What Do I Ask A Painter?
Question:I am interviewing several painters to paint my house. The estimates have come in all over the place. What specific questions do I ask when I am narrowing down the process?
Thanks.
Answers:
Does the estimate include powerwashing the house before painting?
Does it include primer, and if so which brand? (Make sure it's an oil-based primer)
Which brand and quality of paint is being specified in the bid? (Check them out after he's gone...call the paint store that handles that brand and make sure he's not going cheap. The best is "alkyd exterior enamel")
How many coats of paint?
What kind of prep will he do?
How many men will be on the site?
Will they be using ladders or scaffolding? What steps will they use to protect planting beds, etc.
Is the bid including the painting of the trim? If so, which paint, what prep, etc. If you want more than one color on the trim, is that included?
How many days will the project take, irrespective of rain (always figure they're not painting when it's likely to rain before the paint dries...but how many work days will it take to do your house?)
Do the high bids include something the low bidders are skipping? Is the high bidder flexible on the extras? Why isn't the low bidder including those things...or is he, but in a separate cost that you're not seeing?
In the end, I usually go somewhere in the middle, with the guy who knows which day he'll be done and is busy enough that he's got to keep his crew on schedule. I don't want to be his only client and find out he can't possibly finish the work for the low-ball bid he gave me. Also make sure the estimate is in writing, there's a contract (and read it) and that he guarantees X number of work days...no more.
ask him to " paint me a birmingham" just like the way i planned. see if he knows what your talking about...lol,lol
what are the best paints to use that will match the style of your house
Most of your questions should be answered in the proposals, (ie: payment terms, job specs).
Some things you want to look for are:
1. Job specs: Exactly what does the bid cover?
2. How long will it take them to complete the job?
3. What type and brand of paint will they be using?
4. What are the payment terms?
5. Is paint coverage guaranteed?
You also might want to know what size their crew is so you know what kind of traffic to expect in your home. The larger the crew does not necessarily mean the faster the job will be completed.
Definately hire someone local to you.
how long can they finish & details finishing
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