HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PAINTING CONTRACTOR

Choosing the right painting contractor to help you protect and beautify your home can be an overwhelming task. 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? 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?”

Before you choose a contractor who meets your needs, consider the following;Qualifications & experienceThe painting contractor should be qualified to carry out the work to a professional standard and should be able to produce a copy of his qualifications when requested. This trade can have high turnover. Make sure you hire someone who has been operating for five years or longer, they should have a thorough knowledge of the best preparation and painting methods and can offer technical advise on the correct materials to use for your project.LicensingUsing a licensed painter is an important way you can ensure you won't be ripped off. Licensed painters have received special training to make sure they apply coatings to specifications and meet industry requirements. Painters who work unlicensed risk the quality of the work carried out, and pose a risk to the consumer. The licensing system protects the consumer from unnecessary conflict and disappointment. Consumers who use unlicensed or unqualified painters may be unable to recover damages, should a complaint over faulty workmanship arise.InsuranceThere are two basic kinds of insurance that a painter should have and each one has a different purpose.Public Liability Insurance covers any damage that may occur in your home. Of course, a good painting contractor will be very careful and make safety a high priority. Nevertheless, accidents do sometimes happen. Falls and spills are always a possibility, no matter how careful you are. Also, painting tools and vehicles can cause damage, unlikely though it may seem. Hiring a painter with liability insurance means you are not at financial risk should something happen.Worker’s Compensation Insurance  is another important coverage that a good painter should have. This is a sign that an employer cares about his employees and complies with employment laws. In the unlikely event of an accident on your project, you will not be at risk of a lawsuit, since the Worker’s Compensation is designed to protect both you and the employee.As a consumer, you should never consider working with a contractor that does not have these insurances in place.Background ChecksThis feared question gets to the heart of who will be performing work in your home and whether your home and belongings will be safe. Sadly, there have been numerous documented cases around where employees of a painting contractor have stolen injured, or even killed the homeowner.  What’s worse, in most cases it was later found that the bad employee had a criminal background that was unknown to the employer.  In learning about who will be performing the work in your home, you should ask additional questions about their hiring policy and whether they conduct criminal background checks.

Employees or subcontractorsMany painting contractors will use subcontractors instead of hiring employees because it will lower their costs. Subcontractors are typically paid a flat fee, and the contractor also does not have to pay for any taxes and employee benefits. However, you put yourself at risk when you hire a contractor who uses subcontractors:

• The contractor may be tempted to find subcontractors offering the lowest possible fee so they can make more money on the job. This can translate into low quality of work.

• Since the subcontractor gets a fixed fee and is not paid hourly, they may be tempted to cut corners to get the job done quicker.

• If the contractor uses subcontractors and not employees, it increases the probability that they do not have workers compensation insurance.

• The contractor may not know the people on the crew, which makes it likely that background checks have not been performed.

All of these scenarios can impact the quality of work you get as well as the safety of your home and belongings. For this reason, it is better to hire a painting contractor whose workers are true employees.Employee trainingThis is another reason why you should always hire painting contractors who have employees and not those who use subcontractors. If the company you hire uses only subcontractors to paint, they have no control over the training they receive.  However, even if you choose a contractor with employees, this does not guarantee that those employees receive training. The sad fact is that training just isn’t in the budget for most contractors.However, training is very important in the painting industry:

• It reduces mistakes.• It helps to assure a consistent, high-quality product.• It allows projects to be completed in a timely manner.• It reduces accidents and mishaps.

If a company has a formal training program, it’s a safe bet that they have their act together. They can do training in-house through regular meetings of their employees.  They can have field training systems in place, usually coordinated with classroom training sessions.  They can also use trade associations, such as MPA (Master Painters Australia) or paint manufacturer’s representatives to stay up to date with the latest materials and techniques.SafetyIn addition to training on painting techniques and materials, it is important that the painter you hire provides safety training for its employees. This is important even if the contractor has the proper insurance because:

• Accidents on the job are highly disruptive, causing delays or even complete halts of the work.

• With or without an accident, unsafe work practices can cause damage to your property.The best scenario is to avoid mishaps in the first place, and the best chance for that to happen is if the contractor takes safety seriously. This can include a written safe work method statement, safety policy manual, regular safety training, and an overall culture of safe work practices. Your painter should be able to provide you with a safety induction card to assure you that they have received the proper official training from an authorised trainer.MaterialsThe quality of materials used on your project will impact how it looks and how long it lasts. There is a huge difference in quality among coatings like paints and stains. There are also many specialised coatings that should be used for specific applications. Differences in the costs of paint represent real differences in the ingredients, with higher-priced paint having more expensive ingredients that look better and last longer, such as resins, binders and even titanium.In addition to coatings, the quality of other materials matters too. For example, the quality of fillers and preparation materials your contractor uses impacts its lifespan.

Trade AssociationMembership to organisations like Master Painters Australia and Accreditations from paint manufacturers like Dulux accredited painters demonstrate that the company is stable, and the painter is committed to his or her trade.Membership in trade association shows a commitment to delivering the highest quality in painting services. Such associations often provide education, training, technical consulting, and a written code of ethics.Professional painters are well-established and committed to their trade and to their communities. Membership in organizations is just another way to pick them out from those companies that aren’t as qualified.Workmanship warrantyDoes the painting contractor offer a warranty. will they stand behind their work with a five tear workmanship warranty. If the paint cracks or peels as a result of their workmanship, will they provide the painter and the paint to fix the issue once and for all without any fuss.Cost. Price is naturally a concern. Getting the lowest price should not be your first or only consideration. You want to get someone with skill, experience, who is properly licensed and insured, aware of safety issues and is a good worker. That will not likely be the individual with the lowest bid. It does not need to be the highest bid, either. Just make sure not to hire on price. Look at the whole picture. Painting contractors operate on very tight profit margins. You will hear of homeowners who hired college students, unlicensed individuals and teachers out of work in the summer and were happy with the work. If the price seems too good to be true, however, it probably is.

Always get at least three bids. Ask and state  the same questions and expectations. Once you receive the bids, which should take no longer than a week, you should carefully compare that all proposals have the same amount of prep, materials and scope of work along with all the proper documentation.

Check List

These days, it seems like anyone with a paintbrush and a business card can call themselves a painting contractor. Homeowners who are most likely to be taken in by these unscrupulous “painters” are those who are focused on cost and cost alone. With painting, like anything else in life, you typically get what you pay for. If the painting contractor you are considering cannot answer these questions, proceed at your own risk. If they answer all satisfactorily, then you know you’ve found a great great professional contractor to work with. Simply tick the box that applies to each painter and add up all the ticks.

Contractors name;

Price $ $ $

Experienced

Qualified

Licensed

Insured

Background Checks

Employees or sub contractors

Employee Training

Quality materials

Safety

Trade association

Warranty

Reviews / References

Cheapest

Total

Always get at least three quotes. Ask and state  the same questions and expectations. Once you receive the quotes, which should take no longer than a week, you should carefully compare that all proposals have the same amount of prep, materials and scope of work along with all the proper documentation.

Simply tick the box that applies to each painter to reach your decision