Tolbert Painting

Tolbert Painting: How will I know if I hired a professional to paint my house?

Recently, a new friend of mine said to me, “I wish I knew you a few months ago when I needed my house painted.”

I asked him, “Who painted your house?”

He replied, “some college kids were going door to door asking if I needed paint work done.” Then he asked me, “Do you think they did a good job?” To which I replied, “I don’t know I guess we’ll find out in a couple years.”

A good paint job will stand the test of time, and a true craftsman painter (who has experience and cares about the product) will do a job that will look excellent up front and remain just as excellent down the line. So how do you identify and hire a professional?

Luckily, we live in California (for so many reasons). Unlike some states, California doesn’t let just anybody legally do construction work without a license. This means that any person performing specialty construction work without a license is subject to a hefty fine. A person must have a minimum of 4 years experience and be able to pass a state mandated test both for the specific field they are applying and for contract law.Once they have passed the test they are required by state law to be bonded. No licensed contractor in the state of California will be able to have an active license without an active bond.

These regulations protect the consumer from poor work and exposure to damages. You can know if your potential contractor is licensed by going directly to the Contractors State License Board website HERE.

When vetting a Painting Contractor for some potential work, here are some questions to consider:

• How long has he/she been in the area?
• Does he/she have good local references?
• Can you go and see something he/she has done?
• Has he/she done work for anyone you know?
• Does he/she have Liability Insurance?
• Did he/she work for any Painting Contractors in the area before he/she became licensed? If so who?
• Does he/she have employees? If so are they covered under Workman’s Compensation or do they work through a temp agency?  (Sometimes a contractor will hire help and have them go through a temp agency so as to lesson the cost of Compensation, which gives them a way to make sure they are covered while providing part-time employment).

House painting is like buying a car: you get what you pay for. Everything in the paint and prep process takes time and materials, both of which translates to money. Also like buying a car, paying the highest price might not guarantee the best value for your dollar. Here are some other qualities of a good Craftsman to consider: likable, easy to talk to, and easy to work with. Use your best judgment.

Joel Tolbert is a professional house painting contractor and owner of Tolbert Painting. You can reach him by email at tolbertpainting@gmail.com.