Are you planning to hire house painters to paint your home? But there are hundreds of contractors out there. How will you know who you should trust with painting your precious property? You don’t want to hire unskilled painters who might cause a lot of damage. That’s why it’s important to ask questions to understand whether the paint contractor you have selected is genuine or not.

Asking the right questions will easily help you figure out whether the company is genuine or not. That’s why we have compiled a list of 9 important questions to ask when hiring house painters.

1. Do you provide a free estimate?

By asking this question to the company providing house painters, you will know what to expect from the get-go. Ask each company to include details about their prep work, amount of paint and primer, and additional supplies in their estimate. That way, you’ll be able to make a proper comparison of all the bids you receive.

An in-home estimate allows the estimator to examine the project area in detail and figure out if there’s any need for extra work that will cost further. That’s why we recommend in-home estimates over the ones you will get over the phone. Moreover, if the estimator you meet isn’t going to perform the job themselves, ensure they have good project management skills.

2. Do you have insurance?

All painting contractors should be in possession of two types of insurances- Public Liability Insurance and Product Liability Insurance. The first one protects your property from damage by the house painter’s careless mistake. In Australia, the minimum limit of public liability insurance is $5 million, so the contractor should have this amount.

The second one protects your property from damage caused by unknown faults in the products or tools of the house painters. Moreover, all companies are required to have worker’s compensation insurance. You should never work with paint conductors that don’t have these insurances. So this question is very important.

3. Do you have a Safety Program?

It’s important to confirm whether the company you want to hire provides safety training to their employees. Accidents during work can cause not only delay or total halt but also damage your property. So even with proper insurance, a safety program is necessary.

So if the contractor takes safety seriously, you know they’re a good one. The safety program can consist of a safety policy, manual safety training, or culture of safe practices. Don’t be fooled by the contractor if they try to give excuses for showing you the manual. Ask further questions about how the safety training works.

4. What are your credentials?

Insurance and the safety program aren’t the only things that make a company trustworthy. Don’t leave any gaps when asking for details about the company’s credentials. You need to ensure that they’re all certified for the job so that your property doesn’t get damaged in any way. So first you should ask them to show you their business license.

Some jurisdictions mandatorily need such companies to be licensed and registered as a contractor. You should also ask about their certifications and training programs for employees. All paint companies should definitely have the Painting Practitioner (PP) and Painting Contractor (PC) licenses.

5. Can you give me a list of homeowners for reference?

It’s always smart to call some previous consumers for reference before hiring the house painters. Any professional company will proudly hold a list of reference homeowners new consumers can contact. If they don’t, that means they’re not professional enough. If they show reluctance to show you the list, it means they’re not confident about their work.

If they do give you the list, ask them how it’s compiled and how they determine who gets to be on the list. It’s also smart to ask how old or new the names on the list are. You want to contact people who have received services quite recently. There’s always a possibility that a company used to provide high-quality service before, but now they don’t.

6. What materials do you use for painting?

High-quality materials are really important to ensure the best and most durable paint job. It’s quite easy to understand when someone has painted the house with quality materials and when they haven’t. You will find a huge difference between a $10 can of paint versus a $50 one. Usually, the higher-priced ones have expensive ingredients like resins, binders, etc., that ensure better longevity.

That’s why you should always ask for the material details from the house painters. Please don’t settle for anything below average because high-quality things are always worth it. If you find the workers confidently answering the question, you know you are in good hands. If they’re using the best kind of materials for the project, you can expect your house to look the best too.

7. Do you offer a warranty?

In the painting industry, there are two types of warranties – paint warranty and workmanship warranty. The first one covers the painting and coating products used in the project with a guarantee of 5+ years depending on the company (it doesn’t cover the application of the products).The second one covers the contractor’s labor, such as cleaning, preparation, application, maintenance, and repairs. Both of these warranties work together to protect your investment and are legally enforceable under the Australian Consumer Law.

The next thing you should ask is how the warranty is funded because many companies don’t consider how to pay the expenses from warranty callbacks. They usually disappear when they get the call. But a professional contractor will be prepared for callbacks and have a line item in their budget for warranty work. Based on how they respond to this funding question, you can get an idea about whether they’re reliable or not.

Now that you know what questions to ask your contractor, you are good to go. Hire the right house painters for the best results for your property.