Interviewing Painters

[polyhymnia]

I have an appointment set up this afternoon to have a painting company come by and give me an estimate to repaint our ceilings. I just cannot bear the thought of doing it myself. While they are there I am also going to get a quote for them to do the remaining walls as well, which is a possibility also.

background: this company painted the exterior of our ski cabin (owned jointly with a few other families) last summer so i have seen their work on an exterior but have not personally seen their interior work, nor did I deal directly with them when they did our ski cabin last year. BUT, the person who did deal with them said that it was very easy and they were a pleasure to work with. And, the quality of their work at the cabin was very high as well as finished on time.

It's a small, local company that just has four people - two owners/master painters, an apprentice and a journeyman. It's the type of place I like to support

So --- what do I ask? What do I look for? I have NEVER outsourced painting before, we always did it ourselves when I was growing up. But it has reached the point where I don't mind paying for the convenience of not having to do it myself and having it done in a few days rather than a few months But, I am super nervous about this.

Thanks for any advice!!

[Ornery]

My DH is a painter. Actually, he now is the "foreman" at the job sites where his company is painting. My biggest piece of advice is to make sure any contractor who comes near your house is bonded and licensed. In addition, some of the bigger companies around here will have portfolios of their work that you can examine. Not sure if any in your area are the same, but you can also request some references if that makes you more comfortable. Seeing as they did an excellent job on the outside of your home, I think you are probably safe with them. But don't feel like you have to go with them, a lot of times different companies will give you drastically different bids.

An aside to make the painter's life a little easier, please have a clear view of what you want done, colors, stains, etc. Costs skyrocket if a homeowner changes their mind constantly, or doesn't know exactly what they want, in addition to being really frustrating for the painter.

Good luck and good for you for supporting the local economy.

[polyhymnia]

Originally Posted by Eclipse95

My DH is a painter. Actually, he now is the "foreman" at the job sites where his company is painting. My biggest piece of advice is to make sure any contractor who comes near your house is bonded and licensed. In addition, some of the bigger companies around here will have portfolios of their work that you can examine. Not sure if any in your area are the same, but you can also request some references if that makes you more comfortable. Seeing as they did an excellent job on the outside of your home, I think you are probably safe with them. But don't feel like you have to go with them, a lot of times different companies will give you drastically different bids.

An aside to make the painter's life a little easier, please have a clear view of what you want done, colors, stains, etc. Costs skyrocket if a homeowner changes their mind constantly, or doesn't know exactly what they want, in addition to being really frustrating for the painter.

Good luck and good for you for supporting the local economy.

Thanks for the tips!! We know what color we want, it's really very basic. We DEFINITELY want the ceiling done in a basic ceiling white. Then, we want some walls done in a light grey but we may do this ourselves depending on the estimate. We *may* want a different color in the spare bedroom. We'll do the bathrooms ourselves unless the cost is negligible. We don't want to spend more than about $2k for the project all told. We have already painted a few accent walls. We don't want any trim painted and there are no windows, doors, etc that need painting. Well actually - *I* want trim painted, but it's probably out of our budget and it is not necessary, the trim is wood color now

The hardest part is going to be sorting out what to do with all of the furniture while it is painted. I am not looking forward to that. I wish we had just painted it all before we moved in 2 years ago but we wanted to live with it and take some time to think about what colors we wanted

Is it enough to just ask if they are licensed/bonded, or should I look it up somewhere myself?