If your home was built before 1979, the paint might contain lead, which is extremely hazardous to children age 6 and younger. Call your local public health department for information on how to check for lead and handle lead paint safely. For a free booklet on dealing with lead paint, contact the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at www.epa.gov/lead.
Repaint — exteriors especially — before visible signs of wear appear, Bancroft says. Don’t wait until you see peeling or flaking paint. “If I have to spend 40 hours preparing the surface before we can paint, that time is going to result in a lot of extra costs. But if I can spend 10 hours preparing the surfaces to be painted, you’re going to save money,” Freeman says.
Painters should have a proper business license; this gives them access to wholesale pricing and lines of credit at a paint supply store. It's also important that your painter is bonded and insured. Bonding means that a third party company has reviewed the professional and has granted him or her a certain amount of surety bonding. The bond helps protect the homeowner from financial damage if the contractor refuses to complete work or doesn't pay subcontractors. Insurance protects both the painter and the homeowner in the event of an accident, injury or damage to the property. Ask to see all of these pieces of information and verify the dollar amounts.
I turn away any job when the client refuses to pay anything up front. It sends a red flag. I also charge a scheduling fee which is non-refundable. I get 33 percent when I show up and begin work. Another percentage halfway through, and the balance upon completion after client is satisfied. There needs to be skin in the game for both parties as a measure of good faith. If you are dealing with a reputable company (did your due diligence, right?) why wouldn't you want to pay something as work progresses? We do this not only because we love to paint but we require cash flow to stay in business. There is not always 'money in the bank' as you suggest. It's tough these days. The suggestion buy 'Kim' 'Never pay a contractor a deposit' is nonsensical.
In my opinion the information on this page should be modified as for the pricing for my area is not correct and the information here could damage the expectations of my or another painting companies pricing. There are too many situations that there is not a way to specify cost prior to seeing the actual house and that information needs to be in big print on this page.
When you go to the home improvement store, find out how much 12 gallons of the paint you want would cost, and that will help you determine your cost. Maybe it's a low-quality paint that costs $30, in which case you're looking at about $360 for paint. If you choose high-quality paint that costs around $70, your total paint cost could be closer to $840. Professionals also recommend that you add an extra 10 or 20 percent to your total square footage, depending on the type of siding you have. Some textures require extra paint because they're rough. This is especially true with wood and stucco siding.
Painters with bad reputations can avoid the problem of reference checks by giving their customers lists of relatives and friends. The people will say great things, and the customer won’t be the wiser. The best way to avoid this smoke and mirror trick is to ask specific questions about the project. If the reference seems hesitant, doesn’t know the details, or gives sketchy responses, be skeptical.
Steve, not only did you come off with an edge regarding the article written for Angie's list but you came awfully close to being slanderous. The article was written if you will have read his bio by a very well established professional painter. The issue regarding the deposit was put in question by a responder. I have read your response in full as you suggested, and companies as large as yours are just as likely to use the tricks of the trade as the small guy as you suggest, if not more so. A large company has less oversight and workers get lazy with the boss not looking over their shoulder. I have had experience in this area, and thought that i was dealing with a very reputable company that had been recommended by a couple friends, my insurance company, and my adjuster who had dealt with the company. I had terrible problems with the company, who do full restorations and like your company paint in all areas. To finalize your statement that Established businesses do not cheat customers is completly false and is a very misleading statement. I am suprised that Angies list allowed you to post such an outragious comment. All you have to do is look in the Civil lawsuits section of the Established businesses that are being sued or are under investigation for fraud and cheating their customers!
“The end product is amazing! Eraldo and Eduardo’s attention to detail definitely exceeded my expectations. Both did a fine job from beginning to end, including immaculate clean-up. Eduardo was here every day exactly when he said he would be. He worked hard, was diligent and pleasant. I will certainly call Catchlight again for painting and will recommend you as well.”
Painting contractors work in the property maintenance sector. Depending on their skills and resources, they might specialize in painting different types of buildings, including houses and apartments, or commercial properties, such as offices, factories or retail outlets. Some contractors work directly for property owners; others find work through real estate firms, rental agents and property maintenance companies.
We painted our house with House to Home Painting and we are extremely happy with the service provided by the owner Jose Vega. We met Jose at our home to discuss a potential agreement to paint our home. I immediately noticed Jose's people and customer service skills while discussing the painting of our home. We obtained several quotes from other companies and Jose was able to beat all of them and was very reasonable with the price. It took a couple of samples for us to find the color we wanted. Jose was very patient and wanted to make sure we chose the color we liked. After the painting of our home, Jose went above and beyond assisting us with cosmetic details that were not necessarily his responsibility. I would definitely recommend House to Home Painting and the service provided by Jose Vega. We definitely recommend this business.
I managed commercial construction projects for many years, have built and remodeled several properties, and never once have I encountered any of these scams. The tone of this article is deeply troubling. The author seems to be saying that ALL painting contractors are inherently dishonest, and that has not been my experience. The underlying advice here is sound: get it all in writing and cover as many contingencies as possible--so pointing out potential pitfalls like coat coverage is helpful. But do that in the spirit of clear communication of expectations, not with the expectation that the person you are hiring will try to cheat you at every turn. Not every contractor takes outrageous advantage of change orders; not every contractor will sneak past necessary preparation and/or repairs. Contractors of all sorts get a bad rap as it is; reinforcing a stereotype with articles written from this point of view just seems unproductive.
