Painting a home in Tacoma seems like it should be a easy project, but in reality, it takes a ton of preparation and work before the home in Tacoma can actually be painted. In addition to properly masking off surfaces, there’s sanding and filling that needs to happen, caulking, and other surface preparation. These simple steps are one of the most critical details of the painting process. Careless work and failing to complete these simple first steps can result in a less than bad paint job that can make your Tacoma home look bad, and cost more money in the end.
How to Find a Painter in Tacoma
We discovered in this industry, there are sloppy painters and there are those who take pride in their work. Property owners who aren’t particularly fussy may be satisfied with a speed and low cost of a sloppy painter. Sloppy painters are inexpensive because they don’t take the time to properly clean or prep the surface, nor mask off adjacent architectural or structural details, or even mix the paint correctly.
With these guys, it’s all about speed. These may not seem like big issues, but can lead to disastrous results which are both time consuming and expensive to reverse.
How to find a quality painting contractor in Tacoma.
Legitimate and qualified Tacoma painting contractors may be more expensive, but come with a long list of satisfied customers and excellent references. The very problems that characterize a sloppy painter are nonexistent with a quality paint job.
So how do you find a good painting contractor? Ask friends, coworkers and relatives who have recently had work done on their homes for the name of a quality painter they would personally recommend. In addition to the referral, ask if you can examine the quality of the paint job itself. Some people have a higher threshold of tolerance for careless work than others, and a detail that might not bother one person may be unacceptable to another.
What to look for before painting starts.
Nails should be counter sunk, old paint scraped and sanded smooth, holes filled and sanded, and surfaces and corners cleaned of dust, cobwebs, and dirt before painting,
Proper prime coat. Quality painters apply prime coats to unfinished surfaces before applying the finish coat. Knots holes are a good place to check for the quality of the prime coat since these areas are often the first to lose paint.
Quality and condition of paint used.
In Tacoma, A high quality paint can last up to 30 years. If the paint appears to be flecking off after just a couple of years, it was either applied incorrectly, cut too thin, or was an inferior product ~ all leading to corners that were cut.
Even application of paint.
Paint should be applied evenly with consistent and complete coverage; sheet rock tape should not be visible. Walls, ceilings, trim, and other surfaces should not have sags or drips.
No evidence of over spraying. Many painting contractors use airless paint sprayers to apply paint in both inside and outside of the home. Homes that have been improperly masked or shielded will have spray droplets in areas that can be impossible or costly to remove. Look for signs of over spraying on all porous surfaces on both inside and outside of the house.
Surface texture.
Some painters use texture to break up the expanse of walls, or to hide preexisting minor imperfections. While texture is a low cost and practical solution for walls that will not be wallpapered, you might not want to see texture on areas that are painted with a glossy finish. These areas would include wainscoting, wood molding, baseboards, staircases, and built-ins.
Properly functioning windows, doors, and cabinets.
During construction, sloppy painters will paint everything in sight ~ including window jamb liners, drawer tracks, and door hinges. Take the time to open and close anything that moves to check that hardware hasn’t been damaged.
The bidding process
Once you have found a couple of Tacoma painting contractors whose standard of craftsmanship meets with your expectations of a quality paint job, it’s time to get painting bids.
Bids can be all over the map with each painter including different things. Do tell each contractor what is expected of them including the quality of the paint, the degree of preparation, the different colors of paint desired, and the scope of the project itself. With this information, the painting contractors can prepare a complete bid package that can be easily compared with others. With the bids, ask the painting contractors to include verification of current insurance liability and workman’s compensation policies.
Shopping for a Tacoma painting contractor can be time consuming, but absolutely necessary if your goal is to have a quality paint job on your home. In areas of the United States where painting contractors do not have to be licensed, homeowners are at risk for having property damaged with sloppy work. Asking for referrals, checking references, examining the quality of previous work, and preparing a contract that is fair to both parties involved, will ensure a quality project.
Luckily, you live the Tacoma Seattle area, and Durham Painting is here to serve all your painting needs. We will do all of the above work to your satisfaction and beyond. Leave you home to us and you will be so happy that when you searched for a painter in Tacoma, you found us.
