When the time comes to repaint your home in the Twin Cities, inside or outside, your best option is to hire a painting contractor. Unlike an average painter, painting contractors are reliable professionals equipped with all the necessary tools, materials and experience to complete any painting job.
However, with all the painting contractors operating in the Twin Cities, it can be hard to distinguish the true professionals from the amateurs. Here are some tips on how to select the right painting contractor.
Tips for Choosing a Reputable Painting Contractor
- Ask Good Questions – There are some questions that you should ask every painting contractor before you even discuss the work at hand in detail. The most important questions you should ask include, “Are you licensed and insured?”, “How long have you worked as a painting contractor?” and “Do you ever subcontract your work?” A good painting contractor should have several years of experience on the job, be properly licensed and insured, and never subcontract painting work to inferior painters. If you receive dodgy answers to any of these questions, keep looking.
- Compare Estimates – While it may be tempting to go with the first reputable painting contractor you find, it’s best to get estimates from more than one contractor before making your decision. Offer at least 3-5 different painting contractors the details of the work you need completed, and receive detailed estimates for both expenses and timeline. You may find that some contractors charge twice as much or tell you that a project will take twice as long as you were expecting. However, the cheapest and fastest painting contractors aren’t necessarily the cream of the crop, either. That’s why it’s good to compare estimates from several painting contractors. If one of them thinks a job will take half as much time as all the others do, they probably don’t know what they’re doing.
- Sign a Clear Contract – Once you settle on a painting contractor, they will most likely ask you to sign a contract for their services. If they don’t, that’s a huge red flag. Make sure you take a good look at the contract before you sign it. You should see the painting contractor’s name, license number, company address and a written guarantee on products and services they are providing. If any of these things are missing, make sure to ask why and, if they refuse to provide any of this crucial information, don’t hire them. A contract that is unclear can easily be taken advantage of by disreputable contractors to upcharge you for their services.
- Don’t Pay Too Much Up Front – The down payment you make for a painting contractor’s services should be in the neighborhood of 20%. If a contractor asks for more than 50% up front, and especially if they ask to be paid in full, this is a cause for suspicion. An untrustworthy painting contractor may fail to complete the work they’ve been paid for, or do a quick and poor job and refuse to improve upon it when asked. Hold out on your final payment until the painting contractor’s work is finished to your satisfaction.
The Twin Cities’ Top Painting Contractors
Working with a good painting contractor will allow you to make your home look amazing while staying within a budget and timeframe that suits your needs. At Cascadia LLC, we strive to be the most reliable painting contractor in the greater Twin Cities area. Contact us today for any painting services that you need!