How to Choose a Painting Contractor For Your Home

Learning how to choose a painting contractor for your home can be an overwhelming task, especially if you’ve never hired anyone for a residential painting project before. Maybe the most important question you can ask yourself during this process is, “Who do I trust to provide me with a quality job and give me the best value for my money?”

Let’s face it, painters don’t exactly have the best reputation, to begin with, and the last thing you want to do is to get ripped-off by some guy wearing white pants.

You want to be an educated consumer.  So where do you start?  What do you look for?  What do you look out for? Keep reading to learn our top 5 tips for choosing a house painter, plus get our full selection checklist to ensure your project goes smoothly. 

Our Top 5 Tips for Choosing a Good Painting Contractor

Step 1:  Explore Your Options

There’s no shortage of resources available to you when you’re trying to locate prospective painting contractors, but there’s also no guarantee that any of the random names you’ll find while searching the web or browsing through the phone book will be reputable contractors.

I know what you’re thinking……“Who uses the phone book?”  But my point is that you need to know where your best resources are if you’re going to start the process off on the right foot.

The best places to start when choosing a painting contractor are:

• Referrals from a friend or family member
• Your local Better Business Bureau website
• The Painting & Decorating Contractors of America’s Find-A-Painter website
• Reputable online review sites like Angie’s List 

Generally speaking, the highly reviewed contractors you’ll find on these websites tend to be more quality-conscious and are more concerned with exceeding their customers’ expectations. 

See the Annual Homeowner Survey on the BBB's website that shows contractor referral sources ranked by consumer trust.

Step 2:  Get Multiple Bids

After you’ve selected a few companies that have piqued your interest it’s time to get bids.  It’s always a good idea to get multiple bids for comparison purposes.  Avoid the temptation of choosing a prospect simply because they have the lowest bid price, as that is by far the most dangerous way of selecting a contractor.  But a little healthy competition never hurts anyone and it helps to keep prices at a reasonable level.

A good rule of thumb is to collect three bids before making your decision.  Now, you may have to contact more than three companies in order to get your three bids because some of them may be backlogged with work and, unfortunately, some of them are just not very good at returning phone calls or emails.

Step 3:  Interview The Candidates

One of the biggest reasons why people end up dissatisfied with their contractors is that they didn’t know the right questions to ask before they made their decision.  When you meet with your contracting candidates you should treat it as a job interview. 

They are literally interviewing for your job so don’t be afraid to ask tough questions.  The time to find out information about your contractor is before you hire them, not after. 

If you’ve done your homework up to this point you can assume that anyone giving you a bid is probably a reputable contractor, so be respectful when questioning them.  But if they’re too proud or too busy to take the time to answer questions about the things that are important to you now, then you can probably also assume that they will be too proud or too busy to take the time to address your concerns during and after the project.

If you’re not asking the right questions then your decision will most likely be based solely on price.  But remember, you’re not looking for the best price.  You’re looking for a company you can trust to provide you with a quality job and give you the best value for your money.

To be certain you’re asking the right questions you can download a copy of our free guide on How To Choose a Painting Contractor for a great interview question checklist.

Step 4:  Check References

Your final act of due diligence in choosing a painting contractor is to check their references.  Any contractor worth their salt will have a complete list of references they will provide you with so you can check out their work for yourself. 

Now you can choose with confidence.

Step 5:  Pay It Forward

Now that your project turned out exactly the way you envisioned it would…Pay It Forward.  Help your neighbors out by posting a rave online review of your experience, or agreeing to serve as a reference for the next person who's needing help choosing a painting contractor for their project.

Step 6: Use A Contract

One of the best ways to avoid getting taken to the cleaners when working with a contractor is to use a job contract which includes a detailed scope of work that outlines exactly what work will be performed.

BONUS TIP

If you're getting multiple bids for the main purpose of finding the cheapest contractor to complete your painting project, you're probably going to get exactly what you pay for.  The competitive bidding process exists to help you find the best fit for your project (quality of work, warranty, turn-around time, good communication, etc.) not just the cheapest bid.  

Quality painting services can and should come at a reasonable price, but fly-by-night painters are everywhere and they'll try to entice you with a lowball number.  Don't fall for it.  ALL PAINT JOBS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL!  Don't be the low-price-shopper who gets what they pay for and then wonders why.  You're better off to do it yourself then to help support illegitimate contractors by giving them business.

Download Our FREE Checklist to Help You Hire the Best Painter for Your House

To be certain you’re asking the right questions, you can download a copy of our free guide on selecting the best painting contractor for your project. It includes tips and tricks, great interview questions and more!

Choosing A Residential Painting Contractor

Download the free guide and get it done right the first time.

How to Find Quality Painters in Your Area

There are many good sources of information that you can utilize to help you find licensed, reputable painting companies in your area.

• Friends & Family Referrals
• Homeowners' Association Clubhouse Referrals
• Homeowners' Association Magazines
• Better Business Bureau
• Angie's List
• Google Listings
• Yelp!
• Local Home & Garden Shows
• PDCA's Find-A-Painter
• ... to name a few

Make Sure You’re Ready To Paint

Picking Your Colors

Choosing colors can be confusing and time-consuming; and it's not uncommon for it to hold up the start of a job.  Fortunately there are a ton of color help resources to make things a lot simpler -- from apps to virtual painting software to color consultants.  Don't be afraid to utilize them.

Preparing The Workspace

If you're an able-bodied homeowner who happens to have a lot of furnishings in an interior workspace that needs to be cleared, you may be able to save yourself some money by removing items from the rooms to be painted before the workers arrive.

Don't Create An Obstacle

The day the painters begin, ask them if there's anything they might need from you, then give them plenty of space to do their job.  Being a homeowner myself, I can understand having questions about the process, and I can also understand being curious about the goings-on that might look unusual to me.  But if you've done your homework on this company you have to trust that they know what they're doing.  Unless there is an urgent need to interrupt them, just let them do what they do best and keep a list of any questions you might have to address with them at the beginning or the end of the work day.

Wrapping Up: Use These Tips to Find the Best Painting Contractor for Your Project

Selecting the right painting contractor for your home is a crucial step in ensuring that your project is completed successfully and to your satisfaction. By following a structured approach, you can significantly increase your chances of finding a contractor who is not only skilled and experienced but also trustworthy and reliable. Seek recommendations from friends, family, and online reviews to create a shortlist of potential contractors. Ensure that you verify their credentials, including licenses and insurance. Obtain multiple bids to compare prices and services, but remember that the lowest bid is not always the best option. Focus on the value and quality of work each contractor promises and always have a detailed contract that outlines the scope of work, timeline, and payment schedule to avoid any misunderstandings.

Hopefully this guide explains everything you need to know about how to find a painting contractor.
Always feel free to reach out to us with any questions!