10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Painting Contractor

Licensing, insurance, prep standards, crew, and warranty: the ten questions whose answers separate an established company from a paint-and-run crew, and what a good answer sounds like.

Before You Call Anyone

Two minutes of homework changes the conversation. Washington requires contractors to be registered, bonded, and insured, and the state publishes all of it publicly at secure.lni.wa.gov/verify.

Search the business name before the estimate. You’ll see licensing status, bond, insurance, and any violations or claims, which tells you more than an hour of sales talk.

Licensing and Insurance

1. What’s your Washington contractor license number, and is your bond current?

You want a number you can look up, offered without hesitation. Verify it yourself rather than taking a screenshot at face value.

2. Do you carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation, and can I see certificates?

This is the question that protects your finances. If an uninsured worker is injured on your property, you can end up exposed. Ask for certificates listing current coverage. A real company produces them the same day.

3. Are the people on my property employees or subcontractors?

Not a wrong answer either way, but it changes who’s responsible. If subs are used, confirm they carry their own coverage.

Prep and Products

4. Walk me through your prep, step by step.

The single most revealing question on this list. You want specifics: how the house is washed, how long it dries, what gets scraped and how far, which primer on which surfaces, and where caulking happens. Prep is 40–50% of exterior labor and it’s the first thing a low bid cuts. Vague answers here predict everything else.

5. What products are you using, and what line?

“Sherwin-Williams” isn’t an answer. The product line is. There’s a real difference between a builder-grade line and a premium exterior. Get the specific products in writing so the bid you’re comparing is the bid you’re getting.

6. How many coats, and does that include primer?

“Two coats” can mean primer plus one finish coat, or two finish coats over spot-primed areas. Those are different jobs at different prices. Make it explicit.

Ask each bidder the prep question the same way, then compare their answers side by side rather than comparing totals. The price gap almost always lives in the differences you’ll find there.

Crew and Schedule

7. Who is actually on my property, and will there be a point of contact?

You want to know whether it’s a consistent crew or rotating labor, and who you call when something comes up. A named project manager is a good sign.

8. What’s the realistic schedule, and what happens when it rains?

In our climate this is a real question, not a formality. Ask how many working days, what the start date is, and how weather delays are handled. Also ask how many other jobs they’re running simultaneously.

Warranty and Payment

9. What’s your warranty, what does it cover, and is it in writing?

There are two separate warranties: the manufacturer’s on the product, and the contractor’s on the workmanship. The second one is the one that matters, because the overwhelming majority of failures are application and prep problems. Get the term and the exclusions in writing.

10. What’s the payment schedule?

A deposit is normal. A demand for the full amount up front is not. Reasonable structures are a deposit with the balance at substantial completion, or progress payments on larger jobs. Be cautious about paying in full before a final walkthrough.

Red Flags Worth Naming

• Pressure to sign today, or a discount that expires immediately
• No written, itemized scope, just a number
• Cash-only, or a request for full payment up front
• No physical business address or verifiable license
• A bid dramatically below the others with no explanation of what’s different
• Reluctance to provide insurance certificates

What a Good Bid Looks Like

Itemized scope of work. Named products and colors. Explicit prep steps. Surfaces included and excluded. Timeline. Payment schedule. Warranty terms. Licensing and insurance information.

If you have that from two or three companies, you can compare them honestly, and the cheapest one might genuinely be the right choice, because you can see exactly what you’re getting.

Key Takeaways

• Verify licensing, bond, and insurance at L&I before the estimate, not after
• The prep question is the most revealing one you can ask
• Get product lines, coat counts, and exclusions in writing
• Ask about the workmanship warranty separately from the product warranty
• Never pay in full up front, and be wary of same-day pressure

Every estimate we write is itemized, with the prep steps and products spelled out, backed by a 36-month craftsmanship warranty. See our reviews or request a free written estimate.