Whether you are new to the area or just never had to hire someone to paint your house before, finding a painting contractor you can trust may seem like a challenging task.
The first step is to locate a painting contractor. If you’re in Southern Colorado, Crowder Painting is happy to handle all your painting needs. If you live in another region, however, there are many ways to generate leads on good painters who will leave you with a happy story to tell.
Referrals
Perhaps the best way to is to ask around. Tell others you are looking for a painting contractor and see if you get any leads.
Successful word of mouth advertising starts with satisfied customers, and you can learn a lot about a painter from his past clients! Of course, customers are also not shy about telling you who to stay away from- if you keep hearing horror stories about the same company, steer clear!
Paint Store
If you don’t know anyone who has had recent work done, check with your local paint store. Most professional painters prefer to work with local suppliers, not the big home improvement stores, so you’ll find more leads at a local paint store. Talk to the person behind the counter. Describe your project and ask for recommendations. He or she will have valuable insight that can be very helpful.
Helpful Questions to Ask About the Painters Who Purchase from the Local Paint Store
- Do you have any painters who consistently purchase your highest quality paints? A contractor who consistently purchases high-quality paints is typically concerned for the long-term success of the project.
- Do you have any painters who run accounts with you that always pay on time? On-time payment of the contractors store account generally means cash is flowing into the painting business. This means that he has completed projects and satisfied his customers.
- Do you have any painters who have been doing business with you for a long time? Using the same store for many years means the business is a well-established one, likely to provide good service and honor warranties.
Between the inside knowledge of these factors paint store employees have and your willingness to ask these questions, you are likely to walk out of the paint store with at least one recommended contractor who is reliable and trustworthy.
Online
The internet is a part of daily life now, and it’s an excellent resource for tracking down a good painter.
One option is to use a search engine to find a painting contractor in your area. Try Googling “painting services + your city and state”, “painters + your zip code” or “painting contractors”. You should return a number of results, including individual contractor’s websites, free and paid listings, and review sites.
Free classified sites, such as craigslist.org and backpage.com are becoming popular places for contractors to advertise. Check the services section, and follow up by asking for references.
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau is a popular way to locate leads. Not seeking accreditation with the BBB isn’t a sign that a painting contractor is less than top-notch, but passing BBB approval is a sign that a company is committed to meeting accreditation standards and resolving any customer complaints that may arise.
Members of the BBB must adhere to strict standards, so you know their reputations are important to them. They also have to pay a fee for accreditation and monitoring, so BBB accreditation is a sign of commitment to quality.
Your local BBB office keeps records which are accessible via the internet. These records include both good and bad information on contractors, even if they’re not members! Good contractors will have very few complaints, and the BBB will indicate whether the complaints were resolved or not. BTW: Anytime you have work done on your home, leave a comment with the BBB. Your experience will help future consumers to make informed decisions.
Other Sources
Not all painting contractors advertise, but those that do tend to have bigger budgets (read: a more successful business) than those who don’t. Listen to the radio, write down names you see on TV, or browse the yellow pages for listings.
Some newspapers have a “Skills and Services,” or similar section, where contractors can advertise their services in the classifieds. There are also free classified papers available in many communities that attract the advertising dollars of house painters. You can check these sources, then cross-reference them with the local BBB.
Free classified ad bulletin boards are available at many grocery stores. Check by the entrance. Many times up-and-starting painters will post a business card there. You will want to explore tips on How to Work With a New, Up-And-Coming House Painter before you hire someone with little experience.
Finally, bulletin boards at church, the post office, or the corner store often have fliers for different services. Write down the number. You may have just found a promising up and comer!
14 Responses
Choosing a painting contractor is one of the important task for the painting of the house. Internet search is also one of them. There are many sites where you get the best painting contractors like beyond the brush painting.
I have been looking for a painting service for what seems like forever now. Checking the local painting store for a painting contractor never even crossed my mind. You give a lot of great tips on finding a painting contractor that I am going to have to try in the next few days. Thanks for the advice and awesome info.
Thank you for the advice! I especially liked when you said that I should go ask my local paint store. I like to work with local businessmen. They tend to do a better job and they can’t hide behind a big corporation if they mess up. Thank you again.
I never realized that you could find a painting contractor at a local paint store. Like you mentioned, the person at the store might have some valuable insights about your painting project that could be really helpful. I’ll have to go talk to the stores in my area to see if any of them have a painting contractor looking for a project.
This article should help me quite a bit in finding a commercial painter near me. I’ll have to ask for refferals before inquiring online, as you say. I may check with a paint store near me as well, per your recommendation.
I don’t know of anyone that recently had painting done at their house. I appreciate the advice to look for leads at the local paint store instead of a home improvement store. It makes sense to me that the contractors would go to the paint store instead of a home improvement store. It always seems to me that the paint store has a bigger selection of paints available.
Good to read the post! That’s very informative to know the places!
I like how you say that the BBB has strict standards and therefore is a good way to gauge the quality of a painting contractor. It would seem that if they are in good standing with the better business bureau you would be able to trust them. My husband and I just got done with a home remodel, so we’ll have to find a painting contractor who is in good standing with the BBB to help us paint the rooms.
Google places is a great way for painting customers to find us. Yes we are competing with other listed painters. Fr example there are at least 10 painters in port st lucie florida. However, we juice up our listing with photos of our painting work that is visible to the public. Also requesting reviews on google from past customers is very helpful
My wife and I just moved and want to do some interior repainting but aren’t sure where to look. I like that you suggest asking a local paint store for services because we hadn’t considered that before. I think asking about painters who have been around for awhile would be beneficial because they likely have the most experience and are trustworthy. Thanks for the helpful tips!
I like that you talked about how it’s best to ask around when you’re looking for a painting contractor so you can find a painting contractor that has satisfied customers. My parents are considering to sell their house. This is why they want to make sure that the exterior part of their house will look appealing from the potential buyers’ perspective. It will surely be great for my parents to choose a painting contractor that’s being recommended by other people because they can expect to be given an excellent service as well. Thanks for sharing this.
You made a good point when you said to ask for referrals as one way to find a good painting contractor. Your friends, family, and neighbors may be able to recommend a painting company which they may have contracted previously. You may want to ask for the quality of work done and the overall professionalism exhibited by the said contractor. If I were to look for commercial painting services, I would make sure to keep this in mind. Thanks.
We provide full-service paint services that include interior painting, exterior painting, residential painting, cabinet painting, faux finish painting, wallpaper, and wall coverings installation. Whatever paint services you need, call us today to schedule a free consultation.
Thank you very much for posting this valuable information about places to find painting contractors. As a homeowner, it can be difficult to know where to turn to find a reliable and experienced contractor, and this list will be a great help for anybody looking for a quality painting contractor. Additionally, for those interested in researching the best options for their painting needs, some other great resources include online review sites to check customer feedback and ratings, as well as professional associations and trade organizations. Taking the time to do some research and ask the right questions can help ensure that the contractor chosen is qualified and knowledgeable about the job at hand. Thanks again for providing this helpful information!