You may be wondering “How will I choose a painter for my home or office project?” The real truth is that any painter, picked at random, may give you a good job or a bad job. The biggest company may not always be the best painting contractor. The one-man neighbourhood tradesman ‘that everybody loves’ may be great, but he also may be on the verge of going bankrupt and skipping town. There is no 100% guarantee. But there are some common-sense guidelines when selecting your painting contractor.

Painting Contractor Vancouver

• If they’ve been in business for some years you can reasonably assume the company is reliable, stands by its products and has the ability to solve problems resulting in customer satisfaction. The company probably pays its bills and has learned the business side of dealing with taxes and insurance etc. Otherwise they would probably be gone by now.
• Look at how they handle communication. Only the very largest companies have a telephone secretary so be prepared to leave a message. But do they return your call in a reasonable time? If you make an appointment do they show up when they said they would? Is it easy to get answers to your questions? Does the person you are dealing with seem knowledgeable? Honest?
• Does the painting contractor provide a written estimate? If there is no written estimate then you have started on the road to big trouble if you hire that person. Is the estimate dashed off on the spot or does the estimator make detailed notes and send a proper estimate within a day or so? When the estimate arrives is it accurate? Do they have your name, address, and phone number right? Painting is a details trade. Details-oriented people make the best painters. So if they can’t get the paperwork right then there are chances of other misunderstandings like the colours, schedule etc.
• Is the estimate detailed? Is it perfectly clear exactly what is going to be done? Does the estimate use terms and abbreviations you don’t understand? If you can’t understand it how can you sign it?
• Does the painting contractor have references of work already done? Not just recent ref’s but references from some years ago? This is a good way to tell the company has really been around for a while.
• Can they provide a Clearance Letter from WCB? This means they are registered and paying their premiums which means you are not exposed to risk if they have an accident while on site. It also means the company is “all grown up” in terms of dealing with compliance to government regulations.
• Are they insured for 3rd Party Liability? This is another safeguard and should be at least $2,000,000 these days.
  A typical warranty is one year on workmanship and this should be honored whether in writing or not.
• Add to all the above a good reputation or referral from someone you know and you may just have found the perfect painting contractor Vancouver.

Painting Contractor Vancouver

Peter Byrne
GENERAL MANAGER
Kassel Painting Ltd.