10 Tips on Finding a Good Marietta Painting Contractor

I have been a painting contractor in the Marietta area for 26 years and in that time I have heard more than one unique reason why customer choose a cheaper painter. On the other hand, I have also had many calls from regretful homeowners who realize they made a huge error. Several wish they had simply paid more for quality contractors. Still others are sorry they did not check out a contractor before deciding to hire them.

What I have noticed in my years as a painting contractor is that many homeowners simply do not know how to assess the abilities of painting contractors in the Marietta area. Most will look for the cheapest bid not realizing that they will probably not get their money's worth. The truth is a cheap contractor can often cost you more money in the long run.

With the high cost of labor and materials, profit margins aren't that great in the painting industry. Real cheap services in the painting industry are cheap for a reason. Quality and value of services are being cut.

Use the following 10 conditions to check out Marietta contractors before you hire them.

1. How long has the painting contractor been active in Marietta? A common trait in this business is instability. Contractors will work an area for a short time and when word begins to spread from customers dissatisfied with their work they move on to the next town and begin again. It is safe to say that if a painting contractor can claim ten years or more in your area they are stable.

2. In what manner does the contractor pay his workers, is it a percentage or hourly? Back in 82 when I started this business, I would pay my painters and hourly wage. After 7 years or so of disappointing results paying by the hour, I switched to paying everyone on a percentage basis. The change was immediate and dramatic, quality went way up and project times were cut in half!

Instantly my painters had a better mindset once they knew they would be paid on percentage. Their interests were now directly tied to the quality and timeliness of the job. Outstanding performance led to less double checking at the end of a project and a better bottom line for everyone involved.

Be sure and ask the contractor this question. This is merely a suggestion. Obviously, there are some painters that work by the hour that have a good work ethic.

My experience has been however that the best results came from a percentage basis. I will never go back to paying painters by the hour.

3. Does the Contractor present a well written and organized contract to sign that outlines what he is going to do? This is a good indication of how organized he is. If he is well organized, in most cases it will carry over to his crews. Well organize people are very uncomfortable with disorganization and generally will work to maintain well organized projects and crews.

4. Is the contractor insisting on an upfront deposit? Some jobs may be large enough to require a deposit, but the average home painting or repair job will run $3000-$8,000 and really should not require a deposit. In fact, I recommend strongly that you do not pay a deposit.

Your painting contractor should have no problems financing the project he is considering. If he does that is an indication that the contractor is not financially stable. When a contractor is waiting to be paid, you are likely to have his full attention to detail and an assurance that your happiness is the number one goal.

I have heard many stories through the years of homeowners who have given the deposit only to have the contractor leave after a day or two of work never to be seen again.

5. Since the first day you contacted the contractor how well has he communicated with you? Has he quickly answered all of your questions or concerns?

Quality professional contractors value good communication. The importance a contractor puts on communication will give you another clue to his core values. While your project is being completed, you will want to work with someone who communicates effectively.

6. Does the contractor carry worker's comp insurance? Check into this as many companies carry some form of liability insurance but this is not a replacement for worker's compensation. A simple liability plan will not cover a worker should they be injured on the job.

How well the contractor is covering his team in case of injury is something else to take into consideration. When a contractor has several people paid cash under the table, there is no proof that they work for a particular company and therefore are not covered by any insurance. You could be put at financial risk in a situation like this. Besides this just gives you more insight into the type of Marietta painting contractor you are working with. You are within your rights to call the contractors insurance company to answer some of these important questions.

7. Be sure and check their references. Even though they will give you their best references, you can still get a feel for qualities such as neatness, timeliness, communication, and overall opinion of quality of the job. Keep in mind though, everybody has their own opinion of what constitutes a quality job so don't decide based solely on their references.

8. Watch out for the aggressive painting contractors who are volume oriented. Their entire goal is to turn out as many finished houses as possible in a short amount of time to earn fast money. The quality of their work will not be driven by any kind of core values. You and your home will suffer at the hands of this type of contractor.

9. Be sure that your contractor is perfectly clear on there being a walk through with the head crew member and yourself to look for areas that need tidied up or repaired. This must take place before you write any checks for the project. This protects both you and the contractor from issues later.

It assures that you are happy with their work and helps eliminate warranty issues for the contractor, saving him time and money. Seasoned contractors who really care about their customers know that this is the best approach for finalizing a project.

10. You should also check for the following obvious things: a business license, Better Business Bureau for unsettled complaints, how long they have been in business, how many crews work for them, written and detailed warranties.

Keep quality as your first priority. Qualify your Marietta contractor before you hire them, you will be so glad you did. You will have less to worry about while the work is ongoing and end up with a beautiful home with paint that will last longer.