Painting a home is a major undertaking, so many people hire professional house painters to take care of the task. However, not all house painters do high-quality work. Many contractors work as quickly as possible and cut corners to get the most profit out of the job, and this can leave your home looking like a mess. You don’t want to waste your hard-earned money on a mediocre home painting service. Therefore, you need to watch out for the following red flags in your search for reliable house painters in Castle Rock CO.
Little Experience
Most homeowners want to work with house painters who know what they’re doing. For this reason, it’s important to ask potential painters about their professional experience. How long have they been in the painting business? Have their workers painted many homes? Although an exterior painting company may be relatively new, its owners may have been in the industry for many years before starting their own business. Thus, you don’t have to automatically write off a new company as long as the owner and their crew have been in the painting business for a while.
Few References
Someone can talk about their experience all day, but you need proof to know that they’re the real deal. Ideally, an exterior painting company would showcase their previous work on their website, but many good businesses in the industry still don’t have a strong online presence. Nonetheless, reputable house painters will have no problem telling you about their past customers. If a contractor doesn’t want to share information that will help you verify the quality of their work, then there’s a good chance that they are not trustworthy.
Low-Quality Materials
Sadly, some house painters might try to enrich themselves at your expense by using inferior materials. Cheap paint doesn’t look good, and it will quickly start to chip and fade. Therefore, before picking an exterior painting company, you need to talk about materials. If the business insists on using a brand of paint that you’re not familiar with, then you should research that product thoroughly to ensure that it’s suitable for your needs.
No Proof of Insurance
An exterior painting company’s insurance will cover damages if something goes wrong. An uninsured contractor could damage your property, and you would have no recourse. This is why it’s so necessary to make sure that whoever you’re dealing with is insured. Any contractor that refuses to show proof of insurance is likely uninsured, so you should not hire them under any circumstances.
Strange Payment Arrangements
Some clients refuse to pay for work once it’s finished. For this reason, it’s normal for a contractor to request an upfront payment of up to 50% of the estimated cost of the project. This will allow them to purchase materials and commence work while mitigating potential losses. However, a request for more than 50% of the total estimated price of the project is not normal. A contractor may simply walk away without doing any work if you pay too much in advance. Also, they should be able to take a debit card payment or accept a check. Since cash is harder to trace, a company that will only accept cash is more likely to disappear with your money before the project is finished.
Vague Estimates
An estimate should detail advance payments, the materials that the painters will use, the extent of the work, and the overall price of the job. Without a written estimate or contract, you and the painters may come to a misunderstanding, and each party will have less incentive to act in good faith. An honest contractor should have no problem signing a contract and sharing an estimate in writing, so don’t work with a business that won’t provide any written guarantees.
Unprofessional Communication
A reliable business will communicate clearly and respond promptly to your calls and messages. If you have any questions, then they should be able to answer them in a way that is easy to understand. Furthermore, quality contractors conduct themselves professionally and avoid crass speech. Failure to maintain quick, clear, and professional communication is a massive red flag.
Save Time and Money With Reliable House Painters
Dealing with bad house painters can be a complete nightmare. There are a ton of exterior painting companies in Colorado, but how many of them are dependable? You don’t have time to waste, but you might not know where to start. Luckily for you, the professionals at Barco’s Painting are dedicated to quality, timeliness, and customer satisfaction, so you should reach out to them today to learn more about their exceptional services in Castle Rock CO.