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Seattle Painting Contractor Tera Painting, Residential & Commercial Painter in Seattle.
Your home is an extension of your persona and it says a lot about your character in more ways than you can imagine. And if you want to create a good first impression on your family, friends, and acquaintances, you will be halfway there if you own a beautiful home.
There are plenty of elements that contribute to a stylish, good-looking home and having the right paint job is one of them. In fact, any real estate agent worth their salt will tell you immediately that a major factor in selling your home fast for the best price, is by ensuring that it possesses curb appeal – the exterior attractiveness of a house as viewed from the street. This will require the right kind of design so that it can draw in prospective buyers who drive by.
More so, a house that has been painted properly using the right coating and materials will naturally be more resilient to the damaging effects of weather. With all that being said, it’s crucial that you opt for a painter that’s been proven and tested in delivering the best possible results.
A vital aspect in searching for the ideal painter and obtaining the perfect service is by sourcing locally and asking the right set of questions. So if you happen to reside in Bellevue for instance, search for a nearby Seattle house painter who has established a solid reputation in providing honest, transparent, and top-notch services.
Without further ado, here are the key questions that you need to ask a Seattle painting contractor before you hire them.
1) Can you offer valid insurance?
The Seattle commercial painting contractor that you choose must have a General Liability insurance that has at least $1 million worth in coverage. The insurance will cover any potential damage to your house while it’s being painted like if gallons of white latex accidentally spills on your lawn or if a ladder falls on your car and breaks its windshield.
Having proper insurance is the first and most important thing that you need to guarantee before you hire someone. After all, accidents can happen anytime and there is simply nothing you can do about it, that’s why it would be wise to have proper insurance in case the unthinkable happens.
2) How will you prepare my house for the work?
Once you have made sure that the painting contractor carries appropriate insurance, the next important question that you need to ask is how your house will be prepped for the project. The painter must provide you with a precise answer, and in writing with his or her signature and the corresponding date included.
Try to check if the necessary preparations will be covered before the actual process begins:
- Holes and spots in walls must be subject to repair before work starts
- Marginal substrates need to be scraped and or sanded
- The proposed paint job should include the right amount of skilled personnel
Bear in mind that preparation is just as vital as the actual paint process itself.
3) What materials do you utilize?
The kind of materials that a Seattle painting contractor will use in the project will directly affect the end quality of the work, mainly because there is a significant disparity in quality between different paint products.
Obviously, a $10 per gallon paint won’t deliver the same results as a $50 per gallon paint no matter how good the painter applying it is. Generally speaking, the higher the price of the paint, the better its ingredients are and consequently its overall look and resiliency.
Aside from the coatings, the kind of materials that will be used will also play an integral role in the quality of work that you can expect. For instance, the type of caulk used will have a direct effect on its durability.
All in all, you should ask for a thorough explanation of the exact materials that will be used on the project. As a good rule of thumb, make sure that all the materials will be specified in writing so you will know exactly what they are and what they can potentially offer.
4) Are the workers your own employees or are they subcontractors?
There are plenty of painters who rely on subcontractors as opposed to having their own employees since it’s more cost effective. This is because subcontractors are often compensated with a flat payment and are also not covered by security taxes and labor benefits.
Now if you live in Bellevue or somewhere near Seattle and decide to hire someone who employs subcontractors, there are plenty of potential pitfalls that you need to consider:
- There is a chance that the Seattle painting contractor will source the cheapest subcontractors available for a better return on investment and this can result in poor quality of work.
- Because subcontractors don’t receive hourly rates but only fixed wages, they have a tendency to take shortcuts so they can complete the work faster and get paid sooner rather than later.
- Subcontractors may not carry insurance, and this can create a lot of problems in the event of work-related accidents and injuries.
- Some tradesmen do not evaluate the background of subcontractors which means that you might be bringing people with questionable histories or worse, criminal records, into your home.
Every scenario mentioned above can play a huge role in the quality of work you enjoy and the integrity of your home and your belongings. With that being said, it would be wise to rely on a tradesman whose crew are actual employees and not subcontractors.
So you can better protect your own interests, you can ask these additional questions of the company in question:
- Can you provide a check stub sample of your employees?
- Who performs the payroll for your company?
5) How much will the entire project cost?
Keep in mind that price is not the most important factor that you need to consider if you want to enjoy the best Seattle house painting service available. An affordable rate often doesn’t translate to satisfactory results but an expensive one doesn’t automatically guarantee a great ending either.
You may find that the majority of painters may think twice before coming up with a precise cost, but he or she should at least be able to offer you a fair estimate.
Never agree on an upfront payment that is more than 50% of the project’s total cost, either. At the very least, you should hold half of the payment as insurance that the work will be accomplished according to the agreed terms and conditions.
The best move will be to hand out a partial payment a few days after the project has advanced. In this scenario, the company will have already invested significant manpower and equipment into the project and you will have gained some confidence in its development which means that both parties will be committed to making sure that it’s completed based on what was agreed upon.
6) Who will answer all my questions and concerns?
It’s easy for a painting contractor in Bellevue, for example, to be willing and eager to answer any and all questions and concerns prior to the signing of the contract. After all, they want to make sure that you are completely convinced of their brand of service so they can close the deal. However, once the actual work begins, the same people who answered your questions will have disappeared all of a sudden or referred you to another person.
So first off, you need to ask the Seattle painting contractor who exactly will be handling your questions and concerns once the work begins, what his or her contact details are and the hours during which this person can be reached.
Second, you need to ask referrals and past customers about the kind of communication that you can expect once the actual project starts. If the company doesn’t offer a good line of communication with its customers, then you might want to determine exactly why and if there are any positive steps being taken to improve it. If you’re not convinced, then you might want to reconsider hiring the company.
The contractor you hire should satisfy all of these questions!
Nowadays, there are plenty of Seattle house painting businesses who promise superb results for cheap prices but fail to follow through on their word. Normally, those who fall victim to dishonest and exploitative “painters” are homeowners who are primarily concerned with cost and nothing else. The reality is, just like with any product or service in the market, assured quality normally comes with a higher price tag.
If a potential Bellevue painter fails or struggles to address these six basic questions, then be advised that problems are likely to arise if you hire them. If the contractor manages to answer them all in impressive fashion, then you may have found the perfect person.
Tera Painting, Professional Painting for Homes and Businesses in North Seattle
And surrounding areas: Eastlake, South Lake Union, Bell Town, Madrona, Mt. Baker, Northgate, Greenwood, Ravenna, Shoreline, Bitter Lake, Windermere, Olympic Hills, Green Lake, Wallingford, Phinney Ridge, Laurelhurst, Ballard, Fremont, University District, Crown Hill, and Woodland
Call Tera Painting for a free quote: (425) 245-3161.
