You’ve envisioned that fresh new paint transforming the look of your rooms. But between clearing out furniture, covering floors, prepping walls, and wielding brushes and rollers—tackling a major interior painting project yourself can be overwhelming.
The good news? There’s no need to DIY a time-consuming, messy paint job when professional painting services can do the work for you. Hiring pros means coming home each day to completed rooms ready for move-in with no heavy lifting for you. But not all painters or paint companies are created equal. Use these insider tips to ensure you find the best painters in Footscray for the job.
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Check Credentials
Just as you wouldn’t go to an unlicensed doctor, you want qualified painters working on your home or business. Ask to see state-level licensing along with liability insurance and workers compensation certificates to protect you in case of injury or property damage.
Remember one thing: licensed paint companies always provide services according to industry standards that add value to your property. Click here to learn how licensed services work effectively and efficiently.
Reputable companies will have no problem providing documentation of proper credentials. Red flags? No website, only a cell number, unwillingness to verify licenses, or requests to pay the entire job up front before work begins. In addition to paperwork, look for membership in local Chambers of Commerce or the Better Business Bureau.
Ask Around
Word-of-mouth referrals are one of the best ways to find quality painting services. Ask neighbors, friends, realtors, architects and interior designers for recommendations of companies they’ve worked with successfully in the past. Online reviews can offer additional insight, but take them with a grain of salt since competitors sometimes post fake negative reviews.
Interview Multiple Bids
Once you have a few promising referrals, ask each company to provide a detailed, written estimate so quotes can be fairly compared. Reputable services will offer free, on-site assessments to evaluate the scope of work. Be wary of extremes—both unusually high and remarkably low ball estimates can signal problems.
Along with getting bids, use on-site meetings to gauge responsiveness, communication styles and professionalism. Ask plenty of questions about their process such as surface prep included, painting materials/systems, number of coats, brand of paints, expected timeline, clean up procedure etc.
Verify Experience
Find out how long the company has been in business. Longevity suggests they treat both employees and clients well. Ask about staff tenure too since low turnover means workers are well-trained and happy. You want the collective know-how that comes from years on the job.
Be sure to ask how much experience the foreman or lead painter in Footscray that will be assigned to your job has. They should readily provide client references from recent comparable painting projects you can call for feedback. Multi-year warranties on workmanship are also signs of confidence in quality.
Request a Detailed Scope
Quality painting service contractors will gladly provide a thorough scope of work outlining surfaces included, brands and types of painting materials being used, extent of surface preparation and repairs, application methods (brush, spray etc), touch up procedures, number of coats, brand of paints and stains, plus start/end dates for various phases.
Having this detailed plan allows you to sign off on specific before painting begins, avoiding miscommunications down the line around what is/isn’t included or expected as part of the job. The scope also serves as part of the legal contract.
Agree to Regular Communication
The best painting crews commit to keeping clients closely informed throughout projects. You should agree to a point person on the crew that will provide daily progress reports, walk through completed areas for punch list approval, discuss any issues that come up, and generally keep you in the loop.
Two-way communication ensures the work aligns with your vision and that any client concerns are quickly addressed by the painters in Footscray onsite to prevent delays in job completion.
Prioritise Proper Prep
When meeting with estimators, ask detailed questions about preparation practices. Surface prep accounts for the lion’s share of time on painting projects and is crucial for achieving lasting results. The extent of scraping, sanding, cleaning, caulking, masking and priming should be spelled out since corners cut here will show later.
If quotes come in significantly lower than competitors, chances are prep work has been scaled back to dangerously low levels. Be very wary of contractors unwilling to invest adequate time and effort into this phase—it’s impossible for paint to adhere well without proper prep.
Clarify Clean Up & Repairs
Look for painting service contractors that pledge to fully protect your property during the job then diligently clean the workspace when finished. Agree on coverings to be used for floors/furniture and verify that the team will secure plastic sheeting beneath their work area, properly ventilate spaces, vacuum up debris daily and wet mop hard surfaces upon completion.
Ideally the company will acknowledge responsibility for damage or needed touch ups by returning on request months later to address anything noticed after move-in. Some even offer money-back performance guarantees.
Final Thoughts
By selecting an insured, experienced painting service, like Sunny Days Painting, that invests enough time into doing the prep work right and communicates frequently throughout your custom-tailored paint job—while standing behind their quality of workmanship—you can sit back while top-notch crews handle the messy labor. Just be ready to enjoy your fresh new interior spaces once the pros put the finishing touches on the project.
