterior, staining, industrial, commercial, new construction, just to name a few. If a painter or his team isn’t trained in exterior home painting, you aren’t getting the experience a seasoned exterior painter can provide. Not all painting is the same! Especially with exterior painting, there is much more that goes into the job besides applying the paint (that’s the easy part).

What kind of prep will be done?

I can’t stress enough how important prep is to an exterior paint job. “Prep” is a term we use to refer to the preparation of the surfaces that will be painted. It could include detailed mildew treatment, power washing, scraping, sanding, feather sanding, priming, caulking, puttying, and more. These steps will determine if your paint job is set up to succeed or fail, in both the short and long term. Make sure the proposal you receive explains in detail the type of prep you will receive as part of the job.

What kind of paint will be used?

There are dozens of exterior paint manufacturers and paint lines to choose from. You should depend on your painting contractor to make recommendations that will fit your expectations for performance, longevity, and budget. Specifying something like “Sherwin Williams Latex Paint” could mean anything--they could use the cheapest builder’s grade paint, or their most expensive line “Emerald,” but if they don’t specify, how will you know? Differences in cost can be substantial, as well as differences in performance between paints

Are paint and other materials included?

When comparing quotes, you want to make sure they each include the cost of materials, and the same type & line of paint. Painting Contractors can negotiate significant discounts with paint providers, which should save you money. Additionally, a paint contractor that asks you to buy the paint probably doesn’t have the relationship with those providers, and probably isn’t funded well enough to provide the money up front for the materials.

Is there a detailed scope of work in the proposal?

You want to be sure that each surface to be painted is listed in detail as a part of the scope of work. Anything left out could indicate a lack of attention to detail, and result in change orders later during the course of the job. You also want to ensure how many coats will be applied--two topcoats (not including primer) is the standard for a high-quality paint job.

Is the Contractor Insured?

Any contractor that works on or around your home should have commercial liability insurance, worker’s compensation insurance, and commercial auto insurance. If there is damage to your property and the contractor does not have liability insurance, the cost would have to be covered by the contractor directly or by your homeowner’s insurance. Similarly, if a worker is injured at your home, you could be liable for medical bills and loss of wages if the contractor doesn’t have worker’s compensation insurance insuring the employee.

Is the Contractor Local?

People working in trades like Painting move all the time. There’s nothing wrong with a painter moving to a new area, but you want to be sure that whomever you hire to paint your home will be around after the job is done, and they aren’t prone to skip town in the middle of the job. Look for local contractors that have roots in the community and a reputation to uphold.

What is the warranty provided with the work?

Believe it or not, some contractors don’t even provide a warranty for their work, or if they do, they don’t quantify the length or what it covers. A handshake doesn’t always hold up 2 years later when the paint is bubbling! Make sure you get in writing what the warranty covers, and how long it is for.

How long will the work take?

It’s important to communicate what your expectations and needs are with the Painting Contractor to ensure they can complete the work in a reasonable timeframe, and they have the manpower to do so. A big paint job can take a week, or it can take a month, depending on how many workers are placed on the project! You also want to ensure the contractor isn’t going to take the painters from your job and send them to another job in the middle of the work when there is still work they can perform. Believe it or not, these are all things that can commonly happen when a painter is overcommitted or understaffed.

How does the painter handle inclement weather?

Weather plays a big part in exterior painting--specifically low temperatures, humidity, and the “Big R,” RAIN. Be sure that they have a policy for what happens when these scenarios occur--painting during and around these conditions can cause serious paint failures that may not always show up right away.

11 Contractor Questions | Prestigious Painting

At Prestigious Painting, we want our customers to know they can trust us for all their residential and commercial painting needs. So before you hire a painting company, ask them these ten questions:

When can you perform the work?
Are you licensed and insured?
What type of experience do your painters have?
What kind of paint does your company use?
Do you provide a warranty?
Are materials and paint included?
Are you a local contractor?
How long will the job take?
Do you have references?
Are you a residential or commercial company?

At Prestigious Painting, we’re proud to serve Baton Rouge with superior quality painting services at competitive rates. Call us at (225) 614-9520 to book an estimate today!

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