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How to talk things through with your painting contractor
Get the look you want in your new home with our helpful house painting ideas on getting the most out of your painting contractor.
“I’m hiring a painting contractor to paint my home. How do I make sure they give me exactly the look I’m after?”
When it comes to having your house painted, communication is key.
If you want your painting contractor to transform your new house and give it the home decor of your dreams, you’ll need to be specific if you want to avoid unnecessary glitches along the way.
Here, we’ve come up with a handy guide on how to hire the right painting contractor, and what you need to tell them:
1) Ask for recommendations
Before you talk things through with any decorators, ask people you know and trust for recommendations.
If you really like the way a friend’s house has been painted, see if you can get their painting contractor's contact details.
However you track your painting contractor down, make sure you see some examples of their painting techniques before you hire them.
2) Meet your painting contractor in person
The stronger the relationship between you and your painting contractor, the more likely they are to understand your vision and see it through to reality.
Arrange a convenient time for the painting contractor to come over to your home and discuss exactly what you want, pointing out any specific details as you go.
3) Show them what you want
Explaining is important, but actually showing your painting contractor what you want painted is the best way to make sure they get it just right.
This is where the Dulux Visualizer App comes in. It allows you to create a virtual impression of what your room will look like once it’s painted, so you can easily share your colour and product ideas with your painting contractor before they start painting.
At this stage, it’s also a good idea to agree on how long the job will take, and what hours your painting contractor will be working at your home. Agree a start and finish time and clarify what days they will work, and whether or not this will include weekends.
4) Calculate how much Dulux paint you need
It’s always a good idea to calculate how much Dulux paint you’ll need before you get any quotes from a painting contractor. It’s the best way to give you peace of mind that you’re paying the right price for the job.
The online Dulux Paint Calculator can help you do this in seconds. Once you’ve found your chosen paint on the Dulux website, simply type in the dimensions of your room, along with the number of doors and windows, and the calculator will do all the hard work for you.
5) Make a list and check it twice
You might not always be around when your painting contractor is working, so make sure you leave them a detailed list of all the decorating ideas that need to be done so that they can keep checking it as they work.
Make sure you re-read your list once you’ve written it to make sure everything is exactly as it should be – a slip of the pen could mean you end up having your bathroom painted instead of your bedroom!
6) Be precise with your Dulux paints
Give your painting contractor the exact colour name of the paint you want them to use, along with the product code to avoid any chance of confusion.
Include a list of Dulux paints on your painting contractor’s to-do list so that they can refer back to it whenever they need to.
7) Get the right Dulux paint type and finish
A paint’s finish can make a big difference to the way it looks on your walls or any furniture you’re having painted. Make sure your painting contractor knows exactly which finish you want on each surface and write it down on their to-do list.
8) Check the work before they leave
Once the work is done, have a good look around while your painting contractor is still there. Are you completely happy with the finish? Are there any last little bits of painting you’d like in terms of touching up? If so, let your painting contractor know before they pack away their paint brushes.
Top tip
Sketching a small plan of the room you want decorated is a useful way to avoid mistakes creeping in. You don’t have to be a talented artist – just include the most important features like the walls, the door and the windows with arrows showing which paint colours and finish you want on each.