You may think that it’s easy to find skilled exterior painters. However, that’s not always the case. The key is to take the correct steps to prevent yourself from choosing an unskilled and amateur one. Once you choose the right painter, it can drastically make a difference in both your budget savings and the result of the look you’re going for.  

Make a plan 

See to it that you already know what you really want to paint in your home and what color you want to use. If you want to save money and reduce the costs, you need to do it right on the bat. Moreover, as you meet with multiple painting contractors, reiterate to them about the paint types that you’re planning to use and that you want several coats. Similar to most materials, paints also have high-quality versions, and cheaper paints usually don’t last as long. Make it clear that you need to get proper preparation and ensure that all of this is included in your signed contract.  

Request a Guarantee 

A skilled painting contractor must be confident of his work and willing to give a guarantee against peeling, excessive fading, chipping, or chalking that potentially might happen a few years after the job is completed. Hence, it’s important to ask for this.  

Read the review 

Before you hire a residential painter, make sure to research whether they have a BBB rating. You may also try searching the name of their company on your preferred search bar and add the words “scam” or “rip off” and see if it gets results. You can also look for some of the company’s information at the Contractor’s License Reference Site of your state.  

Ask for references and verify past jobs 

Have a list of previous customers from every painting contractor and contact them to know what can they say about their services, how long it took them to finish the project, and whether they experienced any issues as they work with the painter. Perhaps you also need to request some references for some jobs they did 5 years before to determine how they are holding up.  

Ask for a detailed contract 

Never trust the things that are only verbally mentioned, unless they make a written contract. This contract should include the information of the painter, such as the name, address, cell and office numbers, the license number, and any details mentioned in the estimate. The contract must also state clearly what are the inclusions and exclusions of the job. Moreover, ask for a copy of the painting contractor’s certificate of liability, and compensation insurance of the workers. When they tell you that they don’t have such coverage, you need to be cautious. When something goes wrong, you could be held responsible for it. 

Get some estimates 

Every time you meet painting contractors, don’t forget to ask for a written detailed estimate, which must include the specific brand of materials, material costs, a summary of labor, the number of requested coats of paint and primer, and the details about the painter’s scope of work.