Choosing A Painting Contractor (Part 3) June 24, 2007
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Recommendations , trackbackThis is the final part of our 3-part series on Choosing A Painting Contractor. In this post, we will go through criteria in selecting a good painting contractor.
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At this point, you would already have several contractors to choose from, obtained by various means as discussed in the previous post. To recap, the several start points to get painting contractors are: i) referral by friends and family ii) newspaper classified ads iii) referral by paint dealers iv) referral by paint manufacturers Lets say you have a few names to consider. How do you select the right one? Consider the following criteria: 1) Price Unless you have extremely deep pocket or loads of money to burn, you should eliminate the ones that blow your budget. Not much point considering these further. 2) Project Duration Some contractors will show up in full strength at the start of a project, only to
have it dwindle to skeletal strength. This is a commonly employed strategy which allows the contractor to accept any and all jobs that come along, show full commitment and enthusiasm in the beginning, and slowly re-allocate and spread manpower to all concurrent projects. Owners are misled into thinking that the painting project is well underway, not aware that your grandma would have done the job in half the time. For larger projects, a Liquidated Damage (LD) clause can be drawn up in the contract. This clause penalizes the painting contractor for delay. For example, damages of $200 per day can be levied on the contractor for each day of delay in the completion. For exterior painting works that require fair weather, each day of bad weather is added to the date of completion. 
3) Paint System Ask the painting contractor to advise on the correct paint system to use. While he may not know your exact requirements, he should at least be able to suggest some paint system that are suitable for you. If he is not able to, it’s likely painting is not his actual profession. You may not want to consider him further. After he comes up with a paint system, verify it with a paint dealer or a paint manufacturer. 4) Warranty It is at this point that you discuss clearly the contractor’s liability in case there are defects in the painting works. For example, what would his liability be should peeling or discolouration occur? What is the warranty period? Refer to an earlier post where I discussed warranty of external paint jobs. This should save you a bit of money and a lot of headache. 5) Payment Schedule For small projects, it is usually payment upon completion. Some may ask for partial payment to help defray material costs. For bigger projects, a payment schedule of progressive payment is usually drawn out in the contract. Whatever the arrangement is, never part with more than the amount of work done. On top of that, have it agreed to retain a certain amount for a short period after the completion of work. To be fair, this need not be for very long. A few days to a week would usually do. This period allows you do a thorough inspection of the work done and to recall the painting contractor for any shortcomings. 6) Reference Ask for a reference. It can be a past satisfied customer, a paint dealer or a paint manufacturer. Do note that not every painting contractor can give you a personal reference. Those who do give provide you that bit of additional assurance.
It is my sincere hope that the past 3 posts assist you in your painting project. I will add posts on this topic over time if I come across good practices that you should know about. On the same note, I will also bring to your attention bad practices you need to be aware of. Always remember that painting contractors are human beings as well. Grant them the respect they deserve and usually it will be reciprocated.
Thanks for reading…
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