Obtaining the best paint job should always be the goal when getting one’s house painted. If the person has lots of money to burn, the cost of the paint job won’t matter. But for the average individual, it will.
Home painting in Pleasanton is a cost-effective solution to update the look of your home. You probably don’t want to look for the cheapest price to find a painter. You want to avoid wasting your hard-earned money; paying too much for anything is not good. Spending your money needlessly doesn’t make sense when painters are willing to do the same job for a decent price.
You want no less than a quality paint job that’s worth the price you pay. When looking for the best paint job for the money, balancing both price and quality is essential.
Balancing cost and quality
It’s no secret that customers love to score the best deal when making purchasing decisions. Knowing this, many painting contractors may attempt to undermine the price of their competitors.
However, anyone who understands economics knows that a business can only offer a lower price without sacrificing the quantity or quality of its products or services unless they want to go bankrupt.
So, while you may be tempted to put low price first over anything else when looking for local residential painters, understand this oft-repeated quote: “You get what you pay for.” Cheap might be good for your pocket for now, but not necessarily in the long run.
It is not also necessary to pay excessive money for a paint job. What’s important is to pay for quality paint service. Otherwise, failing to do so can lead you to a ton of problems, including ending up with an unsatisfactory paint job. If that happens, it may be necessary to have the house repainted. If your painter is unwilling to come back to repaint your home at no cost, it may become necessary to pay someone to repaint it – an unplanned expense. That will be the probable scenario if you hire a cheap painter, and this is something that you would like to avoid.
Thus, the best way to choose a painting contractor is to balance quality and cost. It is vital, especially if it’s your first time to hire someone to paint your home.
Let’s explore the three essential factors to consider when looking for painters:
- Price – Price is almost always the top concern among people looking for a service provider, which in this case is a painting service company. One of the first things a homeowner needs to do is to determine the price of a paint job. Refer to this guide here to help estimate your paint project, or ask three different contractors for a cost estimate. Learn more about comparing estimates later in this article.
- Reputation – It is also crucial that the contractor you hire should have a good reputation. It doesn’t matter how cheap a paint job is if the painters have a questionable reputation. Chances are, if their reputation is poor, they will do a bad job that will cost the homeowner a lot more in the future. As a result, the homeowner is most likely to do the job over.
- Past work – When determining whether a paint service company is offering a high value for their price, it will be necessary to assess their past work. One sure thing to do is to request the painters for reference. Any reputable paint company considers giving references as part of their SOP. They even provide a portfolio of their work upon request. If the company does not have a portfolio, it should have a list of addresses so that the homeowner may visit to see the quality of their work. If a company is unwilling to give out references or addresses, look elsewhere.
Comparing estimates from painting contractors
Most homeowners who’ve had their paint work done by a professional will agree that asking for painting estimates from several contractors is always a good idea.
It is best to ask for written estimates from at least three different contractors. Once you have all the estimates, take time to read each one, compare it with the other estimates, and understand their differences in cost. This will be easier for you to determine which of these painters will be the most qualified for your project.
The lowest price doesn’t mean you’ll get the best deal. Again, a business cannot just offer a lower price without sacrificing anything in the process. When a painter offers the lowest price among his rivals, he’s likely to sacrifice the quality of his work by cutting corners.
Make sure that every estimate specifies what you are getting. A standard painting estimate should include the following essentials:
- The project’s scope – It’s best to compare apples to apples. All painting estimates should specify what is being painted, including the walls, trim, ceiling, and other surfaces. If you want it to be painted, make sure it is on the list.
- Prep work – Proper surface preparation is the most important aspect of a quality paint job. Preparing the surfaces takes the bulk of the paint job compared to the painting part itself. Homeowners should ask the painters if power washing, caulking, or color consultation are also included in the estimate. Take note of these little details before signing any paperwork.
- Start and completion dates – A standard paint job estimate should provide a timeframe for when the project will start and when it will be completed. The estimate should also list how long each phase of the paint job will take.
- Materials – A standard paint job estimate should include the list of paint products and tools for the upcoming project and their related costs.
- Payment terms – The payment terms are clearly outlined in the estimate. Some painting companies allow you to set up a payment plan to pay the painting job’s cost over time. However, most companies require you to make a down payment or pay the remaining amount owed upon completing your work. An estimate should always clearly explain how they expect you to pay for your painting project and its timeline. The labor required to paint your house should also be on the estimate with an approximate number of hours the project needs.
Conclusion
When getting a house painted, planning based on a balance between quality and cost is important. A homeowner should consider the price, quality, reputation, and past work of the home painting in Pleasanton companies you’re interested in hiring. You should also request the painters for estimates to make a cost comparison and help you decide more easily which painters should be worth your job (and your money).
