I've had same question on here for about 2 or 3 wks...no answers either. Don't know why. Maybe it's too obvious of a question but I sure am not experienced in hiring painters. Anyone???

To me it is obvious, but I guess that is because I'm a painter. One thing I can suggest not doing is checking the yellow pages for painters...you may get lucky and find a good one but checking with friends and family for referrals is your best option. If they don't know any then check with a paint store that is NOT Home Depot. The paint stores will refer you first to people who buy a lot of paint from them and pay their bills...those are good signs. Most people will tell you to check references and all that but to me that is just a game really...it's not like I'm going to give you references of people who will say bad things about me so what is the point? I think most people just get a feel for which painter they are going to hire during the sales presentation/bidding process.

You do want to make sure that you are comparing bids though that are the same. Are they patching? Are they priming? Are they doing one or two coats finish or one primer and two coats finish? Are they using high quality paint? If you compare one coat vs two of course the price is going to be different. If you are doing a washable paint (eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, etc), that is a two coat system so I wouldn't consider bids for one coat anyway.

In my opinion, small companies are better than large ones and the one man painters are the best. There are a lot of them and they are all busy if they are good. You may have to wait 3-6 weeks though. You also want to hire painters that have insurance and some states require that painters be licensed....is that a concern for you? If they set fire to your house and are not insured then yes it is a concern. But, it is very likely that if you get a list of painters from the paint store you are getting a list of quality, insured painters that have been in business for some time and that is the key.

Thank you, that was very helpful. You're right, it's perfectly obvious to you but I have never hired painters before...always did it myself or had my son do it. But, this time things have changed and those aren't options for me anymore.
So, again, I thank you for taking the time to answer.

Thanks, Paintguy. Your response is very helpful. Thanks for taking the time.