Expert Advice: How to Find a Great House Painter for Your Home
It’s time to re-paint your home. Where do you begin to look for a painter who does great work, won’t break the bank, offers great advice & is TRUSTWORTHY?
Most of us begin by asking friends for recommendations.
Not me…I contact a bunch of professional painting companies & endlessly pester them until I find that special person who is willing to help me write this Expert Guide to Finding a Great House Painter for Your Home.
Lucky for us, I found Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services and I want to thank him for all of his time, patience & willingness to share his expertise. Seriously, if you need a house painter in Winnipeg, give Jay at Winnipeg Paint Services a call or email.
Interior Design Toronto : Other than the recommendations of friends, do you have any advice on how to find the best possible house painter in my area? Like most homeowners, I am concerned about price, quality, dependability, speed, etc
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : So you might be surprised but, taking recommendations from friends is not the best way to find a professional. When you are looking for a professional painter you need to do 3 simple things that will save you a lot of time and money.
1) Look for a professional on google, you can look up the recommended one you got from a friend. Have 3 professionals with more than 4.5 stars rating on a list.
2) Call them and share your plans for the house, ask them all your questions and ask for a general price, see if they are patient, helpful. You are looking for good customer service, if the guy is rude before you close the deal, he will be even worse after he starts. Get a helpful contractor, there are plenty of them.
3) Invite them to the house so they can give you a quote and always ask: Is this the final price? Does the price include all the costs like paint and labor? When will you finish?
Asking these questions will save you a lot of trouble. Once you decided that you find the right house painter for you, pay an advance for the job and never the full price, an advance could be around 30% from the total quote.
Interior Design Toronto : I have no idea about colour selection, finish, or any of that design-y stuff. Can you help or do I need to contact a designer?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : If you have a big house to paint, and you have the money for a designer I would honestly say go for it. On the other hand, if you have an average house or apartment, the house painter could give his honest advice on which colour and finish you should go for. They have plenty of experience and they painted hundreds of houses so they know what's trendy and what should go well with your house style.
Interior Design Toronto : What about primer? I see lots of paints advertised as All-in-One eliminating the need for a primer
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : Great question! Priming the wall is a lot of work, and when you ask the contractor you hire he might give you a different answer.
If you pay the contractor by the hour he will recommend it just because you will pay more for the extra hours.
If you pay the contractor a flat price for the job he will not recommend it.
You may want to use primer when the wall is highly porous, but for regular good condition interior walls, it's not needed at all. But if you are insisting an All-in-One will be just fine, it will just be a bit more expensive.
Interior Design Toronto : I am thinking about doing my own painting...but some of my friends are telling me that a professional painter knows all the tricks of the trade & that's what I am paying for...your experience/expertise. Can you give me an overview of your "tricks of the trade"? I am looking for all the little things a homeowner would never even think of.
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : So painting a house is really not rocket science and everybody with a good hand, extra time, and some physical stamina could do it. The tricks of the trade are basically dealing with flaky walls, wetness, and not messing up the floors and furniture. You could deal with every one of these problems yourself, it will just take you a lot of time and you might not get it right the first time. So you pay for a professional so you can just relax and be sure your house will be perfect.
Interior Design Toronto : What about sheen/finish? Do I need to do a high-sheen finish in bathrooms or do the new & improved paints on the market acceptable for high moisture rooms (bathroom) allowing me to use a matte finish in the bathroom?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : We would recommend using a different paint for bathrooms. Today we could find great products that provide anything from high-sheen finish to complete matt. They will keep the moisture away and even fight mold. Our favorite is DULUX BATHROOM+ EMULSION PAINT that provides a light Sheen finish.
Interior Design Toronto : How do you calculate how much paint do I need?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : So, if you hire a trusted professional he will get the exact amount your house will need and a bit extra. But for the DIYers, the simple calculation is 1 gallon per 400 square foot, which is to cover a small to medium size room.
Interior Design Toronto : What about keeping extra paint for touch-ups? Do I keep a bunch of big paint cans lying around the house...won't they dry out?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : We always recommend writing down what was the paint brand and colour used in your house, just for small touch-ups in the future. But if an extra paint pot was left by the painter and you keep it closed in a cool area, it will last for many months and will not dry.
Interior Design Toronto : What about prep work...is it best to remove doorknobs, switch plates or just use painter's tape? Do I move my furniture out or does the painter cover it with tarps, etc? Do the walls need to be cleaned in advance? dust?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : That is a very good question to ask the painter when he visits your house. A well-known contractor will have workers covering up the furniture, wipe dusted walls, and make sure to leave the house in the same condition.
Interior Design Toronto : When it comes to painting large areas of the wall, do you spray or roller?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : Every contractor has their own method. We prefer using a sprayer or a brush (old school) just because you get better and more even results.
Interior Design Toronto : If rolling, do I use a ladder or an extension pole?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : Using a ladder will be better just because you have better control of the roller and you are closer to the wall and can see uneven spots.
Interior Design Toronto : How does humidity affect painting?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : It's always better to paint in dry weather or at least to dry up the room before painting if it's humid (bathrooms). It is still possible to paint in a humid area but the paint will dry much faster when you have dry air.
Interior Design Toronto : Before you arrive to paint a home, what does the homeowner need to prep for?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : The only thing I would tell my clients is to prepare themselves for a house to be painted by strangers. That means to hide precious stuff or a stash of cash. Remember that even if the painter is great and trustworthy, he hires painters to help him, and in some cases, he even doesn't know them that well. So, as long as you keep your precious stuff hidden it should all be just fine.
Interior Design Toronto : What about the quality: price ratio of brushes, tape, etc. Where can I cheap out & where do we need to prioritize quality over price?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : You could cheap out on tapes and covers for the furniture, but when it comes to painting and brushes just get the best of the best. Remember, you paint your house every few years, buying cheap paint that will chip or a cheap brush that will not provide an even coverage will end up costing you more :)
Interior Design Toronto : If I get a bunch of bids for my paint job, how do I judge/decide between the different bids?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : Wow, you are killing it with these good questions, you might end up opening your own painting company haha. So when you get the quotes just see who offers what. If you get a very cheap bid but it doesn't include the paint, the labor, and prep work just walk away. This type of painter will end up costing you more. Just take the one who offers a fair price and includes it all inside.
Interior Design Toronto : Should I check references?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : Always, Google reviews are the best way.
Interior Design Toronto : What about licences / permits?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : You don't need a license to be a painter but the painter should have a business license in general
Interior Design Toronto : Insurance?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : A well-known painter should have the right insurance to protect himself and his workers from injuries but it's not something you as a house owner should worry about.
Interior Design Toronto : Warranty / follow up? What if paint flakes, chips soon after the work is done? How long should I expect my paint job to be problem-free?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : A good painting job by a professional should last for years. But generally, painters will give you around 6 months' guarantee for their work.
Interior Design Toronto : Should I hire a painter OR a contractor who has a painter?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : It's always better to cut down a third party since you will just pay less. When a contractor refers a client he gets some kind of a commission that will end up being calculated in your quote.
Interior Design Toronto : Do I need a formal contract?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : Well, not really. It depends on the size of the job. If you just paint a house, and you took a trusted professional the best way to protect yourself is not to pay the whole amount in the beginning. But to be honest, if you have a written contract it will not hurt.
Interior Design Toronto : How do I pay...installments, all in advance, how much of down payment, etc?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : You should never pay the whole amount at first. A painter that asks for the whole amount upfront should turn on a red light for you. It's recommended to pay 20%-30% advance and to pay the rest once the job is done.
Interior Design Toronto : Should I expect the painter to leave my house tidy at the end of the job or do I need to bring in a cleaner?
Jay from WPS - Winnipeg Painting Services : A respected painter should leave the house clean with the furniture back in space but it will not be extra clean, you will always have some dust and a "dirty" vibe after any construction work done in your house. Bring a cleaner, pay $150-$200 to bring the house to complete perfection and you will be happy with your house for the next few years.
About the Author
I want to thank Jay from Winnipeg Painting Services for all of his help in creating this article.
WPS – Winnipeg Painting Services is a professional painting service located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their painters use the best quality tools and materials to get you the best house painting or office painting results.
Website : www.winnipegpaintingservices.ca
Facebook : @www.winnipegpaintingservices.ca
Email : info@winnipegpaintingservices.ca
Phone : (866) 349-9429
