How To Select Residential Painters in Lombard
When you are ready to select residential painters in Lombard, here are some things to keep in mind. There are quite a few things to look for when you’re planning on hiring a painter.
Check References
Every experienced house painter in Lombard should be able to supply you with a list of references. This list is important, because it will tell you a lot about the painting contractor.
The fact is, most people never follow up on references. They think that when a contractor is willing to give them a list, it’s proof enough. However, most unscrupulous businessmen know that the potential customer won’t follow up, and are willing to take the risk. Some disreputable contractors will give out a list of false leads, thinking you’ll never bother to call the numbers. When you do that, you may find that either the numbers are false, or the customers don’t have a very good opinion of the contractor. If, however, the references express satisfaction, then you have some assurance of quality work.
Ask Questions
There are several questions you can ask your painter before you decide who to hire. First of all, find out how long they’ve been in business. A painter who has had his own business a long time will be more likely to have the necessary equipment to do a thorough, safe job. However, don’t discriminate against a company that’s only 3 or 4 years old, because many qualified painters started their own businesses when the economy tanked.
When you talk to references, ask them about the quality of the work done by the crews. Did they do a good job on the trim, walls, and other aspects of the paint job? Did they clean up after themselves? Did they perform minor repairs, saving you the trouble of having to hire a contractor? Did the customer get good advice from the painting contractor on color choices and types of paint he used?
Find out, also, if the painters did a good job with prep work. This, once again, gets back to the minor repairs. Sometimes there may be a hole in a wall that needs to be patched, textured, and painted. Or, for exterior residential painting, maybe a piece of fascia board needs to be replaced. Minor repairs like these should be done before paint is ever applied. In addition, some areas should be masked off before paint is applied. Flooring inside the home, or brickwork outside the home should be protected. The painting contractor should also scrape any loose paint off of the walls and trim, and then prime the areas so that the final paint will stick properly. Painters will also need to check caulking around windows and doors, to make sure it doesn’t need to be replaced. Sometimes, caulk will dry out and shrink, allowing water to seep into the walls of the house. The old caulk should be cut out and replaced before the house is painted. Good prep work is crucial to a quality paint job.
As you talk to people about the painting contractor, find out about their timeliness. Did the painters show up on time? Find out if they were there when they said they would be. Some less reputable painters are consistently late on days they are supposed to be on the job, or simply don’t show up. Others show up unexpectedly, putting a burden on the homeowner to make unexpected changes to accommodate the painter’s schedule. You’ll also need to find out if they finished the job promptly, or dragged it out too long. A good paint job does take care and consideration, but should not take longer than estimated.
Finally, ask the reference if the painting contractor left the work site clean and tidy at the end of the day. Some painters leave a mess, requiring the homeowner to walk around equipment and clean up trash such as drink containers and food wrappers. Any painting contractor worth hiring will pick up after himself, leaving the worksite clean at the end of the day.
Select Paint
Your house painter should be able to advise you on the type of paint to use on your house, whether it’s for interior painting or exterior painting. There are several different types of paint, and some work better in certain environments and uses than others.
For exterior painting, you may select either paint or stain for your house, deck, or patio. While siding is usually painted, cedar shake siding can be cleaned and stained to a beautiful finish. Paint or stain, either one, can be applied to your deck, and a concrete patio can be either painted with concrete paint, or stained with a permanent stain.
In addition, stains can be clear stains, that leave the surface its natural appearance, only weather-proofed. Or, the stain can be semi-transparent. This allows you to see the texture of the wood or gradation in the concrete. An opaque stain will be a solid color that doesn’t allow any wood grain or gradation to show through.
Some exteriors also do will with oil based paints as opposed to latex paints. That, however, should be only on the recommendation of your painting contractor, as oil based paints may not always be the best solution for your house. If wood is slightly damp, oil based paint will not adhere as well as latex.
The sheen level of paint is also a factor. You’ll seldom see a painting contractor recommend flat paint for the exterior of a home, simply because it will grab and hold on to dirt and grease more than something with a glossier finish. Usually, for exterior painting, you see semi-gloss or high gloss paint. This will be more durable. It withstands staining better, and can be power washed without damaging the paint job.
If you need residential painters in Lombard IL, contact Pristine Painting at 630-546-5528. You can get an estimate, and receive quality work.