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5 questions to ask when hiring an interior painter in Omaha, Nebraska

June 27th, 2019 | 2 min read

By Bill Carlson

When it’s time to repaint your home’s interior, hiring an experienced and skilled painting contractor is the key to getting the best results. Professionals have done this over and over and have all the necessary tools to produce nothing but the best. However, if you’re planning to hire an interior painting contractor for the first time in Omaha, Nebraska, you might be wondering which kind of questions to ask or even what to look for in the first place.

Choosing the wrong painting contractor could not only leave you stuck and frustrated with poor quality results, but it will also cost you more over time due to premature paint failure. To avoid this, here are five important questions you should ask your painter before hiring them.

1. Are You Dully Registered And Insured?

Well, this might not sound like a directly relevant question from the face of it. After all, you can’t operate a business unless you’re fully registered, right? Well, maybe not. While this is not a major concern, you don’t want to fall a victim of fly-by contractors who seem to show up at your door from nowhere and disappear into thin air after taking your deposit.

In addition, any interior painting contractor worth his/her paycheck should have appropriate insurance covers for the business and a workers' compensation cover. In the event that any damage happens to your house during their operation, or any member of the painting crew gets injured, you don’t have to incur any extra cost.

2. How Long Have You Been in Business?

Here, you’re trying to find out how experienced your potential painter is. A more experienced painter is likely to produce high-quality and durable results because they have done it over and over. While you don’t have to go looking for decades of experience, if the painter has been in the interior for at least five years and has a positive standing in the community, they’re worth a shot. If they have changed names several times in the last few years, it’s likely they’re running away from something, run too!

3. Do You Use Your Own Employees or Subcontractors?

While there is nothing wrong with subcontracting, you need to understand and trust the people you allow to spend hours or even days inside your house. Some painting companies don’t do enough background checks on the subcontractors they contract which poses a potential safety and security risk.

In addition, subcontractors are typically paid a cheaper flat rate, which increases their chances of cutting corners and lowering the job quality. So if they’re using subcontractors and not employees, confirm that they do a thorough background check on the crew, the subcontractor has worker’s compensation and their work quality is consistent.

4. Do You Have Any References We Can Talk To?

Most painting companies readily display their previous projects full with images on their website for your reference. Some even have video testimonials from recent jobs completed. Above that, a potential painter should be ready to share references of the customers they’ve worked with within the last one year. You can go ahead and call them to find out their experience and if they recommend the painter in question.

5. What Will You Include in Your Painting Estimate?

Lastly, ask the painter to give you an overview of what their painting estimate looks like. Ideally, it should include the company details, the scope of work, materials, and brands to be used, some details on surface prep work, project timelines, payment terms, and the cost. Anything short of that will leave a lot of room for misunderstandings.

Bottom Line

The above five quick questions should help you get the best interior painting contractor in Omaha, Nebraska. If you would rather skip the hassle, Brush & Roll painting can help. Simply schedule a free estimate below or give us a call to get started.

Bill Carlson

Bill is the owner and operator of Brush & Roll Painting.