How to Choose the Right Painters for Your Home Renovation

Anyone can buy a roller. Choosing a painter is really about working out who will still be standing behind the job in five years — and whose quote actually covers the same work as the next one.

Start with the licence

In Queensland, painting work over $3,300 requires a QBCC licence. It's free to check on the QBCC website, it takes thirty seconds, and it tells you whether the business is insured, current and legitimate.

Ask for the licence number and confirm the name on the licence matches the name on the quote. Pete's Painting Solutions holds QBCC licence 1319729.

Then the insurance

• Public liability — covers damage to your property
• Workers' compensation — covers anyone on site working for them
• Ask to see current certificates, not last year's

Compare quotes on the details, not the total

Three quotes with three different numbers usually means three different scopes. Line them up on these points:

• How many coats? Two finish coats should be standard, not an upgrade.
• What preparation is included? Washing, scraping, sanding, filling, caulking and priming should all be named.
• Which products and which range? 'Quality paint' isn't a product. A brand and a product line is.
• What's excluded? Eaves, fascias, gutters, garage doors and fences are the usual quiet omissions.
• How long will it take, and who's actually on site — employees or subcontractors?

Look at real work, close up

Photos are easy. Ask for a recent job in your suburb you can drive past, and look at the details — the cut-in line where wall meets ceiling, the edges of window frames, whether the old colour is ghosting through.

Questions worth asking

1. Who will be on my site each day, and will it be the same crew?
2. What happens if it rains halfway through the exterior?
3. How do you handle colour changes once we've started?
4. What's your guarantee, and what does it actually cover?
5. Do you take a deposit, and what are the payment stages?

Warning signs

• Cash-only, no written quote, no ABN
• A large upfront deposit before any work starts
• Pressure to sign today for a 'special price'
• No fixed address and no licence number
• A quote that's dramatically cheaper with no explanation of why

A fair painter will happily answer every one of these. If the answers get vague, that's your answer. Call us on 0467 533 970 and ask us the lot.