There is no doubt that paint can bring about a wonderful change on the appearance of a house. Regardless of whether you are painting your home or just redecorating, it is necessary to involve only a professional painting contractor, thus you will have a quality and durable surface. But not all contractors are the same and here there are few things that one should be careful when hiring a contractor. In this particular blog, we are going to learn more on the common missteps that homeowners make while hiring Painting Contractors Near Me and how to avoid them so that your project may be a success.
1- Inadequate Research on Painting Contractor Near Me
The first mistake that most of the homeowners make is that they do not take their time to search for the right painting contractors. Not all the contractors are equally knowledgeable and reliable when it comes to offering excellent customer service. To avoid this mistake ensure that you read some of the reviews, try to seek some references and or talk to friends or even relatives who may have painted their houses within some few months as this would give you better results.
2- Ignoring the Importance of a Painting Estimate Calculator:
Unfortunately, one of the biggest errors that homeowners make is not choosing a painting estimate calculator that will help them identify costs associated with their own project. A painting estimate calculator enables you to feed the details like the surface area of the place to be painted, the type of painting you wish to make, and other services as the preparation of the surface among others. With the help of this tool, one can at least get an approximate idea of the costs involved in the implementation of the project, spending budget funds and select contractors who offered the lowest prices.
3- Failure to Seek for a Free Home Estimate
Another critical mistake is failure to seek a free painting estimate. Estimation services are usually free to homeowners who want painting services for their homes and other properties. While asking for a free painting estimate near me, make sure the contractor gives a breakdown on the quotation and costs such as labor, materials, and other charges. An honest quote will prevent any unbudgeted expenses for the project and make the client and the contractor have the same perception on the project requirements.
4- Considering the Cheapest Cost over Quality Work:
Idea of going for a contractor that offers the cheapest service may not be the best thing because such contractors tend to make substandard work by using substandard materials. They might use a poor quality material and the final product can easily wear out and would need to be repainted before its expected time. Inquire about the quality of the products the contractor intends to use, how long they will spend on preparation and the guarantee they will give for the job done.
5- Hiring a Painting Contractor Without Signing a Contract:
One critical error that most homeowners commit is failure to signing a contract with the painting contractor. This is because where there is no signed contract the two parties, have no official record of what the project entail which may include misunderstandings on the price to charge, time taken or the amount of work expected. Ensure you have a signed contract that includes:
A description of the scope of work to be undertaken which includes surface preparation, painting and cleaning.
- The materials that is to be used in the construction and paints to be used.
- The amount of time to complete the project including the date when the project was initiated and when it will be completed.
- The amount of money that will be required to complete the work
- A guarantee of the construction project implying the quality of work done.
6- Failure to Verify Insurance and Licensing
Many homeowners expect that any painting contractors they hire are both licensed and insured but this may not be the case. Letting an unauthorized person work as a contractor increases your chances of having risks like loss of property and lifeguard incidences at the site. Contractor liability insures your property so ensure that the said contractor is certified by your state; this goes hand in hand with qualifications of the contractor in addition to code compliance.
7- Failure to Discuss Scope of Work:
The other mistake is to fail to specify the extent of work to be done before commencement of the project. Be sure to discuss every aspect of the job with the contractor, including:
- The process of preparation of the surface of the structure to be coated includes cleaning of the surface, sanding, and painting of the surface for the final coating.
- The number of layers of paint required.
- Collecting and disposing of all the materials used after the job done
8- Not Discussing about Prep Work:
Preparation that includes washing, scrubbing, or staining, sanding, and applying a coat of primer is important here for professional-looking finish. However, some contractors may tend to ignore these steps with an aim of saving time and cutting down on costs. It is important to specify extent of the pre-production preparation. Bad preparation of the surface results in peeling, cracking and uneven the paint.
9- Lack of Responsibilities in Cleanup
Not all contractors take it into their minimal service offering to clean up after the work is done, thus, customers are left to deal with paint drops, dust or any form of debris and remaining materials after the work is done. Make sure that the responsibility for cleaning up, removal of equipment, paint cans and other covering materials are specified. Essentially, post-job cleaning brings order when the work is complete hence it important to understand this prospect to avoid a mess.
10- Ignoring Warranty and Follow-Up Assistance
The client fails to enquire about warranty or other services in case the work is done. Some of the painting work done may require recoating or spotting after sometime due to a number of factors such as poor quality paints. Any contractor who intends to paint your buildings should give you a warranty in case of any defects such as peeling, chipping among others after painting.
If you are looking for a painting contractor, ON FLOORINGS is a group of experienced and licensed individuals who provide accurate estimates and ensure the successful completion of your work. Get your painting project done in a timely manner by hiring a painting contractor from FLOORINGS.