How To Get the Most for your Painting Dollar....

As we start the New Year, many of us set goals for our families and homes.
One of your goals this year might be to repaint some or all of your home. What you really want to make sure is that when you're getting estimates to paint your home that everyone's going to give you a price for the same exact work. This will allow you to compare apples to apples. Each contractor that gives you an estimate should follow all of the same steps when giving you an estimate to complete the job. You can be flexible as far as the product manufacturer they use, because most paint contractors have a preferred brand. I prefer to use PPG and Glidden becausevthe supplier I buy from is locally owned. In 20+ years as a contractor i have never felt compelled to change from this supplier. They give back to our community in unprecedented ways compared to all other paint suppliers.  I buy from Hilton Head Glidden. 
Every paint manufacturer makes the same 6000 colors. Some of which claim to be proprietary colors and they are by name. However science dictates that there are only 6,000 colors and any paint manufacturer can make any other manufacturers color to an exact match.
Step 1 choosing a color. Rarely do I consult on colors as an applicator because the homeowner would come back to me if they don't like a color and tell me that it's my fault for picking it or recommending it. So I recommend that if homeowners are able to select their own colors, they contacted an interior designer to do a color match or develop a color palette for them. Typically something like this can be done for about $125 and maybe well worth it if you have a big home to paint. More importantly I think it's worth it because you have a professional that works with colors and textures everyday.
Step 2
Scope of work:
The scope of work for your paint job should be the same for every person providing a price.
1 protect all surfaces and furniture
2 Use a 500watt LED work lamp in work areas. Clean all walls trim and doors .
3 fill holes, repair drywall, remove loose caulk as needed, and sand and prep all walls, trim and doors, clean dust from all surfaces, using a vacuum, damp sponge,  or tack cloth.
4 caulk and fill cracks as needed
5 apply paint to ceilings 1st, trim and doors 2nd, walls 3rd, using spray, brush , and/or roller with 3/8" to 1/2" nap.  Clean loose fuzz from roller prior to rolling walls.
6. Remove masking materials and surface protection and vacuum or mop once as needed for flooring.
7 Label all paint for location and date and place in stirage at owners home.

These are pretty easy steps to follow for every paint contractor to make the job very simple . Keep in mind that sometimes the scope of work will change when we find an area where a wall has some type of water damage and paint starts to peel. But this is your basic scope of work that you could use with any contractor. Good luck and look forward to hearing your questions!