How To Find A Really Good Painter

Residential house painting is not a do it yourself job for those who have little or no experience in the field. Those who try to paint their house on their own often end up with an uneven paint job, mistakes that take time, energy and money to rectify and other problems that would have been avoided had a person hired a professional painter to do the job. Furthermore, painting a house takes time, which is something that many busy homeowners simply do not have.

A person who needs the inside and/or outside of the house painted will want to take the time to find really good Cincinnati painters. Finding a competent, experienced painter will ensure that the job is done right, completed on time and does not cost more than it should. Following are some tips on finding a trustworthy painter.

Asking for Referrals

Asking a friend, relative or even neighbor for a referral is the easiest way to find a painter that will do a good job at a good price. A person can even ask colleagues at work if they have had their house painted and if so, whether or not they are happy with the job that was done. Getting a referral is a lot easier than looking through the Yellow Pages or Google search results.

Starting from Scratch

Those who cannot get a referral to a painter or painting company will need to start from scratch. This involves searching for a painting contractor online or in the Yellow Pages for local residential painters. A person will then need to call a number of painting companies to ask about the nature of the job to be done, how much it will cost and other pertinent questions.

Getting an Estimate

A professional painter will never give an estimate over the phone; instead, he or she will come to a person’s residence, see the area that needs to be painted and ask detailed questions about what type of paint job a homeowner wants. This price estimate should be free, and it should not obligate the homeowner to work with the painter in question.

A homeowner who gets a price estimate should know clearly what he or she wants. It is beneficial to have a list of what needs to be painted, how many paint coats are required, whether or not caulking needs to be done, etc. Even a good painter cannot give an accurate price estimate based on inaccurate or incomplete information.

Finding Out About the House Painter

A homeowner will want to find out as much about the painter as possible. The Better Business Bureau website is a good source of information as it will note whether or not a painter has had customer disputes and how (or if) these disputes were resolved. A person will also want to ask a house painter the following questions:

• How much experience do you have?
• Do you do the job yourself or subcontract the work?
• Can you provide references?
• Can you provide a written guarantee that the job will be done right or redone free of charge?
• What type of caulking and paint do you use?
• What paint type and colors do you recommend? How many coats will you do?
• How long will the job take to finish?
• When do I have to pay?
• Do you clean up the painting mess when the job is finished or is this left for the homeowner to deal with?

The Qualities of a Good House Painter

• A good house painter will be experienced.
• A good painter will be professional and businesslike in all his or her dealings.
• A good painter will show up for appointments on time and finish the work on time.
• Good painters will want to create a contract specifying what is to be done and the details of the job in question.
• Good painters will make recommendations to the homeowner regarding what type of paint should be used, whether caulking is needed (it usually is) and how many coats of paint the house needs.
• Good painters are not afraid to give references. They know that their work will speak for itself and that past clients will not have anything to say against them.
• Good painters will clean up their mess after themselves.
• Good painters use high quality materials.
• All painters should have insurance. They should also be licensed if the state in question requires painter licensing.

The Contract

As was noted above, a painting company should provide a written contract describing the job to be done in detail. It is easy for spoken instructions to be misunderstood or even forgotten, so having a written contract will ensure that the job is done as requested. The contract should note when the job is to start, when it should be finished, what type and color of paint is to be used, which areas should be painted, who does the cleanup and when the painter should be paid.

A homeowner should check this contract carefully before signing it. It is especially important to read any fine print on the contract. This fine print will often contain stipulations that a homeowner will want to be aware of. Some stipulations are very reasonable; for instance, a painting company may not be able to finish the job on time if rain or unexpected adverse weather occurs. At the same time, a homeowner will want to be on the lookout for hidden costs or other issues that may significantly alter the type of job to be done and how much it will cost.

Finding a good painter takes a bit of time and research but is well worth the effort. A good paint job will not only look nice but also last for many years. It is important to find a painter who is experienced, uses high quality paint and does a good job. By asking the above mentioned questions and getting a written guarantee and job contract, any homeowner should be able to find a good house painter in his or her city.