The first step in getting your house painted should be to set up multiple estimates/quotes. If you get the recommended 3-4 estimates, you are educating yourself on the entire process of painting your home.There are a number of reasons for this:

Getting a Better Price: If you get multiple house painting quotes, you’re automatically going to get a better feel for the market and what your price should be.  Also, make sure you let the painting companies know that you’re getting multiple bids. You will be amazed how much this limits price-gouging once the painters know you have other bids coming. They will automatically make their price more competitive to win your business.

Educate yourself: If you get the recommended 3-4 estimates, you are educating yourself on the entire process of painting your home. This is very important so you can prudently choose who you want to contract with. If you listen closely, you can uncover a lot of information about a company’s step-by-step process and choose one that will give you quality workmanship.

Leverage the bids: Once you have multiple bids, you can leverage them against each other for the best possible price. However, do not over-use this. The painting industry often follows the divine rule; you get what you pay for. If a painting company is knocking off huge sums of money, they have to make up the cost somewhere. This could affect the quality of your paint job. The last thing you want is a resentful painter watering down the paint or skipping important preparation steps because you wanted an extreme discount. Be fair, but negotiate.  Go for the “win-win” scenario!

Overall, it is highly advised to get multiple painting estimates. You will be amazed how much a little competition can benefit you, the savvy consumer.

Big Painting Companies vs. Small Painting Companies; Which is better for you?

There are 3 tiers of painting companies,  like most service industries. This article describes the pros and cons of each tier so you can choose a painter you’ll be happy with.

Tier 1: A man and his painting van

Pros: This is often the most common setup; a solitary owner who possibly has a couple helpers and his painting van. This is not bad by any means. In fact, these guys often have loads of experience and can charge a much lower price since their overhead is much lower. They often do not have a huge marketing budget and get a lot of business from referrals.  Contracting a smaller painting company can also result in much more personal attention and customization for your project.

Cons: The smaller and less-known a contractor is, the greater the necessity for reliable references and licensing documentation. Smaller operations will sometimes cut corners with licensing and insurance. They might quote an appealing price, but it might come with risk and liability should they do damage to your home or hurt themselves on the job without licensing.

If you choose a painter from the first tier, it can save you money and deliver a great painting job. Just make sure they have the credibility they say they do and can provide several customer references.

Tier 2: A medium-sized local painting company with 5-15 employees

Pros: Again, with the small to medium sized companies, the price is going to be solid. Companies that are a little larger and have served a location for a while can be very good at their trade. Their growth and longevity show they must be doing something right. You often will have no issues with licensing and insurance with mid-range companies. However, you always want to check to make sure. You will also get a lot of personalized attention with the small-to-medium sized companies, which can be comforting during something as important as painting your home.

Cons: Painting Companies like King Painting Specialists often have a larger marketing budget since they do more volume. Logically, they have to make up these costs somewhere. Your bid will be slightly more expensive than a smaller operation.

Choosing a painter from the second tier can be a great personalized experience, as long as you don’t mind paying a little bit more for their marketing expenses.

Tier 3: The big guys

Pros: The big painting companies often have a national reputation and have been operating a well-organized system for many years. This usually means good service and organization for your project. You can also be confident that they have good insurance coverage should a mistake happen on your painting project. Larger companies also have well-established relationships with material providers, which translate to savings. Above all, larger companies have a large stake in their reputation and reviews, which means they will be more willing to fix a bad situation should it happen.

Cons: They are expensive. Larger painting companies have huge marketing budgets that get added to your bid price. They also have many more employees and managers they have to pay. Remember, overhead walks on two legs. Also, with so many clients to manage, sometimes you do not receive the personal attention you want for your painting project.

If you choose one of the big guys, it’s a pretty safe bet, but it might come with unnecessary costs added to your painting bid price.

Overall, if you follow our “5 Must-Ask Questions for Painting Companies”, you will choose wisely. So any tier painter can work out great for you. Ask yourself what level attention you want and what price range you want and choose the appropriate tier.

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