Tips On How To Find A Good Office Painter

Finding a good office painter is crucial if you want your commercial building to look good. It's also important to know what to expect of the painter and what parts of the project may need to be handled by your maintenance team. Your goal, of course, is to choose the best office painter around. So get ready to ask plenty of questions as you make calls to get quotes.

By getting answers to the following questions while you're on the phone, you can weed out some of the less qualified office painters on your call list. Plus, you'll be able to understand more about what type of services they do and don't offer and what to expect from the process they provide.

Get Details About The Office Painter's License & Experience

Most states require an office painter to be licensed in the painting and wallcovering specialty contracting field.

In Virginia, a Class A contractor license requires the painter to have at least 5 years of experience and allows the project size to be unlimited, while a Class C contractor license means they should have 2 years of experience and can complete project sizes less than $10,000.

You'll also want to find out how much local experience your office painter has. Make sure the company has been around at least 5 years and you shouldn't have a problem. However, you also want to ask about a satisfaction guarantee - see below.

Ask The Office Painter If They Are Insured

You need an office painter who's insured by worker's compensation, liability insurance, and possibly bonded. Protect your company as much as possible by only hiring fully insured office painters.

Surety bonds are obtained by the painter to protect the interest and investment of the consumer. Liability insurance protects the painter so that their financial assets aren't depleted if a consumer wins a lawsuit. Worker's compensation protects employers from being sued by employees, but in most cases not if the they are 1099 contractors.

Ask Your Office Painter For References!

It can be difficult to ask for references if the office painter has an attitude about giving them. However, they should be ready and willing to provide you with the names and phone numbers of several references. Don't let that deter you from asking every office painter you call for a list of references. And then, make those calls too.

Can The Office Painter Use Zero VOC Paint?

The office environment is the perfect place to go green wherever you can. Ask your potential office painter if they can use Zero VOC interior paints that won't harm the indoor air quality of your office building. Also, make sure they don't use other products that will fill your office with toxic fumes.

Ask If They Guarantee Their Work

You'll want to know whether or not the office painter will stand behind the work they do. Ask if they offer a satisfaction guarantee and read the fine print on the contract before you sign it.

Do They Move Furniture & Cover Floors?

If the office painter doesn't move furniture, you'll need to make sure that part of the project is taken care of before the painters arrive. Many will move furniture out of the way, but at least you may want to have your own crew move your electronics and computers.

Your office painter should protect the floor and furnishings from the preparation work. There will likely be sanding and surface preparation involved which will cover everything in dust.

Ask If They Clean Up Afterward

While you may have a regular office cleaning staff, major projects like painting and drywall repair will leave a bigger mess than what your cleaning crew can handle. If your cleaning crew doesn't do post-construction clean up, you'll want to know that your office painter will take care of it all before they leave the job.