By Dud Eddy
Cheaper isn’t cheaper if it costs less and lasts longer. If a bid comes in unusually low, it’s because they’re cutting costs somewhere, whether it’s liability insurance, workman’s comp on their workers (in many states, they don’t have to carry it), using off-brand paint, or any of a dozen other ways that show up in the quality and the total bill later on. A good bid should be proportional to the others – the biggest mistake most people make is forgetting to throw out the highest and lowest bids. Then ask about their markup over cost – a good contractor using quality paint will still charge you for it but won’t rake you over the coals for the markup; the same goes for worker’s comp and liability insurance.
Why hiring a professional actually pays off
A DIY painting project and a bargain-bin contractor will both likely fail for lack of the same thing: proper preparation. The Paint Quality Institute estimates that some 85% of coating failures can be attributed to shoddy surface prep, not the paint itself. Peeling, flaking, mildew, blistering, mud-cracking, and masking were all mistakes of commission or omission by a good professional painter, all of them preventable by prep. That spot on your ceiling that looks brown or water-stained? The pros would have dealt with that before they ever loaded a roller. Sometimes the problem isn’t even with the last job, although that can be the case. Problems are still hidden underneath previous wipe-downs and touch-ups.
Scraping, sanding, filling, priming, and spot-treating suspected trouble spots is labor. A professional knows this, and they know how to price it. Cheaper and faster treatments either relegate it to an afterthought, and it shows in the work, or cut it out of the process altogether. That also might not show in a photo of the finished article – a well-primed patch, a good repair, or sanding an unmatched previous coat from a window mullion – but it’ll reveal itself in a year or two when the paint looks old. Good painting goes over a lot of bad sins in cabinetry and carpentry, but it rarely goes over paint wrong. No good painter enters even the most optimal situations without enough time and money to do manual paint application if they must.
Building a shortlist worth vetting
Get quotes in writing. An over-the-phone estimate is not worth the paper it’s not written on. If a contractor won’t spend an hour or two measuring up and discussing specifics (like how they plan to deal with lead paint, which goes on wet or dusty), why would you expect them to spend a week prepping and painting with care?
Check their insurance covers lead and asbestos exposure – if there are houses in the neighborhood built prior to the 1990s, this is particularly important to ensure. Older painting work can involve removing paint containing lead dust, heavy metals, and asbestos from abrasive techniques. Don’t be dazzled by warranties that go beyond the statutory guarantee; if a company becomes insolvent, it won’t be able to honor them anyway.
Reading a detailed quote properly
Once you’re down to two or three verified candidates, this is the stage where you compare quotes – and it’s also the stage where a business like Perth Professional Painters is a useful benchmark for what a properly scoped exterior or interior quote should look like, with line items covering prep, materials, and labor rather than a single lump figure.
A trustworthy quote is detailed enough that you could hand it to a different painter and get a comparable bid. It should specify:
- The paint brand and product line, not just “quality paint”
- Number of coats for each surface
- Surface preparation steps (scraping, sanding, filling, priming)
- Estimated timeline with start and completion windows
- Cleanup and waste disposal method
- Warranty terms and duration
If a quote just says “exterior repaint – $4,200,” you have no way to know what you’re actually buying. Two quotes with identical numbers can represent wildly different amounts of work.
Verifying licensing (don’t take their word for it)
Saying “I’ve been doing this for 20 years” is not a permit. Having experience but lacking a current, valid license doesn’t provide you with any information about whether the contractor complies with current local code, safety, or lead-paint handling regulations. Every state has a license board or a public registry – use it. Get the license number from the contractor and check that it’s active, issued to the business name on the quote, and has no history of discipline.
This takes five minutes and gets rid of most bad actors. Unlicensed guys can come in cheap since they don’t have insurance, ongoing training, or compliance costs. And the gap gets passed on to you as risk, not savings.
Insurance and workers’ comp: the part people skip
This is the step most property owners drop, and it’s the one that really protects you personally. Get a current certificate of insurance showing general liability coverage, and also separately get workers’ compensation. If a painter falls off scaffolding on your property and the company has no workers’ comp, you can be pulled into the claim as the property owner. This is not a hypothetical, it’s common enough that insurers will specifically ask about it during claims.
Where possible, see if you can get named as an additional insured on the contractor’s liability policy for the duration of the job. A legitimate company won’t blink at this request. One that hems, haws, or tells you insurance “isn’t necessary for a job this size” has just told you everything you need to know.
If the property is older, just directly ask how they handle lead paint. Anything built before the 1970s or so may have lead paint.), and disturbing it without containment is a major health hazard and in many places a legal violation. A professional outfit will have a standard process for lead testing and containment. A hobbyist with a truck and a ladder probably won’t even bring it up.
Why the cheapest quote usually costs more
If you receive a quote that is significantly lower than others, it’s not a good deal. It’s a red flag. Most of the time, they are skipping some of the preparation steps, using lower quality paint that won’t resist color and UV, or they are not properly insured or not paying worker’s comp, which keeps their costs low but raises your risk.
The quote with “no surprises”, that includes all the preparation, each layer, every precaution, usually sounds more expensive when you’re reading it. It’s often cheaper in the long run because you’re not repainting a couple of years later, or you’re not paying for a person’s injury due to lack of insurance on the crew.
Checking references the right way
Beyond depending on your photo gallery, call two or three past clients and ask: Did they show up on time, or at least on the day they said they would? How did they handle work stoppages due to weather, supply chain problems, or emergencies? How were they at detailing change orders or overages in their contract? Did you ever feel that the price went above and beyond what was originally quoted? Did you ever feel price pressure to accept materials or construction practices with which you weren’t comfortable? Was the job site kept clean, and did the crew pick up after themselves each day? Were there any equipment or material storage you found on your property? Was any work subcontracted? Was it made clear to you that subcontractors would be used? Could we visit a job in progress? Do you expect any more jobs in our neighborhood in the next year or two?
What needs to be in the contract
Never assume that a verbal agreement or a handshake is enough, regardless of how well you got along during the discussion. The written contract is your protection in case something goes wrong and should indicate the following details:
- The specific start and finish dates
- The complete scope of work (such as surfaces, colors, and the number of coats)
- The payment plan, which should be based on progress and not a single upfront payment
- The rules for site access and safety (including pets, parking, and time restrictions)
- Who should obtain the necessary permits, if required
- The warranty on the quality of work, specifying the coverage and duration
Most disputes arise from a too-brief scope of work. If your contract simply states “paint the outside,” you have no recourse if they ignore the details or use less paint than expected.
Payment practices that protect you
One of the biggest warning signs in the trade is a large upfront deposit. Reputable contractors will not require access to your entire budget before work even begins. A fair payment schedule would be tied to specific goals – for example, a percentage at contract signing, a percentage when work is 50% completed, and then hold the percentage until the work is finalized, inspected, and all punch list items are completed. This way, you still have leverage. If the contractor has already been paid the full amount, it will be unlikely that he will return to fix small details. Take a walk-through with the contractor before signing off, and don’t pay the last installment until you are satisfied.
Know your rights before you sign anything
Most areas have these protections in place, meaning deposit limits, lien rights, or formal dispute resolution processes are either mandated or heavily regulated when it comes to home improvement work. A lien is a claim against a property (and the people who own it) when payment for work was expected but not received – making your house the collateral, in essence. A written contract, banking paper trail, or notice of dispute, meanwhile, can come in handy when a contractor has been paid and the project goes south. The threat of these options is also great leverage in an impasse.
Vetting a painting contractor properly takes an extra hour or two up front. Skipping it can cost you a repaint, a liability claim, or a dispute with no paper trail to back you up. The property owners who do this well aren’t the ones who found the cheapest quote – they’re the ones who asked the right questions before any paint went on the wall.
