The fact is that there is a big difference between painting companies. Consider the ingredients that make up a company: contractor philosophy, a focus on quality, level of service, employee commitment, painting procedures, experience, communication, and leadership.
A right mix of these ingredients will make for a smoothly running project and will result in a paint job which will look great for many years to come. The absence or weakness in one or more of the above ingredients will likely produce an opposite effect.
Finding the right contractor is the most important and perhaps the most difficult part of any remodeling project. “Who do I call?” is a question that will likely come up. This is a good question indeed! Phone books are full of painting companies but perhaps a better question to ask is: “What company has the necessary expertise, and can they be trusted to do a good job on my project?”
A phone book is the last place you will find answers to the above two point question. If you must, use it but only as a last resort. The best way to look for a contractor is to get referrals from friends, relatives or anyone else whose judgment you trust.
You may get lucky and some names will keep coming up. If so, put those names at the top of your list. But, in whatever way you put together this list, you should ask your prospective bidders a few pre-screening questions before you invite them to come and take a look at your project.
At the very least, you should ask your prospective bidder if they are licensed and if they have general liability and worker’s compensation insurance coverage.
By law, all contractors doing home improvement are required to have a valid contractor’s license. To get this license, applicants must verify their experience and must pass an exam testing their knowledge of the trade. If a person does not have a contractor’s license, it can be an indication that they lack the necessary expertise.
It is very easy to check if someone has a valid contractor’s license, just call the Contractor’s State License Board (CSLB) at 800-321-2752 or visit their website at www.cslb.ca.gov.
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