How to Choose the Right Commercial Painting Contractor

You’ve decided it’s time to give your business a fresh, new look with a new paint job. You know you need to hire a commercial painting company to handle the job for you professionally, but you aren’t sure how to choose the right contractor for the job.

Advice abounds from all sides, and it only leaves you more confused, so how do you know you are making the right
choice?

Continue reading for tips on finding the appropriate contractor for your painting project.

Prioritize What Is Important to You

Some people find great customer reviews to be at the top of their list of importance when choosing a contractor for any job. Others prioritize licensing over everything else.

Still, others won’t hire anyone unless they have been in the business for a certain length of time. Some will have safety systems and procedures as the main criteria.

Of course availability will play a large role in your choice. Decide what is important to you and use
that as your top criteria for hiring a contractor.

Create and Narrow Your List of Potential Commercial Painting Contractors

One of the first steps to choosing a painting contractor for any job is learning who performs the job or service in your area.

So, create a list of the contractors who paint commercial buildings in your area. Then, use your top criteria to narrow the list to your top few choices.

Set A Budget for Your Painting Project

There’s a saying that no good job is cheap and no cheap job is good. The adage applies to virtually every industry you can imagine.

With that in mind, set your budget, but don’t let pricing be the only consideration you have. A budget paint job might not be the best choice for your commercial property.

Communicate With Potential Painting Contractors

Once you have your priorities straight, your list of contractors chosen, and your budget set, it’s time to reach out to the potential contractors on your list.

When you reach out, pay attention to the contractor’s communication style and response time.

Are they knowledgeable and informative, and do they make you feel respected and heard?

Request An Estimate

Most reputable commercial painting contractors will be willing and able to meet with you and provide a free and accurate estimate for your painting job.

When you meet the contractor to obtain the assessment, they should ask and answer questions. They
should take notes, create a detailed estimate, and return the estimate to you professionally and quickly.

Get It In Writing

If you’ve met with a contractor you like and want to commission them to work with you on your project, you should get the details in writing.

The contract should include information regarding precisely what should be painted, how long it should take, the
colors of paint, any other services that the contractor may provide, scheduled start and finish time, and costs, including the payment schedule.

It should also include whether the contractor warranties his work or not. Never allow someone to begin work on your
business without a signed, written contract.

Contractor History, Insurance, Workers Compensation and
Guarantee

A contractor that is insured, has workers compensation, provides a written warranty and a history in the business typically offers quality work.

They should be able to provide a written guarantee that details the terms of the warranty. Typically contractors will provide proof of insurance and workers compensation either on request or as part of the proposal.

Choosing a contractor with appropriate insurance and workers’ compensation coverages helps you avoid liability claims that shouldn’t be yours.

An adequately insured contractor will provide proper coverages to protect themselves and their employees on the job and protect you from liability claims if something happens on your property.

The history of a chosen contractor should speak for itself. Length of being in business is a criteria that generally will provide assurance.

The past projects they have done will provide one of the best sources of confidence. The fact that your contractor has
completed projects similar to yours successfully is priceless. Most contractors will provide such references in the proposal or upon request.

The Takeaway

More than one factor is at play when choosing a commercial painting contractor. Prioritize the criteria that are the most important to you and select your contractor based on those criteria.