Choosing A Painting Contractor (Part 2) May 16, 2007
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , 6comments
In the earlier post, we went through some basic considerations while looking for a suitable painting contractor. In this post, lets go through the process of hiring one, and some tips to sieve out the bad hats! Let us first go through the very first step - finding a painting contractor. There are several sources where you can get a painting contractor. These are:
1) Personal recommendations - This can be from relatives, neighbours, mahjong ‘kakis’, stockbroker etc. 2) Newspaper - In our main newspaper’s classified, it is listed under Category 112 House Cleaning / Painting. 3) Paint Dealers - Approach your trusted paint dealer for a good painter. 4) Paint manufacturers -The big ones such as Nippon or ICI will be more than willing to recommend one The advantage of having a friend or neighbour recommending you someone is usually that they’ve used the painter before. As such, they can give you a unbiased review of the painter. Unfortunately, such reviews are relevant to the non-technical aspects of the paint job, such as whether the painter is fast, friendly, punctual or takes frequent smoke or pee breaks. It usually does not tell you whether the painter is honest in applying the correct full system or whether correct techniques are adhered to. Let me give an example. A painter can be recommended for a speedy job but he can be fast by ignoring overcoating intervals. Overcoating interval is the time interval in between 2 coats of paint. This has to be followed to achieve the required film thickness, colour consistency and performance. If your main or only consideration is price, looking through the classifieds is one way to go. A few calls and you will get a rough idea how low your project can go. Otherwise, I would think that the better way is to approach a paint dealer for a recommendation. Paint dealers have an element of accountability that dealing with painter often lacks. Some painters have nothing more than a mobile phone number whilst paint dealers have a physical place business as well as years of reputation to protect. Paint dealers come in contact with painters both good and bad and will recommend those that will not give much problems in terms of after sales complaints. Paint manufacturers can also be counted to provide good painting contractors as well. Most of the time, these contractors have been pre-selected to provide good service and quality. A drawback is that prices tend to be higher than what market offers. Another more significant drawback is that contractors recommended by paint manufacturer ONLY use product of the manufacturer’s brand. We know that different manufacturers are strong in different areas. One may be strong in its exterior wall paint but may not have a great wood finish. Using one brand may not be in your best interest.
In Part 3, we will go into further details in selection of painters.
