It’s easy to think of price as the main deciding factor when hiring a painter. But when choosing a professional residential painter, there is a big difference between cost and value. Let’s discuss the difference between hiring a professional painting contractor and an amateur painter.
Proper Equipment and Safety
While many general painters may have brushes, rollers, and a ladder, Van Tuinen Painting is fully equipped to handle any residential job with safety and care. This includes protective equipment i.e. harnesses, hard hats, and respirators to ensure the safety of our team members. Our team also holds monthly safety meetings, keeping everyone up to date on regulations and best practices to prevent injury and property damage. When we send our team into the field, they have been given proper training and are expected to uphold high safety standards on job sites.
Communication
From the moment of your estimate to the completion of your job, Van Tuinen Painting communicates with you every step of the way. Clear and regular communication ensures that you always know the status of your project and are happy with the outcome. Many amateur painters may have a tough time communicating the status of the job or have enough workforce to complete work in a time-efficient manner. Additionally, amateurs are more likely to ghost homeowners partially into the project, leaving you with an unfinished mess.
Experience and Knowledge
Many amateur painters are individuals or may have one or two helpers. These small outfits are generally self-taught and have been doing things the same way for as long as they’ve been in business. At Van Tuinen Painting, we’re constantly learning more about new products, design trends and equipment that ensure the highest quality result. Professional painting contractors also know the difference between the types of paints and finishes that will work best on your specific surfaces and will only use the highest quality of product that you cannot buy at most box stores. This product knowledge ensures that your finished project stays beautiful for longer, maximizing your investment.
A large advantage to experienced, knowledgeable professionals is that they know how to properly prepare work surfaces. Painting is never just painting. The time and care put into properly prepping surfaces will greatly impact the outcome, and the length of time the finish product holds up.
Legalities
In 2019, Michigan stopped requiring licensing for painting contractors. This subsequently made it easier for amateur painters to offer services professionally without any training or state oversight. Furthermore, cutting out licensing also ended the requirement of continuing education every three years to maintain the license. Without state oversight, homeowners can no longer report sub-par painters to any licensing agency. With over 50 years of professional experience, Van Tuinen Painting has kept all legal licenses and certificates as required. Despite the state not require continuing education, our crew is kept up to date with training to give our clients the absolute best service possible. We’re also fully insured, which many amateurs may go without.
Some other things to consider:
- A reputable painting contractor will usually be booked out. If the painter you are considering has no other jobs to work around, that’s a sign they aren’t most people’s top choice.
- Are the painters employees or sub contractors? At VTP, our painters are accountable members of our team, ensuring the highest standards in quality control.
- Ask for a list of references. Experienced painters with a clean record of accomplishment will be able to offer you references to check.
- Read the reviews. While reviews are never the whole picture, they can give you a good idea of how the business runs. If a contract has consistently received poor reviews about the issue(s), you can bet your experience will be similar. Instead, look for contractors with a high rating and a list of happy clients.
- When accepting proposals, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. If contractors vary significantly in price, look at the description of work to be done. Will there be one coat, or two? Are they planning to use premium paints, or box-store brands? Before you accept any proposals, make sure you know exactly what you’re getting.
Cut down on the stress and start with a professional painting contractor like Van Tuinen Painting. Since 1974, we have been Kalamazoo’s top choice for discerning homeowners. Call us today and ask about the Van Tuinen Advantage! (269) 345-4444.
