It’s risky to throw due diligence to the wind and go with the cheapest price, unless of course quality is not what you are looking for. There exist a great divide in pricing in the painting industry and an even larger difference in quality of service being delivered.

Part of the secret to selecting the best qualified Woodstock painting contractor is understanding why such a difference in price exist in this industry in the first place. Many homeowners make the mistake of assuming that this difference represents a normal price differential, all other things being equal. Most feel it is like finding price differences from car dealership to car dealership, for the same automobile with the same features.

The problem with this understanding is with the “all other thing being equal”. The things that influence pricing vary widely in the painting industry. It is these very things that can make a big difference in the quality of your paint job, service experience, safety, honoring the warranty etc.

As a native Atlantan, let me share 27 years of experience in this industry from running my own company (Homeowners First Choice Painting). I speak as one who knows and as a representative of other companies like my own who try very hard to run their company in a way that can safely deliver the maximum benefit to our customers.

Below are the most important factors influencing cost of painting and the approximate percentage of the cost that make up your estimate.

1. Labor: 55 to 65 percent off your estimate consist of the labor that goes into actually painting your home – If a company is using substandard labor this can force the estimate price down but compromises quality in most cases. This can easily represent a 20% to 30% departure from the average price on the market to have your home painted.

2. Liability and Workmans comp insurance usually represents 5% to 10% of the total bid. If a company doesn’t carry workmans comp and general liability insurance they can shave another 5% to 10% off the price. Just because they say they carry the insurance is not enough. You better check and make sure. Many companies say they carry it and don’t. They pay their painters cash and don’t report these wages. If they are injured on the job with no history of payment, the insurance company will not pay the claim and you the homeowner are left with hospital expenses to pay. Yes they may have a certificate of insurance, but the employees may not be covered. This is rampant in this industry. Don’t put yourself at risk.

3. In most cases the low priced bids are originating from company owners who do not pay their share of taxes in this country. This again is an expense all legitimate companies have to consider when pricing your painting quote. After all expenses to deliver the service there is still taxes that have to be paid. This can add up to 10% of your quote.

4. Paint represents between 12% and 15% of the job on average. It can be a good bit higher depending what is beginning estimated. But this is an average. Skimping on the quality or quantity of paint being applied could mean a difference of maybe 5% of the total estimate.

5. Cutting back on the amount of prep work and the attention to detail when painting could shave off another 10% to 15% of labor cost further dropping the price by 5% to 8%

6. Warranties cost painting companies money. If a company decides it’s too expensive to honor their warranties they cut their cost by not honoring them. They do change their phone #s or move. Low bidders in this industry are notorious for doing this. They simply don’t charge enough to cover this part of overhead.

These are just some of the reasons why there is such a great divide in pricing in this industry. There are many more, but the above give you a good idea of how you can receive a quote that is 20%,30% or even 40% lower than another company. If you add the above percentages together then you can easily see why the difference.

I often hear a homeowner say “well my neighbor had this crew to paint their house and they did a pretty good job and for $500 or $800 less. However, is this really a valid referral? What about the other considerations above. The painter didn’t fall off the ladder at the neighbors house, but will he at yours? Only time will tell if he honors the warranty. What kind of track record does he really have. The neighbors house is only one job. What about the stability of the company over the long run. Is your house the next one he really bombs on. I regularly get calls from homeowners who went down the price path and a year later call us for an estimate to have their house repainted.

Which of the above do you want shaven off your quote? If you are like most homeowners then you are going to say none of the above, because it puts your home and financial future at risk.

So, now lets go on to the art of qualifying your next Woodstock painting contractor. On the next page of this site I give you 10 important ways to quality Woodstock house painters. Click the link and learn what you should be asking.

What I have found through the years is that most homeowners do not know how to properly evaluate Woodstock painting contractors before hiring them. Just because a contractor is cheaper doesn’t mean you’re getting your monies worth. When it comes to hiring contractors, cheaper priced services often end up costing you a lot more.

With the high cost of labor and materials, profit margins aren’t that great in the painting industry. Real cheap services in the painting industry are cheap for a reason. Quality and value of services are being cut.

Better qualify your painting contractors in Woodstock with the following 10 conditions.

1. How long has the contractor been operating in your area. Instability is common in this industry? Some painting contractors work a few years in an area then start to feel the heat from dissatisfied customers, so they move on to another city and start the whole process over again. If a contractor has been working in an area for 10 or more years, generally it is an indication of stability.

2. Does the Contractor pay his help by the hour or on a percentage basis? When I started my business in 1982, I paid my painters by the hour. After about 7 years of paying by the hour and being dissatisfied with their performance, I decided to switch to paying on a percentage basis. I found that the quality of work went up dramatically and the projects were completed in half the time.

The painters had an improved mindset when being paid on a percentage basis. The painters also have a special interest in the quality and timeliness of their work. Better performance means a smaller punch list at the end of the job and in less time, resulting in better pay.

Be sure and ask the contractor this question. This is merely a suggestion. Obviously, there are some painters that work by the hour that have a good work ethic.

Due to this success I will never pay my painters by the hour again. I have been able to provide a higher quality service overall since paying on a percentage basis.

3. Does the Contractor present a well written and organized contract to sign that outlines what he is going to do? This is a good indication of how organized he is. If he is well organized, in most cases it will carry over to his crews. Well organize people are very uncomfortable with disorganization and generally will work to maintain well organized projects and crews.

4. Does the contractor ask for a deposit up front? Although the size of a project may dictate whether a deposit is appropriate or not, for the average size painting and repair project (3,000 to 8,000) I strongly recommend not paying a deposit.

The ability of the painting contractor to finance the project is an indication of financial stability and more importantly his desire to operate at peak performance making sure you are happy.

I have heard many stories through the years of homeowners who have given the deposit only to have the contractor leave after a day or two of work never to be seen again.

5. How well has the contractor communicated with you since the first time you contacted him? Is he quick to respond to your questions and concerns?

Communication is very important to most quality professional contractors. This is another indication of the core values, by which he operates. During your project, you will definitely want good communication.

6. Are the painters working for the contractor covered by workmans comp? Be sure of this because many painters say they have liability insurance, but liability insurance is not the same thing as workmen comp and will not cover the painters if they are injured on the job.

Another consideration is how well the contractor has insured his crews against injury. Some contractors pay their crews under the table and there is no history that the insurance companies can verify. They may not cover the crews in such cases. This can put you at considerable financial risk. This simply is another indication of the core values that govern the Woodstock painting contractors performance. Contact his insurance company and ask these questions.

7. Be sure and check their references. Even though they will give you their best references, you can still get a feel for qualities such as neatness, timeliness, communication, and overall opinion of quality of the job. Keep in mind though, everybody has their own opinion of what constitutes a quality job so don’t decide based solely on their references.

8. Be leery of the aggressive cut throats, as they are more volume oriented. They have to bang out as many houses as they can to turn any kind of profit. In most cases there aren’t any core values driving the quality of their work. You only stand to suffer from this type of contractor.

9. Make sure it is understood there is to be a walk through between you and the head of the crew to take care of touch ups and any issues before you pay for the services. This is crucial, both for you and the contractor.

It assures that you are happy with their work and helps eliminate warranty issues for the contractor, saving him time and money. Seasoned contractors who really care about their customers know that this is the best approach for finalizing a project.

10. You should also check for the following obvious things: a business license, Better Business Bureau for unsettled complaints, how long they have been in business, how many crews work for them, written and detailed warranties.

Always put quality first. Putting a little extra time into qualifying your Woodstock painting contractors will pay off handsomely. You will have fewer headaches during the project. You will have a better looking home with a paint job that last longer.