If you are thinking about painting your house or have given up trying, then you may want to consider hiring an exterior painting contractor. If you like to do things on your own, then this may be a hard call to make, but if you abide by the following steps, getting an exterior painting contractor will be worth the price.
The first question is where to go to get an exterior painting contractor. You can try going to any hardware or paint store, like a Benjamin Moore, Home Depot or Sherwin-Williams, and see if they have on site contractors. If they do not have on an on site exterior painting contractor, then chances are they will know where you can find one (or more) in your area. Contractors are often also heavily referred, so if you have any friends in your area who had someone paint their house and did a great job, don’t be afraid to ask. They may even give you a referral discount. If all else fails, you can always consult the yellow pages or find exterior painting contractors with online listings in your area.
Once you find an exterior painting contractor that you are happy with, you can then negotiate a price. Usually an exterior painting contractor will give you a price quote depending on the dimensions of the exterior they are painting.
Of course, you will want to be sure that you are given a contract specifying the details of the project. Make sure that the price quote you were originally given is listed on the contract and as is the case with any contract, it goes without saying that you should read over the fine print before signing anything. Be sure to ask about the overall process. What will the process entail? Is it just painting? Is there priming, lacquering, scraping involved? Will they have to remove any existing paint? Will additional paintwork or maintenance be required? These are all important questions to ask. It is also a good idea to try to get a time frame in writing.
One very important thing to look out for when dealing with an exterior painting contractor is the warranty. You want to make sure that you are given a warranty of some sort. Seeing as most houses need to be repainted on average every five to six years, you will want a warranty that lasts at least three years. This will give you the peace of mind in knowing that your contractor will do the best job they can, or else they are going to have to return to make fixes. In either case, its their problem, not yours. If they offer a warranty, but it is not included in the original quote, you may want to look elsewhere, or at least get a price comparison at a competitor exterior painting contractor.
Hopefully you found some useful information in how to go about hiring an exterior painting contractor. Of course, you can always try to take on a project yourself, but there is no guarantee that the results will live up to your standards. If it is a large scale project, go with the exterior contractor.