Communication is essential to good and smooth business transactions. It will lead to better relations between businesses and their clients, no matter the industry. And the same is true with commercial painters in Manteca and their clients. Apart from excellent service, good customer relations is the best marketing tactic that any commercial painting company can have, and is one that will set it apart from its rivals.

As a client, you have certain requirements, specifications, and desires that you want to achieve in your painting project. It is important for you to express what you really want to the professional painters so that your suggestions will be taken and addressed accordingly.

As you search for the ideal commercial painting contractor to accept your job, speaking with the staff of commercial painters in Manteca is necessary. After all, how would you know that this or that company is well-established, reputable, and trustworthy if you do not speak directly to them?

Here are some of the essential questions to ask while speaking to the staff of any commercial painting company:

1. Are you insured and bonded?

In California, all commercial painters should be duly licensed. Having a license is truly a hallmark of an established and reputable commercial painting contractor. When painters are licensed, they are likely to be bonded and insured as well.

There are a few good reasons why you should hire bonded contractors. A bond will protect you from an unlikely event in case the workers fail to finish the project as specified in the contract, do not pay for the supplies needed for the job, or refuse to pay for any damages that was caused during the project.

In order to secure a bond, the commercial painting contractor pays a premium to a surety bond company. Once they are bonded, they are usually issued a bond number and proof of bonding (such as a certificate). Always ask for these documents or any proof of bonding when interviewing each candidate.

2. What kind of materials do you use?

You may ignore this question because you assume that every painter has pretty much the same set or quality of materials. That may not be true. You must ask what kind of materials and paints they use. This is important because the quality of materials will directly affect the outcome of the painting job. You want a surface that has a sleek, durable, and long-lasting topcoat that requires little or no maintenance, so, you don’t want painters to use inferior paints or use substandard materials.

Also, never forget to ask candidates some more questions pertaining to the details of materials as well as brands of paints, primers, etc., that they will use for the job. This is to ensure that the contractors understand that they are really using these products as well as the reason behind it.

3. Do you employ your own workers, or do you hire subcontractors?

This is perhaps one of the questions that many commercial painting contractors wish to avoid. There’s a good reason for that – many companies subcontract to save labor costs and earn bigger profits. They do not also have to be concerned about other things such as paying employee benefits and social security taxes.

Subcontractors are usually paid a flat fee per job. This may make them likely to cut corners and hasten their job to get it done as soon as possible. This leads to inferior and shoddy results.

If you do really care about good quality paint work, hire painting contractors who employ their own workers who are also fully trained and insured.

4. Do you use safety gear and provide safety training for your employees?

It’s perfectly understandable to be concerned about safety. It is essential to maintain a safe environment for all the workers and clients while the project is taking place. Ask the contractors if they use any safety gear (and if they do, what kind), adopt safety practices, and hold regular safety training programs for their employees to avoid mishaps in the future. No matter how long they have worked there or how high the position they hold in the company, there should be regular and rigorous safety training for all the employees. Yes, even if they do carry valid insurance.

5. What’s in your contract?

Once you have chosen the ideal commercial painter to take your job, they will hand you a contract. Read it thoroughly and perhaps ask some questions to the contractor in case there are things in the contract that you still need to understand, before you sign it.

Usually, a contract will list materials, labor, paints, job time frame, total cost, as well as methods of payment. Labor typically takes the biggest portion of the job estimate (normally 85%). Hourly charging rates may vary depending on the contractor, usually from $48 to $70. If they charge you too high or too low than those suggested figures, you may have to discuss this with your contractor. Find out why their labor costs are different.

6. How long does your warranty last, and what does it include?

Typically, a warranty from a commercial painting contractor lasts from two to three years. Sometimes, even longer than that. But beware of these unrealistically long warranties – they can be a bait to get your job. Avoid contractors who offer such long warranties.

A contractor’s warranty usually covers surface flaws directly because of faulty workmanship. But if the defects are caused by something else – weather, nature, external impact, or paints provided by other companies – they are not usually covered by a contractor’s warranty.

Communicating with commercial painters in Manteca and asking them with the right questions allows you to make a more definite and solid decision when it comes to hiring them.