How to Choose a Good Painter in Sydney and Australia

Are you planning on painting your home?

Finding a good painter in Sydney and Australia is not always an easy thing to do. Especially in the painting industry, where many (lets say) “shonky” operators exist that take shortcuts, comprise job quality and value, and basically leave you with an unpleasant experience.  

So when looking to find local painters to perform a painting job for you, you need to ask the right questions. Below are some of the questions we use at Tradebusters when interviewing recommended painters for our exclusive network across Sydney and Australia. We hope they may help you find a quality and professional painter for your next home renovation or improvement project.

1. Do you have a licence?

For jobs over $1,000, painters are required to secure a licence in New South Wales. In Queensland, painting jobs that cost more than $3,300 require licences on the part of the painters.

2. Do you have insurance?

Like all tradies, professional painters are required to have insurance. To protect your property and your family, the painter should at a minimum carry public liability insurance.

3. Can you provide references or work samples?

A legitimate good painter in Australia will never be too shy to provide references or work samples. This can be really important especially if you have plans to paint a new or large home where you could be spending tens of thousands of dollars painting it. Speaking to their previous customers and seeing the work yourself will help you establish if they did a quality paint job.  Most professional painters are likely to have a portfolio of their past painting jobs in local suburbs. We even recommend viewing paint jobs that may be 3 to 5 years old to see if they delivered a high quality and long lasting job. Now, that’s the sign of a great painter!

4. Are you registered with any state Master Painters Association?

If the painter you’re talking to is actually a member of this group, it’s one clear sign that they care about reputation and accreditation. To register with the said groups, a painter must possess all the required licences and have public liability insurance as well. Its members are also required to follow a Code of Ethics, certain set standards in the industry and safe work practices while doing painting jobs in Australia.

5. How long have you been doing painting jobs in Australia?

Experience will always be a good indicator of how good a painter is. The longer the painter has been doing painting jobs in Australia, the better the end result would be. Knowing how long he/she have been operating a successful business can also help you with your decision. The longer, the better. You can also check the ABN history of any business online at http://abr.business.gov.au

6. Can you give me a clear and comprehensive paint quote?

Paint quotes are tricky! In fact of the many trades we deal with, we find that it is the paint quotes that can vary significantly for what looks to be the same job. Unfortunately, it’s a trade when non-reputable painter can present you with what looks to be a “cheap” quote but what you may not realise is they will be taking shortcuts that comprise the quality and life of the paint job. Such paint shortcuts could include: lack of preparation process to clean, fix and repair surface areas and cracks, doing a fewer number of coats, thinning the paint, using the wrong paint or using a poor quality paint.

A good quality paint job done by the right professional will last you 10+years and will save you significant dollars long term.

7. How long will the job take?

It is always good to know how long the paint job would take, especially with a larger home project and if you will be living there while the work is going on. Ask the painter about possible reasons the job will be delayed, such as weather factors and even other projects they may be working on.

8. How are you going to keep paint off the other parts of my home?

Are you dealing with a “clean” painter that respects your home, furniture and other belongings? A professional painter will discuss this with you during the quote phase. Have the painter explain to you how he intends to protect other parts of your house.

9. Do you offer a guarantee of workmanship?

There have been numerous cases where a paint job falls apart after only a few months or even weeks. You need to make sure that the painter can guarantee that, should this happen to his/her work, they will return and redo it free of charge. If they offer such a guarantee, make sure you work it into the contract or quote.

10. Do you clean up after a day’s work is done?

Many home owners complain about painters who do not clean up after themselves at the end of the day. To avoid becoming one of them, you need to ask the painter questions regarding how they store painting tools, how and where they clean their brushes, how they dispose of unused paint and if they remove any kind of rubbish they produce as they go about their job.

If you do need to find a good painter for your next  home improvement or renovation job, our free tradesmen concierge service can assist. Simply contact our team directly or you can tell us about your home paint job by completing our easy job request form and our team will call you back shortly.