Looking for Residential Painters? Make Sure They Have These 8 Qualities

Local painters provide a valuable service for any homeowner. When you call on a local interior, exterior, or cabinet painter, you're taking the steps to upgrade your home, protect your walls, prevent pest infestation, and enhance curb appeal. Here are a few qualities you should look for before hiring a team.

1. Professionalism

You should seek out painters for your home who exude professionalism at all times. You want a team known for being punctual, courteous, and respecting homeowners’ property. If they're scheduled to arrive at your home every day at 9:00 AM, you shouldn't be still waiting around for them to show when 11:00 strikes. You don't want painters who show up and smoke cigarettes in or around your property when you made it clear that you don't want cigarette smoke around. They should dispose of any trash that they create. You should also feel comfortable that your items won't be broken or covered in paint during the project, as they should know how to cover and protect things.

2. Expertise

The expertise of painters can go a long way when it comes to making an investment. Did you know that, according to HomeGrain, painting the interior of your home results in a 107% return on the ROI? In other words, you'll get your money back and then some. That's why it's essential to make sure that you only work with a team that has clearly exuded a high level of expertise. After all, you don't want to risk a bad paint job that won't have your home looking the way it should.

Thanks to their expertise, you can also rely on them for advice. In other words, you shouldn't have to worry about your lack of artistic skill and knowledge of color theory. Professional painters can assist you in choosing the right paint or shade for your home. You may want to set a certain mood and painters know exactly how to make it happen. For example, if you're designing a home office because you’re now working from home permanently, you may want a color that can help you concentrate more and designate that as a business space. Colors such as gray or blue are perfect for that. Maybe you want to finish off your basement and convert it into one big entertainment room for their family. To make it obvious that it's a place of fun and energy, painters can incorporate bright colors like reds, oranges, or even hot pinks.

3. Experience

Experience is also important when finding the ideal painter. After all, you want painters who worked in their profession for several years. The more years of experience they have under their belt, the faster they can work. They also have a better likelihood of being able to solve problems quickly and efficiently. Plus, the more experience they have, the more clients they've worked with. As a result, you'll have more reviews that you can rely on to check out their reputation.

4. Reputation

A good reputation is everything when you're hiring a new contractor for any type of job at your home. One of the easiest ways to get a feel for their reputation is by asking them for direct referrals. When they can stand on the quality of their work and know that they've always done a good job, they shouldn't hesitate to offer you contacts to call. However, if they hesitate, then it may be a red flag. In addition to their direct references, don't forget to utilize online review sites. Thanks to Trustpilot, Reddit, Google reviews, Consumer reviews, and Angie's List, you have many sources to help base a decision. In many cases, customers may also include photos to give you an idea of what the contractor’s work was like.

5. Transparency

Last thing you want is a painting contractor that isn't honest with a client. That transparency should reveal itself in many ways. In other words, they should be open whenever you ask them questions and you shouldn't feel like they're hiding something from you. For example, are they willing to let you know what type of painting materials and solvents that they use? Are they willing to give you a written estimate of pricing so you can ensure there are no hidden fees? Do they let you know whether or not they're working with subcontractors? After all, you may not want extra groups of painters whom you did not check out in your home.

6. Offers Warranties

Reputable contractors offer some type of warranty or guarantee to their clients. The terms of such a warranty will change based on the contractor. In general, a warranty ensures that the painter agrees to return to your home to make updates without charging you additional fees. The length of a warranty can vary from a month to a year to a lifetime. It's a good form of protection to ensure that you will always get the paint job done to your liking. After all, you'll know that the contractor agrees to return until the home looks Immaculate and you get the job that you paid for.

7. Communicative

How do you feel when you communicate with the painting contractor? Do they appear friendly and professional whenever you speak to them on the phone? Talk in person over e-mail, etc.? You don't want to feel like you're bothering a contractor whose services you have hired. Also, think about how long it takes for them to return correspondence. This timeframe is essential to note as you want to be able to quickly contact them in case you have an emergency during or after the project. When you're able to communicate well with a contractor, you may feel more comfortable hiring them again in the future. As a result, when it's time to do another painting upgrade or refresh, you won't have to take time to find a new contractor again.

8. Flexible

It's helpful when painters can be flexible, after all, emergencies happen and you may need to reschedule the paint job. You may have a weird schedule and want to see if you could find a contractor who can work around that. What about the weather? Ask them how they handle issues such as weather, painters calling out sick, or anything else that may delay the job. Knowing how well they can adjust themselves can tell you a lot about how well they work and what they'll do to ensure that they stay on time and within budget.

As you can see, when it's time to hire local painters for any type of work in your home, there are many things you have to consider. You want to ensure that you find contractors of the highest quality as your home is a worthy investment and the place where you live. You don't want just any contractors going through your home and doing shoddy work. Look at the above qualities, ranging from punctuality to communication to reputation to make a sound decision when it comes to taking on a painting project.

For an experienced group of painters who've been in the business for years, don't hesitate to contact Arclight Painting for a consultation. From interior painting to exterior painting to cabinet painting, our local team has got you covered!