Choosing the Right Contractor

Hiring a qualified paint contractor can be one of the hardest steps in choosing who you should hire to paint your home or business. On the other hand, it can also be one of the easiest steps as long as you know the steps to follow and manage to get into their schedule before they get overbooked.

To Start, Locate Three or More Reputable Paint Contractors

You could start by looking in the local telephone book, calling random contractors, but do yourself a favor and follow the following outlined steps to save you allot of time and headache.
First, ask your friends and neighbors for any reputable painters they know of. This may be all you need! It can be the easiest way to find a great contractor. However, always be sure to see the contractors work with your own eyes since not everyone knows what a quality job is.

Even if the contractor finished the work on time and was a nice person, always let your eyes be the final judge. Also, contact local paint stores to see if they would recommend the contractor.

If step one doesn't apply to you then start by calling your local paint stores and ask who they would recommend. Paint stores most always keep in mind a few reputable paint contractors.

The best results are when you call 3-4 paint companies and you hear a contractors name come up more than once.

The last step you can do is to look through the local telephone book listings, calling and interviewing paint contractors before you have them come out to do the bid. If they have a website be sure to see it as it should contain great information about their company. Just be sure to select painters that specialize in the type of paint job you are looking for. Beware of hiring a new-construction, industrial, siding, or handy-man company if it's the top of the line workmanship and detail you’re looking for. As these types of companies either do quick fast work or spread themselves out too thin doing to much a variety of work trades.

Once You Have Your Contractors Selected

By now, if you've gone through the above steps, you probably have three or more contractors lined up to give you an estimate on your project. Your on your way to getting the right fit, but there are still a list of more things to keep in mind and do before making your final decision.

1. To start, your estimate should be free of charge.
2. Make sure you have each contractor bid on the same job specifications. You might even create a job specification document, but at least know what quality you're looking for. If it's a quick fast job, let them know. If it's quality work with two coats you're after, let them know that. This is very important to ensure your estimates are not drastically different. Price ranges very from the quality of work and products you desire. Don't get caught thinking all painters are alike because they paint. Are all schools alike? Teachers? Parents? Businesses?
3. Don't forget to check up on their License Summary with the Construction Contractor Board. Be sure to check if they have any complaint history and learn if there are any outstanding CCB orders to pay damages. This little bit of research could save you from accidentally hiring an unprofessional, fly by night painters. However, if you have gone through the three steps as outlined above to locating reputable painting contractors, you probably won't find they have a negative history. Still, you never know and it's important to check anyway.

Once You Have Received all Your Estimates

Now that you have received all your estimates from your carefully selected contractors, it's time to select one. You probably notice that there are already major differences between the estimates. So now it's time to carefully go over each bid proposal and start weeding out contractors. Below are a list of guidelines, things to keep in mind, and questions to ask yourself to help you make your final decisions.

1. Who did you get along with the easiest? It's always more fun to hire someone to work for you when you get along with them well and find it easy to communicate with them.
2. Did the contractor provide all their legal information? License number, insurance, and bond information.
3. Did the contractor provide a clear, comprehensive, and thorough proposal? Did they account for every detail as you outlined or told them?
4. How long did it take you to get the estimate? Did you get it in the mail? If so, perhaps this contractor is too busy for you? Or perhaps they are too busy trying to keep up with the demands of their business, a sure sign their systems are not in place. They may be a single painter attempting to be the estimator, crew leader, hiring manager, "the everything man".
5. What brand of paint did the contractor bid to use?
6. How much prep work is the contractor doing? How is the contractor applying the paint and how many coats are they applying?
7. Which contractors allow you to see their work?
8. You may see great differences in price, but if you had all contractors bid on the same job details and quality, they shouldn't be too far off. If one is, it's a sign they probably didn't have an estimation system. You probably may have noticed this contractor hardly spent any time looking at your home.
   
9. Be Sure to Go Read the Top Five Consumer Mistakes as Listed by the CCB

Once You Have Selected Your Contractor

Now that you have carefully selected the right contractor for your job, you can begin to build excitement for your job to be completed. If you have been very selective up till now, then chances are you have no worries about whom you chose. If you quickly chose a contractor though and didn't put much time and effort into the process, then beware.
There is only one last item you should be aware of and do.
1. Be Sure the contractor's contract meets all requirements of the CCB and that all legal paperwork required of contractors to hand out is in your hands. Learn more at the Oregon CCB website. Go There Now.

See Our Contractors License Summary Online

Read "How to Hire a Contractor" on the Oregon Contractors Board Website

Check on Another Contractors License Information

Read What the CCB Requires All Contractors to Have in their Contracts

Read About the top five Consumer Mistakes as Listed by the CCB