What to Look for in a Professional Painting Quote

Painting your home is a fantastic way to change the mood and the atmosphere of the place. There’s nothing quite like a few licks of fresh paint to cover up old marks and add some interest to an otherwise tired home. Anyone can paint, but sometimes it’s a good idea to have a professional do it instead. This gets it done faster and generally also results in a better finish.

Getting the Right Quote

If you’re having your home painted, you need to get a quote done first. If you’ve not had one done before, here are some things that you should look for:

1. Get a Free Quote with No Obligation

Some painting companies will actually charge a fee for coming out to your home and putting together a quote. This seems unfair given that you may be getting multiple quotes for the same job. Rather than pay for it, the best thing is to find a company that will do a free quote for you instead.

You may also feel some sales pressure from the person putting together the quote. They might make you feel obligated to go ahead even if you don’t really want to or you’ve had a better quote. These sales tactics should have no place in a professional painter’s toolkit. If you do happen to feel sales pressure, just remember that you can get a quote from someone else.

2. Good and Open Communication

It should go without saying that if you don’t feel comfortable with the person putting together the quote, you should not feel any obligation to go ahead. The painter should be open and transparent in their communication with you. You should not feel as if they are hiding something.

3. Paint Supplies

Paint is not always that inexpensive, and if you want a good job done, you should go with a good brand. When you’re having the painting quote done, you should ask whether the quote includes the paint, or whether you need to go out and buy it yourself.

The good news about buying it yourself is that you can choose exactly what you need and possibly save a little money.

4. Do They Know What They’re Doing?

The fact is that there are thousands of people advertising online and in print that they can paint a home professionally. Just because they call themselves a professional doesn’t mean that they should have any business holding a brush and painting your home.

A professional painter preparing a quote should do it in the right way. They should ask plenty of questions, take their time measuring out exactly where they are painting in your home, and then subtracting all of the areas they won’t be painting. They should also provide you with a detailed quote on paper or email that contains a breakdown of costs for each item included in the quote plus their labor and time costs.

Conclusion

Having your home painted by a professional painter can be very exciting, but you should also be aware of what to look for in a quote. Ultimately, if you simply don’t feel comfortable, find someone else.