Hiring a painting company isn’t as simple as just calling a few companies and comparing prices. There are multiple things to consider before you choose a company to paint your San Diego home. If it’s the first time you’ve ever had your house painted, you may not know what to look for in a painting company, so here are five things to find out before you sign a contract and give a company a deposit.
Is the Company Licensed, Bonded, and Insured?
It’s not too difficult for someone to buy a few painting supplies, print up some business cards, and start paining houses. People do it all the time and try to pass themselves off as owners of legitimate painting businesses. Painting companies in California are required to be licensed by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). They must be bonded and have workers compensation insurance to cover their employees.
All of these requirements are put in place to protect you, the consumer. If your painting contractor doesn’t do a good job, or doesn’t complete your job, you have some measure of recourse. You can report them to the CSLB and go after their bond. Or if an employee of the painting company you hire gets injured on your property, you won’t be liable to pay for their medical treatment because the company’s workers compensation insurance will cover it.
Hiring an unlicensed and uninsured company leaves you at risk for all kinds of costly issues and isn’t worth any cost savings you may get by using one. Always hire a painting contractor that is licensed, bonded, and insured. You can check the status of company by visiting the CSLB website.
How Many Years Has the San Diego Painting Company Been in Business?
All companies need to start somewhere. By no means do we want to disparage new companies just trying to make it in the industry, but when you hire a painting company that is established and has an excellent reputation in the community, you get the benefit of their experience. You can also be fairly certain that they won’t run off with your deposit without completing the work.
As a painting company that has been doing work in San Diego since 2006, we’ve heard way too many horror stories of homeowners hiring a newly established painting company, giving them a sizable deposit, and then never hearing from them again. Hiring a company that has a documented history of providing excellent service will go a long way in preventing this unfortunate situation.
Who Will Be Doing the Actual Painting?
A quality paint job has a lot to do with the techniques used by the people doing the painting. You want to hire a San Diego residential painting company with trained and experienced painters. At PaintGreen, our painters are uniformed professionals. They have been trained in the painting methods that will help your paint job look great for many years to come! We never use untrained day laborers to do the painting in our customers’ homes.
What Type of Paint Do They Use?
The type of paint that is used in your home can make a big difference in how long your paint job lasts. Make sure the San Diego painting company you hire uses high-quality paint and doesn’t try to cut corners by buying the cheapest paint on the market.
If you are eco-conscious, look for a company that uses environmentally friendly paint with Low or No VOCs. At PaintGreen, we use products that have a great reputation for being both eco-friendly and long-lasting.
Will the Painting Company’s Employees Be Respectful of Your Home and Its Landscaping?
This one is a little tougher to determine. Of course, every painting company you contact will say they will take care of your home and not destroy your landscaping. You may have to do a little digging to see what others have to say about their actual experiences with the painting company. Yelp is a great place to start. Consumers leave candid reviews about the customer service they receive from companies and the quality of the work performed. You can learn a lot about a company by what its past customers have to say.
Don’t Compare Painting Companies by Price Alone
As we mentioned at the beginning, there’s so much more to a painting company than how much they charge to do the work. Make sure you hire an experienced, reliable company that will do the job right and leave you with an excellent finished product. To get a quote on painting for your San Diego home, contact us at PaintGreen today.