Hiring a painter near me can be laborious and complicated, primarily if you haven’t worked with painters before. But if you’re looking to hire a licensed painter near me for the first time, don’t worry. Comparing painters through their eligibility, services, and prices are ways to ensure they are the right painter for your next project.
Licensed vs. unlicensed painting contractors
When looking for a painting contractor, you want to ensure they carry a valid license. So, why is this important? It means many things.
Suppose you want to save money, and you can hire a licensed painter or an unlicensed contractor. You will undoubtedly want to hire the latter because they offer lower prices. However, be aware there are risks of hiring an unlicensed painter because a painter who’s not licensed is also likely to be not insured. You will never be protected against negligence or incompetence. For instance, if an unlicensed and uninsured painter gets injured while painting your property, not only will you be responsible for paying for their medical bills and lost wages, but you could also get sued.
On the other hand, a licensed painter will save you a lot of trouble because it means you will be protected. Preferably, a licensed painter will have general liability and worker’s compensation insurance. The contractors themselves will cover any damage, and you can relax without having to worry about the expenses that go into repair. If the painter gets injured midway through the painting job, you don’t have to be obliged to pay for their medical fees or worry about getting sued as the contractor insures them. So, even from the liability perspective, hiring an unlicensed painter is a risk you wouldn’t want to take.
Residential vs. commercial painters
Many people assume that residential and commercial painters tackle the same job. After all, a wall is a wall. Not necessarily.
Painters explain that many differences can be seen between residential and commercial painting jobs. Most people aren’t aware of them until they’re tasked to find the right painter for their homes or businesses.
- Residential painters deal with painting homes and residential properties. They usually tackle small-scale projects and don’t require many painters and materials to complete them. On the other hand, commercial painters deal with painting businesses. Although job sizes within residential and commercial projects vary greatly, commercial paint projects will usually be larger than residential painting projects. Their projects also include painting non-commercial establishments, such as churches, public hospitals, government buildings, etc.
- Residential paint jobs don’t usually require many painters since they are on the smaller side (however, it depends on the size of the residential property). On average, two to three painters can complete a residential painting project. On the other hand, commercial painting contractors will employ more painters due to the project’s large scope.
- The additional relevant services offered by residential and commercial painters also differ. If your home needs things other than a fresh coat of paint, such as drywall repair, vinyl siding painting, or custom crown molding installation, residential painting contractors are the right people. On the other hand, services typically offered by commercial painters include sandblasting, brick waterproofing, line stripping, stenciling, etc. In addition, commercial painters offer other paint application methods depending on the surface, such as lacquer painting for wood or powder coatings for metal surfaces.
Estimates
Each painter may be bidding differently, even on the same project. To ensure you’ll hire the right contractor to paint your home or business, you should get estimates from at least three contractors to compare.
Apples-to-apples cost comparison is the only way to examine painting companies accurately.
For instance, the following factors can affect the total cost of painting your home or business:
- Does the estimate call for one or two coats of paint?
- Will surface prep work include other steps, such as feather-sanding?
- Will the painters replace the rotted wood with wood or PVC?
If you ignore these seemingly minor details, it will result in different painting quotes and, ultimately, a different execution of your vision by the painter.
The solution is to set specifications of the project upfront, meaning letting know every painting contractor:
- Exactly what you’d like painted.
- The colors (or color scheme) you want.
- The number of coats of paint on each surface.
- Any carpentry work done before painting.
Also, ask the painter whether free services, such as color consultation, are included in the estimate.
Comparison between painters will give you more information and help you choose to hire a licensed painter near me who will suit your needs best.
At Custom Painting, Inc., we work with home and business owners across the Bay Area to paint interiors and exteriors. We will make sure all of your questions are answered and will work with you so that your paint job goes smoothly and according to your expectations.