Compared to exterior painting, interior painting is a relatively easy job. Plus, you won’t have to deal with the usual exterior painting challenges such as weather, climate, and other elements. But if you want the project to be done right for the first time, you may think the best thing is to look for interior painters near me.
Compared to a few decades ago, there are now more ways to find good painters. But as always, you have to use your common sense to help you find the right painter. If you plan to sell your home in the future, you have to invest in an excellent painter to make your house ready for the market.
There are two best ways to score potential painters to paint your home’s interiors:
1) Harness the power of the Internet.
Most people find the Internet helpful in looking for local services, such as residential painting.
If you can’t find a good recommendation from anyone you know, open your laptop, or tap on your smartphone to search for house painters in your area. Search engines like Google or Yahoo make a good start – on the search bar, type in “residential painters (your town or city).” The search engine will display hundreds of results in just a snap, including the painting service company’s official website or social media such as Facebook pages. Take time to browse their websites or social media accounts. You may also want to send inquiries by posting comments or directly messaging them.
Aside from websites and social media pages, there are also excellent resources for finding trusted painting contractors:
- Houzz – Over two million qualified professionals trust this website. It customizes your search for residential painters to tailor your specific needs or requirements.
- Angi (formerly Angie’s List) – You can find verified ratings and reviews in hundreds of various categories.
- Yelp – It dedicates itself to presenting genuine and unbiased customer reviews.
- Better Business Bureau – The Better Business Bureau is one of the most trusted company rating sites. A painting contractor having accreditation and good standing with BBB is regarded as reliable and trustworthy. Keep in mind that it’s normal for a business to receive negative reviews or complaints from customers. But a company promptly responding to these complaints will have a more favorable impact on the BBB rating. Custom Painting, Inc. has been BBB-accredited since 1999.
There are less well-known but excellent and reliable sites to find good painters. Nextdoor is an example of getting candid reviews from your neighbors.
2) Look for a good house painter referral.
You can also get a referral from friends, colleagues, neighbors, relatives, or anyone you know and trust. Ask them for names of paint contractors they’ve hired recently.
This one idea is probably your best bet to get an excellent painter, as you can request friends, colleagues, etc., to visit their homes and inspect the work the painters have done. If you can find someone who had the painting done within the last six months, that would be preferable. Ask them about their experience with the painting contractors regarding the quality of their service, professional behavior, payment methods, etc.
After you’ve narrowed down your list of preferred potential painters, the following steps will ensure you hire the one:
Interview painting contractors.
Conduct an initial interview with potential contractors on the phone. Here are a few questions to ask:
- Are you licensed and insured (and request them to provide their contractor license number and a certificate of insurance)?
- Will you provide a few references from similar projects you’ve completed recently?
- Who will be working at my house? Are they employees or subcontractors?
- What brand of paint do you use?
- Is the price of the paint part of the estimate? If so, how many coats of paint are included in the estimate?
- Do you prefer the residents to remain at home or be away during the job? If I have to stay at home, will I be comfortable around your workers while they’re painting my house?
- What are your payment expectations?
Evaluate your top prospects.
After you’ve narrowed your choices, you can now get the references for quick interviews. This process will help you create a shortlist of candidates to contact for estimates. Here are some questions to ask those referred to you:
- Were you satisfied by their work?
- Was the project completed on time?
- Did the painters go over budget?
- Was the team of workers professional and courteous?
- Would you hire them again?
Get estimates in writing.
Contact at least three candidates for estimates. Usually, the company will send a representative or estimator to your home. You will walk them through your home and let them inspect it. Then, discuss further what parts of the house need to be fixed or painted. After your meeting, the company will send you a written estimate.
A typical painting contractor’s estimate should include:
- Company’s contact information: name, address, telephone, fax (if any), website, and social media accounts.
- Total cost, including taxes.
- Scope of the project.
- Paint specifications.
- Start and completion dates.
- Payment terms (they should be easy to understand)
Although the project’s total price is a significant thing to consider, hiring interior painters near me shouldn’t be the sole deciding factor. There are many other factors to look at, such as experience, professional behavior of their employees, the record for completing projects on time and budget, and testimonials from previous clients.
When the interior of your house needs a spruce up, you likely want to know, “Can I find interior painters near me?” Call Custom Painting, Inc. at 925-294-8062 to set up an appointment to discuss your interior painting needs.