Hiring a quality painter can feel like a daunting task, especially when it comes to a big project. But it needn’t be….
There’s a key step right at the beginning that can almost guarantee finding the perfect painter/decorator for your job, and that’s carrying out detailed research on any prospective tradesperson and their business.
To help with this we have put together a list, using the help of one of our Pro tradesmen, John Quaid from JJ Painters and Decorators, that details key tasks a painter/decorator carries out and what research to do when looking to hire one.
What They Do
Painters not only paint. Like many creative undertakings, the quality of the final product is determined in the care and time taken during the preparation stage.
For this reason, a painter that puts a stronger emphasis on the preparation stage is going to achieve a much more professional finish than one that doesn’t.
This is an important thing to keep in mind when weighing up hiring a painter or doing it yourself. John, stresses that employing a professional is going to get a better result over DIY every time.
As the old saying goes; if you want a professional job, hire a professional.
Preparation includes:
- Cleaning surfaces from dust and old wallpaper/paint
- Plastering – smooth and even up surfaces
- Fixing and repair damage – cracks and holes
- Smooth out joins
- Sanding
- Taping up/masking
- Primer application
- Drop cloths and protective coverings
After the preparation is done, a painter/decorator will move onto the finishing coats or wallpaper.
Other strong skills a painter/decorator needs:
- A solid understanding of colour and paint types
- Extensive knowledge on how to prepare a multitude of surfaces, the correct products to use, and how to apply finishes
- Keeping up to date with new products, and techniques
- Offer expert advice on colour selection and finish type
- Calculate and source materials needed for the project
- Accurately cost jobs and provide quotes
- Good people and communication skills
How to Choose the Right Painter Decorator for Your Project?
With the help of John, we have put together some key steps to choosing a professional painter.
- Research and compile a list of painters and decorators in your area
- Research each one based on these attributes:
- Experience – years in the trade
- Qualifications – and whether they have any
- Association Membership – i.e., Master Painters New Zealand
- Reviews – check out reviews given by previous customers
- Ask to see examples of their work in person
- Narrow down to three and ask for a detailed written quote:
- Ask for a contract price rather than an hourly rate
- Ask them to specify how long it will take
- Make sure they visit the site in person
- Once you choose a tradesperson, confirm with them in writing the following:
- A definite start date and finish date
- Payment expectations
- Whats required of you to prepare the area
Take away: Gather all the information as you can about a tradesperson and their business before hiring.
Tradies for every Job
Kaitaia to Bluff.
Sorted.
Post job.
Choose tradie.
Easy.
5 Comments
James
We have a painting company and so came across this article.
We found it a great piece to read and in particular the section about some key steps to choosing a professional painter. We learnt the hard way with your last point ‘Whats required of you to prepare the area’ on our first couple of jobs when we showed up to houses and had to spend half the morning preparing the area that could have easily been done by the owner before we got there.
A good read, thank you for writing
Alana
Thanks Twins Painters, we appreciate the comment.
house painter auckland
Excellent post. I want to thank you for this informative read I think it is really important to find someone who pays attention to detail like you mentioned.This is the perfect blog for anyone who wants to know about this topic.
alana
Thanks for your comment Garry. Sorry to hear you’ve had a few bad experiences. Most homeowners and tradies like to work to a quoted price, as both know the costs upfront vs the unknown of an hourly rate, which can blow out. Agreed that some tradies quote unreasonably but I assure you not all do. Next time take advantage of the Builderscrack platform, which makes it easy to get and compare quotes, so you can quickly see if any tradies are being unreasonable.
Garry Graham
My experience of hiring a painter is that you won’t get one to work on an hourly rate. They all want to quote for the job and then complete it at twice their hourly rate. They are just rip offs.