Important Tips for Hiring a Commercial Painter

If you happen to be considering giving your office or commercial building a face lift, you’re probably not going to want to do it yourself for many different reasons. The two most important ones would be the concern for how it will look and the time and effort it takes. You want the finished product to look professional because no doubt that it’s important to you what you customers or clients think about your place of business.

This all means that it’s important that you find yourself a commercial painter that has a good reputation and understands what you need and want. Here are a few pointers that should make it easier for you to find a commercial painter that can get your project done, and done correctly.

Make Sure to Shop Around

It’s really important that you take time out of your busy schedule so that you can find just the right painting contractor for what you need done. There are three distinct ways in which you can find yourself a commercial painter. One common way is to go down to your local paint and/or hardware store. Both of these types of businesses deal with commercial painters all the time, so they really should know a lot about local contractors and they should be able to give you several reliable choices to choose from.

Another good way is to go online and do some research of your own. There are plenty of websites out there where you can find out a lot about different commercial painters including ratings by customers who have used them for their own business.

Finally, ask your family, friends or even other business owners who they have used in the past and would highly recommend. One of the best ways to learn anything about a company is still through word of mouth.

Once you have a minimum of three companies then you can start comparing all of them against one another and use the process of elimination based on your personal requirements.

Make Sure to Validate Their Insurance and Licensing

When it comes to contractors of any kind the requirements are going to differ from state to state. Many states may require that all commercial painters are insured and are also licensed. So, if you don’t know if that’s the case in your state it’s important that you find this out. Then, if it is required in your state, make sure that whomever you’re looking at that they have all the required licenses and insurance. A real plus is if the contractor that you’re looking at would be if they also belong to a national or even a local trade association because this often means that they back their work and this can help make your decision making easier.

Make Sure to Interview Them in Person

Once you have your list narrowed down to just two or three commercial painters it’s important that you set up a time when the two of you can talk in person. Talking with them via emails or on the phone are only good to a point. However, when you sit down and talk to someone in person can even tell you more about them. When you ask them certain questions that are important to you and watching how they reply, the way they look, whether they hesitate or answer right away can help a lot to determine whether they mean what they’re saying or not. Body language can tell you a lot about a person.

It’s important that you ask the right questions as well. Consider asking questions similar to the following:

• What kind of paint would you use for my project?
• How many coats of paint will you be applying?
• How would you deal with any accidental paint spills?
• What kind of PPE (personal protection equipment) do you use?
• Do you sub-contract your workers or do they work for you on a hourly basis?

If they appear to hesitate in answering any of these questions, you might want to move onto someone else instead.

Actually Check The References They Give You

 Anyone can hand you an impressive list of references. However, they’re really worthless to you if you don’t actually call and check on the references they give you. Anyone can offer you a long list of “followers” but that doesn’t mean anything if these people don’t back them up.

It’s Not Weird to be Somewhat Paranoid

 There really is absolutely nothing wrong to come off looking like you might be a little paranoid. After all, this is your office or business and it’s your customers and clients that you’re trying to impress. It’s also your money you’re spending, so feel free to be wary of those you interview. So, when discussing a possible contract make sure to include the following:

• Make sure that you have them include all of the preparation and cleanup arrangements that need to be done.
• Have them indicate which surfaces and trims they’ll be painting as well as the different colors.
• It’s really important to but both the start/stop times and the dates of the project.
• Available warranties.
• How much the final cost will be.
• What payment method you agree on.

Finally – Don’t Be Afraid to Go With Your “Gut Feelings”

 There never is anything wrong with making your decision based on your “gut feelings”. Too often than not, that “gut feeling” is right. Never be afraid to go with it, it shouldn’t be any different when choosing a painter.

Most importantly, this is your office or commercial property and you have a right to expect the job to be flawless and professional.