Hire a Professional to Paint Your House
The house painting industry has a new business practice that many homeowners don't realize. Many house-painting firms, including national franchises, don’t do the work themselves. Professionals are better than hiring people to paint your home. Understanding the differences between professional painters, general labor crews, and general painters can help you save time and money.
What Can You Expect from a Professional Painter
Professional house painters Denver is not just a guy using a brush and a gal using a sprayer. They are experts on the entire life cycle of paint. From prepping the area to maintaining the best quality work for the longest period, they have extensive knowledge. This knowledge is gained through nationally recognized standards and training programs.
House painters may not use professional painters to paint your home. Many companies don’t even employ professional painters. These companies sell their services and then give the contract to sub-contractors who will perform the work. They act as a mediator, collecting the check and then splitting the money 50/50 between the painting crew that actually does the work. This is dangerous for homeowners, and it only benefits the company.
Are Professional Painters Worth it?
W-2 workers are an asset to painting companies that have a continuous skills training program. This allows them to control the quality of their work. They use only the best equipment and techniques to ensure their employees follow industry best practices. They adhere to the Painting & Decorating Contractors of America’s standards for craftsmanship to maintain consistent quality from job-to-job.
Professional Quality Painting
Painting professionals complete projects in three stages: Prep. Paint. And Punch Out.
Preparation is key to a successful painting job. Professional painters spend a lot of time and effort preparing the project before they begin painting. It is essential that surfaces are properly cleaned and dried to ensure that the paint adheres. Painters also protect surrounding areas from any damage by covering up or removing objects and surfaces they don’t want painted. These tasks may be tedious, but professional painters are much more concerned with the quality of their work.
Painting professionals have the right tools and know how to use them. Professionals will use quality materials instead of cheap, short-cuts to make sure that their work lasts until they decide to repaint again.
The final step is to clean up and touch up any areas. The foreman walks through the home with the homeowner to ensure that the scope and work are accurately matched. This quality control step shows professionalism and pride in final product. The punch-out identifies any issues that need to be corrected before the job can be considered complete if the work is not up to the homeowner's or company standards.
Painting companies can't regulate or control how subcontracted employees use the paint to finish a job because of legal restrictions. This makes it difficult to ensure that professional standards are maintained. From personal experience, it is easy to hire outside help. The quality of work varies from job to job. It can be difficult for subcontractors to make the right decisions.
If the problems persist, the primary contractor could refuse to pay the crew. This is not a good thing for homeowners who are stuck with a terrible painting job and have to wait for the sub-contractor to correct it so they can be paid.
The only recourse that a subcontractor has to collect money in these cases is to file a mechanic's lien against the homeowner to make the painting company pay.
These might sound extreme, but they do happen more frequently than you may think.
Know who is in your home's painting crew
Subcontracted workers feel the best way for them to make money is to complete their work quickly, even though they are being paid a fixed amount of the overall contract. They are not being rewarded or directed in a way that encourages them to take time and do the job properly.
What does this say about their character and character? You'd expect them to be nice people when they work at your house. The company that you contracted with wouldn't send shady people to paint your house. This would be a risk to you, your family, and your belongings.
You'd be shocked.
My time working at one of the most prominent national franchise painting businesses did not include a criminal background investigation on sub-contract workers. They didn't even get to meet all of their crew members before assigning them jobs.
You have the option to choose a painting contractor that does all the work or one who is independent. But make sure they thoroughly vet the contractors, drug test the employees, and do background checks.
Contractor Safety Plan
A serious issue that is often overlooked is homeowner liability. Each legitimate painting company will have an OSHA-based safety training program for employees. This ensures that the workplace is safe. Falls from ladders are among the most frequent workplace accidents. Each employee is covered by workers' compensation insurance premiums if they work for a legitimate company like a painting business.
Professional painters need to be able to demonstrate and understand the OSHA-recommended safety protocol
- Fall Protection and ladder safety
- Safety in Cold and Hot Weather
- Lead Awareness and Respiratory Security
- Hearing Protection
- Safety in Heavy Machinery, Pressure Washing and Sprayer Safety
Many sub-contract crews have additional crew members who work for them, but they are not employees. They can either be sub-contractors to the subcontractor or are paid by the subcontractor for their labor. In either situation, workers' compensation policies rarely cover them. The homeowner can be held responsible for the medical bills of an uninsured worker who falls from a ladder. This is an absolute nightmare.
Never assume that workers at your house are insured by the company or have received safety training. Before you allow anyone to work for the company, be sure to ask for proof of any insurances, including workers' compensation and vehicle insurances.
A common saying in the workplace is "Safety does not happen by accident." Safety skills are not something that is instinctive. You should ask yourself, "Who is safe-training and insuring their workers?"
General Liability Insurance
If you don't have proper insurance, you might lose everything. You may also be liable for injuries to workers. Make sure the company you hire is covered by a minimum of $1,000,000 in general liability insurance as well as worker's compensation insurance. These are both required in most States.
General Liability Insurance protects you against being held legally responsible if there are injuries or accidents during your project. It protects you from any liability incurred by contractors for damages to your house.
Without General Liability Insurance, the company cannot pay for your home's repairs if you cause damage. Five gallons paint can get on your car and cause damage. Even the best situations can lead to mistakes. It is not a good idea to try and save money by using an uninsured company. It may end up costing you even more.
Make sure everyone on your crew is covered by both General Liability Insurance and Worker's Comp.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Professional Painter
When shopping for painting estimates homeowners may ask: "Why is the price so different between painting companies?"
It is common for price fluctuations to occur when comparing proposals from multiple companies. Variances may be caused by simple differences in the scope and nature of work. It could be that one company is able to perform additional work while another company does not. The difference between a legitimate and illegitimate business can also be caused by the fact that they don't have the proper licensing, insurance, workers compensation coverage, or are not paying their workers the right amount. There is no apples-to-apples comparison between companies when there is a large discrepancy in price for the same amount of work.
Painting companies invest in the following areas to make sure their customers receive the highest-level professionalism and craft.
- Professional painters with high quality skills can be hired and trained.
- For all jobs, follow the Painting & Decorating Contractors of America guidelines for craftsmanship
- Maintain the minimum level of workers' compensation and insurance coverage
- Use an OSHA safety training program
Doing business correctly can cost companies more which can have an impact on the customer's bid price. The homeowners' concern may not be the problem of the business owner. However, the end result almost always involves a happy customer that is protected and satisfied.
There will always exist customers who are willing to pay the lowest price. Sometimes it's not possible to avoid these customers by using an intermediary or illegitimate paint company. This can save you money while also saving you time. It's not difficult to see the risks these types of business practices could pose to the customer.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Painting Contractor
We suggest that you ensure you are asking the right questions before you hire a painting contractor.
- Are my house workers employees or contractors?
- Are all employees fully insured under the company’s general and worker’s comp insurances, as well as commercial vehicle insurances?
- Is the background of everyone involved in my painting project checked?
- What safety programs and training are you requiring of your workers?
- What quality standards does your company have and how do they measure up?
- Can you show proof of your training and all current insurances?
You can identify the most important qualities in a painting contractor and use these to help you choose the best match for your project. Sometimes, the cheapest option isn't always the best.
Jay's Painting LLC recognizes that we're not the cheapest in the area. However, we're one of the most trusted. Our high-quality work and professionalism are proven by our numerous affiliations and awards. We are available to help you with any questions or scheduling an estimate.
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